tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post8214498564131116205..comments2024-03-28T14:38:18.612-05:00Comments on Althouse: At the Invalid Argument Café...Ann Althousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01630636239933008807noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-53018086810907856582012-06-17T10:48:58.999-05:002012-06-17T10:48:58.999-05:00Absolutely fascinating thread
Informative and pra...Absolutely fascinating thread<br /><br />Informative and practical on two different subjects. Wife and I are exterior paint color shopping today.<br />Thanks for the board recommendation.<br /><br />Happy Fathers Day!Brenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17697033824117377473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-53765341832801127212012-06-16T23:35:22.369-05:002012-06-16T23:35:22.369-05:00While we're on the subject of erasing files, h...While we're on the subject of erasing files, here is something that most people don't know (but is very important to know):<br /><br />On most computers, whether Mac or PC, deleting a file or erasing a disk doesn't actually do either thing. Unless "secure" options are selected, the default behavior on most computers is simply to remove the record of a file from the computer disk's directory, while leaving the actual file on the disk. Back in the old days of floppy disks and slow hard drives, it was much, much faster to edit a directory entry than it was to shred every last bit of a file, so that's why we did things this way.<br /><br />In practice, this wasn't such a big deal, since removing the record of the old file from the directory would make the computer treat the old file's space as being free, so sooner or later, the computer would overwrite the old file's bits with a new file. Unfortunately, if that old file was never overwritten, someone with very modest forensic skills and the correct software tools could come along and find the old file by reading through every single address on the disk, even if the directory said the address was empty.<br /><br />The "Secure Empty Trash" and "Secure Erase" options go ahead and overwrite the old files with a bunch of zeros or semi-random bits, destroying the old files in the process. People who are very security conscious will choose options that overwrite disks multiple times, but, generally speaking, once is usually good enough.Biffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18077565129056607925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-69020762398025545302012-06-16T23:15:16.564-05:002012-06-16T23:15:16.564-05:00The professor wrote: "I've never opened u...The professor wrote: "I've never opened up the computer. But [physically removing the hard drive] would be the easiest approach, especially if the computer is broken and I can't get it to erase."<br /><br />That would work, but, if you haven't done it before, it can be very tricky to crack open certain Macs to access the physical drives. If you really want to try it, there are some nice "how to" guides for most models (with photos) at ifixit.com.<br /><br />However, since you already can get at the files using the Firewire cable trick, you almost certainly have easier options. When a computer is in "Firewire Target Mode," it becomes nothing more than a fancy hard disk. As you saw when you were able to copy files from a computer in Firewire Target Mode to another computer, you can work with the Firewire Mode computer's files as if they were just sitting on an old floppy disk. In other words, you can delete those files, or you can erase the whole Firewire Mode disk from the other computer.<br /><br />If you like, just drag the files from the old drive (the one that is in Firewire Mode) into the Trash on your newer computer (the one that is not in Firewire Mode) and choose "Secure Empty Trash" from the File menu. Alternatively, you can completely erase the old, Firewire Mode hard drive using the "Disk Utility" program. It's in your newer computer's "Utilities" folder, which is in the "Applications" folder, which is at the top level of your hard disk. Open it up, click on the disk you want to erase, and then click on the "Erase" tab to see your options. Use one of the "secure" options if you are worried about people potentially using forensic techniques to get at your files. The "one pass" method should be fine. The "seven pass" method is okay, but it takes a while. The "thirty something" pass is overkill and takes forever.<br /><br />By the way, did you try to open the CD tray on the old mac by hitting the eject button on the keyboard? If that doesn't work, you can try either holding down the mouse button while restarting or following the instructions at http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.4/en/mh1750.htmlBiffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18077565129056607925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-30212651756711454712012-06-16T23:00:38.916-05:002012-06-16T23:00:38.916-05:00Could you take them to the DoIT center over by Uni...Could you take them to the DoIT center over by Union South? As faculty you might be entitled to have them worked on free, if you aren't sure you've wiped all the memories.<br /><br />A group of Wisconsin Pearl Harbor vets is currently in Hawaii on a special Honor Flight. Sadly one of them, Mark Schaitel, 89, passed away from a heart attack on the flight out. RIP. Very sad.Petuniahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16304522265105244481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-41393921576444362382012-06-16T22:09:25.037-05:002012-06-16T22:09:25.037-05:00Althouse finally goes damsel, and it's not a p...Althouse finally goes damsel, and it's not a pretty sight.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17424384180201600935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-12929126665189730472012-06-16T21:57:23.372-05:002012-06-16T21:57:23.372-05:00When you get done going through your old 9 compute...When you get done going through your old 9 computers can you come to my house please? <br /><br />I have a boneyard in my basement.JALhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15503869597362866878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-2085240685249369312012-06-16T20:42:02.479-05:002012-06-16T20:42:02.479-05:00Do Macs use the Unix command set?
