IITS Helpline FAQ

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Questions about Desktop Computing

1. How can I prevent/remove of a virus?

You need virus protection software. Trial versions of the major Macintosh antivirus packages are usually available from their publisher's website.

As well, Mac users at Concordia can obtain Disinfectant, by using the Chooser to open the shared volume named "Software Archive" on "Office Server" in the "Computing Services" Appletalk zone.

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2. How can I get Macintosh software?

IITS/Computing Services maintains an archive of current versions of popular software accessible over AppleShare. To connect, select the "Computing Services" zone in the Chooser, and connect to the AppleShare resource, "Office Server". Login as "guest" and choose the "Software Archive" volume.

On the Internet, the Info-Mac archive is a repository for Macintosh software. The HyperArchive search engine is available to find software in Info-Mac, at http://hyperarchive.lcs.mit.edu/HyperArchive.html

The Info-Mac archive, along with other Macintosh archives, can also be searched at http://www.shareware.com/

Popular titles from Macintosh archives can be found at http://www.download.com/

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3. Why does my Mac date always return to 1956?

This is a sign that your Mac's battery has died. Without the battery, the Mac cannot maintain its settings when powered off.

Other symptoms include a loss of network connectivity and an inability to remember location of items on the desktop. You should arrange through your department to purchase a replacement battery from the Computer Store. Be sure to specify the model number of your Mac. Battery in hand, you have two options:

You can install the battery yourself. The procedure is not very difficult for someone with basic knowledge of the Macintosh.
You can ask a Computer Store technician to install it for you. Your department will be billed for the service.

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4. Why do my network settings disappear when I reboot?

This is a sign that your Mac's battery has died. Without the battery, the Mac cannot maintain its settings when powered off.

Other symptoms include the Mac's date returning to 1956 and an inability to remember location of items on the desktop. You should arrange through your department to purchase a replacement battery from the Computer Store. Be sure to specify the model number of your Mac. Battery in hand, you have two options:

You can install the battery yourself. The procedure is not very difficult for someone with basic knowledge of the Macintosh.
You can ask a Computer Store technician to install it for you. Your department will be billed for the service.

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5. Why is my Mac moving my desktop icons when I reboot?

This is a sign that your Mac's battery has died. Without the battery, the Mac cannot maintain its settings when powered off.

Other symptoms include the Mac's date returning to 1956 and an inability to remember network settings. You should arrange through your department to purchase a replacement battery from the Computer Store. Be sure to specify the model number of your Mac. Battery in hand, you have two options:

You can install the battery yourself. The procedure is not very difficult for someone with basic knowledge of the Macintosh.
You can ask a Computer Store technician to install it for you. Your department will be billed for the service.

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6. What does this Sad Mac error code mean?

The following is excerpted from an article that originally appeared in "Apple Direct" magazine.

On the old ROMS: When you hit the interrupt button on the side of your Macintosh during the boot process, you should get a sad Mac icon with 0F 000D and some dots cycling under the icon to indicate that the Macintosh is performing a memory test. This numeric code is in two parts: The first two characters are the "class code" and the next four are the "subclass code". The class code tells what part of the diagnostic program found the error, and the subclass code tells what the error is. In the case of a bad RAM chip, the subclass identifies the bad chip.

On the new ROMs: The sad Mac error codes are changed to incorporate additional power for testing and to support a 32-bit world. Generally, the same codes are used...but they are displayed differently. The traditional Mac error codes are dislayed as follows:

0F0003

Where "F" indicates an exception occurred, and "3" indicates an illegal instruction occurred. On the SE and II family, the display would appear:

   0000000F
   00000003

The new power-on error codes have the following format:

   XXXXYYYY
   ZZZZZZZZ

Where XXXX is the internal test manager state information (ignore this), YYYY contains codes that indicate either an exception code or the test number for a power-on test failure. The ZZZZZZZZ code contains additional failure info to help track down the problem.

