Section 15.2. Troubleshooting
Mac OS X is far more resilient than its predecessors, but it's still a complex system with the potential for occasional glitches.
It's safe to say that you'll have to do less troubleshooting in Mac OS X than in Windows, especially considering that most freaky little glitches go away if you just try these two steps one at a time:
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Quit and restart the wayward program.
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Log out and log back in again.
It's the other problems that will drive you batty.
15.2.1. Problems That Aren't Problems
Before you panic, accept the possibility that whatever is frustrating you is a Mac OS X difference , not a Mac OS X problem . Plenty of "problems" turn out simply to be quirks of the way Mac OS X works. For example:
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My System Preferences controls are dimmed . As noted in Chapter 13, many of Mac OS X's control panels are off-limits to standard account holders. Even if you're an administrator, in fact, Tiger requires that you unlock System Preferences the first time you open it (by clicking the padlock icon at the lower-left corner of System Preferences and then entering your password).
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I can't log in! I'm in an endless login loop ! If the standard Login screen never seems to appearand you go straight to someone else's account every timeit's because somebody has turned on the automatic login feature described on Section 12.4. You won't have a chance to sign in with your own account until somebody choose
Log Out. -
I can't move or open a folder . Like it or not, Mac OS X is Unix, and Unix has a very strict sense of who, among the people who share a Mac over time, owns certain files and folders. For starters, people who don't have Administrator accounts aren't allowed to move, or even open, certain important folders. Section 12.1.2 has much more on this topic.
If whatever problem you're having doesn't fall into one of those categories, then maybe something truly has gone wrong; read on.
15.2.2. Minor Eccentric Behavior
All kinds of glitches may befall you, occasionally, in Mac OS X. Your desktop picture doesn't change when you change it in System Preferences. A menulet doesn't open when you click it. A program won't openit just bounces in the Dock a couple of times and then stops.
When a single program is acting up like this, but quitting and restarting it does no good, try the following steps, in the following sequence.
15.2.2.1. First resort: Repair permissions
An amazing number of mysterious glitches arise because the permissions of either that item or something in your System folder have become muddledthat is, the complex mesh of interconnected Unix permissions that govern what you and your programs are allowed to do with the files on your drive.
When something just doesn't seem to be working right, therefore, open your Applications Utilities folder and open Disk Utility. Proceed as shown in Figure 15-1.
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This is a really, really great trick to know.
15.2.2.2. Second resort: Look for an update
If a program starts acting up immediately after you've installed Mac OS 10.4, chances are good that it has some minor incompatibility . Chances are also good that you'll find an updated version on the company's Web site.
15.2.2.3. Third resort: Toss the Prefs file
Take this simple test: Log in using a different account (perhaps a dummy account that you create just for testing purposes). Run the problem program. Is the problem gone? If so, then the glitch exists only when you are logged inwhich means it's a problem with your copy of the program's preferences.
Return to your own account. Open your Home folder Library Preferences folder, where youll find neatly labeled preference files for all of the programs you use. Each ends with the file name suffix . plist . For example, com.apple.finder.plist is the Finder's preference file, com.apple.dock.plist is the Dock's, and so on.
Put the suspected preference file into the Trash, but don't empty it. The next time you run the recalcitrant program, it will build itself a brand new preference file that, if you're lucky, lacks whatever corruption was causing your problems.
If not, quit the program. You can reinstate its original .plist file from the Trash, if you'd find that helpful as you pursue your troubleshooting agenda.
Remember, however, that you actually have three Preferences folders. In addition to your own Home folder's stash, there's a second one in the Library folder in the main hard drive window (which administrators are allowed to trash), and a third in the System Library folder in the main hard drive window (which nobody is allowed to trash).
The only way to throw away the .plist files from this most deep-seated source (inside the System folder) is to use one of the security-bypass methods described in the box on Section 15.2.4.
In any case, the next time you log in, the Mac will create fresh, virginal preference files.
15.2.2.4. Fourth resort: Restart
Sometimes you can give Mac OS X or its programs a swift kick by restarting the Mac. It's an inconvenient step, but not nearly as time-consuming as what comes next. And it can fix problems that cropped up when you started up the computer.
15.2.2.5. Last resort: Trash and reinstall the program
Sometimes reinstalling the problem program clears up whatever the glitch was.
