OS-X Problem Solving
OS-X like any OS occasionally will have problems. The problems will often be similar to any other OS and will tend to happen less often on the average.
Fortunately most problems are much easier to fix than in other OS's.
This is not going to get into all problems but will touch on some of the most common problems and methods to help solve them that most users will run into over time not specific to any particular application.
Backing Up
An external drive is highly recommended, both for backup and as an alternate repair Boot drive (must be partitioned and set-up correctly to serve as a boot drive).
Backup Before Problems Start
General Problem Solving
Generally, Problem Solving should follow down the list. Important considerations, such as whether the problem can be duplicated, and whether other symptoms exist that perhaps have not been identified yet ( look for them).
There are many possible problems, so we will concentrate on the major problems users will encounter when using JDdownloader. In order of most common to least common:
Individual documents (e.g. a corrupted Word file)
Spoiler:
If there is a particular document that a user cannot open, try opening just the program itself, or open another document of the same type. If the program opens, try making a blank document and saving that, and reopening it. If that is successful, there is probably a problem with the troublesome file itself, and attempt to restore a backup.
If new documents cannot be saved, other documents cannot be read, the application itself refuses to open, or the problem isn't with dealing with individual documents, move on to troubleshooting the application.
Individual applications (e.g. Word)
Spoiler:
The application you were using suddenly froze. In this situation you may have to perform a force quit. In this regard you can press Command + Option + Esc and then click on the Force Quit tab. A force quit should not have a negative impact on your operating system’s stability. If the application refuses to re-launch, then incompatibility may be the reason why it froze in the first place.
If a specific application refuses to function, the first recourse is to try removing the application's preferences. In OS X, those are usually stored in either /Library/Preferences/com.vendor.programname or ~/Library/Preferences/com.vendor.programname. Occasionally, non-standard applications will create an entire folder in either of those directories for the application's preferences or data (either named the program's name, or the vendor's name). Also, some applications create a folder in the Application Support directory of /Library or ~/Library. These can be backed-up and removed as well (but some applications like Photoshop will give errors if Adobe's application support is removed, so be wary). First try just moving the preferences (a new one will be created with default preferences), rebooting, and see if the issue is gone. If it is, go ahead and delete the bad preferences file.
If that doesn't work, try looking for an update to the software on the vendor's site, or on Versiontracker. Frequently, patches will fix whatever is causing the problem. If no patch is available, in the case of Apple software, it may be possible to reinstall the current patch by removing the patch receipt from /Library/Receipts and running Software Update. Occasionally this fixes corruption of applications, either by overwriting the corrupted part of the application, or reinitializing corrupted settings.
Next try to repair permissions using Disk Utility. Occasionally, something will be set incorrectly (a program can't read a file, or write a file, or something isn't set to execute) which stops the normal function of the program. This doesn't always help, but sometimes it does.
Lastly, try reinstalling the application from scratch, either by re-downloading the software or reinstalling from CD. Sometimes, it is first helpful to remove the old application by throwing it in the Trash and deleting the old preferences files and application support files, or by using an Uninstall option in the program installer (if one is available).
If none of these options help, it may be either an unresolved issue with the program (look for similar problems online), or a problem with another part of the system.
Groups of (or all) applications, excluding the system software
Spoiler:
If, for instance, none of the applications in the Adobe CS Suite will open, and they all give a similar error message, it is likely that a specific component of the suite is corrupted and needs to be reinstalled. In this case, reinstalling all of the involved applications, may fix the issue.
In the case of multiple Apple-created applications, it is possible that a framework has been damaged (perhaps during the installation of an OS update). In that case, either attempt to install a patch to the OS (try downloading a combined OS X update from Apple's site), or use a program like Pacifist to reinstall the component off of the system software CD.
If a problem is related to an activity across many applications, such as printing, you might search for related preference files (such as com.apple.print...) and try removing them. Reboot to see if removing the file had any affect, and if it didn't help restore the file to its original location.
Another preference file shared between many applications is com.apple.internetconfig.plist, which is used by applications that access the internet.
If this doesn't help, there is likely something wrong with a major part of the system or OS.
The host OS or hardware (generally about the same frequency on a Mac OS X system)
Spoiler:
Often, problems can be introduced into the operating system during upgrades (moving from 10.4.6 to 10.4.11, and so on). Running a combined update of the system software (from Apple's site) can sometimes repair issues caused by upgrading.
Most of the times updating your software is a simple and smooth process and you only benefit from the update. Other times they will go wrong. One simple fix would be to repair permissions: Applications -> Utilities -> Disk Utility, click the Macintosh HD (your boot drive) and select Repair Disk Permissions.
If that didn't help, try running Repair Disk in Disk Utility (this may need to be done from a system software CD or single-user mode).