YYYY error codes:

  $0001: ROM checksum test failed.  Ignore Z field.  
  $0002: First small chunk of RAM tested failed.  Z field
  indicates which RAM bit(s) failed.  This chunk of RAM is
  always in bank B.

      Example: $AABBCCDD
      AA=8-bit mask for bits 31-24
      BB=8-bit mask for bits 23-16
      CC=8-bit mask for bits 15-8
      DD=8-bit mask for bits 7-0

  $0003: RAM test failed while testing bank B, after passing
  the chunk tested for $0002.  Z field indicates which bits
  failed, as in code $0002.
  $0004: RAM test failed while testing bank A. Z field same as
  for $0002.
  $0005: RAM external addressing test failed.  Z field
  indicates the failed address line.
  $0006: Unable to properly address the VIA1 chip.  Ignore Z
  field.
  $0007: Unable to properly address the VIA2 chip (Mac II
  only).  Ignore Z field.
  $0008: Unable to properly address the Front Desk Bus. 
  Ignore Z field.
  $0009: Unable to properly address the MMU.  Ignore Z field.
  $000A: Unable to properly address NuBus.  Ignore Z field.
  $000B: Unable to properly address SCSI chip.  Ignore Z
  field.
  $000C: Unable to properly address the IWM chip.  Ignore Z
  field.
  $000D: Unable to properly address the SCC chip.  Ignore Z
  field.
  $000E: Failed Data Bus test.  Z field indicates bad bit(s)
  as a 32-bit mask for bits 0-31.  This error may indicate a
  bad SIMM or data bus failure.
  $000F: Reserved for Macintosh compatibility.
  $FFxx: A 680__ exception occurred during power-on testing. 
  The xx indicates the exception:
   $01 Bus error
   $02 Address error
   $03 Illegal instruction error
   $04 Zero Divide
   $05 Check Instruction
   $06 cpTrapCC, Trap CC, Trap V
   $07 Privelege Violation

   $08 Trace
   $09 Line A
   $0A Line F
   $0B Unassigned
   $0C CP protocol violation
   $0D Format exception
   $0E Spurious interrupt
   $0F Trap 0-15 exception
   $10 Interrupt Level 1
   $11 Interrupt level 2
   $12 Interrupt level 3
   $13 Interrupt level 4
   $14 Interrupt level 5
   $15 Interrupt level 6
   $16 Interrupt level 7
   $17 FPCP BRA orSET on unordered condition
   $18 FPCP inexact result
   $19 FPCP divide by zero
   $1A FPCP underflow
   $1B FPCP operand error
   $1C FPCP overflow
   $1D FPCP signalling NAN
   $1E PMMU configuration
   $1F PMMU illegal operation
   $20 PMMU access level violation

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7. What do the startup icons on my Mac mean?

When you startup your Mac, you'll see an icon telling you whether the operation was successful. Here's what each of the four possible icons means:

The icon of the disk with a question mark means the Mac is waiting for you to insert a startup disk. Also, it may be telling you that it doesn't recognize your internal hard drive as a viable startup disk.
The icon with a big "X" tells you that the machine just ejected a disk that was not a startup disk and is expecting you to insert a valid startup disk.
The icon with the sad face means there is a problem with either the system software or the computer. On newer Macs, this will be accompanied by various diagnostic tones. For older Macs, RAM problems will be indicated by an address beneath the sad face indicating where the problem was found.
The "happy mac" smiling face icon means that everything is great, and you are ready to go.

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8. My Mac crashes when I start it.

When you turn on your Mac, several things are supposed to happen. A tone will sound, a small smiley-faced Mac should appear, then a box that says "Welcome to Macintosh", and eventually the Desktop screen featuring either a floppy or hard disk icon, and a white menu bar across the top of the screen.

If something is wrong with the way your Mac starts up, you may see only some or none of these things. If the Mac stops and does not continue before showing you the Desktop and your mouse pointer (which you should be able to move freely by moving the mouse) and is not asking you to enter something or press a button, the odds are that your Mac has "crashed" (computerese for "inexplicably stopped functioning properly").

