QuickTime for Mac, please help!

[Erniee]

I am not a regular Mac user, and am having problems installing programs like Firefox, MSN Messenger (Mac version), etc. The first download works fine, but when I try to open it, Ièm given a window that says I can use either StuffIt Expander or Quicktime to open the document. StuffIt does absolutely nothing, and when I try QuickTime, Ièm told I need the newest version of QuickTime (5, I think). The problem is, when I download it and try to open it, Ièm told I need to newest version of QuickTime! How can I get around this, or is there a different way to open these filesÉ

Your help would be really appreciated.


...Also, why do question marks and apostrophes show up as È

[nixgeek]

Are you doing this in Mac OS X? Firefox doesn't have a version for anything below version 10.2 at the very least I think so even using Mac OS X 10.0-10.1.5 wouldn't work.

http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/system-requirements.html

Please provide us some more information on the Mac you're using and the operating system so that we may help you even more.

[Richardanthonyj]

Quite simple really. Apple Computers can open files via drag and drop. Put Stuffit Expander Application on desktop. Then drag your downloaded file (click and hold the file) on top of it. If stuffit expander goes dark, then the file you downloaded is a stuffit file. Let go of the download (on top of stuffit app) and it'll unstuff the file for you.

[Erniee]

Originally Posted by Richardanthonyj

Quite simple really. Apple Computers can open files via drag and drop. Put Stuffit Expander Application on desktop. Then drag your downloaded file (click and hold the file) on top of it. If stuffit expander goes dark, then the file you downloaded is a stuffit file. Let go of the download (on top of stuffit app) and it'll unstuff the file for you.

When I do that, the StuffIt icon changes, and it looks kind of like a few lines spread out across the screen, then nothing else happens. When I search for the file that I dragged over the StuffIt icon, all the is on the computer is the original downloaded file, no application. Is there something else I need to doÉ

I think this is Mac OS X, so I know thatès not the problem, Nixgeek.

[nixgeek]

I only ask because it sounds like you're using a Mac OS before OS X. Head into the Apple menu (top left of screen) and select "About this Mac." Let us know the exact version number if it's OS X. If you go to the Apple menu and and it says "About this Computer" instead of "About this Mac," then you're not running OS X. It's most likely OS 9.

Why not attach a screenshot in your next post? To take a screenshot on the Mac, just hit Command-Shift-3 for the entire screen or Command-Shift-4 to select a section that you want to take a shot of. It should either save to the root of the hard drive, the desktop, or in your home folder. That way we can see what the file looks like.

[Erniee]

it says "about this computer". I was confused because the owner of this computer told me it was OS X.

Before last week I'd never used a mac before, I'm not sure which button is the command button.

I figured the button with the bitten apple was the command button, and I think I got a screen shot. But I have no idea how to find the picture, since there are no thumbnails and all files are named simlarily. But the downloaded files that I want to.. unexpand have an icon that is a white piece of paper with the top right corner bent, and then the file name is underneath (example: Messenger511.dmg).

[nixgeek]

Yeah, sounds like you have a pre-OS X Mac OS. Since you did go to "About this Computer," what version did it actually say?

Now, it's possible that the previous owner might have OS X installed but you might have to select it from the Startup Disk control panel (you'll find it in the Apple-Menu-->Control Panels, close to the bottom of the list). Once you open that, you'll see the System Folder for the Mac OS you're running, and if OS X is also installed you'll see the System folder for Mac OS X there as well. If it's there, select that folder and restart. This should boot you into the Mac OS X side (if it's actually installed).

And as for the Command key, you are absolutely right....the Apple/Propeller/Flower/whatever-name-you-can-come-up-with-for-that-picture is known as the Command key. To this day, I still don't know why they just didn't call it the Apple key and leave it at that.

The screenshot should be located in the root of the Macintosh hard drive named "Picture". Regardless, I can already tell you without looking at the screenshots that the applications you downloaded are probably for OS X, and since you're not in OS X they won't run at all (OS X is dramatically different from Mac OS 9 and below). You're goign to need applications that run on the version of the Mac OS you have installed. If you have OS X as I mentioned earlier you can reboot to that side of it. If not, then you're going to have to purchase a retail installation of OS X. See below for prices on OS X (make sure you have enough memory, at least 256 for 10.3.x and at least 512 for 10.4.x):

http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/osx-c...ware-and-more/

BTW, what Mac model DO you have? That might help as well. If it's too old, then it might not even be able to run OS X.

[Erniee]

Going into the startup disk gives me two icons, Macintosh HD and Network Disk, the network one looking just like the HD except with wires coming from the bottom. There's no folders and double clicking the icons does nothing.

The front of this computer says "iMac" and when I click "about this computer", this is a Mac OS 9.0.4.