More or less (W...<i>Do Macs use the Unix command set?</i><br /><br />More or less (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OS_X" rel="nofollow">Wikipedia alert!</a>): <br /><br /><i>"Certain parts from FreeBSD's and NetBSD's implementation of Unix were incorporated in NeXTSTEP, the core of Mac OS X."</i>Paco Wovéhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00053886112561036768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-20453302356962650752012-06-16T20:15:45.495-05:002012-06-16T20:15:45.495-05:00Marcus Aurelius, tech guy:
* If thou art pained b...Marcus Aurelius, tech guy:<br /><br />* If thou art pained by any external thing, it is not this that disturbs thee, but thy own judgment about it. And it is in thy power to wipe out this judgment now.<br /><br />* A cucumber is bitter. Throw it away. There are briars in the road. Turn aside from them. This is enough. Do not add, “And why were such things made in the world?”<br /><br />* Do not act as if thou wert going to live ten thousand years. Death hangs over thee. While thou livest, while it is in thy power, be good.Mr. Forwardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14434516830495603756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-2930711526245968112012-06-16T19:12:31.112-05:002012-06-16T19:12:31.112-05:00"There really is no need to sledgehammer them..."There really is no need to sledgehammer them, is there? It's not like there's evidence of a crime on them. It's more like a big stack of papers that contains some person letters, and I've forgotten what is in the letters."<br /><br />For the sake of history, don't trash the drive! <br /><br />It has long struck me how we're really living in a new form of the Dark Ages, which weren't really dark just lacking in written evidence about the goings on. All our correspondence is on email or on computer stored files. Which is great for our convenience but which, sadly, impoverishes future generations. Not just for history making folks, but for families. No more will we have love letters stored and shared. No more documented interactions that seem mundane to us now but utterly fascinating to those who come much later. <br /><br />So much of our present existence is going to be lost, leaving only a very sterile record of our eras. <br /><br />It's sad, and there's really nothing anybody is going to do about it. We might as well be illiterate as far as future history is concerned.Paddy Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10442537362540160512noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-66062455844007085982012-06-16T19:01:53.678-05:002012-06-16T19:01:53.678-05:00Somewhere online there's a tech manual for the...Somewhere online there's a tech manual for the thing that covers replacing the HD. Just don't put a new HD in.<br /><br />Use high quality philips screwdrivers (not old ones!) that fit any screws exactly (start big and work down in size until it fits), press enough so that the screwdriver won't auger out of the screw head.<br /><br />Some makers put glue on the threads that you have to overcome without damaging the tiny screw head in doing so.<br /><br />A screw extractor in the end can recover from screwups, probably a philips #0 one. You just want to avoid that additional hassle.<br /><br />Did you know that philips screws were designed to auger out? It was so that Chevrolet windshield mouldings could be automatically screwed in and the machine would auger out at the right torque. That was in the WSJ somewhere long ago, explaining why the damn things are so hard to avoid damaging. It didn't explain why the heads weren't damaged.rhhardinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06901742898653890646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-23967756163669915822012-06-16T18:05:01.885-05:002012-06-16T18:05:01.885-05:00"I don't wipe old drives, when they'r..."I don't wipe old drives, when they're failing or old and too small; just take them out and put them in a drawer. Put a label on them. You might want to try to copy something someday. If it's not your machine and you want to return it, tag it "missing the HD." The bare HD isn't worth enough to worry about."<br /><br />I've never opened up the computer. But that would be the easiest approach, especially if the computer is broken and I can't get it to erase.