DeArmond.net

I'm sure it's happened to you. You've been using some application (probably Microsoft Weird or PowerPointless) and the spinning colorful beach ball appears. Usually it just goes away, so you wait, and wait, and wait. It doesn't go away.

Maybe you've seen this message several times in one day:
The application Word has unexpectedly quit.
If so, don't dispair! Very likely your Mac isn't broken, it's just got confused somewhere, and there are steps you can take to set it straight. The following is a list of common diagnostic procedures. Not all of them are for the faint-at-heart, but start with Level 5 and keep trying as long as you feel comfortable. When you get to a point where you really don't know what's going on and/or you're afraid you Screwed Up Big Time™, it might be time to hire a professional.

Disclaimer, Disclaimer, Disclaimer: Trying to fix your own computer has been known in a small percentage of cases to cause more problems than it solves. By reading this, you agree that, if you choose to follow this advice, you do so AT YOUR OWN RISK. DeArmond.Net, Up and Running, and Shawn DeArmond give the following pointers FREELY, AS IS, with NO WARRANTY and assume no responsibility for any problems or damages that may occur before, during, or after you attempt any of the following procedures.

Common Mac OS X complaints that apply to the following diagnostics:

• The application keeps quitting on its own.
• The application will not open a properly formatted document.
• I can move the mouse, but the application(s) don't respond.
• All I get is that spinning color-wheel no matter where I click.
• Moving the mouse does not move the arrow. (Unplug and then re-plug cables for both mouse and keyboard)
• The computer starts up, but only gets so far.
• You frequently get a grey screen telling you, in a variety of languages, that you need to restart your computer.

Complaints that do not apply:

• The computer does not power up. (Check the cables)
• "Server not found" errors.
• Incorrect password or authentication.
• I can't find that file I was just working on.
• The sound isn't on.
• An external device is not functioning correctly.

After completing each numbered diagnostic within the Level, test to see if your problem is resolved.

Level 5 Diagnostics

1. Quit (or Force-Quit) malfunctioning application
2. Quit (or Force-Quit) ALL running applications
3. Restart your Macintosh (you may have to use the hard-restart or power button)
4. Trash the preference file for malfunctioning application (With or without a Restart)
5. Run "Software Update", also install application update(s) (With or without a Restart)

Level 4 Diagnostics

1. Reset PRAM
• Restart holding down the keys: "option/alt" + "command/apple" + "P" + "R"
  Continue holding as the computer automatically reboots
• Allow the Macintosh to chime four times, then release the keys
• Allow the computer to boot up
2. Reset NVRAM and PRAM
• Restart holding down the keys: "option/alt" + "command/apple" + "O" + "F"
• At the white screen, release the keys
• Type in the following commands:
  reset-nvram (Hit "return" key. It should respond "ok")
  reset-all (Hit "return" key. It should respond "ok" and immediately restart)
• Immediately hold down the keys: "option/alt" + "command/apple" + "P" + "R"
  Continue holding as the computer automatically reboots
• Allow the Macintosh to chime four times, then release the keys

Level 3 Diagnostics

1. Repair Disk
   • Restart (holding down "C" key) with the OS X Installer or Restore CD
     (match the OS version 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, or 10.4)
   • Do not perform an OS X Installation!
   • From Installation (or Tools) menu, select Disk Utility
   • Select the malfunctioning volume from the list, not the drive itself
   • Select "First Aid" procedures
   • Perform a "Repair Volume"
     • Repeat if everything is not "OK".
     • If you get errors every time you repair the volume, no matter how
       many times you try, skip to Level 4 Diagnostics. Do not perform "Repair
       Permissions".
2. Repair Permissions
   • Reboot the computer to your boot drive.
     (If the computer does not get that far, repeat Diagnostic 3.1 and then immediately perform Repair Permissions without rebooting)
   • If back to your own boot drive, open Disk Utility (/Applications/Utilities)
   • Select the malfunctioning volume, not the drive itself
   • Select the "First Aid" tab
   • Perform a "Repair Permissions"
   • Quit Disk Utilities
   • Quit Installer (if using OS X Installer or Restore CD)
   • Restart to your standard boot-drive

Level 2 Diagnostics

1. Perform 3rd-Party Utilities
• Reboot to a Software Utility CD for disk (D) and/or hardware (H) repair
  • TechTool Deluxe (H, d) (Shipped with your AppleCare plan)
  • TechTool Pro (H, D) (v4.1.1 useful for Tiger and earlier)
  • Drive Genius (D)
  • DiskWarrior (D) (Unfamiliar to Shawn)
• Perform diagnostics according to application's instructions
• Restart to your standard boot-drive
2. Uninstall, then Reinstall the malfunctioning application.
   Install updates too!

