TechNote

Troubleshooting system errors or freezes (PageMaker 7.x for Mac OS)

What's Covered

Beginning and Intermediate Troubleshooting

Advanced Troubleshooting

This document can help you resolve system errors that occur while you use Adobe PageMaker 7.x in Mac OS. System errors can manifest themselves in different ways, including (but not limited to) the following:

-- A blank or flickering dialog box

-- A frozen cursor or screen

-- A bomb icon that appears on-screen

-- An error such as one of the following:

"Type 1," "Type 3," "Type 11," "Type 28."

"The application 'unknown' has unexpectedly quit."

"Floating Point Coprocessor not installed."

"The default monitor setting is invalid."

Different factors can cause system errors, including conflicts among device drivers, software, and hardware, and corrupt elements in specific files. Although a system error may occur only when you work with PageMaker, PageMaker may not necessarily be the cause--it may be the only application that is memory- or processor-intensive enough to expose the problem.

To get the most from this document, perform the tasks in order. To keep track of the tasks you perform and the results of each task, including errors or problematic behavior, use the System Error Log on Adobe's Web site at www.adobe.com/support/pdfs/ts_log.pdf . Adobe Technical Support can use this information to better assist you, should you need to call.

Beginning and IntermediateTroubleshooting

The tasks in this section can help you resolve the most common system errors. Before performing any of these tasks, back up all personal files (for example, PageMaker files you created). Always restart the computer after a system error occurs to refresh its memory. Continuing to work without restarting the computer may compound the problem.

1. Check system requirements.

PageMaker may not run correctly if the system doesn't meet the following requirements:

-- Power PC processor

-- Mac OS X (Classic), OS 9.1, or OS 8.6 (With Apple Software Font Manager Update 1.0)

-- 16 MB of RAM (32 MB recommended)

-- 100 MB of available hard-disk space (150 MB recommended)

-- CD-ROM drive

Note: To check how much RAM is installed on your computer, choose About This Mac (Mac OS X) or About This Computer (Mac OS 9.1 or earlier) from the Apple Menu. The Built-in Memory value indicates the amount of installed RAM.

2. Re-create the PageMaker preferences file.

A damaged PageMaker preferences file can cause PageMaker to behave unexpectedly. To determine if the problem is caused by a damaged preferences file, re-create the preferences file.

Note: Re-creating the PageMaker preferences file restores settings to their defaults.

To re-create the PageMaker preferences file:

1. Quit PageMaker.

2. Rename the preferences file (for example, to Filename.old), and then restart PageMaker. The PageMaker preferences file, Adobe PageMaker 7.0P Prefs, is in the System Folder: Preferences folder.

3. Restart PageMaker.

If the problem recurs after you re-create the PageMaker preferences file, the problem isn't related to the preferences file. To restore custom settings, delete the newly created preferences file, and rename the backup copy with its original name.

3. Troubleshoot extensions.

System errors can occur if an extension is damaged or conflicts with another extension, an application, or the operating system. You can troubleshoot extensions to determine if they are the cause of the problem.

To troubleshoot extensions:

1. Disable extensions:

-- Mac OS X

a. From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences, and then click Classic.

b. Click the Advanced tab, choose Turn Off Extensions from the Startup Options menu, and then click Restart Classic.

-- Mac OS 9.1 and earlier: Restart the computer and hold down the Shift key until you receive the message "Welcome to Macintosh. Extensions Off."

Note: Non-Apple keyboards may require you to use a different method to disable extensions. For information about how to disable extensions using a non-Apple keyboard, contact the keyboard manufacturer.

2. Restart PageMaker and try to re-create the problem. If the problem doesn't recur, isolate the extension conflict by following the instructions in document 311687 , "Disabling Extensions and Isolating Extensions Conflicts in Mac OS 9.x or 8.x."

4. Allocate more memory to PageMaker and reconfigure the Memory control panel.

PageMaker may not work as expected if insufficient memory is allocated to it or if the Memory control panel is incorrectly configured in Mac OS 9.1 or earlier.

To allocate more memory to PageMaker:

1. Quit PageMaker.

2. Start any applications you want to run simultaneously with PageMaker.

3. Choose About This Mac (Mac OS X) or About This Computer (Mac OS 9.1 or earlier) from the Apple Menu.

4. Note the value for Memory (Mac OS X) or Largest Unused Block (Mac OS 9.1 or earlier).

5. Select the PageMaker application icon, and choose File > Show Info (Mac OS X) or File > Get Info (Mac OS 9.1 or earlier).