Regardless of how you restart your Mac (via the Restart option under the Special menu, the restart switch on the Mac casing, or the power switch on the back of the computer) you can bypass two different problems that may be causing incessant crashes. Inside the System folder there is an Extensions folder containing files that the Mac installs each time you start-up the machine. Some of these files may be giving conflicting instructions and causing crashes on every bootup. Holding down the Shift key while restarting the Mac disables all System Extensions and may let you back in.

However, the problem may be that your hard disk is faulty or your System software is corrupted. Inserting a floppy disk with System software on it after a restart will force the Mac to boot from the floppy and bypass a possible hard disk problem.

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9. How can I keep my Mac running smoothly?

Preventive maintenance for the Macintosh

You wouldn't drive your car 100,000 miles without giving it a tune-up. A computer is no different. Regular tune-ups avoid a lot of problems. Although there are Mac mechanics who'll be happy to charge you $75 or more for the equivalent of an oil change, there's no reason you can't change it yourself. The following nine-step program should be performed about every three months.

Trash unneeded files

Many of the operations that follow will run faster and more smoothly the more free disk space there is to work with so spend a little time cleaning up your hard disk. If you're at all like me, you'll find several megabytes worth of preferences files for applications you no longer have, archives of software you've dearchived, shareware you tried out and didn't like, announcements for events that have come and gone and many other files you no longer need. If you're running System 7 you may also have several more megabytes in your trash can alone. Throw them away and empty the trash.

Rethink your extensions

Seriously consider whether you actually need every extension in your collection. If you don't use the functionality of an extension at least every fifth time you boot up, you're probably better off not storing it in your System Folder where it only takes up memory, destabilizes your system, and slows down every startup. For instance if you only read PC disks once a month, there's no need to keep AccessPC loaded all the time. Cutting back on your extension habit can really help avoid crashes.

Rebuild the desktop file

The Desktop file or database holds all the information necessary to associate each file with the application that created it. It lets the system know what application should be launched when you open a given file and what icons it should display where. Depending on its size each application has one or more representatives in the desktop file. As applications and files move on and off your hard disk, the Desktop file can be become bloated and corrupt. Think of it as a Congress for your Mac. Every so often it's necessary to throw the bums out and start with a clean slate. Fortunately it's easier to rebuild the desktop than to defeat an incumbent.

One warning: under System 7, rebuilding the desktop will erase all comments you've stored in the Get Info boxes. Comments are preserved with System 8 and higher. Under System 7 Maurice Volaski's freeware init CommentKeeper will retain those comments across a rebuild. CommentKeeper is available here.

To rebuild the desktop restart your Mac and, as your extensions finish loading, depress the Command and Option keys. You'll be presented with a dialog box asking if you want to rebuild the desktop and warning you that "This could take a few minutes." Click OK. It will take more than a few minutes. The more files you have the longer it will take. (You will be given the opportunity to rebuild the desktop file on each volume you have mounted.)

For a more thorough desktop rebuild, you may want to use Fifth Generation's freeware extension Desktop Reset. Desktop Reset completely deletes the Desktop file before rebuilding it, thus eliminating possibly corrupt data structures.

Zap the PRAM and reset the clock

All Macs from the original 128K Macintosh to the lastest G3 contain a small amount of battery powered RAM to hold certain settings that properly move with the CPU rather than with the disk such as which disk to boot from. Unfortunately this "parameter RAM" can become corrupted and cause unexplained crashes. To reset it under Systems 7 and 8 hold down the Command, Option, P, and R keys while restarting your Mac. The Mac will beep and then restart again. (Some sources recommend zapping the PRAM two or three times in succession to make sure it is an effective zap.)

