Sooner or later your Mac will crash — the software fails, often for inexplicable
reasons, or simply because an application or system file came into conflict with
another piece of software.
After a crash a Mac will often startup as usual — if you think that an extra extension or control panel may have caused the original problem you can prevent them loading by pressing Shift during the startup process. Hopefully, all will be well, even though you may have to reinstall an application or replace a damaged document.
´ A huge number of Mac problems are caused by conflicts between extensions, control
panels and other applications. If in doubt, throw it out!
√π See the Extensions chapter for details about conflicts
The worst scenario is a flashing question mark icon at startup, possibly indicating damage to the data on the drive. You can often fix this by inserting the Disk Tools diskette that came with the System Installer, and running Disk First Aid. If this fails you must mentally prepare yourself for formatting the drive and reinstalling all the software. You won’t need to do the latter if you’ve got a full backup for the drive — you did do it didn’t you?
√π See the Repairing Damaged Disks section below for how to restore a drive
The Startup Process
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  When a Mac is turned on the startup initialisation process begins. The Power On
Self Test (POST) checks both hardware and RAM. If sucessful the Mac produces a
C major chord, ‘Quadra’ sound or similar sound.
The Startup Manager in ROM then searches for a startup disk in the following order:-
z Internal floppy
z Second internal floppy, if present
z Drive selected by the Startup Disk control panel
z Internal SCSI hard disk (SCSI ID = 0)
z External SCSI hard disk
z Internal SCSI hard disk (again)
When a valid system is found it displays a Happy Mac icon, reads the Boot Blocks and then loads the system into memory.
  Any files in the System Folder called StartUpScreen or Startup Movie are then
executed. You’ll have to create these files if you want them — StartUpScreen is a
special file containing a PICT resource and Startup Movie is a QuickTime movie file.
Once these files are launched the machine loads the contents of the Extensions folder followed by files in the Control Panels folder. Any applications in the Startup Items folder are launched and the Finder starts.
´ The Mac II and IIx computers use two batteries — one for the PRAM and another for
startup. If your Mac won’t start the startup battery may need replacing!
Controlling the Mac during Startup
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 By holding down keys during startup you can change your Mac’s behaviour:-
Shift
This stops the loading of any extensions or control panels with INIT codes that modify the system at startup — this trick is useful when you have those really difficult problems! It also stops files in the Startup Items folder from opening.
Space
If you have Extensions Manager or similar this switches you into it. You can then choose any extensions or control panels that you wish to be loaded. Your choice stays in force (even after restart or shutdown) until you use Extensions Manager or its equivalent again.
Option
If pressed after all of the extensions and control panels have loaded you’ll be presented with a clean Desktop. If pressed at the right time any files in the Startup Items folder will be stopped in their tracks!
Option-†
This rebuilds the Desktop, ensuring that the Desktop files keep track of all applications and associated documents. You should only need to rebuild the Desktop when files appear with uncharacteristic generic icons or aren’t recognised by their parent application.
Some extensions and control panels may upset the rebuilding process. If this happens you should use Extensions Manager to disable them prior to rebuilding. Macintosh Easy Open should be enabled if you intend using it later. Once the Desktop is rebuilt you can turn all your extensions back on. It’s worth noting that the Mac automatically rebuilds the Desktop every time you enable Macintosh Easy Open after previously working without it.
When you rebuild the Desktop the Desktop DB (database) file is updated. If it’s corrupted you can delete it using a special utility. Alternatively you can make the file visible and trash it. The Finder will then automatically build an entirely new file at startup.
√Ö If Desktop DB is deleted all comments in all Get Info windows is lost!
´ The Desktop on a diskette or removable disk can be rebuilt by holding down †-Option
whilst inserting the disk.
Shift-†-P-R
This zaps (clears) the parameter RAM (PRAM), a battery-backed area of memory whose functions include assembling the Desktop. No dialog appears after pressing these keys.
Shift-Option-†-Delete (DOCS)
This forces a Mac to startup from floppy disk or an external drive instead of its internal drive (whose SCSI ID = 0), irrespective of any setting in the Startup Disk control panel. This can be extremely useful when dealing with system problems.