Level 1 Diagnostic

1. Archive and Install
• Recommended Step:
  • Back up important files, such as the /Users folder
• Restart (holding down "C" key) with the OS X Installer or Restore CD
  (match the OS version to at least one decimal point)
• Continue with OS Installation/Restore.
  • In the "Options" dialog, select "Archive and Install"
• Restart to your standard boot-drive.
• Perform "Software Update" from the Apple Menu or System Preferences.
  (Restart and repeat until no more updates are listed)
• Reinstall necessary applications, if they are no longer on the drive
  • You will need to reinstall AntiVirus software, and possibly some other
    applications if they give you trouble.
2. Zero your Hard Drive and Install
   (This step is pretty hardcore, don't do this unless you have exhausted ALL
   options and bugged all your techie friends.)
• REQUIRED STEP: Back up important files, such as the entire /Users folder
  • Applications can be reinstalled, so it's less important to back those
    up.
• From Installation menu, select Disk Utilities
• Select the malfunctioning drive from the list (or volume if the drive is partitioned)
• Select "Erase Disk" procedures
  (You DID back up all your data, right?)
• Recommended Step:
  • Under "Options" select "Zero All Data"
    (Are you SURE you backed up all
    your data? You didn't just grab your "Documents" folder, did you?)
• Name the drive/volume
• Erase the drive/volume (If you Zeroed all data, this step will take
  Forever®)
  (Woe is you who failed to back up your data.)
• Quit Disk Utility
• Continue with OS Installation/Restore.
• Restart to your standard boot-drive
• Proceed with initial setup screens.
• Perform "Software Update" from the Apple Menu or System Preferences
  (Restart and repeat until no more updates are listed)
• Reinstall all your applications,
• Reload files from backup.

I should add that this list is by no means the be-all and end-all of computer repair. However, I have found that a large percentage of computer problems can be solved by knowing just a handful of useful procedures. I estimate that 80% of all computer problems that I get asked to fix can be solved by one of the Level 5 Diagnostics. I hope you find this helpful, and next time you ask me to fix a problem, I'm going to ask you what steps you've taken so far.

Here's one more from my vacation to ECCO. The Common Buckeye. I wonder how the animal feels about having the word "Common" in its name. Humans are by far the most common primate. What if we were called "The Common Human"? Well, I'm glad the Buckeye is common. It's really pretty. The markings on the upper wing surfaces are quite striking. If they weren't so common, they'd probably be considered one of the most beautiful butterflies in the US.

Funny how that works, huh? We get so used to seeing a particular animal that we take it for granted. Think about pigeons, ducks, and crows. Rather attractive birds, all of them, but they're so common that we usually just consider them a nuisance. When I was in Australia I saw trees full of cockatoos, and people would tell me, "They're like rats, they're everywhere." But here in the states, pet shops sell them for upwards of $1000. It's no wonder that the illegal bird trade is the second largest black-market in the world.

Anyway, back to our common friend here...

This photo was taken approximately four feet from that Widow Skimmer from earlier. This was one of those patience shots, where I stood in the same spot for about half an hour (in muggy 90°F weather) and shot whatever was kind enough to land. A good idea when doing that is to surround yourself with native flowers so your photo has a colorful backdrop, as well as something to keep the critters busy for a couple seconds while you shoot away. The bright yellow daisies made a nice contrast to the brown and orange of the butterfly, don't you think?