Reinstall the system software

System files can become corrupt and fragmented, especially if you've stored lots of fonts and desk accessories inside them. Merely updating the System software will often not fix system file corruption. A clean reinstall is better. Here's how:

Move the Finder from the System Folder onto your desktop.
Rename the System Folder "Old System Folder."
If you're installing System 7.0, 7.0.1 or 7.1. shut down and then boot from the Installer floppy of your system disks. If you're installing System 7.5, quit all running applications and launch the installer on the first installer disk.
Double-click the installer script on your System disk. Then choose Customize... Select the appropriate software for your model Mac and printer. You could do an Easy Install instead, but that will only add a lot of extensions and code you don't need that waste your memory and disk space.
If you're installing System 7.5 type "Command-Shift-K" which is the magic code to get the installer to do a clean install.. A dialog box will popup. Select the radio button that says "Install New System Folder" and click OK.
>From this point on just follow the installer's instructions. Mostly you'll just need to swap disks. After installation is finished the installer will ask you to restart your Mac. You don't really have any choice so go ahead and restart.

If you installed System 7.0 or 7.0.1, you should now install System 7 Tuneup 1.1.1, available here.

If you installed System 7.1, 7.1 Pro or 7.1.2, then you should also install System Update 3.0, available here.

If you installed System 7.5 then you should also install System 7.5 Update 1.0, available here.

Copy any non-standard fonts and desk accessories out of the old System file into a temporary suitcase.
Trash the Finder file on desktop. Now go into the Old System Folder and trash the System, MultiFinder, DA Handler, and all other standard Apple extensions and control panels. These were all replaced in the new installation. If you were running System 7.x, move everything left in the Extensions, Control Panels, and Preferences folders into the top level of the System Folder.
Now move everything from the Old System Folder you created in step 2 into the new System folder. If you're asked if you want to replace anything, you missed something in step 7. You'll need to replace things individually until you find the duplicate piece. Also reinstall any fonts or DA's you removed in step 6.
Reboot. You should now have a clean, defragmented System file that taPess memory and disk space and a much more stable system overall.

Disk utilities

Much like system files, hard disks have data structures that occasionally become corrupted affecting performance and even causing data loss. Apple includes Disk First Aid, a simple utility for detecting and repairing hard disk problems, with its System disks. It's also available for anonymous ftp from: here.

Even if you have an earlier version, you should get the latest version (7.2) from ftp.apple.com and run it on all your hard disks.

Several companies have released commercial disk utilities that detect and repair considerably more problems than Disk First Aid though, interestingly, none of them detect and repair everything that Disk First Aid does. The three most effective for general work are Central Point's MacTools 3.0, Fifth Generation's Public Utilities, and Symantec's Norton Utilities for the Macintosh 3.0. A department or work group should have all of these as well as Disk First Aid since none of them fix everything the others do. For individuals MacTools ($48 street) is about half the price of Norton ($94 street) or Public Utilities ($98 street) so, features and ease of use being roughly equal, I recommend MacTools.

All of these products occasionally encounter problems they can't fix. When that happens it's time to backup and reformat.

Make backups

This is one part of preventive maintenance that should be done a LOT more often than every three months. The simplest back up is to merely copy all the files on your hard disk onto floppies or other removable media. If you keep your data files separate from your application and support files then it's easy to only back up those folders which change frequently. Nonetheless every three months you should do a complete backup of your hard disk.

A number of programs are available to make backing up easier. Apple included a very basic full backup application with System 6. With the Performas Apple ships a new Apple Backup utility that can backup the entire disk or just the System folder onto floppies. The previously mentioned Norton Utilities for the Mac and MacTools Deluxe 2.0 include more powerful floppy backup utilities that incorporate compression and incremental backups.

Finally if you're lucky enough to have a Tape Drive, network server, or removable media device to use for backups, you should check out the more powerful payware utilities Redux ($49 street, doesn't support tape drives) and Diskfit Pro ($74 street). There are NO freely available backup utilities other than the old HD Backup from System 6.

