Here I shall post answers to F(requently) A(asked) Q(uestions) that have been put to me and might conceivably be of interest to other persons as well. In addition, I hope to receive tips I may publish here from fellow Mac Users. I intend to give credit to all "donors," of course. Please, feel invited to use the Mailto Button below to send your tip(s) to me; I intend to update and expand this document as frequently as the traffic warrants. Thank you very much for your interest & assistance in this communal project, Claus Buechmann, Webmaster, English Department.

Question:When I trash all files on a floppy disk I have been using for a while, I don't get all the storage capacity back; I actually discovered that 78 kilobytes worth of space remained "in use" on my disk. Do I have to reformat the disk to reclaim those 78 kilobytes?

Answer: No, you don't. And the solution also applies to disk that contain files you wish to keep.
However, before I give you the solution, maybe I'd better explain briefly why you are being deprived of all that storage capacipy: every kind of Macintosh disk--floppy or hard drive--has a number of invisible directory files that the Mac needs to keep track of what is where on your disks. These so-called "desktop files" are kept invisible so you will not chance to wipe out that essential information. Unfortunately, your Macintosh is an inveterate packrat: it does not automatically discard any of that information, even if the file(s) in question do(es) not any longer "exist" on a given floppy. You must rebuild the desktop, as it is called, to reclaim all that wasted real estate on your disk.
You command the Mac to rebuild "the desktop" of a f;oppy disk by holding down the Option and the Command Keys simultaneously, before inserting the floppy disk in question. Keep those two modifier keys depressed until you get a dialog box, prompting you to choose whether to rebuilt the desktop, or cancel what the Mac assumes is your command. You want to click the OK button. To repeat, this procedure does not alter the visible files on your disks; it solely trashes the old directory fiules and replaces them with new ones which reflect what is actually stored on the disk. After a short time of grinding and keeping you informed of its activities by means of a progress bar, the Mac will accomplish the task and fade into inactivity: when you open the disk's window, you should discover that you now have all but 1 kilobyte of possible storage capacity on a floppy available again. On Macs running System Software older than System 7, you must sacrificae ca. 7 k to the invisible directory! By the way, if the maneuver does not succeed, you can solve the problem by putting an empty folder on the recalcitrant disk: the Mac apparently prefers rebuilding the desktop around a genuine file! When done, just trash that folder. You never have that problem when rebuilding the desktop on your startup hard drive: it's never empty, being home to the System Folder. You rebuild a hard disk by depressing and keeping depressed the same modifier keys (Option & Command Keys) before turning on the computer, and keep those two keys depressed until you again get that modal dialog box asking you to confirm that you, indeed, want to have the Mac rebuild the desktop. Of course, with a hard drive you may have to twiddle your thumbs for a couple of minutes, while your computer executes your instructions. If your Mac is aware of additional hard drives, it will volunteer to rebuild their desktops as well. Actually, Apple now recommends that you rebuild the desktops of hard disks about once every months: your tasngible reward will be a shorter startup time and the reappearance of all custom icons! You can't lose rebuilding the desktop of a Macintosh disk. cpb

Finding URL's

Question: How do I remember/return to a site on the World Wide Web that I have visited before?

Answer: Well, the most convenient way of remembering visited sites of interest to you is to make a bookmark for that site in your W3 Browser. I am using "bookmark," the term used in Netscape Navigator because it is my favorite browser, a bias shared by over 70 % of all users worldwide, I have read. In Netscape you simply select "Add Bookmark" from the Bookmark menu. That's all there is to it. Next time you wish to revisit that site, select that URL (listed by its default name or whatever you chose to call it) and your browser is going to take you there.
However, if you did not make a bookmark, you can always have one of the W3 Search Engines do a query. Try Yahoo first: naturally, you need to click on its Search button, before typing the appropriate terms into the text box, etc.; if it can't help you out, that window allows you to navigate to Lycos or NetCrawler, etc. from there.
If you are still unsuccessful, but have saved something from a previous visit to that site, you might try clicking on that item's icon in the Finder of your Mac and go to "Get Info . . ." under the File menu: the looked-for URL should be listed in the Comments Box, provided you haven't rebuilt the desktop more recently! (Yup, I know what I suggested above). If you find the URL in that location, copy it and paste it into the "Open Location" box under the File menu in Netscape (or its equivalent in Masaic, etc). cpb

Question: When I insert footnotes or endnotes in a Microsoft Word document, I keep getting a"separator line" between the text and my notes. No matter what I try, including deleting the lines in my documents, they always reappear. The User Manual does not offer a solution. I am sure others don't appreciate those lines when doing endnotes, either.

Answer: You are correct in every respect: those pesky separator lines are a challenge. However, if you open the dialog window from Insert ==>"Footnote" (or use the Shortcut, Command-E) you can select "Separator" and--this will do it every time--replace the unwanted default line with a "separtor" of your choice, such as a Space (, which occupies white space that you may manipulate to come right below any text you wish to insert somewhere below the text proper; I employ a centered NOTES, for example). You see, Word will fall back on its default setting, whenever you do not insert a substitute for that separator line. cpb

Question: I am not sure how it happened, but I suddenly can't get access to the my Mac's startup hard drive; I am being asked for a password, but know of none, having never consciously entered one to begin with! Is there a way around the problem?