First, however, throw away all traces of it. Just open the Applications folder and drag the program's icon (or its folder) to the Trash. In most cases, the only remaining piece to discard is its .plist file (or files) in your Home Library Preferences folder, and any scraps bearing the programs name in your Library Application Support folder. (You can do a quick Spotlight search [Section 2.13] to round up any other pieces.)
Then reinstall the program from its original CD or installerafter first checking the company's Web site to see if there's an updated version, of course.
15.2.3. Frozen Programs (Force Quitting)
The occasional unresponsive application has become such a part of Mac OS X life that, among the Mac cognoscenti online, the dreaded, endless " please wait" cursor has been given its own acronym: SBOD (Spinning Beachball of Death). When the SBOD strikes, no amount of mouse clicking and keyboard pounding gets you out of the recalcitrant program.
Here are the different ways you can go about force quitting a stuck program (the equivalent of pressing Ctrl-Alt-Delete in Windows), in increasing order of desperation:
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Use the Dock . If you can't use the program's regularly scheduled File
Quit command, try Control-clicking its Dock icon and choosing Quit or (if the program knows it's dying) Force Quit from the pop-up menu. -
Force quit the usual way . Choose
Force Quit to terminate the stuck program, or use one of the other force-quit methods described on Section 4.1.3. -
Force quit the sneaky way . Some programs, including the Dock, don't show up at all in the usual Force Quit dialog box. Your next attempt, therefore, should be to open the Activity Monitor program (in Applications
Utilities), which shows everything that's running. Double-click a program and then, in the resulting dialog box, click Quit to force quit it.
Tip: If all of this seems like a lot to remember, you can always force-restart the Mac. On desktop Macs, hold the power button in for six seconds; on laptops, press Control-
-power button. 15.2.4. The Wrong Program Opens
As noted in Chapter 4, the way documents are linked to the programs that can open them is very different in Mac OS X than it was before. Some documents have invisible, four-letter type and creator codes that tell them which programs they "belong to." Other documents lack these codes, and open up in whichever program recognizes its file name extension (.doc or .txt, for example).
| WORKAROUND WORKSHOP Fixing Permissions Problems |
| Sooner or later, when you try to move, rename, or delete a certain file or folder, you may get an error message like this"The folder 'Junk' could not be opened because you do not have sufficient access privileges"or this: "The operation could not be completed because this item is owned by Chris" (or by root , which means by Mac OS X itself). What they're trying to say is, you've run into a permissions problem. As noted in Chapter 12, Mac OS X is designed to accommodate a number of different people who share the same Mac over time. Nobody is allowed to meddle with other people's files or folders. But even if you're the solo operator of your Mac, you still share it with Mac OS X itself (which the error messages may refer to as root or system ). In any case, if you're confident that whatever you're trying to do isn't some kind of nihilistic, self-destructive act like trashing the Applications folder, it's easy enough to get past these limitations. Just highlight the recalcitrant file or folder and then choose File Now you own that folder or file, and you can do whatever you like with it. |
Section 4.4.2 shows you how to choose which program opens a certain document (or kind of document). But that's not much help when you double-click a SimpleText document and have to sit there while SimpleText opens up in Classic , mandating a 45-second wait.
The simple rule to remember here is that creator codes override file name extensions . In other words, a file called Contract.txt generally opens in Mac OS X's TextEdit if it doesn't have a four-letter creator code behind the scenes. If that same file has SimpleText's creator code (ttxt), however, it opens in SimpleText (and Classic) no matter what its file name is.
In other cases, the quickest solution may be to strip away the type and creator codes. You can do that by dragging the troubled files' icons onto a program like Wipe Creator (available from the software page of www.missingmanuals.com). At that point, Mac OS X has only the document's file name extension to go on when choosing a program to open it.
15.2.5. Can't Empty the Trash
If you're having trouble emptying the Trash, start by holding down the mouse on the Trash icon itself . When you choose Empty Trash from the pop-up menu, Mac OS X empties the Trash without complaint, locked files and all.
If emptying the Trash gives you "Could not be completed because the item is owned by Marge," you're trying to move or delete another Mac account holder's stuff. As you know, that's a big no-no in Mac OS X.
