Scripted sleep

Rather than shutting down my Mac, I want to write an AppleScript to put it to sleep. Before that, I want to quit all applications, run Norton FileSaver and purge application memory. Is this possible, and is it wise?

Charles Freeman

It’s possible, although you’ll have to work out scripting FileSaver on your Mac. But, in any case, it may not be wise. Computers last longer if you leave them running, rather than turning them on and off. However, they do present a theoretical fire risk and may be damaged during thunderstorms or power disruptions. Check your insurer is happy with this ­ and be assiduous in minimising the risk of fire or damage. Additionally, the EnergySaver software used to put computers to sleep isn’t as robust as it should be, and problems can result from long sleeps, such as over a weekend or holiday period. You should confirm that your system is going to cope well by forcing sleep manually.

Quitting is one of the few required scripting commands which all software is supposed to support, so recent programs should be fine with it.

Purging memory is not likely to be effective, although it can be performed by running Mac OS Purge, a little utility available from Internet archives, or as a function in Yellowsoft’s Substitute Pro (users.iol.it/yellowsoft/substitute.html), but the latter isn’t scriptable. Experience with memory leaks in Mac OS 8.x shows that neither will recover leaked memory.

If you wish to script applications, the best method is to open their AppleScript dictionary, using the Mac OS Script Editor. This will show you what commands are accessible, and how to use them, including saving open documents if necessary.

USB hell

I share our Rev A iMac with our children. Apart from being unable to use our Epson 740 printer since we upgraded to Mac OS 8.6, it has been reliable. But since our son last used it, it freezes on startup, even if I disable all extensions by holding down the shift key. How can I fix the problem, or will I need to take it to a dealer?

Doreen Niton

This sort of problem commonly arises from ‘USB hell’, perhaps in your case because someone has accidentally enabled the Epson printer driver software. The only escape is to restart from a bootable CD-ROM, and then to remove the offending files from the System Folder on the hard disk. Your iMac should then start up properly, but you may need to install a clean System Folder if it has got really messed up. You can either restart from your Mac OS 8.6 CD-ROM, or from one supplied with a third-party utility. The one shipped with Alsoft’s DiskWarrior (version 2) contains three different versions of the Mac OS and should work with almost any Mac.

DXF file production

I design using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, creating EPS files which need to be cut from steel using a laser cutter. The cutter system only runs on PCs, and requires DXF files. What’s the best way to produce these with Macs?

Alan Birch

There have been some laser-cutting systems which can be driven from Macs (those manufactured by Axon Technology, for instance), but almost all are now driven by PCs using DXF and CNC formats. These are more oriented towards engineering than design, so you’ll either need to move to a CAD application, such as MiniCAD+ or Ashlar Vellum, or convert EPS files into DXF format using a tool such as CADMover. This isn’t particularly satisfactory, as Mac design applications excel in the development of smooth curves, while DXF is geared more towards plotting straight lines and plain arcs on paper. You should discuss this with the developer of the cutter system ­ they’ll almost certainly have experience of others trying to do the same as you.

Outlook Express settings

I’ve bought my own domain name, so that mail sent to it is automatically forwarded to my mail account. How can I configure Microsoft Outlook Express so that it gives my own domain address, rather than my mail account?

Nick Ebdon

You should find this straightforward in the latest release (5.0) of Outlook Express. Using the Tools/Accounts menu command, go to the Mail tab in the dialog box to select and edit your account details. Then choose the Account Settings tab, in the Personal Information section, change the email address given to that of your own registered domain, but leave your account ID and server settings for your mail account. You should also make sure you use a signature on your messages giving your proper domain address.

Which Mac OS

Which version of Mac OS should I run on my Performa 5300 16/1.2Gb, and which should my sister install on her 6400 8/1.2Gb? Can we upgrade to Mac OS 9?

Jonathan Beale

Your Mac has a PowerPC 603e processor running at 100MHz, while your sister’s runs at 180MHz or 200MHz. Either machine should be capable of running Mac OS 8 or 9, but Apple, as it approaches the release of Mac OS X, is emphasising support for G3 and G4 processors. You may find you’re better off sticking with Mac OS 8.6, which is stable and supports almost everything in Mac OS 9, but which should run a tad quicker, particularly on your Performa.

Before you can upgrade from System 7, though, you’ll both need to add plenty of memory. To get the best out of Mac OS 8, you should have at least 64Mb of real memory. In your case, this will require two 32Mb modules to take your machine to its maximum capacity. Your sister can add a single 64Mb module or two 32Mb ones to reach 72Mb, or she could go straight to 136Mb. You should also seriously consider swapping your internal hard disks for larger ones, or adding extra hard disks.

Function keys

How can I configure the function keys on my keyboard in applications on my pre-G3 Power Mac?

Jonathan Langley

For some Mac users, the answer is to upgrade to Mac OS 9, which at last provides good support for programmable function keys. However, if you read Apple Tech Info Library article 60530 (til.info.apple.com/techinfo.nsf/artnum/n60530), you’ll see this only applies to Macs with ‘software’ ROMs, such as the iMac, iBook, blue-and-white G3, G4 and similarly recent models. If you don’t wish to upgrade to Mac OS 9, or if your Mac wouldn’t then enjoy programmable function key support, you can do one of two things:

1. Applications such as AppleWorks and the Microsoft Office suite allow you to assign macros and other commands to different keys, and you can customise them to use function keys.