6. From the Show pop-up menu, choose Memory.

7. In the PageMaker Info window, enter a larger value in the Preferred Size text field, but do not exceed 90% of the value you noted in step 4.

8. Close the PageMaker Info window.

To reconfigure the Memory control panel in Mac OS 9.1 or earlier:

1. From the Apple menu, choose Control Panels > Memory.

2. In the Disk Cache section, click Default Setting.

3. In the Virtual Memory section, click Off.

4. In the RAM Disk section, click Off.

5. Close the control panel, and then choose Special > Restart.

5. Rebuild the desktop.

The desktop database catalogs disk contents, file locations, and file icons. If this hidden file is damaged, applications and files may become corrupt, icons may not appear as expected, and errors may occur. When you rebuild the desktop, the system repairs the desktop database and updates it with current disk information.

To rebuild the desktop in Mac OS X or later:

1. From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences, and then click Classic.

2. Click the Advanced tab, and then click Rebuild Desktop.

To rebuild the desktop in Mac OS 9.1 or earlier:

1. Restart the computer while holding down the Command+Option keys.

2. Click OK to the prompt, "Are you sure you want to rebuild the desktop file on the disk '[diskname]'?"

3. Click OK for each mounted volume (that is, each internal and external disk drive or disk partition).

6. Disable Virtual Memory.

If you use Mac OS 9.1 or earlier, virtual memory lets the computer use hard disk space as additional memory (RAM). Because accessing the hard disk is slower than accessing RAM, PageMaker may perform slower with virtual memory enabled.

To disable virtual memory:

1. From the Apple menu, choose Control Panels > Memory.

2. Select Off in the Virtual Memory section.

3. If a Modern Memory Manager option is available, enable it.

4. Close the Memory control panel.

5. Restart the Macintosh.

7. Remove andreinstall PageMaker with extensions disabled.

Extensions that load automatically in Mac OS can conflict with the PageMaker installer and cause errors. Reinstalling PageMaker with extensions disabled can eliminate these errors.

To reinstall PageMaker with extensions disabled:

1. Move any personal files from the PageMaker folder to another location.

2. Delete the PageMaker folder.'

3. Locate the Adobe PageMaker 7.0 folder on the PageMaker application CD and copy it to the desktop.

4. Disable extensions:

-- Mac OS X

a. From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences, and then click Classic.

b. Click the Advanced tab, choose Turn Off Extensions from the Startup Options menu, and then click Restart Classic.'

-- Mac OS 9.1 and earlier: Restart the computer and hold down the Shift key until you receive the message "Welcome to Macintosh. Extensions Off."

5. Double-click the installer file in the Adobe PageMaker 7.0 folder on the desktop, and then follow the on-screen instructions.

6. Delete the Adobe PageMaker 7.0 folder on the desktop.

8. Troubleshoot fonts.

A system error can occur if PageMaker accesses a damaged font. You can troubleshoot fonts to determine if they cause the problem.

Note: Because PageMaker 7.0 is a Classic application, it cannot access fonts installed in Mac OS X.

To troubleshoot fonts:

1. Drag the Fonts folder from the System Folder to the desktop. (If you manually added fonts to the Application Support: Adobe: Fonts folder, also drag those fonts to the desktop.)

2. At the Finder, press Command+F, type AdobeFnt.lst in the text box, and then click Find.

3. Delete all AdobeFnt.lst files found.

4. Use the Extensions Manager control panel to disable all font utilities, such as AlSoft Master Juggler, Adobe Type Manager (ATM) Deluxe, Extensis Suitcase, or Adobe Type Reunion.

5. Restart the computer. The system creates a new System Folder: Fonts folder containing the standard Mac OS fonts.

6. Restart InDesign. InDesign creates new AdobeFnt.lst files.

7. Try to re-create the problem. If you cannot re-create the problem, see document 328527 , "Troubleshoot Font Problems (Mac OS 8.0-9.x)" to determine which font or fonts caused the problem.

9. Check the integrity of the hard disk.

A damaged hard disk can cause PageMaker and other applications to freeze or return system errors. Check the hard disk by doing one or more of the following:

-- Use a disk repair utility, such as Apple Disk First Aid or Norton Disk Doctor, to check for problems.

Disclaimer: Adobe Systems does not provide support for third-party disk utilities but provides the following instructions as a courtesy. Contact the developer of the disk utility for support.