In that case, just make yourself the new owner of the file or folder, as described in the box on the facing page.
15.2.6. Can't Move or Rename an Icon
If you're not allowed to drag an icon somewhere, the error message that appears almost always hits the nail on the head: You're trying to move a file or folder that isn't yours . Again, the box on the facing page explains the solutions to this problem.
15.2.7. Application Won't Open
If a program won't open (if its icon bounces merrily in the Dock for a few seconds, for instance, but then nothing happens), begin by trashing its preference file, as described on Section 15.2.2.2. If that doesn't solve it, reinstalling the program usually does.
15.2.8. Startup Problems
Not every problem you encounter is related to running applications. Sometimes trouble strikes before you even get that far. The following are examples.
15.2.8.1. Kernel panic
When you see the dialog box shown in Figure 15-2, you've got yourself a kernel panic a Unix nervous breakdown.
(In such situations, user panic might be the more applicable term , but that's programmers for you.)
Kernel panics are extremely rare. If you see one at all, it's almost always the result of a hardware glitchmost often a bad memory (RAM) board, but possibly an accelerator card, graphics card, SCSI gadget, or USB hub that Mac OS X doesn't like. A poorly seated AirPort card can bring on a kernel panic, too, and so can a bad USB or FireWire cable.
If simply restarting doesn't solve the problem, detach every shred of gear that didn't come from Apple. Restore these components to the Mac one at a time until you find out which one was causing Mac OS X's bad hair day. If you're able to pinpoint the culprit, seek its manufacturer (or its Web site) on a quest for updated drivers, or at least try to find out for sure whether the add-on is compatible with Mac OS X.
Tip: This advice goes for your Macintosh itself. Apple periodically updates the Mac's own "drivers" in the form of a firmware update . You download these updates from the Support area of Apple's Web site (if indeed Mac OS X's own Software Update mechanism doesn't alert you to its existence).
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There's one other cause for kernel panics, by the way: moving, renaming, or changing the access permissions for Mac OS X's essential system files and foldersthe Applications or System folder, for example. This cause isn't even worth mentioning, of course, because nobody would be that foolish.
15.2.8.2. Safe Mode (Safe Boot)
In times of troubleshooting, Windows fans turn to Safe Mode when starting up their computers. Although not one person in a hundred knows it, Mac OS X offers the same kind of emergency keystroke. It can come in handy when you've just installed some new piece of software and find that you can't even start up the machine, or when one of your fonts is corrupted, or when something you've designated as a Login Item turns out to be gumming up the works. With this trick, you can at least turn on the computer so that you can uninstall the cranky program.
The trick is to press the Shift key as the machine is starting up. Hold it down from the startup chine until you see the words "Safe Boot," in red lettering, on the login screen.
Welcome to Safe Mode.
What have you accomplished? You've checked your hard drive, for one thing, and brought up the login screeneven if you normally have Automatic Login turned on. You've also turned off your kernel extensions ( chunks of software that add various features to the basic operating system), superfluous fonts, font cache, and login items. In other words, you've shed all the stuff Mac OS X doesn't need in order to run.
Once you reach the desktop, you'll find a long list of standard features inoperable. You can't use DVD Player, capture video in iMovie, use a wireless network, use certain microphones and speakers , or use your modem. (The next time you restart, all of this goodness will be restored, assuming you're no longer clutching the Shift key in a sweating panic.)
In any case, the beauty of Safe Mode is that it lets you get your Mac going. You have access to your files, so at least the emergency of crashing-on-startup is over. And you can start picking through your fonts and login items to see if you can spot the problem.
15.2.8.3. Gray screen during startup
Confirm that your Mac has the latest firmware, as described earlier. Detach and test all your non-Apple add-ons. Finally, perform a disk check, as described on the next page.
15.2.8.4. Blue screen during startup
Most of the troubleshooting steps for this problem (which is usually accompanied by the Spinning Beachball of Death cursor) are the same as those described under "Kernel panic" above. But there's one other cause to examine: a corrupted font file in your Mac OS 9 System Folder.
To test for this problem, restart the Mac in Mac OS 9 (if your Mac can do that), open its System Folder (that's the folder called System Folder, not just System), and drag the Fonts folder to the desktop. Restart in Mac OS X. If the startup proceeds smoothly, you know you've got a damaged font file in that Fonts folder.