Mouse button
This ejects any floppy disk, even one containing a System Folder, so preventing the Mac from using it for startup.
Startup Responses
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When a Mac is started it may shows one or more of four icons:-
Happy Mac
  Indicates the Mac has passed its POST and has found a valid system. It should be
followed by the Welcome to Macintosh window or by images contained in a
StartUpScreen or StartUp Movie file.
The Desktop should appear after all the required system files and the contents of the Startup Items folder have been loaded.
In some instances the Happy Mac soon disappears and is followed after some time by a Query Disk icon (see below). This may indicate that the Mac has found a valid system but can’t read the Boot Blocks due to damaged formatting of the drive. The only solution is to format the drive from scratch — other strategies don’t work!
Extensions or control panels that conflict with each other may cause a crash at startup after the appearance of a Happy Mac, usually whilst the Welcome to Macintosh window or equivalent is displayed. If this happens you should use Extensions Manager or a similar utility to disable the offending item. You may be able to identify the problem by observing which icon appears on the screen just before the crash.
If you still get crashes at startup you should try each of the following:-
z Disable all extensions and control panels
z Rebuild the Desktop
z Check for viruses
z Re-install the system
z Zap the PRAM
Other problems, such as a flashing Happy Mac or an empty box instead of Welcome to Macintosh, may be solved by trashing Finder Preferences in the Preferences folder.
Sad Mac
  Indicates the Mac has failed its POST — a G# major ascending chord, a ‘crash’ or an
instrument sound may also be produced. Failure may be due to problems with
system software or a hardware fault.
You should disconnect peripheral devices, particularly SCSI drives, and try again. If that fails, try removing all additional hardware, including expansion cards, and start again. Following this you could try starting with the Disk Tools diskette that comes as part of the System Installer package. If this doesn’t even work you may have to visit an engineer!
Some machines display Sad Mac numbers which can indicate the nature of a hardware fault. These only give clues to the problem that may become confused by software errors. Here are some examples:-
00000000
00000002
00000003 All indicating RAM error
00000004
0000000E
00000001 ROM error
0000000F Other hardware failure
All of these could be system problems, especially if accompanied by sounds. But they could also be caused by peripheral devices such as monitors, hard disks or expansion cards.
The sounds a Mac generates provide further clues. Sadly they can also be masked by software problems! These are for a Mac II:-
Sound Possible Fault
No beep, no display ROM or Power Supply
Single note Logic board or RAM
One harsh note, rising scale RAM Bank A
One harsh note, rising scale, not sequential RAM Bank B
Four notes System or Disk Drive
Rising sounds ending with high pitched note Video Display
Eight notes Memory
´ You can force your Mac to fail it’s RAM check by pressing the Interrupt button
immediately after startup — it won’t harm it!
Typical sounds produced by other models on failure include:-
Mac II Chimes
Quadra AV Drums
Mac LC Flute
PowerMac Car Crash
Query Disk
  Indicates the Mac has passed its POST but can’t find a valid system on any drive.
You’ll have to reinstall your system! If preceded by a Happy Mac this indicates
a possible problem with the formatting of the startup drive.
If the drive selected in the Startup Disk control panel isn’t available this icon may appear momentarily before the machine discovers a valid system on another drive. When it finds a system the Happy Mac will finally appear. If you don’t have another drive just insert the Disk Tools diskette or a removable cartridge containing a valid system. This should start up the machine — you don’t have to restart or shut down again!
Sometimes a drive with a valid system will work normally when starting from another drive but presents a Query Disk when you try start up from the disk itself. If this happens you should format the drive and then copy or reinstall the system onto the drive. Just reinstalling the system or repairing the disk without formatting won’t work!
Cross Disk
  Indicates the Mac has passed its POST but can’t retrieve intelligible data from the
default hard disk drive (usually the internal drive).
This can be a result of problems with devices connected to the SCSI port — try pulling out the connector! If this doesn’t work your drive data is probably damaged. You may have to repair your hard disk (see below). You’ll have to restart with the Disk Tools diskette to begin the repairs.
