This Handout is on the WWW at: https://members.tripod.com/~CJMorrison/Mac.html
Workshop Information: 1-800-783-2643
Web Page: http://www.teleport.com/~mporter
1. Turn on Computer. If you start the computer with a keyboard button and nothing happens, check the power switch and power cord. If those are okay, remove the battery from the logic board for 30 minutes, reinstall the battery and restart. If this doesn't work, then visit the Tech Troll.
2. What do you hear? If there is no 'boing," check for a bad power connection or a disconnected speaker and then restart the computer. If this doesn't work, then go to the Tech Troll.
3. Listen for the hard drive and fan. If these sounds aren't present, visit the Troll. "Whir" of fan? "Rrr" of hard drive? " Ch, Ch Chatter" of hard drive head?
4. Tones of Death. If you hear a short death march tone, reset your SIMMS and restart the computer. If this doesn't work, then visit the Tech Troll.
5. What do you see? Black Screen...check SIMMS, VRAM, and their connections and go back to start. If these symptoms persist, visit the Tech Troll.
6. Sad Mac. Check the SIMMS and connections, then go back to start. If your Mac's mood doesn't change, visit the Tech Troll.
7. The system won't load. (i.e. no smiley Mac or "Welcome to Macintosh" message.) Turn on all SCSI devices (hard drives, scanners, CD drives, etc.) and reboot. If this doesn't work then go forward three spaces (to space 10).
You've fallen into the lair of the voracious "Tech Troll." This demon will bore you with puffy technical jargon until you are lulled to sleep. To escape you must (1) heavily bribe the Troll to fix your technical problem or (2) delve through the layman's technical Bible, "Keep Your Mac Running" for help. (See Carl Morrison for a copy.)
8. Frozen Mac! The computer partially loads the System and then freezes. Try rebooting, while holding down the "Shift" key to bypass the extensions. If this works then move suspect files out of the Extensions Folder (or use Extension's Manager to do the same.) If this doesn't work then go ahead two spaces (10).
9. Happy Mac changes to No Mac. Is this good? Yes! The hard drive is physically okay, but the System is corrupted. Continue one space forward (10).
10. Find the hard drive. Insert the Disk Tools (Sys 7) or System Disk (Sys 6) and restart the computer, or Attach a ZIP with same, or inset CD with same and restart. If the computer finds the hard drive, pat yourself on the back and move forward two spaces (12), otherwise move forward to the next space (11).
11. Use Disk First Aid to find the hard drive. If you find the hard drive with the software, initialize it using HD setup and advance seven spaces (18). This is a desperate measure! If you fail to find your hard drive, then step back to visit the Tech Troll.
12. Find the System Folder by booting with the System Disk or the Disk Tools. If there is no System Folder, then move ahead six (18). If you do locate the System Folder, move forward one space (13).
13. Locate the System and Finder files in the System Folder. If both are found there, then move forward two spaces (15). If one or both are not in the System Folder, then move forward one space (14).
14. Use Find File to locate both the System and Finder files. If both are found, drag them into the System Folder and reboot. If one or neither are found, or rebooting doesn't work, advance one space (15).
15. Remove suspect System and Finder files. Drag the System and Finder to the Trash. Empty the Trash and move forward one space (16).
16. Install a new System and Finder in the System folder. Reboot the computer with the Installer or Disk tools and reinstall the System software. This procedure will install a new System and Finder file in the System Folder without changing other parts of the folder. If this works then life is good and you're finished. If this doesn't work then move forward one space (17).
17. Last Ditch Effort. Trash the System and Finder files and rename the rest of the System Folder "Old System Stuff." Move forward one space (18).
18. Install a new System Folder. Restart the computer with the Installer or System Tools and install a new system folder. Restart the computer. If this works, move forward one space (19), otherwise visit the Tech Troll.
19. Restoring System files. Move files and folders from "Old System Stuff" that you want to restore (Claris, Foolproof, virus checker, etc.) and trash everything else.
Finish! Your computer works.
Turn Foolproof on
Run 'Rebuild Desktop' and "Zap PRAM" (See Carl Morrison for copies of both)