Rent A Geek

Basic Macintosh Maintenance and Problem Solving

Basic Macintosh Maintenance and Problem Solving
For machines running Systems 6 and 7

Rebuild Your Desktop

The Desktop file is an invisible file that keeps track of various activities on your Macintosh. Sometimes, it gets confused, and causes various problems (screen freezes, applications ending in errors, etc.).

To rebuild your desktop: while starting or restarting your computer, hold down the option and command keys (the command key is directly to the left of you space bar). Continue to hold down these keys until a message appears asking you if you want to rebuild your desktop (it appears after your extensions load, but before the Desktop appears). Let go of the option and command keys, then press "OK". Your Desktop will be rebuilt.

It's a good idea to do this at least once a month. There are several programs which will do a better job of cleaning out your desktop file. My favorite: a freeware product called TechTool. Look for it in software libraries on the Web, Macintosh bulletin boards such as http://www.bmug.org, or within your own ISPs library (AOL has one; keyword SOFTWARE).

Zap Your Parameter RAM

Also known as PRAM, this is where your Mac keeps track of your settings -- the date and time of day, mouse speed, startup driver preferences, etc. Like the Desktop file, sometimes it gets confused, and causes various problems (screen freezes, applications ending in errors, etc.).

For users of System 6, zap your PRAM by holding down the Command, Shift and Option buttons at the same time while opening the control panels from the Apple menu. The Mac will beep to tell you that the PRAM has been zapped successfully.

For users of System 7, hold down the Command, Option, P and R buttons at the same time while restarting your Macintosh. Keep holding this down until your Mac chimes five times, then let go to let your Macintosh boot normally.

It's a good idea to do this at least once a month. There are several programs which will do a better job of zapping your PRAM. My favorite: a freeware product called TechTool. Look for it in software libraries on the Web, Macintosh bulletin boards such as http://www.bmug.org, or within your own ISPs library (AOL has one; keyword SOFTWARE).

Investigate Extensions

Often, computer problems are caused by a disagreeable extension. Some extensions get corrupted; others are sometimes incompatible with other extensions.

If you are experiencing a problem with your computer, restart your computer with the extensions off (hold down the Shift key while hitting restart, then wait for the message "Extensions Off", and let go). Do as much as you can on your computer with the Extensions off (some applications won't run without the appropriate extensions); word processing software will usually run just fine without extensions. If your computer works, your problem could be in the Extensions.

If you have a program that lets you turn extensions off and on (such as Extension Manager), try turning various extensions off and on with each computer restart to see if you can find the Extension that causes your computer problems. If you don't have an extension Manager-type application, create a folder called "Disabled Extensions" and put them all in there. Then try adding various Extensions back into your Extension folder in your System folder with each computer startup, to see if you can find the Extension that causes your computer problems.

Remember that you have to restart your computer when you turn an Extension "off"; otherwise, it's not really off. Escaping

Press Command-Option-Escape to kill a process currently in the foreground. This is useful if your machine is taking way too long to finish something and is ignoring you, or if an application has crashed -- sometimes you can use this trick to regain control of your machine long enough to save your work from other applications and restart your Mac. (After you use this trick, you should generally restart as soon as possible, because memory may have been trashed.)

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