If Apple's default software solutions don't seem to work, move on to other options. Try running an Apple Hardware Test CD or Tech Tool Pro to see if either can find hardware issues that may be present (bad RAM or failing hard disks would be the likely culprits). If those come back negative, repairing the disk structure with a utility such as DiskWarrior could resolve issues.
As a note, there isn't always a perfectly prescribed order to run these utilities — knowing which will work, and when, is often due to experience (or luck), so use these as a guideline not a bible.
Finally, resort to reinstalling the Operating system, abiding by the normal procedures for CA OS installations. Try an archive and install first. If the problem persists, do a clean install.
If all of these are tried and the problem remains, it is most likely a dying hard drive, or bad RAM, or another failing component that isn't far enough gone to be detected by hardware utilities, but is far enough gone to cause problems. Refer the computer to a Mac Specialist or supervisor.
How to Create and Post a Screenshot (Mac)
The Macintosh operating system has always made it easy to capture a screen shot (an image of your computer desktop or an active window).
Here's a summary of all the built in methods you can use to capture your screen using Mac OS X.
Spoiler:
To capture the entire desktop, press Command-Shift-3. The screen shot will automatically be saved on your desktop, by default as a PNG file.
To copy the entire desktop, press Command-Control-Shift-3. The screen shot may be placed on your clipboard for you to paste into another program. When you release the mouse button, the screen shot usually will be automatically saved as a PNG file on your desktop. (The file is saved as PDF in Mac OS 10.3 and earlier.)
To capture a portion of the desktop, press Command-Shift-4. A cross-hair cursor will appear and you can click and drag to select the area you wish to capture. When you release the mouse button, the screen shot will be automatically saved as a PNG file on your desktop. (The file is saved as PDF in Mac OS 10.3 and earlier.)
To capture a specific application window, press Command-Shift-4, then press the Spacebar. The cursor will change to a camera, and you can move it around the screen. As you move the cursor over an application window, the window will be highlighted. The entire window does not need to be visible for you to capture it. When you have the cursor over a window you want to capture, just click the mouse button and the screen shot will be saved as a PNG file on your desktop. (The file is saved as PDF in Mac OS 10.3 and earlier.)
Add Control to the two shortcuts above to place the screen shot on the clipboard instead of saving it to the desktop.
Another method for capturing screen shots in Mac OS X is by using the bundled Apple utility, Grab, located in the Applications > Utilities folder. Grab is useful if you need to include a cursor or a menu in your screen shot, or if you want to save your screen shot to TIFF format. To include a cursor, first go to Grab Preferences and select the cursor icon you wish to have in your screen shot. To capture the screen with Grab, run Grab, then choose of the capture modes from the "Capture" menu: Selection, Window, Screen, Timed Screen.
When you choose the Selection mode in Grab, you can capture a specific region of the screen by dragging around it. Grab will display a tooltip showing the size of the region you have selected and the screen shot will open in a window when you release the mouse button. The cursor will not be included.
When you choose the Window mode in Grab, an instruction window will appear asking you to select the window you wish to capture, then click the "Choose Window" button. When you click the button, the instructions will disappear and the window you click will be captured, including the mouse cursor at the position where you click (if a cursor was selected in Preferences).
When you choose the Screen mode in Grab, an instruction window will appear asking you to click the screen when you are ready to capture. The mouse cursor will be included in your screen shot at the position where you click (if a cursor was selected in Preferences).
When you choose the Timed Screen mode in Grab, an instruction window will appear, allowing you to prepare your screen for capture. When you are ready, press the "Start Timer" button and you will have ten seconds before the screen is captured. This allows you to open menus and sub-menus, if necessary. After ten seconds the entire screen will be captured. The mouse cursor will be included in your screen shot if a cursor was selected in Preferences.
The default PNG format can be changed to jpeg or another format if so desired with a terminal command by opening the terminal and typing the following
Code:
defaults write com.apple.screencapture type *format*
In place of *format* in the above put any of the following, depending on your preference:
jpg
pdf
tif
png - this is the default
Uploading
There are many image storage sites available on the net, some are free, some are not.
The Image storage sites will present you with a browse box. If all of the images to upload are in the same folder (for example the Desktop), then click on the first file and Depending on how you have set up your selection preferences Ctrl+Click, Command+Click, Shift key or mouse Right Click on each of the rest (most sites today will also tell you how to multi-select multiple files for uploading). Click on the Select button (may be labelled Open or Save) and your images should be uploaded (sometimes you also have to click on an Upload button).
Posting
Usually hovering the mouse pointer over an image or clicking on an image will give you a choice of different kinds of links. If it is a large image intended for support staff, choose the "Direct Link". If it is a smaller image, intended for everybody, choose the BBcode (or bulletin board) link that automatically adds the tags so that the image appears.
Some sites offer thumbnails, avoid using those features.
