Re: [Sheflug] I-mac Off Topic Help

[James Wallbank <nospam [at] lowtech.org>]

Hi Ian,

I do know something about Macs, but unless I actually sit in front of 
the machine I can't really explain how to sort it out. Actually, in 
general I'd say the Mac interface is really excellent. It's a 
completely different design strategy from Linux - it's orientated 
around people who DON'T LIKE COMPUTERS and JUST AREN'T INTERESTED - 
they just want to get stuff done with apps.

For that, they're excellent. For hacking - they're a waste of space.

Anyway, on all the Macs I've used there isn't an "add & remove 
programs" thingey. You just grab the stuff you don't want and trash 
it! Apps tend to be bundled together in one file, rather than 
spreading all sorts of horridly obscure config thingeys all over the 
disk. Unfortunately that design strategy doesn't go along with the 
Microsoft program.

Anyway, I digress - the point is, there are only a few places where 
things get executed on startup on an IMac. Try:--

/Hard Disk/System Folder/Startup Items/
/Hard Disk/System Folder/Control Panels/
/Hard Disk/System Folder/Extensions/

(I'm actually taking these paths from the Desktop - in fact the 
Desktop is an invisible directory next to the System Folder in the 
Root Directory, which I've called "Hard Disk")

If I haven't got these names quite right then it doesn't really 
matter - because (for those of you on the list who don't know...) 
there IS NO SHELL on Macs. Everything is configured by dragging and 
dropping things into and out of directories, and adding details to 
GUI configurators. Now the ingenious thing about this design feature 
is that EVERYTHING HAS TO BE CONFIGURABLE VIA A GUI. There is no 
shell, so you, the user, never has to fiddle with one - developers 
are forced to make their apps configurable via GUI.

So - my suggestion is this. Go into the "Extensions Manager" Control 
Panel (That's a Control Panel that... does the dragging and dropping 
for you! How easy can it get???) and select the Extensions Set MacOS9 
Base (or whatever version of MacOS it is). When you close that GUI 
that will remove all of the Extensions and Control Panels that 
weren't supplied with the base system, and put them into folders 
called "Control Panels Disabled" and "Extensions Disabled".

For neatness make a directory called "Startup Items Disabled". Then 
check the Startup Items and drag anything suspicious-looking (if it 
mentions Microsoft, get rid of it!) into that disabled folder.

Then restart, and you should have a virgin I-Mac back again. Then you 
can add extra functionality by adding control panels and extensions 
by hand, and find out what was causing the trouble by a process of 
trial and error.

If you want to scope out extra info abut any item, highlight it and 
press <Apple> and "I".

If you have to power off without shutting down for some reason, or 
the system shows any instability, then restart and hold down <Apple> 
and <Option> to rebuild the Desktop (various file finder databases) 
which will generally spring-clean the system. (It takes about 2 
minutes).

That's pretty much all you need to know. Sorry for being completely off topic.

Cheers,

James
=====

>Hi,
>
>I wonder if anyone here can offer any advice which might let me help a lady
>in distress??
>She has recently bought an I-mac (God knows why - just had to be different I
>suppose) and has been 'helped' by a neighbour who thinks he knows about
>computers. What has happened is that the neighbour has installed Internet
>Explorer from a 'Waitrose' disk and this has now apparently taken over the
>machine and screwed up several other programs - like, when the machine is
>first switched on, it starts up the scanner and scans in a blank page! What
>she now wants to do is remove this Internet Explorer - and everything else
>if necessary and start again. I know nothing about I-macs and so, if anyone
>could offer any advice to help sort her out, I'd be very pleased.
>(Apparently she has tried the Mac equivalent of 'add and remove programs' to
>no avail - it pretends to remove IE but when she reboots its there again.)
>Thanks,
>
>Ian
>--
>Ian W. Wright
>Sheffield  UK
>www.iw63.freeserve.co.uk
>
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