However, there are some programs that can archive files and back them up to multiple floppies. One such program is CompactPro which is available here.

Disk fragmentation

As disks fill up it gets harder and harder to find enough free space in the same place to write large files. Therefore the operating system will often split larger files into pieces to be stored in different places on your hard disk. As files become more and more fragmented performance can degrade. There are several ways to defragment a hard disk.

The most tedious but cheapest method is to backup all your files, erase the hard disk (and you might as well reformat while you're at it), and restore all the files.

A number of payware utilities including Norton Utilities for the Mac and Mac Tools Deluxe can defragment a disk in place, i.e. without erasing it. Although the ads for all these products brag about their safety, once you've bought the software and opened the shrink-wrap they all warn you to back up your disk before defragmenting it in case something does go wrong.

Fast Unfrag is a $10 shareware disk defragmenter by Kas Thomas, available here.

Use this program with caution as it is new and widely unknown. Regardless of which defragmenter you choose please note that defragmentation will NOT cure problems with a disk. In fact, defragmenting will most likely make existing problems worse. If you are having trouble with a hard disk do not use a defragmenter on it. Backup, reformat, and restore instead.

Reformat your hard disk

Just as a floppy disk needs to be initialized before use, so a hard disk must be formatted before it can hold data. You don't need to reformat every three months; but when your system is crashing no matter what you try, reformatting is the ultimate means of wiping the slate clean. Reformatting your hard disk may even gain you a few extra megabytes of space. Not all hard disks are created equal. Some can hold more data than others. To facilitate mass production and advertising without a lot of asterisks (* 81.3 megabytes is the average formatted capacity. Your mileage may vary.) Apple often formats drives to the lowest common denominator of drive capacity. When you reformat there's no reason at all not to reclaim whatever unused space Apple's left on your disk.

Unlike floppies hard disks need a special program to initialize them. Most hard disks come with formatting software. Apple's disks and System software ship with HD SC setup, a minimal disk formatter which will format Apple brand hard drives only. Most other manufacturers ship appropriate formatting software with their hard drives. Normally this will be all you need to reformat your hard disk. It's available here.

Apple HD SC setup will not format hard drives shipped in the Macintosh 630 series, 580 series, PowerBook 150, 5200, 6200, 6300. This is because these systems do not contain SCSI drives but rather IDE type hard drives commonly used in IBM-PCs. For these computers you must use Apple's Internal HD Format, available here.

A number of general-purpose formatters are also available which go beyond the bundled software to include features like encryption, password protection, multiple partitioning, faster disk access, System 7 compatibility, and even compression. Two of the best are the payware Drive7 and Hard Disk Toolkit Personal Edition ($49 street for either). While there are one or two freeware formatters available, none are likely to be superior to the ones bundled with your hard disk.

PowerBook users should be sure to turn off Sleep and processor cycling before reformatting their hard drives no matter what software they use. Otherwise disk corruption, crashes, and data losses are a very good possibility.

NOTE: Most of the software listed here is also available at Info-Mac and University of Michigan Macintosh Archives and their mirrors. See the Knowledge Base text: "For Macintosh software, what ftp sites and mirrors are there? ".

Substantial information for this reference has been taken from the 4/29/95 FAQ "Introductory Macintosh frequently asked questions" for the Usenet newsgroups comp.sys.mac.apps, comp.sys.mac.misc, comp.sys.mac.system, comp.sys.mac.wanted, comp.sys.mac.hardware, comp.answers, and news.answers. It is maintained by Elliotte Harold (erh0362@tesla.njit.edu ), and is available by ftp from rtfm.mit.edu in /pub/usenet. If you are using a Web browser, you can view the newest version of the FAQ at this page.

A full list of Macintosh FAQs maintained by Elliotte M. Harold is available at this page.

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10. My Mac just froze, with several applications open. Can I save my work?

