please help me, this is driving me crazy and I am prob over looking
some detail. I have a mac performa 6400/200 with os 8.1 installed
and it works fine. I created a pc cd, with some mac software on it.
The Mac recognizes the cd and lets me copy the files to mac, but when
I try to run them the system freezes! WHat am I doing wrong? This
same thing happened when I put in an old PC 3 1/2" floppy and tried to
read a txt file from it, so I dont think it is the format of the cd.

I know there is prob a simple solution, I would love for you tell me
what it is !!! Thank you very much.







thanks in advance
kevin






contact:

http://profiles.yahoo.com/kevstar242

In article <luf1l05nu3rnad1ml5r6gfdufihg7p5ne2@4ax.com>,
Kevin <followthelink@bottomofpost.com> wrote:

> please help me, this is driving me crazy and I am prob over looking
> some detail. I have a mac performa 6400/200 with os 8.1 installed
> and it works fine. I created a pc cd, with some mac software on it.
> The Mac recognizes the cd and lets me copy the files to mac, but when
> I try to run them the system freezes! WHat am I doing wrong? This
> same thing happened when I put in an old PC 3 1/2" floppy and tried to
> read a txt file from it, so I dont think it is the format of the cd.
>
> I know there is prob a simple solution, I would love for you tell me
> what it is !!! Thank you very much.
>
In general, there are some problems-- and some possible work-arounds--
in running files that were copied from a PC-- whether over the network
or Internet, or off a CD or floppy disk.

The reason is that the Mac uses a unique two-part file system... files
have a 'data fork' (which is similar to the files that every body else
uses) and a hidden 'resource fork' which tells the computer about the
file. Non-Macs don't know what to do with the resource forks, and toss
them away.

So when you get the file onto your Mac, minus its resource fork, the Mac
no longer knows what to do with it.

This shouldn't cause a system freeze... but at best, leaves you with a
file that doesn't work.

If it's a program file, you have a lot of work ahead... getting a
program called RESEDIT (Resource Editor, get it?) and learning to use it
to recreate the missing resources for an executible file. Not fun.

With most data files (including archives), you can generally open the
file-- not by double-clicking it, but by opening the application that it
should load into, and using the File/Open menu to locate the file. (Or
dragging the file's icon on top of the application's icon).

After it's opened, using Save As can then recreate a valid resource fork
when you save the file with a new name.

=======================================
remove 'nospam' from email address before sending, please!

Alan's website: www.zisman.ca

On Wed, 22 Sep 2004 00:23:01 GMT, Alan Zisman <alan@nospam.zisman.ca>
wrote:

>The reason is that the Mac uses a unique two-part file system... files
>have a 'data fork' (which is similar to the files that every body else
>uses) and a hidden 'resource fork' which tells the computer about the
>file. Non-Macs don't know what to do with the resource forks, and toss
>them away.


ok this explains why I was able to get JPG images to display in
Netscape and Internet Explorer, since I assume those files do not need
"resource forks." There must be an easier way of getting files over
to the mac??? Now when I try to open for instance Castle wolfenstein
Installer it says "does not recognize this file should I open it with
Simple Text" I think it was crashing before because all non-recog
files were automatically being opened in Simple Text.

Is there a simple way? Is there someplace where I can get more
information about creating "resource forks?"





thanks
kevin



contact:

http://profiles.yahoo.com/kevstar242

In article <aol1l0phmjfdooae109l8qj9pluqvb5lvk@4ax.com>,
Kevin <followthelink@bottomofpost.com> wrote:

> On Wed, 22 Sep 2004 00:23:01 GMT, Alan Zisman <alan@nospam.zisman.ca>
> wrote:
>
> >The reason is that the Mac uses a unique two-part file system... files
> >have a 'data fork' (which is similar to the files that every body else
> >uses) and a hidden 'resource fork' which tells the computer about the
> >file. Non-Macs don't know what to do with the resource forks, and toss
> >them away.
>
>
> ok this explains why I was able to get JPG images to display in
> Netscape and Internet Explorer, since I assume those files do not need
> "resource forks." There must be an easier way of getting files over
> to the mac??? Now when I try to open for instance Castle wolfenstein
> Installer it says "does not recognize this file should I open it with
> Simple Text" I think it was crashing before because all non-recog
> files were automatically being opened in Simple Text.
>
> Is there a simple way? Is there someplace where I can get more
> information about creating "resource forks?"
>
It's a pain... especially (as I described) with executible files... the
best thing is to try to get them in compressed versions-- Stuffit
archives (*.SIT) or self-extracting archives (*.SEA) are good... while
the archive will be missing its resource fork, when you uncompress it on
the Mac (by manually opening the file with Stuffit Expander), the
uncompressed files will include the resource forks and work fine.

