How do I stop conflicting keyboard shortcuts with my applications?

Some programs have certain keyboard shortcut combinations that are the same as the Finder, and this can have a determental effect on speed, especially in a production environment. To stop these conflicts happening you need to go into the System Preferences window and click on the Keyboard & Mouse icon. Once in this window, click on Keyboard Shortcuts button, and this will display all of the Finder's shortcuts. Simply untick all actions that conflict with the ones you usually use and quit out of the Preferences pane.

Is there a Keycaps type application in MacOS X?

First, let me explain what the program Keycaps did in MacOS 7-9.x: Keycaps displayed all characters on the Mac's keyboard, even when holding down Shift, Alt, Apple and Control keys.

To get a similar feature in MacOS X, you need to go into the System Preferences window and click on the International icon. Then click on the Input Menu button, now go to the bottom of the window and tick the Show input menu in menu bar button, then tick the button for Keyboard Viewer and Character Palette this will enable viewing of the keyboard layout. You should now notice a nationality flag on the right of the menu bar. If you click and hold on this flag it will show a drop down menu with Show Keyboard Viewer and Show Character Palette, select Show Keyboard Viewer, and this will display the keyboard layout with character available for the selected font.

What font management programs are there for MacOS X?

Out of all the ones listed below (there may be other obscure ones I’ve missed), Suitcase and Font Agent Pro seem to be the best ones. All the listed programs are commercially available to buy, except FontBook which is free and comes with OS X 10.3.
• Font Book included in MacOS 10.3's program suite.
• Font Agent Pro from Insider Software (www.insidersoftware.com/FontAgent/fontagentpro/) - comparable to ATM Deluxe.
• Suitcase X1 from Extensis (www.extensis.com) - one of the top programs for font management.
• Font Reserve from Extensis (www.extensis.com).
• Master Juggler from Alsoft (www.alsoft.com) - a lesser known program, but with many features, it’ll give the other top apps a run for their money.
• You Control: Fonts from You Software (www.yousoftware.com) - an even lesser known program, but with many features, have a look.

What programs can I use to recover deleted files?

There are a few utilities you can use. Remember if you need to buy the software before recovering files, then don't use the hard disk in question. Unplug it from the Mac or shutdown the computer until you can run the program from CD. Do not install the software onto the same partition as the data you wish to recover it from, otherwise the files may get overwritten.
• Data Rescue X from ProSoft Engineering Inc. (www.prosofteng.com).
• Data Recycler from ProSoft Engineering Inc. (www.prosofteng.com).
• Norton Utilities v7 & 8.02 from Symantec, no longer in development.
• TechTool Pro 4 from Micromat (www.micromat.com).
• VirtualLab from BinaryBiz (www.binarybiz.com/marketing/mac/).

How do I delete a file that refuses to delete?

1) Reboot your Mac, then empty the trashcan.
2) Open the Get Info window for the file. Check its ownership and permissions. If it's not owned by your account, then reset the ownership to you, now delete the file.
3) In the Finder, log in as root, see How to login as Root on how to do this. Find the file and delete it.
4) Alternatively, if you can find one of the utility programs like Cocktail or Onyx, they have a GUI and will allow you to delete stubborn files that refuses to delete.

How to eject a stubborn CD or removable disk?

If you cannot eject a CD or other type of mountable disk, because it says it's in use, then you need to try 3 things.
1) Run a disk repair program on the writable disk. Then eject it.
2) Quit all programs, then eject the disk.
3) Log out and log in again, then it should eject as normal.

Where can I find a list of all current MacOS X applications?

You can find listings at:
• Apple’s MacOS X web site - www.apple.com/macosx/applications/
• Aquafiles - www.aquafiles.com
• Versiontracker - www.versiontracker.com
• MacOS X Apps - www.macosxapps.com
• MacOS X Org - www.macosx.org
• X-Wares - www.x-wares.com

How can I speed up MacOS X’s performance?