To use Disk First Aid (included on each Mac OS 9.1 and earlier system CD):

1. Start the computer from the system CD.

2. Double-click the Disk First Aid application in the Utilities folder on the system CD.

3. Select the disks to be verified or repaired.

4. Click Repair to check and repair selected disks.

-- Update the disk driver to ensure that it is not damaged or incompatible with the system:

1. Start the computer from a Mac OS 9.1 or earlier system CD.

2. Double-click the Drive Setup application icon on the system CD.

3. Elect the disk.

Note: If the drive was formatted with a third-party disk utility, such as Symantec Norton Utilities, you may receive the message "Drive selection failed." Click Continue to quit Drive Setup. You must then use the third-party disk utility for this procedure. For instructions, refer to the utility's documentation.

4. Choose Functions > Update Driver.

-- Use a third-party disk utility, such as Norton Utilities or Micromat TechTool Pro, to ensure that damaged sectors are marked unusable. For instructions, refer to the utility's documentation.

-- Use anti-virus software, such as Network Associates Virex or Norton AntiVirus, to check the disk for viruses. For instructions, refer to the utility's documentation.

-- Defragment and optimize the hard disk using a disk utility, such as Norton Utilities or Tech Tool Pro. For instructions, refer to the utility's documentation.

10. Reset Parameter RAM.

Reset Parameter RAM (PRAM) to return all system preferences (for example, clock settings, network settings) to their defaults. To reset PRAM, hold down the Command+Option+P+R keys while restarting the computer. Release these keys after you heartwo startup chimes. For more information about PRAM, see document 315344 , "PRAM General Information."

11. Perform a clean install of the system software.

If you use Mac OS 9.1 or earlier, determine whether damaged system software is causing the problem by performing a clean install of the system software. A clean install replaces existing system software with new system software in a new System Folder. If the problem does not recur after you perform a clean install, damaged system software is the cause.

Note: To completely replace existing system software, you must perform a clean install. Updating or installing over existing system software does not completely replace it.

12. Reformat the hard disk and reinstall only Mac OS and PageMaker.

Reformat the hard disk, and then install only Mac OS and PageMaker from the original installation media. Reformatting a disk erases all files it contains, so be sure to back up all personal files. Also make sure that you have all application and system disks.

Note:Do not install additional software until you are sure that the problem is resolved. Do not back up the hard disk and restore Mac OS and PageMaker instead of reinstalling them; if the problem is caused by an application or Mac OS, and either is restored instead of reinstalled, the problem may recur.

After you reformat the hard disk and reinstall Mac OS, try to re-create the problem:

-- If the problem no longer occurs, install other applications one at a time and try to re-create the error after each installation. If the problem occurs after an installation, the recently installed application may be the cause.

-- If the problem persists when only Mac OS and PageMaker are installed, the cause is hardware-related, and you should contact the hardware manufacturer or an authorized reseller for assistance. Before contacting the manufacturer or reseller, however, you may want to try one or more tasks in the following section.

Advanced Troubleshooting

If the tasks listed in the previous section did not resolve the problem, hardware may be conflicting with PageMaker.

Disclaimer: Adobe does not support hardware and provides these tasks as a courtesy only. For further assistance, contact the hardware manufacturer or an authorized reseller. If you troubleshoot hardware problems yourself, you may void the warranty for your computer.

Note: Before you remove or rearrange hardware, turn off the power to the computer and any peripherals.

1. Check for SCSI problems.

If you have a SCSI card for internal or external SCSI devices, verify that the settings for the card are correct, ensure that the SCSI chain is properly connected and terminated, update SCSI drivers, and check for hardware or cable damage. For instructions, contact the SCSI card manufacturer.

2. Check for damaged expansioncards.

Damaged or incompatible expansion cards can cause system errors. To check expansion cards, turn off your computer, remove any processor accelerator cards, cache cards, or other installed expansion cards, and then restart the computer.

Note: Some NuBus-based computers require a video card in the Processor Direct Slot (PDS).

3. Check for problems with RAM SIMMs or DIMMs.

Ensure that the RAM SIMMs or DIMMs are installed properly and are not the cause by doing one or more of the following:

-- Change the order of the installed SIMMs or DIMMs.

-- Remove all but the minimum number of SIMMs or DIMMs needed to run Mac OS and PageMaker, and test to see if the problem persists. If it does, replace the SIMMs or DIMMs you removed and remove the others, testing again to see if the problem persists. If the problem does not recur, one or more of the removed SIMMs or DIMMs are the cause. For assistance, contact the RAM SIMM or DIMM manufacturer.

4. Use a different hard driveor computer.

Run PageMaker from a different hard drive installed in the same computer or the same hard drive installed in a different computer.