Repairing Damaged Disks
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  Startup problems are often due to damaged or corrupted data on the Mac’s
internal disk drive.
Don’t tamper with your hard disk unless you really need to!
If your Mac doesn’t have startup difficulties, and your problems are with a particular file or application it’s probably due to one or more corrupt files. Your first line of attack should be to find the offending item and remove it.
If the problem’s restricted to a single document you may need to repair the file or dispose of it! If its only one application the application file may be damaged (in which case you’ll need to install it again) or it’s incomapatible with your current system!
Applications often create special files in the System Folder — particularly in the Preferences folder. You can eliminate these from your investigations by quitting the application, dragging the files out of the folder (and onto the Desktop) and restarting the application — in some cases you may need to restart the Mac as well. If this doesn’t help you can return the files to their original location.
Disk Repair Software
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All of the following are desirable if you want to repair your drive properly:-
z diskette containing a system plus disk utilities including:-
SCSI Probe, Disk First Aid and HD SC Setup or Disk Setup
z disk diagnostics and repair application such as:-
Disk Doctor (Norton Utilities) or CP DiskFix (MacTools)
z format recovery application such as:-
File Saver (Norton Utilities) or CP Undelete (MacTools)
z disk formatting application such as:-
Apple HD SC Setup, Disk Setup, HDT Primer (HD Toolkit) or SpotOn
You should use Apple HD SC Setup for a SCSI drive and Disk Setup for an IDE mechanism.
A format recovery application shouldn’t be needed if you have backups of everything!
Getting the Mac started
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  You should be able to start the Mac using a diskette containing a system and
disk utilities. For initial tests you can use the Disk Tools diskette that comes with
the System Installer software.
Å Always use a copy of your Disk Tools diskette — it can get damaged whilst in use!
Àú If you have insufficient room on a diskette for the System Folder and all of the disk
utilities you can replace the Finder file by FaberFinder — it takes 440 K less disk space!
Å If your machine won’t start from diskette it may have a hardware fault or the diskette
may be damaged!
Once started, the Mac may automatically make minor repairs to the hard disk, a process similar to rebuilding the desktop.
Making Repairs
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  To repair a drive you must begin with the utilities on the diskette. Follow this
sequence to avoid any problems:-
z Use Disk First Aid - several attempts may be needed
z Use HD SC Setup, Disk Setup or a similar utility to install new drivers
√Ö You must use the correct software to install drivers on a hard disk!
z Rebuild the Desktop
z Replace the System and Finder — a Clean Install can be used
z Zap the PRAM
z Check the PRAM batteries — if possible
z Resolve conflicts between extensions or control panels
z Check for clashes in SCSI ID numbers
z Use MacTools or File Saver to repair any damaged files
This is only a rough guide — for example, if you’ve just installed new drives you should first check their SCSI IDs. If you’ve recently introduced new extensions or control panels you should check these first to ensure they don’t clash.
If a disk appears on the Desktop but won’t start up you could try using Disk Doctor to repair the Boot Blocks and then install a new system. In many cases it’s quicker and more effective to format the drive from scratch before installing the system — but not if it still contains data that you desperately need!
Mounting Hard Disks
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  If a drive doesn’t appear on the Desktop it’s failing to mount.
Try each of the following in sequence:-
z Use SCSI Probe to see if there is a hardware problem
z Rebuild the Desktop
z Zap the PRAM
z Use Disk First Aid — several attempts may be needed
z Use HD SC Setup, Disk Setup or a similar utility to install new drivers
√Ö You must use the correct software to install drivers on a hard disk!
z Run Disk Doctor or similar from a floppy — try up to 5 times
z Use MacTools or File Saver to repair any damaged files
Recovering Files
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  Having got your hard drive to work you’ll need to check that your files are intact
— at this point it’s too late to worry about your backup methods!
If all files are present and correct you’ve nothing to worry about anyway. But if some, or all, are missing (or you’ve had particularly serious problems) you should erase the disk and begin again — but only if you’ve got a comprehensive set of backup disks! This is preferable to the dubious process of recovering files from your damaged drive.