<br /><br />There really is no need to sledgehammer them, is there? It's not like there's evidence of a crime on them. It's more like a big stack of papers that contains some person letters, and I've forgotten what is in the letters.Ann Althousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01630636239933008807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-16243320038947081892012-06-16T17:31:04.634-05:002012-06-16T17:31:04.634-05:00How is it you speak of my little old "lamp ar...How is it you speak of my little old "lamp arm" iMac like it's ancient history? I just took it off my desk this week! Of course, I've never done a command line anything, so y'all may be a bit more uptown than me. This new 27" iMac rocks, tho, all purty like.<br /><br />Anne, watch your undertones on the greys. As someone mentioned, one of them looks green or teal. Paint a whole wall with it and it will be teal, no matter the grey nomenclature. Also, the paint a board sampling method will let you take it on every side of the house to see how it holds up in the lights of day. Poster board works fine for that, do two coats so you don't have any white contaminating the sample.Sweetbriarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08491250958082358988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1582942085085508182012-06-16T17:26:43.362-05:002012-06-16T17:26:43.362-05:00I don't wipe old drives, when they're fail...I don't wipe old drives, when they're failing or old and too small; just take them out and put them in a drawer.<br /><br />Put a label on them. You might want to try to copy something someday.<br /><br />If it's not your machine and you want to return it, tag it "missing the HD." The bare HD isn't worth enough to worry about.rhhardinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06901742898653890646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-5114101229830339252012-06-16T16:41:59.774-05:002012-06-16T16:41:59.774-05:00Nobody talked about the exterior paint job test!
...<i><br />Nobody talked about the exterior paint job test!</i><br /><br />OK I think it is too stark and cold. The black may work but the white seems to be too icy. You may not like it in a large piece. Perhaps just a bit warmer tone to the white. <br /><br />Paint several tones of white and black (if that is what you are going to do)on a board and put it up against the house in several locations to see what it looks like in different lighting situations and different times of the day. We did this when deciding what colors to paint our house, trim and doors. It was surprising how different the colors looked in those situations and the color we thought would work for the doors looked really bad. <br /><br />You should have a third color as well to relieve the monochromatic selection.Dust Bunny Queenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15115422951538885247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-87364248074366716072012-06-16T16:34:25.486-05:002012-06-16T16:34:25.486-05:00Glad to help! Be sure to do a full wipe when delet...Glad to help! Be sure to do a full wipe when deleting the files. I don't recall the easiest way to do this with whatever version of Mac OS X on the PowerBook, but you may be able to to use the "Secure Empty Trash" option in the Finder menu once you've deleted the contents on the iMacs drive. This will overwrite your data rather than simply "forgetting" where it is, which is what happens when you use the standard empty trash feature. This will will take a while though.Kyloshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04209978297037782885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-47684215234815901762012-06-16T16:20:40.910-05:002012-06-16T16:20:40.910-05:00Now, I've progressed to the point where I'...Now, I've progressed to the point where I've got all the old documents visible on the old powerbook I'm using to see into the broken "desk lamp" computer, and I've added a big external drive to the laptop and am copying all my old files onto that. <br /><br />This is great!Ann Althousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01630636239933008807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-70378302432883150092012-06-16T16:19:10.051-05:002012-06-16T16:19:10.051-05:00"And that's a very nice photo of you in t..."And that's a very nice photo of you in the yellow scarf on flickr."<br /><br />Thanks.<br /><br />That was way back in January, down in Austin.<br /><br />Something I dug out of my laptop over the weekend when I was traveling (and therefore back on the laptop).Ann Althousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01630636239933008807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-15782474503357977872012-06-16T16:12:19.385-05:002012-06-16T16:12:19.385-05:00"Okay, I found a fire wire cord in the house,..."Okay, I found a fire wire cord in the house, and I have connected it to an old power book, so I can see all my files."