Winds of Change

written by Charles DeVore

from Mouse Tracks March 2004

In this issue I’m going to try to point out some things that folks do wrong with their computers. First, all computers have batteries of some kind. However, what is most disconcerting is that people tend to feel that the batteries that run their computer can be ignored. How you care for them depends on if this is for a portable Mac or your desktop unit.

PowerBooks and iBooks will hold time and date for about two to five minutes after removing their main batteries. If the battery is out longer without AC power plugged in, you will need to reset the time and date, and possibly your startup disk. Check to see what type of battery your laptop has. The older NiCad (nickel cadmium) need to be fully discharged and then recharged periodically. The new Li-Ion (lithium ion) type are different and should not be subjected to repeated full-discharge/charge cycles. Fully discharging a Li-Ion battery frequently is the main reason some people have two year-old batteries that will barely run for 20 minutes and others have three or four year-old batteries that still last for hours.

Desktop computers also have batteries, but these need to have a small amount of power at all times. So do not plug your desktop computer into a powerstrip that you turn off every night. If you do, the battery will start to fail after one and a half to two years versus the three to five years they normally last.

Some people have been breaking System 10 by moving things out of folders that they were put into by the System. Don’t do it! Let me repeat that—do not do it! One of the biggest things people have to get over is that you can’t have it your way in System 10. Many folder and file links break if they are removed from the place the installer put them. Once broken, they stay that way and you have to reinstall the system to get them back. Number two: stay out of the Libraries folders. A client who just installed Panther on their computer could not believe they could not move all those files out of the Library folder. After all, they weren’t using them, so why should they keep them around. There is one thing I can guarantee: throw a bunch of those files away and your computer will start crashing. Two other clients have shown up with the Applications folder for OS X gone from the computer; the only solution is to reinstall OS X plus any OS X apps that lived in that folder. Even though you may not think you’re using those files, the computer is, so don’t do it. In fact don’t be Mrs. or Mr. Housekeeper on your computer unless you really know what you’re doing.

Last, but not least, before you start experimenting with your computer, make sure you know where your startup disks are. Trying to boot into a version of System 10 from System 9 sounds easy until you discover your System 10 is damaged. The only way you can reset the OS 9 startup is to start up with a OS 9 system CD. Go to the Control Panels and choose the OS 9 folder on your hard drive. The System 10 startup CD allows you to pick a startup System, but you only get the choice after you tell the installer to quit.

If you have installed a big application on your System 10 Mac and then the machine slows down to a crawl, you may want to update the prebinding. Yes, I know that sounds very scary because it means doing something in the terminal. However this one is pretty easy: open the Terminal program (located in the Utilities folder) and type in the following:
sudo update_prebinding -root / -force
Then hit the return key, type in your password, and hit return again. This will take a few minutes to run. So what does this really do? It is forcing Mac OS X to go through all of the application files and make sure that they are correctly linked together. The Mac OS X default installer usually takes care of this by itself, but some third-party installers may not work correctly.

Passwords are not to be forgotten. Please write your password down and unless you’re in a space where people have access to your computer, make it easy. Many people take passwords on their home computer to the extreme, making them long which means easy to forget or mistype. At home keep it short and keep it simple. Some programs like Norton Utilities will ask you for your password for every change it makes when updating its parts and pieces. After you have typed in your password eight or nine times you will get the point I’m trying to make. For those of you who forget your password here’s how to reset it. Start up with your install CD; then under the installer menu (at the top of your screen next to the blue Apple) click on “Installer,” a menu will drop down, go to “Reset Password” and let go. You will then be allowed to type your new password in (twice). After doing that, quit the installer. You will be asked if you really want to quit the installer; be sure and select Quit (note the Quit button will not be blue). This will restart your computer and your password will be changed. Please write your new password down as you are sure to forget what you changed it to at least once.

Again I make this warning: do not use old Utilities on new Systems. The oldest version of Norton Utilities I would use is 6.03 if you have a computer that will boot into OS 9.1 or above. The oldest version of DiskWarrior I would use is 2.1.1.

One of the items announced at MacWorld was a DVD-R that would hold two hours of video. The strange thing is I have not seen anything about it since then. I’m not even sure which DVD recorders this is aimed at, but I sure would like to. The only product I find on the Apple store site is the DVD-R five pack of the 4X DVD-R blanks.

There is a new iChat beta which is supposed to allow you to do sight and voice messaging with any AIM 5.5 version. This means video chat with PC machines as well as Macs. Now if they can only get it so that more than two people can chat at the same time, life would indeed be good. We usually have three to six people on our family chats covering Idaho, Oregon, Colorado, and Egypt. Please note you need to buy Panther in order to use the speech and video for free or you have to purchase iChat AV for $39. And I wonder about the stability of the new version when the download page has this comment on it: “If you’d like to revert to your older version of iChat AV, you can do so at any time by choosing “Revert to iChat AV 2.0” in the iChat AV application menu.” Just remember, this is still a beta product which means it’s not finished.

I have noticed that Apple wants to force people on to their new Systems by offering products like the new update to Safari that will only be for Panther. Their excuse is that the new version relies heavily on the features built into Panther. I think more than anything it’s to sell new products even though your old product works fine.

Apple has announced an extended repair plan for some iBooks with bad video. This program does not cover all the iBooks, but does cover specific models built between May 2002 and April 2003. The program lists serial numbers ranging between UV220XXXXXX and UV318XXXXXX. If you have already paid for such a repair, you will need your receipt to have Apple reimburse you for the expense. They are supposed to contact people who have had the repairs done, but it would not hurt to contact them if in doubt.

If you are having problems with CD ROM burning you may want to try a different brand of CD blanks. Many of the people who call me try over and over on the same brand of blanks not knowing that some blanks are better than others. I’m not a big fan of Memorex due to how many have failed to write for me. In fact almost all of the no-name brands are off my buy list. I usually buy TDK; and no, I don’t get any money from them and yes, there are most likely better blanks out there. However I tend to stick with the ones that have worked for me. Here are a few things you can try if you’re not able to burn a CD for some reason. Slow down the recording speed if the software allows that. Be sure the blanks are clean and have no dust or greasy fingerprints. Make sure the data is good and you’re not trying to burn a damaged file or program. Try a different brand of blanks. Never write on the CD with anything that is not a felt tip permanent marker. Never put labels on CDs; there are lots of reports of labels coming loose or pulling the reflective material off the CD. I stopped using labels when CDs tried to stick in my TiBook if they had labels on them. Do not allow your CDRs to sit out in the sun or allow the top to get scratched. Last but not least, make two copies and put one away in a safe place that is not next to your computer.

You can reach me at charles@cdevsol.com.

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