[WinMac] Re: aliases to servers point to wrong volumes

Jimmy Jones(jimmy_jones[at]filemaker.com)
Mon, 01 Feb 1999 08:44:14 -0800

Pat Kelly McCarthy had a lot to say about an alias,

You probably did this already but, rebuilding the desktop will often
fix/break a bad alias. There is also a file called 'AppleShare Prep'
located in the preferences folder in the system folder that I have had get
corrupted and aliases to mounted volumes stop working correctly.

I use the Apple Menu Options control panel on OS 8.5.1 and my aliases work
correctly for LAN drives, Mac or PC.

If you use Mac OS 8.5.1 check out the new 'Network Browser' application in
the Apple Menu. This great little application allows you to browse the LAN
and add volumes to your Favorite Sites folder in the Apple Menu Items folder
while still in the Application. Looks and acts like a normal List view
window with the added ability to ask for a password to log onto network
locations.

--
Regards,
Jimmy Jones


----------
>From: "The Windows-MacOS cooperation list" <winmac@xerxes.frit.utexas.edu>
>To: "The Windows-MacOS cooperation list" <winmac@xerxes.frit.utexas.edu>
>Subject: WinMac Digest #211 - 01/29/99
>Date: Fri, Jan 29, 1999, 11:00 AM
>


> Subject: RE: Subject: aliases to servers point to wrong volumes
> From: "John W. McCarthy" <jwmcmac@flash.net>
> Date: Fri, 29 Jan 1999 13:49:58 -0600
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> I second Noel's comment on aliases (same as Windows "shortcuts", I
> think).  But I am stretching it (my ability to comment) on this . . .
> since I am not really a qualified programmer, tech or service person . .
> . only a long time Mac user.
>
> Never had any problem whatsoever with this till recently.
>
> Running OS 8.1 or 8.5.1 on several non-networked Macs, we have had
> difficulty with aliases losing their true reference from the Apple Menu
> (local items), . . . or . . . from the desktop (aliases to items that do
> not exist physically on the computer's local drives - these being
> non-local items - cause a hang on a non-networked computer (see special
> case for this condition below *).
>
> I turned off Apple menu options (maybe should have just trashed the
> preferences), using "OtherMenu"  instead, and all goes well.
>
> * Actually, only had one Mac 7500/100 that had the desktop aliases hang
> problem and it is a special case where it is running 7.6.1 and using the
> Appearance Manager Control Panel from 8.0 or 8.1 (and one or two other
> init/control-panels from later system -- I don't have permission to
> upgrade fully yet).  I got rid of the desktop aliases that are not
> accessible locally and have no more hangs.  Never did have any hangs
> from the desktop aliases that actually refer to a local item.
>
> My systems usually are not pristine so it is more difficult to determine
> the cause of some problems.  However, it does appear that the Apple Menu
> Options Control Panel has some troubles with aliases that may or may not
> be tied in with the finder's own fragility at resolving aliases -- but
> mainly the problems appear to be with Apple Menu Options.
>
> At this time, I make it a point to not use Apple Menu Options.  There
> are 3rd party shareware programs/inits/control-panels that work better
> (OtherMenu, MenuChoice, etc . . .). . . and never hang anything.
>
> Just a point:  Although many kludge init/control-panel arrangements work
> on an individual Mac (such as grabbing pieces from different systems to
> run together) . . . these may not work on a networked Mac environment.
>
> Also, it is so easy to do things (or attempt things) on the Mac and the
> Mac is often so forgiving that I (and you too perhaps) tend to do things
> that otherwise could not even be attempted on a Wintel machine.
>
> We can add an alias of a hard drive (local or networked) to our Apple
> Menu Items Folder and gain access to the whole thing similar to the way
> the Windows Start Menu works.  We can put folder references (aliases)
> inside of folder references ad infinitum . . . sort of.
>
> Then we can copy this whole system folder over to another drive, having
> our aliases lose some contact with their intended target, but retaining
> a sort of generic reference to (let's say) items in the local System
> Folder, such as: control panels folder, extensions folder, etc. . ..
> (yes, the alias will actually open something it did not initially point
> at, but which is the same thing in the new environment).
>
> In the process of moving things around like this, while trying to hang
> on to as many references as possible without redoing all those aliases,
> the Mac can understandably get confused and probably runs into a
> redundant looped reference situation that may not be obvious to us.  I
> know I probably/possibly have one or more endless loops in my Apple Menu
> somewhere.  I think the only one that the Mac can't deal with is a
> non-local related loop.  Since I reference the same things, and even the
> Apple Menu Items Folder itself, from OtherMenu, but never have a problem
> from Other Menu, I tend to use that more often.
>
> Either Apple needs to pull in the reigns on its' Apple Menu Options or
> ask those 3rd party guys what they are doing to keep their
> inits/cotrol-panels working in spite of all of these potential problems.
>
> Anyway, I feel the alias problem mentioned in the post below may not be
> a problem with NT, but with Apple's own Apple Menu Options control
> panel's difficult with handling some alias situations (which seems to be
> inherent in the the new system 8.x Finder itself to a lesser degree).
>
> Don't get me wrong, I think the MacOS does a great job with aliases, but
> it is not perfect and perhaps needs a little fine tuning.  When they get
> it to where you can do "everything" with an alias that can be done with
> the original file . . . ah . . . nirvana ... never . . . don't need it .
> . .oh well.
>
> Whewwwwww . . .  tooo . . . . looooooonnnnnng.  Sorry.
>
>
> God Bless us all.
>
> Pat Kelly McCarthy


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This archive was generated by hypermail 2.0b2 on Mon Feb 01 1999 - 08:48:37 PST