The first root to take is to either install an accelerator card or buy a new and faster Mac. However if you have a slow Macintosh, then here are a few suggestions for speeding up MacOS X’s performance (don’t expect a big speed boast):
1) Global Views: If you press Apple+J, and disable Global List view settings (uncheck all the show column items), you should get a faster Finder.
2) Column Views: You may also find that if you set the view as Columns in the Finder’s View menu, this will also display items in the window much faster than List or Icon View.
3) Disable Extensions: Running Classic mode can also slow things down. To speed up X even more, you should disable as many extensions as possible, as most of the functionality in MacOS 9.x is also in MacOS X, except for third party extensions. But keep libraries in the Extensions folder, many Classic applications will still access these.
However, there are some particular extensions that need to be disabled permanently when in Classic mode, they are not required, because MacOS X already does it, or it does not function in Classic mode. They are: all extensions with ATI in their name; Stuffit Deluxe does not need its Stuffit Engine running; and the Macpoet extension.
4) Disabling Find By Content Indexing: Open Sherlock, and turn off Finder Indexing in the Preferences menu. Finder Indexing is unnecessary in X.
5) Turn off Dock Magnification: Dock Magnification has proved to be another source of extreme slow down. To turn it off you need to visit MacOS X’s Preferences window and then the Dock prefs window, then turn off Bounce and Magnify options.
6) Disable Java: Some carbon (can run in Classic and OS X) and cocoa (OS X native app) web browsers have problems with running Java applets. If this is the case, switch off Java in the browser’s preferences window, for that site you’re browsing, or for the entire session. Java sometimes doesn’t work, but it will occasionally give you the spinning beach ball for eternity when a problem does arise. Ideally you should apply Apple’s Java updates to improve Java performance.
7) Use the correct modem script file for your Modem. Why browse the web at unnecessarily slow speeds? Some Apple internal modems are compatible with Global Village scripts, and can increase the connection speed as well!
8) Quit programs: If you have lots of programs in memory, quit most of them, and only leave those programs running that you need. MacOS X is already a memory hog, so don’t make a bad situation worse! This especially goes for Classic mode, quit it when you’re not going to be using it anymore.
9) OSs on different partitions: I highly recommend that you install MacOS X and MacOS 9 on separate partitions. Minimum specs: X needs to be on a 3gig or higher partition, while MacOS 9 can live on a 500mb or higher partition.
The reason for this is two fold; a) if you need to reinstall MacOS X, especially for an older version, you have to re-initialise the drive, then re-install X again. b) You cannot boot into MacOS 9.x when you only have one volume with two OSs on it, via the (press & hold the Option key) boot screen. That feature is available in all recent models of G4/G5 Macintoshs.

Can I trim down the MacOS X’s installation files, to reclaim some disk space?

Yes you can. If you download Delocaliser (www.bombich.com/software/local.html), it will remove a lot of the unwanted language files that are installed. Just tick the languages you want and leave the rest unticked, and then let the utility go about deleting the remaining useless files.

Another thing you can do is to remove all uneccessary Printer driver/folders from this folder; <hard disk>/Library/Printers/

By deleting the files from these two folders, it will release at least 500mb of disk space, and possibly more depending on the OS version you’re using. Do not delete or move anything else from the Library folder, as this will probably cripple the OS the next time you reboot!

How do you find out how much memory is left/available in MacOS X?

Open up the Terminal, type top. The values under free and PhysMem tells you how much memory is available. However these figures are approximate and vary all the time.

You can also find this info out via graphical means, by downloading a program called Memory Usage Getter. No doubt there are other programs available now.

Date and time do not show up correctly on the menu bar?

If you see the clock in the menu bar with a 24-hour setting instead of a 12-hour clock, or an inaccurate AM or PM may appear. This can affect all versions of MacOS X. Use this work around:
1) Choose System Preferences from the Apple menu.
2) Choose International from the View menu.
3) Click the Time tab.
4) Select 24-hour clock.
5) Select 12-hour clock.

What are Permissions, and when should I repair them?

Basically, they set security access to all files, folders and disks, for the the OS and user with Admin an account. Permissions are a set of UNIX style read/write/execute (found in the Get Info window of any file, program or folder) flags that are applied to every file that is used in the MacOS X environment. These flags can be set to whatever you like for data files and documents, however, all system files need to be set to various specific flag settings, so that the operating system has the proper access to it’s files.