Often image sites will also allow for HTML code selection and it should be OK to use here as long as it does not also include ads or other redirection linking. If it does create problems then avoid it.
If you are posting more than two or three images, select all of the images and create a "Spoiler" with the Blue letters icon (you might have to "Go Advanced").
Problems with JDownloader
If something is also not working as expected be sure to check your JD preference settings, etc.:
Java Notes and future with OS X:
The future development of JDownloader with Java 1.5 or earlier will end with the next major release. Currently the latest version is Java 1.6 and currently 1.5 is still being supported. Some support of JDownloader on Java 1.5 is planned, but new features will not be available on Java 1.5.
Although JDownloader is a Java application, it usually does no cause much of a problem with OS-X. It is important though that you make sure your running the latest Java update. You will need to check with Apple for the latest update for your OS version.
If your seeing high CPU cycles etc. Be sure that you get info on the JDownloader application and make sure to set it to 32 bit (not 64 bit as Java itself has a problem with some applications in 64 bit).
The future of Java and OS X is still not clear at the time of this writing as Apple is depreciating Java with the last release of the 10.6 Update 3.
Quote:
Java Deprecation
As of the release of Java for Mac OS X 10.6 Update 3, the version of Java that is ported by Apple, and that ships with Mac OS X, is deprecated.
This means that the Apple-produced runtime will not be maintained at the same level, and may be removed from future versions of Mac OS X. The Java runtime shipping in Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, and Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, will continue to be supported and maintained through the standard support cycles of those products.
It is not entirely clear what the move means for the future of Java on Mac OS X, as Apple has long been criticized for moving slowly on releasing updates to Java and it is possible that Oracle could roll out its own Java packages (as it does for Windows and Linux) on a more timely basis.
Source "macrumors.com/2010/10/21/apple-discontinuing-java-installation-packages-for-mac-os-x"
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Submitting a Log
You need to send a log file for the JD Team members to look at when there seems to be a JD problem. Select the "?" in the top of the JD application window:
At the bottom of the log window there are two ways to upload the log file.
- Upload log is the easiest, it will as you for your username and a description of the problem.
- You can save the log file with a name of your choice, preferably a date and problem title. If you save the log file go to http://jdownloader.org/pastebin and select the text from your log, enter in the Subject and Copy the Text of your saved log file to the Description window, you can comment in it if needed or remove private info if needed, then you click submit and it will upload to the JD support area and return with a web link similar to http://jdownloader.org/pastebin/xxxxx (x's are the report #).
In either case, report the pastebin URL in a message that includes the other details about the problem.
The last way is you can attach your saved log to a message. Edit out any private info in case your working with a client that requires some privacy due to a contract etc. You can even create a folder and attach some screen shots if needed and then zip up the log or folder and then attach it to a message in the appropriate forum. Make sure to include the other appropriate information in the message.
Resetting JDownloader
One may need to reset JD by selecting the Restore JD command in the Main JD File Menu:
Choosing and installing Security Software and AV Software
Before Installing any software from any software provider or manufacturer Be sure to read the User Agreements carefully. Some software will include such as:
Quote:
You acknowledge and agree that we may and the Licensed Product may, directly and remotely communicate with your computer for the purposes of, without limitation, verifying your credentials, issuing reports and alerts.
If you choose to allow sharing of supplementary data with us, you will need to implement optional functions which allow the Licensed Product to provide us with various data. While we do not intend that such data will include confidential information or information that identifies individual persons, such data may be included. Please notify us if you have any cause to believe that data may include reference to confidential information or information regarding individuals.
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Or for those who don't understand some of the wording it essentially can read as:
Quote:
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By accepting you agree that we may pimp out your woman, or in the event she is dead, your sister, or teenage daughter, etc. We reserve the right to sell your information out to a hit-list, who will then extort you for ransom until you meet our terms blah blah blah..
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Firewalls on OS X
Firewalls are always a good thing to use on any operating system. Some are better than others so one should check to see what is best and easiest to use.
Mac OS X v10.5 and 10.6 now includes a technology called the Application Firewall. One of the basic purposes of a firewall is to control connections made to your computer from other computers on the network.
The firewall in Mac OS X v10.5.1 and later is an Application Firewall, which allows you to control connections on a per-application basis, rather than a per-port basis. This makes it easier to gain the benefits of firewall protection, and helps prevent undesirable applications from taking control of network ports that have been opened for legitimate applications.
While the OS X firewall is somewhat decent it is not necessarily the best for true security as there are many other ways into a system regardless of OS. Said firewall is only as effective as its default configuration and does not give many top end protection methods really needed for best security.
Firewalls to look at for your preferred needs:
Now there is one other tool that is considered a reverse firewall that I highly recommend for protecting your outgoing connections that users are usually not even aware of and that a normal firewall usually won't catch although they could be built to do so. A firewall protects your computer against unwanted guests from the Internet. But who protects your private data from being sent out?
