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TICKET ARCHIVE -> When to Archive And Install?

Hermann - Jun 19, 2005 - 4:39 pm

Hi,

How do I know whether I should do an Archive and Install? Mac Help
says "under certain circumstances". It makes the procedure
sound routine, but the knowledge base tells me what to do
"when third-party applications don't work", or that I might need to
"compare the two system folders". That doesn't sound routine.
(I have the 10.4 install DVD, and am running 10.4.1 on a Powerbook G4.)
Here is why I'm asking (sorry it's such a long description).

I was trying to install software with Fink and DarwinPorts. Each
installed one package OK, but that was it. I then uninstalled
and reinstalled three times, which didn't help. I also uninstalled Xcode
(because X11 problems were listed in one error message),
and gnuplot (which I had downloaded from gnuplot.info, not with Fink
or DarwinPorts); it was working, but I thought I would get rid of
all recent installs, just in case they had caused problems.

At one point, DarwinPorts couldn't find /usr/include/machine/ansi.h.
I was told that ansi.h is not in Tiger any more, so I got a copy (ppc, I think)
off the web and put it in the directory. The next error message said that
there was no /usr/include/ppc/ansi.h. (Several header files had the "include ansi.h".) So I put it in that directory, and got a longer error message.
Then I deleted all ansi.h but the error messages were now much longer
than the original "can't find ansi.h". With Linux, I have put files in the wrong
place and taken them out again, with no bad consequences.

Next, I reinstalled Fink and FinkCommander, but nothing worked.
And then when I downloaded the gnuplot installer again (independently
of Fink and Darwinports), I was told that "there is nothing to install".

I can think of two reasons why things are getting worse. I uninstalled
Fink and DarwinPorts by deleting the directories (/sw and /opt) they create,
and Xcode using its uninstaller. Maybe there are still files left behind to
cause problems. Or, I may not have done Xcode correctly. For example,
X11 is not in the "packages" folder, but I found it; I also saw on the web that
I should install X11SDK, which I wouldn't have known. However, there may be other important packages that I missed. Actually, what are .pkg files? Are they like .dmg, which can be removed after the install, or should they be left there?

Anyway, is Archive and Reinstall a reasonable next step, and how likely
is it to cause new problems? What might I have done wrong?

Thanks,

Hermann

Cheryl - Jun 19, 2005 - 9:52 pm

Hermann,

My name is Cheryl and I will be assisting you. First, you need to make sure you have all those files that you uninstalled out of your computer.

Delete those files you added in usr.

Now go to the hard drive>Library>Receipts. Delete the packages of DarwinPorts, Fink and Fink Commander and X11.

Finally, open a finder window and in the search box type in the name of those programs you installed.

Now restart the computer, and empty the trash.

Archive and preserve is used when it is determined that a system file is corrupt. It does not touch programs you installed, or your home folder.

A simple way to explain .pkg: OS X's way of holding installers and the component files needed for the install.

.dmg is disk image. A disk image is used for simple installers where all you need to do is drag and drop the file in the applications folder.

When you install a major program, you need to go to the Utilities folder>Disk Utility and repair permissions. At times, an installer will give the system permission and not the user. This corrects the problem.

There are some web sites that can help you with your installation and usage.

http://lists.apple.com/mailman/listinfo/darwinos-users

check the archives.

http://www.macosx.com/forums/archive....php/f-75.html

MacOSX.com archive forums

http://www.macosx.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=75

The unix and X11 forums.

Using Darwin
File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTML
Using Darwin describes the Darwin user interface and how to use it. It is a ...
and the mechanics of the user interface are contained in Using Darwin. ...
download.oracle.com/otn_hosted_doc/ darwin/misc/27749_275044.pdf


--------
Let me know if you need further assistance and thank you for using MacOSX.com !

Cheryl

Hermann - Jun 26, 2005 - 6:05 pm

Hello Cheryl,

Thanks for your reply. I finally had time to try the steps you suggested,
but things still don't work.

I removed Fink, DarwinPort, FinkCommander, X11, etc, restarted, emptied trash, repaired permissions. Then I reinstalled X11User, Xcodetools, X11SDK, gcc4.0. from the install DVD. (I didn't know that Trash might cause problems.)

[Here I have a question. After I installed Xcodetools, there was a
X11User.pkg in Library>Receipts, but it didn't show up in Applications>
Utilities. So I found it on the install disc, and installed it separately. Now it's
in Utilities and works. Similarly, gcc4.0 is in Receipts, but Finder doesn't find it anywhere else. I don't know what is actually installed, or whether I'm supposed to
click on a .pkg file. X11R6 did appear in /usr, so something must have happened.]

Next, I downloaded Fink and DarwinPorts, but neither could install the
packages I wanted (gnuplot, octave, xfig).

Then I went through the whole rigmarole again (I did not remove X11, though). I installed DarwinPorts only, and then got the same error messages as before. I spent a couple of hours with the archives, but found nothing
relevant. So I uninstalled DarwinPorts one more time.

I suppose these are problems in OS X--Fink/DarwinPorts interaction. I
eventually got all three of the programs directly from the web, and they
installed and run just fine. Later on, I'll be wanting some other packages,
maybe those will work better.

Thanks again,

Hermann

Cheryl - Jun 26, 2005 - 6:59 pm

Hermann,

Some programs do interact with others. The trick is know which with which.

Here is a link with many resources to help.

http://darwinports.opendarwin.org/help/

And the how to page:

http://www.hmug.org/HowTos/DarwinPorts.html

I hope these help you in the future along with our Unix forum.
--------
Thank you for using MacOSX.com !

Cheryl