=======================================
remove 'nospam' from email address before sending, please!

Alan's website: www.zisman.ca

this creates a catch 22 situation, how do I get the stuff it program
onto the mac with it's resource fork.. there must be an easier way.





kevin




On Wed, 22 Sep 2004 03:52:07 GMT, Alan Zisman <alan@nospam.zisman.ca>
wrote:

>In article <aol1l0phmjfdooae109l8qj9pluqvb5lvk@4ax.com>,
> Kevin <followthelink@bottomofpost.com> wrote:
>
>> On Wed, 22 Sep 2004 00:23:01 GMT, Alan Zisman <alan@nospam.zisman.ca>
>> wrote:
>>
>> >The reason is that the Mac uses a unique two-part file system... files
>> >have a 'data fork' (which is similar to the files that every body else
>> >uses) and a hidden 'resource fork' which tells the computer about the
>> >file. Non-Macs don't know what to do with the resource forks, and toss
>> >them away.
>>
>>
>> ok this explains why I was able to get JPG images to display in
>> Netscape and Internet Explorer, since I assume those files do not need
>> "resource forks." There must be an easier way of getting files over
>> to the mac??? Now when I try to open for instance Castle wolfenstein
>> Installer it says "does not recognize this file should I open it with
>> Simple Text" I think it was crashing before because all non-recog
>> files were automatically being opened in Simple Text.
>>
>> Is there a simple way? Is there someplace where I can get more
>> information about creating "resource forks?"
>>
>It's a pain... especially (as I described) with executible files... the
>best thing is to try to get them in compressed versions-- Stuffit
>archives (*.SIT) or self-extracting archives (*.SEA) are good... while
>the archive will be missing its resource fork, when you uncompress it on
>the Mac (by manually opening the file with Stuffit Expander), the
>uncompressed files will include the resource forks and work fine.
>
>=======================================
>remove 'nospam' from email address before sending, please!
>
>Alan's website: www.zisman.ca




contact:

http://profiles.yahoo.com/kevstar242

In article <luf1l05nu3rnad1ml5r6gfdufihg7p5ne2@4ax.com>,
Kevin <followthelink@bottomofpost.com> wrote:

>
> please help me, this is driving me crazy and I am prob over looking
> some detail. I have a mac performa 6400/200 with os 8.1 installed
> and it works fine. I created a pc cd, with some mac software on it.
> The Mac recognizes the cd and lets me copy the files to mac, but when
> I try to run them the system freezes! WHat am I doing wrong? This
> same thing happened when I put in an old PC 3 1/2" floppy and tried to
> read a txt file from it, so I dont think it is the format of the cd.
>
> I know there is prob a simple solution, I would love for you tell me
> what it is !!! Thank you very much.

> thanks in advance
> kevin

A bit of the answer depends on why you created a PC disk with Mac
software. Most likely, there was software downloaded to a PC, then
burned onto a CD.

To prevent the PC from mangling the files, leave them encoded as .sit,
..hqx or .bin files. All of these contain the needed resource forks,
encoded into the data fork. Wait until you get the files onto your Mac
before decoding them into Mac programs. You can do this with various
shareware or freeware or with StuffIt Expander (a very good decoder.)

However, you may run across the old catch-22. How do you decode
software without decoding software? You can't. In this case, find a
local Mac users group or a friend with a Mac to get the decoding
software on a Mac floppy or CD for you.

--
Walt Sellers
Macintosh Programming and Support in Central Florida
www.VirtualOutpost.com
ws_usenet@virtualoutpost.com - include the keyPhrase "WhoYaGonnaCall?"
in the body or subject of the message to get past the spam filters.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
In theory there is no difference between practice and theory,
but in practice there is. -unknown
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

On Tue, 28 Sep 2004 04:35:44 GMT, Walt Sellers
<instructionsInMessageBody@the.bottom> wrote:

>However, you may run across the old catch-22. How do you decode
>software without decoding software? You can't. In this case, find a
>local Mac users group or a friend with a Mac to get the decoding
>software on a Mac floppy or CD for you.


thanks for the reply, luckily I found someone onthis newsgroup who
send me an IMAGE FILE of the stuff it compression program (in HSV
format) I was able to bring this over to the mac using the DISKCOPY
software that is built into OS 8. Thanks to Mike Dee I am now burning
cd's like crazy, and my mac is filled with all sorts of games and
applications.




kevin



contact:

http://profiles.yahoo.com/kevstar242