If you use System 7, you may be able to press the Shift, Command, Option, and Escape keys simultaneously and then click Continue, instead of rebooting. This should close the application that is locked, and allow you to save work in other files you have running. You should then restart your machine. Note that this procedure does not always work.

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11. How can I rebuild my Mac desktop?

Over time, the invisible Desktop folder on any Macintosh disk may become bloated (or corrupted!) with icons and resources belonging to files and programs that are no longer on the disk. Rebuilding the desktop trims the Desktop folder down to its minimum size. Under System 7 and below, this includes the deletion of any Get Info comments.

Press and hold the Option and Command keys when the "Welcome to Macintosh" message appears on startup. Hold the keys until asked if you want to rebuild the desktop. Choose "Ok".

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12. I can't see any AppleTalk zones.

If the bottom-left-hand "AppleTalk Zones" panel is missing from your Chooser, this could mean:

AppleTalk is misconfigured such that it cannot see the network, or
The network is not available.

Ensure that it is an AppleTalk problem and not a network problem by trying to connect to a working machine with telnet or Netscape. If that machine cannot be reached, this indicates a network problem, rather than a problem with that particular Mac.

Check the AppleTalk control panel to make sure that AppleTalk is listening to the network interface. In particular, if the office is wired for Ethernet instead of AppleTalk, make sure the AppleTalk control panel is set to use the Ethernet interface. If not, double-check to see which serial port (printer or modem) the AppleTalk adapter is connected to and set the control panel to match.

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13. I can't see my printer in the Chooser.

If the printer you are looking for does not appear in the Chooser, this could mean:

The printer is not reachable. (It is not on.)
AppleTalk is not working.
There is no printer driver installed.
The network is not available.

Here's what you can do:

Ensure that the printer is turned on, is online, has paper, has toner/ink, and is connected to the network. (If the printer doesn't appear in anyone's Chooser, and only one printer is missing from the Chooser, this is usually the reason.)
Try Broadcast or AppleShare to see if AppleTalk is enabled. If not, make sure the AppleTalk control panel is set to connect with the right device.
If there is no printer icon in the Chooser at all, ensure that there is a driver for that printer in the Extensions folder. If not, check the Extensions Manager control panel, and reboot if changes are made.
Check the network with telnet or netscape by connecting to a known working host (Alcor tends to work well for this). If it does not connect, the computer cannot see the network at all. If it is just that one computer, check its network interface; if it is an entire office, alert IITS.

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14. How do we get our office on the network?

For network installations within a building, contact the Data Communications Group, dcg@usg.concordia.ca.

For inquiries about wiring a non-connected building, contact the Network Engineering Group, neg@alcor.concordia.ca.

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15. How do I secure my PC?

Access control
On most PC's running Microsoft operating systems, there is no user-based control to prevent any particular user from compromising the entire system. Anyone with access to part of the computer has access to the entire computer.

Luckily, there is only one way to access most PC's running Microsoft operating systems -- by sitting down in front of the computer itself. Ensure that it is not possible for nonauthorized users to do so. Screensaver passwords are a start, but can be bypassed by restarting the machine. Physical access controls such as locked doors also help, but there will always be people with keys, whether authorized or otherwise. A combination of a screensaver with password, and password challenge on startup, is usually adequate to protect console access.

In case console security is compromised, make sure that the users cannot get further than the desktop machine: have programs which could memorize your passwords prompt you each time instead.

Of course, it's possible for nonauthorized users to execute programs on your computer, with your cooperation. Don¹t run programs which arrive as email attachments without trusting their source (and their source, and so on). Disable any network-based sharing which is not necessary and secure to the per-user level.

Finally, use physical security devices such as cables and/or chains to ensure that the entire computer, or parts such as the hard drive, cannot be removed.

Data integrity
Keep data safe with a regular backup routine that includes offsite storage if possible. Secure the backup media itself. Run a virus-scanner such as F-Prot or McAfee Antivirus regularly, and keep its virus data up-to-date. Maintain current versions of software, especially that which allows network access. Don't run programs whose function is not clear, or whose initial source is not trusted; although it might look like a greeting-card or screensaver, it may be doing more behind the scenes.