The original data may not be visible on the drive because either the files themselves or the directory has been damaged. If you haven’t got any backup don’t erase the disk. Instead, use a recovery utility such as File Saver to reconstruct the files using either a Directory Scan or Volume Scan. The unerased files can then be transferred to floppy disk.
Å Don’t transfer reconstructed files back onto your hard disk drive —
you’ll overwrite other useful material!
Having saved your files you can use HD SC Setup or a similar application to erase the disk using a high level format. Now you can proceed with System Installation — only after that can you replace all your applications and files to their original locations!
The Mac in Operation
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Controlling the Mac
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Ô£ø Whilst in use your Mac can be controlled using the following keys:-
†-Power On
Provides an interrupt identical to the Interrupt button.
†-Control-Power On
Provides a reset identical to the Reset button.
Interrupt button
Often at the rear of the machine and designated by a circular symbol, this intercepts the operation of the processor. It’s only useful if your Mac has debugging software such as MacsBug, supplied by the Apple Programmers and Development Association (APDA). To use it just put the MacsBug file in your System Folder and restart your machine.
Reset button
This is adjacent to the interrupt button and is designated by a < symbol. It forces the machine into restart and all data in memory is lost. You should only use it when there’s no other way to get out of a crash.
†-Option-Escape
This forces the current application to quit, only usually necessary when there’s no other means of escape! All the application’s data in memory is lost. Since this isn’t a very tidy fix you must restart or shutdown at the earliest opportunity!
Àú If a square of random pixels appears in place of a cursor or icon you should shut
down immediately!
Crashes
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  A crash occurs when a software request generates an unexpected result! They
come in a two basic forms:-
The Bomb
This shows a dialog, usually with a cryptic or erroneous message. Don’t the message too seriously — after all, it was produced as all the software collapsed!
In theory you may have a choice between Restart and Continue. In practice most applications don’t include the necessary routines to make this work.
When you choose Restart in the dialog all data is lost. If the Restart button doesn’t respond you’ll have to use the physical Reset button instead. Should you manage to make the Continue button work it’s advisable to restart the Mac as soon as possible.
The Freeze
No dialog appears and you can’t move the mouse pointer. Sometimes the pointer is locked into an endless stopwatch mode or disappears entirely.
In some circumstances the keyboard may still work. You may be able to:-
z Save open files or close applications by pressing †-S or †-Q.
z Press †-. to stop the current operation and then save your document.
z Press Option-†-Esc to exit the current application — but then you won’t be
able to save any open documents!
After this it’s best to shut down, by the Special menu if possible, wait 10 to 20 seconds (or more) and then turn the machine on again.
Preventing Crashes
If you suffer regularly from crashes in several applications you should:-
z Rebuild the Desktop
z Disable all extensions and control panels
z Check for viruses
z Check for duplicates of the System Folder
z Reinstall the system
z Zap the PRAM
˜ If you lock an application it’s less likely to be damaged by a virus.
Shut Down & Restart
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Shutdown clears the memory except for 256 bytes of Parameter RAM (PRAM) that’s used for assembling the Desktop.
Restart is a software reset that directs the processor back to its starting point. Although the main memory may not be cleared, and corrupt data can remain, this should be overwritten as the machine is used.
Prior to shutdown or restart the Mac ensures that all files are correctly saved or closed, that any items in the Shutdown Items folder are implemented and that the Desktop folder and PRAM are properly updated. The size and position of Finder windows are remembered so that they’ll appear correctly the next time you use the machine.
√Ö If you simply switch off your Mac, or press the Restart button, all data is lost and the
Desktop folder is not updated. The next time you start the Mac you’ll see a warning
message. The dialog closes automatically after two minutes and startup continues.
This warning can be turned off in the General Controls control panel.
Å Following an emergency switch off it’s best to wait 10 to 20 seconds to let the memory
clear before turning on again.
´ Using Restart or Shutdown is the only way to ensure that the Desktop reappears with