Answer: Possibly, though not necessarily, alas. Let us assume your problem is caused by an access password inadvertently activated in something like a screen saver program. Both After Dark and Dark Side of the Mac include such a feature: it protects your files from casual efforts at getting access to the contents of your hard disk. You can circumvent file protection of this kind very easily, since it relies on a feature of what is technically an extension to the Mac Operating System. Hence, if you reboot your Mac while holding down the Shift Key until you see the message that all extensions have been turned off, you should succeed. You should then remove the culprit from wherever it resides inside the System Folder, before initiating a shut down/restart cycle: the troublesome extension is probably living inside the Control Panels Folder or the Extensions Folder. Please, make sure to drag the offending extension to the Trash and empty it. You can achieve the same result by starting your Mac from a floppy that has a minimal System on it; your computer came with a set of disk containing that part of the operating system that is not residing in ROM. One of those disk is for just such emergencies: Disk Tools. Since the Mac searches for a system folder in a fixed order, starting with the floppy drive, it will always favor that System Folder, ignoring whatever is located on the locked hard disk! Again, trash the trouble-maker. After you have regained access to your files either way, you will have to reinstall that extension from your program disk(s), or re-acquire the thing, if you can't live without it. Screen Savers, for example, do not "save" the screens of today's monitors: they are popular because they amuse people. I have one installed. You can also circumvent password protection if it is precipitated by a demo version of a program: such crippled versions tend to have a time limit in the code; if you temporarily reset the date far enough into the future, you should be able to make the culprit expire!. Of course, you first have to use the Disk Tools floppy to start up your Mac and, then, modify the date in the appropriate extension inside the Control Panels Folder inside the System Folder on your hard disk. Of course, if you are troubled by a genuine file protection program, only the instructions that came with the program may--assuming there is an override procedure, which is not always the case--save your bacon. So, not only the righteous should plunk down a modest sum to purchase protection from prying eyes! Good Luck, cpb

Question: Why does my Mac keep informing me that I do not have enough memory when I try to open additional applications, even though there is plenty of space on my hard disk?

Answer: The short explanation is fairly simple, really. You are confusing the storage capacity available on the hard disk (or hard drive), which is expressed in available megabytes (MB), of your computer with its computing power, which is measured in megabytes of RAM (Random Access Memory). Generally speaking, he largest hard disk is not going to help you, if your Mac happens to have an anemic amount of RAM! However, see below for the "longer" response!
You discover how much RAM is installed in your Mac by going to "About This Macintosh . . .," the top item under the Apple Menu. In addition to discovering which version of the Mac Operating System your machine is running, you'll find there information about total amount of RAM installed in your machine; amount of RAM allocated to the System and each open application; amount of RAM available for addional apps. At times that last figure may be less than you might expect: it gives the value for the "Largest Unused Block." As each application is given a contiguous block orf memory, there may be waste. If a metaphor helps, think of the situation as analogous to putting suitcases in your car's trunk.
The best solution is to purchase additional SIMMs (Single In-Line Memory Modules) or, if you are using one of the latest Macs, DIMM's (Dual . . . ); much cheaper, and almost without speed penalty, is to acquire a nifty little software solution called RAMDoubler, which doubles the amount of installed physical RAM totally transparently (once you double-click on the installer icon, etc., you can forget about it); my least favored solution is to turn on "Virtual Memory," because it is slow and robs you of storage capacity. Also, there are a few software packages that do not work with virtual memory. You may be able to use that solution if you have sufficient free capacity on your hard disk. Here comes the promised "longer response," of course. "Virtual Memory" ( as distinguished from "Physical Memory,"the Mac's installed memory chips, or brain power, if you wish) is an option under recent versions of the Mac Operating System. It uses a portion of your hard disk to create "Virtual RAM" in the amount you specify in the Memory Control Panel to supplement the "physical RAM" installed in your computer. Unless you absolutely have to, do not go beyond doubling available RAM. Otherwise you end up having to pay an unacceptably heavy penalty in speed for this benefit. However, it does work and may be exactly the answer to your prayers when you suddenly receive the unwelcome message mentioned above. Before you can use it, though, you need to turn it on and restart your computer. Make sure to save everything and quit all open applications first.
So, instead of assuming that you asked a naive question grounded in the fact that both RAM and hard drive storage capacity happen to be measured in MB's, I shall conclude that you suspected the connection between "Virtual RAM" and its reliance on your hard disk all along. cpb.

Question: I have been receiving E-Mail at Home and at my office for a long time, using the same account, etc. Two days ago, messages stopped coming to my Mac at home. Yet when I posted one to myself, though, it appeared moments later in my in box at home. I am stumped.

Answer: Obviously, the mailhost and your connections are working fine, or you could not have received that message youmailed to yourself. So, the explanation has to involve some departure from your usual practices, assuming you did not change any configuration settings before the "drought" . If you fail to receive messages at home, but postings keep piling up in your office machine, the latter must be the culprit. (1)The Mac in the office must have been left on, or its software could not do anything.That having been the case, I assume that you--contrary to your usual practice--(2)leftEudora--your e-mail software, I assume--in your office Mac running for a change. Even if its window was not visible on the desktop, it must have been open, i.e., been running "in the background". (3) You also must have configured the office Mac copy to check for and download messages at set intervals and also clear your account on the mail server upon downloading all messages to your office Mac. That's how I have configured my machines.
If my guesses are correct, the explanation is quite straightforward: when you accessed the mail server from home, all your mail had already been downloaded to your office Mac and, thus, there was no more mail to be transferred into the home computer. On the other hand, you were able to intercept your test message to yourself, because you apparently happened to check for new mail before the next scheduled download (and removal from mailhost) initiated by Eudora running on your office Mac would have frustrated you again! So, if you configure your office Mac's Eudora to regularly check for mail and, then, clear your account on the server, while limiting your home computer to merely downloading without clearing the server, you will undoubtedly earn a gold star from the network administrator and be able to congratulate yourself on having found a way of making the technology work for you, but you may also frustrate yourself whenever you leave Eudora in your office Mac open when you are trying to receive e-mail at home. So, my advice is, quit Eudora on the office Mac before you leave for homecpb

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