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16. How do I secure my Macintosh?

Access control
On Macs, there is no user-based control to prevent any particular user from compromising the entire system. Anyone with access to part of the computer has access to the entire computer.

Luckily, there is only one way to use a Macintosh -- by sitting down in front of the computer itself. Ensure that it is not possible for nonauthorized users to do so. Screensaver passwords are a start, but can be bypassed by restarting the machine. Physical access controls such as locked doors also help, but there will always be people with keys, whether authorized or otherwise. A combination of a screensaver with password, and password challenge on startup, is usually adequate to protect console access. Packages such as OnGuard and Norton DiskLock provide this sort of control effectively.

In case console security is compromised, make sure that the users cannot get further than the desktop machine: have programs which could memorize your passwords prompt you each time instead.

Of course, it is possible for nonauthorized users to execute programs on your computer, with your cooperation. Don¹t run programs which arrive as email attachments without trusting their source (and their source, and so on). Disable any network-based sharing which is not necessary and secure to the per-user level.

Keep careful tabs on what you share with AppleShare; when it is not absolutely necessary to have AppleShare turned on, disable it. If it is on, be sure the administrative password for the machine is secure, so that nonauthorized users do not have access to the full hard drive. Disable program linking unless it is absolutely necessary. Ensure that users have the minimum access required to meet their needs. Disable the guest account, unless absolutely necessary, in which case limit it to a small number of folders. Do not trust the FTP client in NCSA Telnet.

Finally, use physical security devices such as cables and/or chains to ensure that the entire computer, or parts such as the hard drive, cannot be removed.

Data integrity
Keep data safe with a regular backup routine that includes offsite storage if possible. Secure the backup media itself. Run a virus-scanner such as Disinfectant or McAfee Antivirus regularly, and keep its virus data up-to-date. Maintain current versions of software, especially that which allows network access. Don¹t run programs whose function is not clear, or whose initial source is not trusted; although it might look like a greeting-card or screensaver, it may be doing more behind the scenes.

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17. How do I put a telnet alias on my desktop or Apple menu for one machine?

Here's how to create a telnet set so that a double-click will start Telnet (or BetterTelnet) and connect to the machine in question:

Connect to the machine, and login (to prevent it from timing out and disconnecting).
Set up any settings that you need or prefer (colors, terminal, font, window size, etc.).
Under the "File" menu, choose "Save set..."
Save the settings file anywhere convenient: on the desktop, for example, or in the "Apple Menu Items" folder in the System Folder. Give the saved file a name that is meaningful to you; the name of the machine you are connecting to is a common one.
To connect to that machine, double-click on the icon of the file you have created.

Tip: For a handy way of opening the "Apple Menu Items" folder, put an alias of itself in the "Apple Menu Items" folder.

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18. Why don't I have submenus in the Apple menu?

Turn "Submenus" On in the "Apple Menu Items" control panel. Also, if you don't have that control panel installed at all, you won't get submenus.

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19. I intermittently get an error similar to, "The system has detected a conflict for address 132.205.29.217 with the system having hardware address 00:A0:24:76:F1:28".

That message means that someone else in the University is trying to use the same IP (Internet) address for their computer as you are (or you're using theirs.) Unless you know which computer it might be (for instance, if there are two computers in the office, each giving the error with the same address), you will have to call the IITS Helpline (848-7613) for assistance. (Remember, each computer in your office needs a unique IP address; should you need extra addresses, don't make them up. Instead, email hostmaster@concordia.ca requesting a new IP address. Include in your request your annex and room number, your name, and, if you know it, your area's subnet number).

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20. What IP address should I give my computer?

To find out the proper IP address for a computer, send an email to hostmaster@concordia.ca. Be sure to include the campus, annex, and room that the computer is in; the number of the ethernet drop to which it is connected; and, if possible, the subnet (first three numbers of the IP address, which can be obtained from another machine in the same office) that the address is in.