15.2.8.5. Forgotten password
If you or one of the other people who use your Mac have forgotten the corresponding account password, no worries: just read the box on Section 12.5.2.
15.2.9. Fixing the Disk
The beauty of Mac OS X's design is that the operating system itself is frozen in its perfect, pristine state, impervious to conflicting system extensions, clueless Mac users, and other sources of disaster.
That's the theory, anyway. But what happens if something goes wrong with the complex software that operates the hard drive itself?
Fortunately, Mac OS X comes with its own disk-repair program. In the familiar Mac universe of icons and menus , it takes the form of a program in Applications Utilities called Disk Utility. In the barren world of Terminal and the command line interface (akin in many ways to DOS), theres a utility that works just as well but bears a different name: fsck (for file system check).
In any case, running Disk Utility or its alter ego fsck is a powerful and useful troubleshooting tool that can cure all kinds of strange ills, including these problems, among others:
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Your Mac freezes during startup, either before or after the Login screen.
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The startup process interrupts itself with the appearance of the text-only command line.
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You get the "applications showing up as folders" problem.
The easiest way to check your disk is to use the Disk Utility program. Use this method if your Mac can, indeed, start up. (See Method 2 if you can't even get that far.)
Disk Utility can't check the disk it's on (except for permission checks, described earlier). That's why you have to restart the computer from the Tiger installation disc (or another startup disk), and run Disk Utility from there. The process goes like this
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Start up the Mac from the Tiger DVD or CD .
The best way to do that is to insert the disc and then restart the Mac while holding down the C key.
You wind up, after some time, at the Mac OS X Installer screen. Don't be fooledinstalling Mac OS X is not what you want to do here. Don't click Continue!
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Choose Utilities
Disk Utility . That's the unexpected step. After a moment, the Disk Utility screen appears.
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Click the disk or disk partition you want to fix, click the First Aid tab, and then click Repair Disk .
The Mac whirls into action, checking a list of very technical disk-formatting parameters.
If you see the message, "The volume 'Macintosh HD' appears to be OK," that's meant to be good news. Believe it or not, that cautious statement is as definitive an affirmation as Disk Utility is capable of making about the health of your disk.
Disk Utility may also tell you that the disk is damaged, but that it can't help you. In that case, you need a more heavy-duty disk-repair program like Drive 10 (www.micromat.com) or DiskWarrior (www.alsoft.com).
15.2.10. Where to Get Troubleshooting Help
If the basic steps described in this chapter haven't helped, the universe is crawling with additional help sources. You probably already know about the Mac's built-in helpscreen system (choose Help Mac Help), but you also probably know that in times of troubleshooting, it rarely describes exactly the symptom your machine is having.
15.2.10.1. Help Online
These Web sites contain nothing but troubleshooting discussions, tools, and help:
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MacFixIt (www.macfixit.com). The world's one-stop resource for troubleshooting advice.
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Mac newsgroups (such as comp.system.mac ). A newsgroup is an Internet bulletin board, which you can access using a program like Microsoft Entourage or Unison (www.panic.com). If you're polite and concise , you can post questions to the multitudes here and get more replies to them than you'll know what to do with.
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Apple's help site (www.apple.com/support). Apple's help Web site also includes downloadable manuals, software updates, frequently asked questions, and many other resources.
It also has a Search box, which may look mild-mannered but is actually the mother of all troubleshooting resources: the Knowledge Base. This is the collection of 50,000 individual technical articles, organized in a searchable database, that the Apple technicians themselves consult when you call for help. You can search it either by typing in keywords or using pop-up menus of question categories.
15.2.10.2. Help by telephone
Finally, consider contacting whoever sold you the component that's making your life miserable: the printer company, scanner company, software company, or whatever.
If it's a Mac OS problem, you can call Apple at 800-275-2273 (that's 800-APL-CARE). For the first 90 days following your purchase of Mac OS X (which, as far as Apple knows, is the date of your first call), the technicians will answer your questions for free.
After that, unless you've paid for AppleCare for your Mac (a three-year extended warranty program), Apple will charge you to answer your questionsunless the problem turns out to be Apple's fault, in which case they won't charge you.
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