Here's another photograph from my trip to Family Camp at ECCO. They have this great pond on site that is just SWARMING with dragonflies. I've never seen so many concentrated in one area. I've never seen so many different species in one area either. Off the top of my head, I can think of nine species of dragonfly (not including damselflies) that make their appearance. This one, the Widow Skimmer, is by far the most common. In fact, there are more widow skimmers here than all the rest of the species combined.

Widow skimmers, as the name would imply, belong to the "Skimmer" family of dragonflies (Libellulidae) which are medium-sized, tend to have fleshy bodies (rather than hard exoskeletons) and are commonly seen hanging out near still waters. They also tend to land quite often, which I appreciate since they're darned-near impossible to photograph in flight.

As you might imagine, dragonflies are a little skittish. Not that they all flee and hide from me when I appear, just that they keep their distance. When they land, it's rare that I can get very close before they take off again. The best method for me is to sit myself down around some grasses and just wait for them to land nearby. It takes patience.

It also takes the right lens. For this shot, I used a Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro lens. This lens is great for insect photography. Its moderate length makes is so I don't have to get RIGHT next to the insect, which dragonflies don't tolerate. f/2.8 means that it's a "fast" lens so the aperture opens up wide enough for me to take a fast shutter-speed shot. Also, f/2.8 means that the background of the shot (that which is not in focus) is very much blurred to easily bring out the subject. Oh yeah, and Macro means that I can get as close as I dare. A normal 100mm lens would allow me to get no closer than a few feet away from my subject. With this macro lens, I can get within six inches. Also, this is not a Zoom lens, it's "fixed" at 100mm. While that might be a slight disadvantage in terms of versatility, fixed lenses are much sharper than zoom lenses. Besides, none of Canon's macro lenses are zoom.

Speaking of zoom lenses, if anyone wants to do a little Christmas shopping, I wouldn't mind one of these.

Ah, is there anything more generic than a time-lapse photo of a cascading waterfall? Probably not, but I don't care; it's pretty. This particular cascading waterfall is an upper section of Luis Creek. A small creek that runs by ECCO, where my family and I spent last week. I took 572 photographs on my vacation so I'll post some more of them later on. These waterfalls cascade over this single chunk of granite and dig pools about five feet deep at each landing. Thanks to the late rains this year, Luis Creek was gushing and these waterfalls were particularly spectacular. It's usually not this full, so usually, we can swim in these pools.

The most important thing about taking a photograph like this is to decrease the camera's shutter speed. Play around with different speeds to see what works best for your subject. This one was taken at 1/8 second. You'll also need a tripod, of course, since there's no way anybody can hold the camera steady enough for such a long exposure. There's a problem that you'll see pretty soon when you try to take long exposures: too much light. I had to make my aperture as small as I could make it (f-27) or else the exposure would be totally washed out. I was also blessed with cloudy skies so the sunlight was diminished and I didn't get harsh shadows.

Another thing you need to consider when taking long exposures is other subjects in your frame, such as trees, grasses, and sometimes animals. Remember, this exposure is at least four times longer than normal so any other subject that you don't want blurred needs to hold perfectly still. If there's a lot of wind, tree limbs and bushes might be swaying around and get blurred too. Fortunately for me, that wasn't a problem this time.

One of the most frequent remarks that people make about my web site is that they didn't realize how much effort can go into setting up and shooting a photograph. In the today-world of digital photography, each individual photograph doesn't cost any additional money. Unlike when film was your only option and 24 exposures cost you $3 plus $8 for developing. Now, your average picture-taker sets their camera on rapid-fire, takes shots of everything they see, and is bound to get a good shot sooner or later. I'm not knocking it; in fact when you're on an evening stroll with your family, that's the only method available.

Hence this photo.

On a lovely May evening while visiting Shannon's parents in Napa, we took a stroll around the neighborhood. I spotted this little elephant, smiled, snapped a single photo, and moved on.

I imagine that if I had more time (and if the neighbors didn't mind me setting up camp in their front yard) I'd try some different angles or different depths of field to see what would work best. Really, though, when I spot something silly like a ten-inch red elephant surrounded by ivy, the moment of mirth that filled me probably contributed to my subconscious framing of the photo. I'm not sure I could have gotten a better picture if I had spent an hour fussing with it.