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21. Where can I get programs for my PC or Mac?

Here are some places to grab Mac and PC freeware and shareware on the WWW.

PC and Mac

http://www.download.com -- top freeware and shareware picks
http://www.shareware.com -- search multiple freeware and shareware archives

PC-only

http://www.tucows.com -- The Ultimate Collection Of Winsock Software
http://www.winfiles.com -- software, drivers, tips. Network oriented.
http://www.strouds.com -- Comprehensive Winsock Application List.

Mac-only

http://hyperarchive.lcs.mit.edu/HyperArchive.html -- INFO-MAC archive search.
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~sdamask/umich-mirrors -- UMich Mac archive.
appleshare:office_server:/software archive -- Concordia's collection

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22. Can you send someone to defragment my hard drive?

IITS (in particular, the Desktop Solutions Group) does not perform preventative maintenance such as hard drive defragmenting on machines outside IITS.

Software to perform such maintenance is available from the Computer Store.

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23. What's the key combination on a Mac to do ... ?

Startup keys

Shift: start with no extensions or control panels, ignore Startup Items folder, use conservative virtual memory settings, disable network. Pressing after extensions have loaded will only stop Startup Items from being executed.
Command-Option: rebuild desktop on startup.
Option: start with no windows open.
Command-Option-P-R: remove PRAM-based settings (mouse speed, keyboard settings, monitor settings, choice of startup disk).
Command-Option-Shift-Delete: ignore internal hard drive.
Mouse button: eject floppy left in drive

Other useful shortcuts

Command-Control-Power: reboot
Command-Option-Esc: force quit
Command-Shift-3: screen capture

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24. I just installed System 7, and can't find the TCP/IP control panel.

Look up the list of control panels and make sure you don't have MAC/TCP instead. Older versions of system 7 came with it and it is the equivalent of the more modern TCP/IP. If you cannot find any reference to TCP in the control panels try a "Find" to make sure it is not stored somewhere else in your computer. If you find it, move it to the control panel folder in the systems folder.
If you do not find it anywhere then you have to use the original installation media and reinstall the missing option (either Mac/TCP or TCP/IP) that came with your version of OS.

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25. How do I get into my PC's BIOS/CMOS settings?

You should only enter the BIOS immediately after booting the computer and never from within an operrating system (ie Windows). On some computers you can enter the BIOS from a DOS prompt.

Several ways can be used to enter the BIOS/CMOS:

The video monitor will usually say on the bottom of the screen just as the computer is turned on, which key to use.

to enter the BIOS during boot up hold down one of the following keys:

Hold down the <Del> key
Hold down the <F1> key
Hold down the <F10> key

To enter the BIOS from a DOS prompt...( ...NOT from inside windows)

<Alt><Cntrl><Esc>
<Alt><Cntrl><Enter>
<Cntrl> <Alt> <A>
<Cntrl> <Alt> <S>

Some manufacturers have their own way for entering BIOS as shown below...

Acer - Ctrl+Alt+Esc
Compaq - F10
Dell - F1 or Del.
Gateway 2000 - F1
Hewlett Packard - F1
IBM
- Older Models - In order to get into the configuration of the IBM setup screen (CMOS) screen you need to hold down both mouse buttons during boot-up.
- Aptiva - Press F1
Leading Edge
- Fortiva 5000 - <Cntrl> <Alt> <A> or <Cntrl> <Alt> <S>
NEC - F2
Packard Bell - F1 or F2
Sharp Laptop 9020 - F2
Sony - F3, then F2, or F1
Tandon computers - Hold down the <Esc> key after turning on power
Toshiba Laptops - Toshiba Utility

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Author: Rich Lafferty
Updated: Tomas Saldanha
Maintained by: helpline@alcor.concordia.ca
Last update: 1999/08/06