As soon as you’re connected to the Internet, applications can potentially send whatever information they want to wherever they want.
The above tools are either shareware or commercial. There are a few options in the open source arena but, for most new users to OS X these may require skills not acquired yet so I will not mention them here as that then goes beyond the scope of this general guide.
Antivirus on OS X
Fortunately Mac OS X is not as open to viruses and other malware as Windows is due to Apple's better understanding of OS security compared to Microsoft.
For example with windows one is usually logged in automatically as an administrator of that computer. While yes one usually needs administrative access to make necessary changes, in Windows, this capability is not locked down at all. If some application or document or other method gets opened in Windows it can, with out the users knowledge, install or change anything in the core or root of Windows.
This is how so many windows users will get infected to begin with. Yes there are ways to get around this and lock the system down better but, it is usually beyond the scope and knowledge of the average windows user.
It is also harder to put restrictions on the kids logins without crippling the system for them in many instances. Most windows users will create a login for their kids but their kids will also often have the same potential Administrative destructive access to the Windows OS.
As for the Mac even before OS X there was only two ways to truly infect the Mac OS. With OS X for now the only true way to infect or allow an infection is primarily by a user error. Although with the Mac OS X operating system the primary user is given Administrative access also there are several safeguards built in.
For example if some application or document or other method tries or wants to install something that requires core or root access it will not automatically be able to do so. A login window will pop up asking for the admin login and password before it can be installed or modify anything. This will occur for any admin user unless the user does something really stupid through some deeper system areas I won't even go into that requires logged in admin access to begin with.
One of the most usual ways at least on the PC side for example is some one may get a supposed picture from some source and try to open it which in turn may not open and throw a system error message or may open some stupid picture after already installing something to root etc.
On the Mac side if a picture were to try that and needs permissions to install into a core or root area the Admin login window will pop up asking for admin login and password.
Also with OS X when adding a user the built in tools are there and much easier to use for such things as making the new user a Standard user, Administrative user, User with Parental controls, or just a Sharing only user and a Group User account. There is also a built in Guest account one can use if needed.
Beyond those different account types there is also better options to lock down any application or other process from any individual user or group.
As one can see just by the methods used for Mac security helps avoid many PC type viruses, trojans and injection methods.
Most of the individual code out there at this time of writing only affects an app until the app closes and in some case a reboot may be needed to clear out memory and caches.
That all being said it is a matter of time though when some things will be able to slip through although most will probably be through a combination of web source and arbitrary code to try and cause some area of break down to allow something to bypass Mac security.
Currently there are a few tools for checking and cleaning out any Mac viruses one may have installed by accident by allowing an unknown/untrusted something true access to root etc.
When looking for AV software be warned there are phony ones out there that do nothing at all or try to infect your system in one way or another, so be sure of your source.
AV Software to look at for your preferred needs in no particular order but with notes on each:
Spoiler:
Most OS-X users use one of the first three (if they use an antivirus):
Sophos Anti-Virus for Mac Home Edition - Is currently a free full-featured anti-virus. You get business-grade protection for your Mac backed by our SophosLabs experts—they're on the job every day of the year, 24 hours a day. We'll stop, quarantine and clean up Mac or Windows threats that try to infect your computer. We can even stop new, unknown threats.> "**External links are only visible to Support Staff**
ClamXav - Is a free virus checker for Mac OS X. It uses the tried, tested and very popular ClamAV open source antivirus engine as a back end. > "**External links are only visible to Support Staff**
Macscan - Detects, Iisolates & Removes Spyware Detects over 8800 blacklisted tracking cookies Internet Clutter Cleanup Free Definition Updates > "**External links are only visible to Support Staff**
ProtectMac AntiVirus - The next generation security product for Mac OS X that allows you to scan any area of your computer or network for both Macintosh and Non-Macintosh malware. > "**External links are only visible to Support Staff** (Have not tried this one personally)
VirusBarrier X6 - Provides comprehensive protection from malware and network threats. VirusBarrier X6 is the only antivirus program for Mac that includes full anti-malware protection together with firewall, network protection, anti-phishing, anti-spyware features and more. > "**External links are only visible to Support Staff** (untested by me personally although many say it is OK. At this time I use their older Netbarrier product for my firewall)
The following two are not recommended:
McAfee VirusScan for Mac - Guard your Macintosh systems and users against all types of viruses and malicious code > "**External links are only visible to Support Staff** (I'm not a fan of McAfee products as it has been primarily a late entry from the PC world to the Mac and they tend to update often including base engine but, you may wish to use it)
Norton™ AntiVirus 11 for Mac - Guard your Macintosh systems and users against all types of viruses and malicious code > "**External links are only visible to Support Staff** (I'm not a fan of Norton products as they had a problem with OS X for many years but, you may wish to use it)