2. If you wish to make global, system-wide assignments, or use function keys in other applications, you’ll need to use additional software. Connectix Speed Doubler, FunKeys and UltraLaunch provide simple support for this, but QuicKeys is the most powerful solution, supporting a full key-customisation and macro system for all applications.

Extensions Manager

I’m running Mac OS 8.6, but every time I try to make significant changes in Extensions Manager, it crashes (usually with a Type 11 error) and I have to restart. Do I need to re-install the Mac OS?

Isobel Fernandez

This is probably because you have so many extensions and control panels that the Extensions Manager is simply running out of memory. Open the Control Panels folder, select the Extensions Manager application and use the Finder’s File/Get Info menu command to increase the memory allocation to, say, 2000K.

Disk repair problem

Disk First Aid has reported that there’s a problem on my hard disk with an ‘invalid extent’, which it says it can’t repair. I’m not experiencing any problems, and TechTool 2.1.1 doesn’t report any errors. What should I do?

Phil Whitmore

Unfortunately, even though TechTool doesn’t detect a problem, this is potentially a serious matter and needs to be dealt with. The version of TechTool you are using is very old: you should be running at least TechTool Pro 2.5.3. Check whether you’re also using the current release of Disk First Aid (8.5.5). If you’re not, you may be able to repair your disk with the latest version. You might also find that another disk repair tool, such as Norton Utilities version 5, is able to help. If all else fails, you should make a full backup of your hard disk (and a second backup if you want to be extra careful), then restart using your Mac OS startup CD-ROM, reformat the hard disk, and restore from your backup.

Left alone, this type of disk error can result in steadily increasing problems, until your hard disk crashes terminally, blowing everything away. Early treatment ensures you lose the least work and time.

MiniDisc to MP3

I want to publish audio files on the Internet using a MiniDisc player as my recorder. How can I get audio from the MiniDisc player, to convert it to MP3 format?

Christian Webb

You have two problems: first, how to connect your MiniDisc player to your Mac, so audio files can be moved across; and second, how to record from that audio input so a utility such as SounJam or Audion 2 can encode the files into MP3. The simplest method of audio connection is to buy a cable with stereo mini-jacks at each end and run it from the audio or line output of your MiniDisc player to the microphone input on your Mac. However, your player will be converting sound from digital to analogue and your Mac then changing it back to digital. You’ll achieve the best quality if you can input digital sound directly into an audio card, such as the Midiman Delta Dio 2496, which has support for coaxial or optical S/PDIF input. This will require special cables and a suitable S/PDIF output, but there will be no degradation of signal.

Once audio files are on the Mac, you have a wide choice of recording software, from the freeware SoundRecorder to Opcode Vision DSP (www.opcode.com). If you record as AIFF or Wave format, you can drag and drop the sound files on to the SoundJam encoding window or into an Audion playlist, and encode from there.

Adding a SCSI disk

I have a blue-and-white G3 with an Adaptec 2903 SCSI card. What is the best way for me to add a 50Gb hard disk?

David Willie

Your two best choices are backwards-compatible SCSI or forward-looking FireWire (IEEE 1394) interfaces for the disk. Each has its merits and problems, but there’s little doubt that growth in support for FireWire offers a more secure future.

Given a suitably high-end SCSI interface, you can get equal, if not better, performance from a fast SCSI hard disk, but you would need to upgrade your SCSI interface card and you might experience compatibility problems with other SCSI devices. If you need AV disk performance ­ for laying down and editing digital video, for instance ­ this is still a good choice.

The current performance of FireWire hard disks doesn’t come near the theoretical limits of the connection and may not even match that of your internal IDE disk, but it’s getting better and should now be adequate to support most digital video work. In contrast to SCSI, FireWire disks can be turned on and off, disconnected and reconnected while your Mac is still running.

FireWire currently seems much more robust and trouble-free than SCSI, but this may change as more third-party devices become available. You’ll be able to use FireWire disks with more Apple products in the future ­ getting iMacs and iBooks to support SCSI is neither simple nor reliable.

Better sound output

I want to connect my blue-and-white G3 to a very high quality sound system. Is it possible to improve the quality of the Mac’s sound output?

Harry Jones

First, be sure to use a high-quality cable between your Mac’s audio output and your sound system. If your own dealer can’t supply a suitable cable, try HeadRoom (www.headphone.com). To further improve quality, try a specialist sound card, such as the Midiman Delta Dio 2496, from Turnkey (www.turnkey.uk.com). This delivers better than 100dB, with very low distortion, through S/PDIF or analogue phono outputs. You’ll need to download the Mac drivers from www.midimanuk.freeserve.co.uk. These are still in beta, so you may need to tweak the version of Sound Manager and your Sound control panel to get the card working as the standard audio output hardware (selected in the Sound control panel). This doesn’t work properly in Mac OS 8.6, but should be better in 9.