When repairing Permissions, with Apple’s own utility, all it is doing is resetting all system files to their correct Permissions settings. The only time you will need to repair Permissions is when you have manually reset some system files or folder Permissions, or when the OS starts acting strangely, probably due to an installer not applying the correct Permissions to it’s application folder on your hard disk. Don’t use the Terminal to amend Permissions unless you know exactly what you’re doing.

You will find that MacOS X 10.1 does not come with a permissions repair utility in it’s standard set of installed applications and utilities. Instead you will have to download it. Later versions of MacOS X do come with a repair utility. See this picture (10.2-10.3) and picture (10.4) for access to file/folder permissions.

How can I get the Application menu back, in MacOS X?

There are currently a number of shareware and freeware applications that will put the beloved applications menu back where it is suppose to be. These programs are: ASM (www.vercruesse.de), X-Assist (members.ozemail.com.au/~pli/x-assist/) and Drag Thing (www.dragthing.com).

File links are broken in MacOS X, how come?

You may have noticed that the links to files in some programs seem to get broken, in either Classic mode or in OS X itself, compared to using the same document in OS 9. This is can be a real problem with backup software and Microsoft’s email programs, and any other programs that rely on data files being in a certain place. The only solution is to relink the path to the file while in OS X.

How do I delete a User folder and it’s files?

MacOS X 10.1-10.2
First delete the User in the Users prefs window, and assign it to the System Administrator, but not the main Admin user, as this will not allow you to delete the folder (only in MacOS 10.1).

When deleting a user in Netinfo, you must remove the Home folder manually. In order to do this, you must first open a Get Info window for the Users directory, change the ownership to yourself, and close the GetInfo window. You may then place the unwanted user's Home folder in the trash and empty it, then return ownership of Users to system and close the Getinfo window.

Of course, if you are able to boot into MacOS 9.x, then you can drag the user folder to the bin, and delete it that way. However, you must still delete it from the Users list in OS X first.

MacOS X 10.3-10.4
First, you have to switch off FileVault for that User, if it is active, then go into System Preferences window and click on the Accounts button. Select the User account, and press delete or the minus buttton. The following dialogue window will ask you to either click on OK to save the user's data or Delete to remove the folder permanently.

How to enable the Root User?

If you are using Mac OS X Server, root is already enabled by default.

The user named "root" is a special user in UNIX-style operating systems that has read and write privileges to all areas of the system.

The root user should only be used for specific administration or monitoring tasks. After completing a task as the root user, you should log out of Mac OS X and log back in using a normal or Admin user account. You should always disable root access if you are not using it often.

Enabling the Root user for Mac OS X 10.0 to 10.1.5
After enabling the root user, you must log out from Mac OS X and log back in as the root user. Logging in to Mac OS X from a list of user names is the default behaviour for later versions of Mac OS X. Logging in by typing your user name in a text entry field is the default behaviour in earlier versions of Mac OS X. You can choose either method in the Login pane of the System Preferences application. The root user does not appear in the list, so you need the text entry option. If necessary, follow these steps to change the login method to text entry:
1) Choose Apple > System Preferences.
2) Choose View Apple > Login.
3) Click the Login Window tab.
4) Select the radio button for "Name and password entry fields."
Follow these steps to log in as root:
1) If you are logged in to Mac OS X, choose Apple > Log Out.
2) In the Name field, type: root
3) In the Password field, type the password you defined in the steps above.

Enabling the Root user for MacOS X 10.2-10.3:
1) Make sure you’re in the Finder.
2) Choose Applications from the Go menu.
3) Open the Utilities folder.
4) Launch the NetInfo Manager utility.
5) Click the lock in the NetInfo Manager window.
6) Enter the name and password of an Admin user, then click OK.
7) For Mac OS X 10.2 and 10.3: Choose Security > Enable Root User.
For Mac OS X 10.0 and 10.1: Choose Domain > Security > Enable Root User.
8) If you have not previously set a root password, an alert box may appear that says "NetInfo Error," indicating that the password is blank. Click OK.
9) Enter the root password you wish to use and click Set.
10) Enter the password again for verification and click Verify.
11) The root user is now enabled.
12) Click the lock again to prevent changes.

How to disable the root user
1) Open NetInfo Manager, located in the Utilities folder.
2) Click the lock.
3) Enter the name and password of an Admin user, then click OK.
4) For Mac OS X 10.2: Choose Security > Disable Root User.
For Mac OS X 10.0 and 10.1: Choose Domain > Security > Disable Root User.