<br /><br />Althouse, you do OK for a girl.<br /><br />And that's a very nice photo of you in the yellow scarf on flickr.Rabelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02612585516401001803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-6289060967111186082012-06-16T15:47:06.002-05:002012-06-16T15:47:06.002-05:00Okay, I found a fire wire cord in the house, and I...Okay, I found a fire wire cord in the house, and I have connected it to an old power book, so I can see all my files.<br /><br />Thanks!<br /><br />Nobody talked about the exterior paint job test!Ann Althousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01630636239933008807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-75568375214101635532012-06-16T15:07:58.694-05:002012-06-16T15:07:58.694-05:00Call Chris at Geek World here in Madison. He'...Call Chris at Geek World here in Madison. He's a whiz at this sort of thing and he comes to you rather than you taking stuff to him. Just a thought if you don't get if figured out by the end of the weekend.paminwihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16543461236826470522noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-35941874834513873112012-06-16T15:00:48.426-05:002012-06-16T15:00:48.426-05:00Ann as long as the machine is not physically damag...Ann as long as the machine is not physically damaged it is possible to fix it so you can delete the files or copy them. There is an application called Disk Warrior that you load into the CD drive it has Mac OS on it. Once it runs, and it can take a very long time to run, sometimes over 24 hours, it will bring the Mac back to life. <br /><br />The lampshade Mac is probably an original OS X machine built using the Power PC chipset. You will need a version of Disk Warrior that is compatible with a Power PC chip Mac and OSX. Maybe some local Apple Fix it shop has a copy or perhaps you can buy the application online.<br />I have clustered a few macs in my time and Disk Warrior brought them back to life. <br /><br />You can always contact their support to see if by chance the current version is sufficiently backwards compatible to revive that machine in which case you will have the tool for you current machines and be able to solve the issue with the old Mac.cubanbobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03746305669005611456noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-14648073468912417512012-06-16T14:41:44.422-05:002012-06-16T14:41:44.422-05:00@Kylos,
The file systems might be still uncorrupt...@Kylos,<br /><br />The file systems might be still uncorrupted, but simply just not yet mounted.<br /><br />It doesn't look good, though, does it?YoungHegelianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02723316130501823658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-81227725006725170922012-06-16T14:39:32.988-05:002012-06-16T14:39:32.988-05:00With /etc missing, Paco may be right that there is...With /etc missing, Paco may be right that there is something significantly wrong with the file system, but it did get as far as the prompt so that gives some hope that the data is recoverable. <br /><br />Successful data recovery is most likely if the support doc does fix your computer.Kyloshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04209978297037782885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-41355880953303128242012-06-16T14:24:00.958-05:002012-06-16T14:24:00.958-05:00"it looks like a script used in the boot proc...<i>"it looks like a script used in the boot process is corrupted, but the rest of the data may be fine."</i><br /><br />Given that /etc does not appear to exist, I would suspect the integrity of the disk and/or filesystem rather than specific boot scripts. Just the fact that the machine looks like it booted into single-user mode makes me think there's a big filesystem problem.<br /><br />That link that Kylos posted (and the links contained therein) are probably your best bet.Paco Wovéhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00053886112561036768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-47881250925430827732012-06-16T14:01:08.528-05:002012-06-16T14:01:08.528-05:00This reminds me of the old Perry Mason objection. ...This reminds me of the old Perry Mason objection. "Incopetent, irrelevant and immaterial."wyo sishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00985513448269574373noreply@blogger.com