PC user needs MAC help

[dguy]

Hi, I am PC (user). I was given a series of questions concerning the MAC OSX, which I'm not at all familiar with. I was wondering that anyone can answer any of these questions for me. Thank you in advance.

1. What do you do if you get a flashing "?" on startup?

2. Name 3 utility programs used to troubleshoot a MAC?

3. What do you do if a firewire drive doesn't mount automatically?

4. "Zapping PRAM" is a function that is used when what has occured?

5. Where can you get an assessment of all devices, volumes, and applications?

6. How do you know if a program is running in Classic?

7. What is a kernel panic?

8. True or False: You can allocate more memory to a program to make it run faster and more stable?

9. How do you set permissions on a file?

10. Name a way you can log in aa a root user?

[sinclair_tm]

Originally Posted by dguy

1. What do you do if you get a flashing "?" on startup?

this means the mac can't find a drive with the os on it. the best thing is to boot the mac from an os install cd to see if there is a) a hard drive, and b) if an os is installed.

2. Name 3 utility programs used to troubleshoot a MAC?

this depends on what you are trying to do. but you could try this.

3. What do you do if a firewire drive doesn't mount automatically?

wait some more. some take awhile. but you can launch the disk utiltiy in the utility folder in the appications folder to see if the drive is even listed. if its not, then there isn't anything you can do. but if it is, then there is a mount button at the top.

4. "Zapping PRAM" is a function that is used when what has occured?

this is kind of a last resort when you mac doesn't want to start.

5. Where can you get an assessment of all devices, volumes, and applications?

not sure what you mean by an assessment, but goto the apple icon in the upper left coner and goto about this mac. in the window that pops up, click the button titled 'more info', or the like. it will launch the system profiler that is in your ultilities folder, and it will show all the hardware and software that the mac sees installed.

6. How do you know if a program is running in Classic?

well as long as you don't have classic set to start at log in, the fisrt classic app you launch will start the classic envrioment, which will give you a progress bar as it loads. but when the classic app is in the forground, the menubars will not look like os x, they will be the same as os 9, which is a soild grey color.

7. What is a kernel panic?

the mac version of the bsod

8. True or False: You can allocate more memory to a program to make it run faster and more stable?

false, giving an app will not make it any faster or stable. but in classic if you get an out of memory error, you can give an app more ram to help it load what it needs, which lets you open larger files, and have more files open at once in the app. in os x, the os handles all memory allocation, so an app never runs out of memory.

9. How do you set permissions on a file?

select the file in the finder, goto the menu file>get info. then toward the bottom of the new window that opens, there will be a section for permissions, click the little triangle to show them if you can't see them, and then you should be able to change them if you have admin right.

10. Name a way you can log in aa a root user?

what you need to know about root on the mac.

[barhar]

'What do you do if you get a flashing "?" on startup?' - connect any hard disk drive (most likely external) with a valid MacOS ('System 9.x.y', possibly earlier, or MacOS X 10.x.y) installation.

'Name 3 utility programs used to troubleshoot a MAC?' - too generic (vague) a question. Three valid software application titles would depend on the nature of the troubleshooting process.

'What do you do if a firewire drive doesn't mount automatically?' - verify it is mountable on another system (Macintosh). Use 'Terminal' to manually mount the disk. Via 'Terminal', enter ...

man diskutil

... and press the <return> key, keep pressing the 'spacebar' - until the beep, and then the 'q' key.

'"Zapping PRAM" is a function that is used when what has occured?' - such process is mainly a 'System 9 and earlier' remedy. See this 'Google' search result.

'Where can you get an assessment of all devices, volumes, and applications?' - launch (open, run) 'System Profiler' (in the '/Applications/Utilities/' folder).

'How do you know if a program is running in Classic?' - first, you will see the 'Classic' environment itself launch, and via it - the pseudo booting of System 9.x (possibly earlier). Second, the window style of the 'System 9.x' (or earlier) applications are different than those MacOS X.

'What is a kernel panic?' - that is when MacOS X does what Steve Jobs and company said (and says) never happens - when a Mac is booted from any version of MacOS X.

Sidenote:
During one of Steve Jobs January MacWorld presentations - his Mac experienced a 'kernel panic'; but, unlike a couple of Bill Gates (and company) presentations - Steve Jobs had a backup Mac.

'True or False: You can allocate more memory to a program to make it run faster and more stable?' - with respect to 'System 9.x' and earlier ... yes.
Sadly, MacOS X will handle the memory allocation automatically. That is why a 1 MB application will be allocated 100 MB of real RAM space and many times more of virtual memory (can you say 'swapfile'?) space.

'How do you set permissions on a file?' - Graphically, via clicking once on the files [select 'Finder's 'File, Get Info' menu item ('Command i')] window's 'Ownership & Permissions' sub-section. Via 'Terminal' (pre-1984 style) use 'chmod ' ... and the path to the file.

'Name a way you can log in aa a root user?' - First, create a 'root' user account via the 'NetInfo Manager' application (in the '/Applications/Utilities/' folder). Second, should you have 'System Preferences' 'Accounts' 'Enable fast user switching' check box check marked. In the upper right portion of the menu bar will be the 'fast user switching' menu - with the current users name as the menu name. Select the fast users menu, drag down to 'Login Window...' - which results in the login window appearing. Click on the 'Other...' icon button, enter 'root', press <tab>, enter the 'root' password (if one exists), and press the <return> key or click on the 'Log in' icon button.

[dguy]

Sweetness. Thanks a lot guys. I almost forgive MAC for those damn misleading commercials.

[DeltaMac]

4,6,7,8,9 and 10 can mostly be answered with another question - 'what's going on, and why do you need to know?'
Not being snippy, but most of your questions lead to a variety of other questions, and can't be answered simply.
It's really a garbage list of Mac questions.

Where would you have seen these questions (as a PC user, that is)?

Mac is short for Macintosh.
MAC stands for Media Access Control, and I think, not what you are asking.

The 'misleading' ads made you think - and that's the point, isn't it?

[cybergoober]

Are you trying to get a job that involves troubleshooting Macs or something, and that was the list of questions given to you?

[Captain Code]

Sounds a lot like a test to me in which case I wish people wouldn't give you all the answers.

[DeltaMac]

Originally Posted by Captain Code

Sounds a lot like a test to me in which case I wish people wouldn't give you all the answers.

Well, yes, a test could be a list of questions.
Most of these questions can be answered in several different ways, depending on the purpose of the question.
I'd say the test-taker is safe up to this point, as most of the answers provided here so far, miss the mark....