How do I change a user’s Short Name?

XEach user in Mac OS X has a Full Name and a Short Name as defined in the Users pane of the System Preferences. The Short Name is limited to 8 characters, and this is the name used to create a user's Home directory (folder) in the Users folder. The name of a Home directory cannot be changed using the graphical user interface (GUI). Though there are other methods by which an advanced user may change this information, the easier and safer work around is to create a new user with the desired name, then copy the old user's Home directory contents into that of the new user. Follow these steps:

1) Optional step: As a precaution, you may disable automatic login prior to performing this procedure. In the event that you restart the computer for any reason before completing the procedure, this would prevent complications from having displaced the user selected for automatic login. For Mac OS X 10.1.5 or earlier, automatic login is found in the Login preference pane. For Mac OS X 10.2 onwards, it is found in the Accounts preference pane.
2) Enable the Root user, then log in as root (see How to enable the Root User for details, above).
3) For Mac OS X 10.2 or later: Open the Accounts pane of the System Preferences application. For Mac OS X 10.1.5 or earlier: Open the Users pane of System Preferences.
4) In the Name list, locate the user with the short name that you want to replace. This will be referred to as the "original user".
5) Note whether or not the original user is identified as Admin, which appears in the Kind column to the right.
6) Click New User.
7) Complete the Name and Short Name fields as desired. Be sure that the Short Name is exactly as you want it to appear.
8) For Mac OS X 10.2: Fill in the New Password and Verify fields. For Mac OS X 10.1.5. or earlier: Click the Password tab, then fill in the Password and Verify fields.
9) If the user you are replacing is an Admin user, then select the check box for "Allow user to administer this computer". Note: This check box is dimmed and already selected if there is not another Admin user. Mac OS X requires at least one Admin user.
10) Click Save.
11) Quit System Preferences.
12) Click the Finder icon in the Dock.
13) Choose Computer from the Go menu.
14) Open the Users folder in the Mac OS X disk.
15) Open the folder with the Short Name of the new user that you just created.
16) Drag the contents of this folder to the Trash. Warning: Do not empty the Trash yet. In the event that you need the files such as preferences etc., for your new User account.
17) Choose New Finder Window from the File menu. Be sure to position the new window so that you can see both Finder windows.
18) In the new window, open the folder of the original user.
19) Drag the contents of the original user's folder into the new user's folder (that you trashed in Step 16).
20) Close one of the Finder windows.
21) Open the Terminal application (located at /Applications/Utilities/).
22) Type: chown -R <new_name> /Users/<new_name>
Important: Replace "<new_name>" with the actual Short Name of the new user you just created. For example, if the new user had the short name "jacques", you would type: chown -R jacques /Users/jacques
23) Press Return.
24) Quit Terminal.
25) Choose Log Out from the Apple menu.
26) Log in as the new user. You should be able to access all of your original files on the desktop and in the folders of the Home directory. Important: If you do not have access to your original items, log out and log back in as root, then repeat Step 22. Also, be sure that you did not place the wrong files in the Trash in Step 16.
27) Choose Home from the Go menu.
28) Open the Library folder, then the Keychains folder inside it.
29) Select the keychain, which should still have the short name of the original user.
30) Choose Show Info from the File menu.
31) In the Info window that appears, choose Name & Extension from the pop-up menu.
32) Change the name to match the new user's short name.
33) Close the Info window.
34) Open the Keychain Access application, located in the Utilities folder.
35) From the Edit menu, choose "<new_name> Settings". For the user Jacques, this would appear as: jacques Settings
36) Click Change Pass phrase.
37) Enter the desired password, then click OK. You may use the same password again or set it to match the login password of the new user. Note: This step prevents you from discovering later that the keychain had retained an older password.
38) Quit Keychain Access.
39) Disable the root user.

Notes
If everything is working correctly, you do not need to log back in as root to empty the Trash. The folders you put there occupy a negligible amount of disk space.

Depending on what software you have installed, you may wish to rename other files and folders that may have been created under the original user short name to match the new user short name.

Once you are certain that everything is working properly, you may want to delete the Home directory (folder) of the original user, which should be empty.