Can I use 16x DVD-R -on OSX 10.2.8

longwaytogo

longwaytogo

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After a power outage, my desktop won't load. Preferences crashes if I click the desktop folder. I have a band of blue down the left side of the screen and the rest is black - still have the desktop items on the screen - but no Icons to click. I've gone to system preferences and clicked the Classic Icon and the advanced tab and clicked "Rebuild Desktop"- doesn't work.
I looked in the log and it said the problem should be corrected in the plist (have no idea what that means) - I gather that the problem is in - com.apple.desktop.plist - don't have the foggiest idea ? I have absolutely no computer savvy whatsoever-I got this computer years ago for my business (clothing) to order items to sell and to check emails- the comcast person showed me how to turn it on- so low/no tech , would be putting it mildly. I don't know anyone who has a mac to ask any questions. My son in Seattle said to put as much of the info in the computer onto DVD-R discs and then put in the restore disc. I have a website now and use Photoshop all the time- I don't have the disc for that anymore and will lose it, he thinks when I restore. Do you know if I can use the Apple/mac restore disc and ONLY restore the desktop? And , in reading the package of the new discs it said that "The new 16x DVD-R disks may not be operational in your drive/recorder unless the drive/recorder firmware is up to date." I have never even used the little DVD drawer , I think I used it once, when I first purchased the computer- I don't know how to put the files on the thing, but if you think they'll work, I'll give it a shot ! I'm willing to try. My son said it's not a good idea to keep using the computer with part of it mal-functioning. When answering this question ( I know you will hesitate) please explain in the simplest of terms. Don't give up on me even though you may think I'm a lost cause. I want to try and fix this. I have a iMac OS X 10.2.8
Thanks in advance for being patient with me ! Warmest regards!
 
Hi. Welcome to macosx.com.

I think the first thing you should do is run Disk Utility to verify your disk and repair it if anything is wrong. That might fix it completely. Start up from your installation CD by inserting the CD and holding down the "C" key while you turn on the computer. There should be a menu at the top where you can select "Disk Utility". (I don't remember exactly where everything is in OS 10.2, but I think that's where it is.) From there, select your disk from the list and click the Repair button. When that finishes, you should also click "Repair Permissions".

As for the DVD question, I can't tell from your description exactly which model iMac you have. I'm guessing you have one that looks like a white desk lamp, right? The thing is, some of those can write DVDs and some of them can only write CDs. If you can manage to open System Profiler (which is in the "Utilities" folder in your Applications folder), that will give you more information on your specific model.

If you do have a model that can write DVDs, it will only be able to write them at 4x. 16x discs should work in it anyway, though, just not at top speed. Check the discs' label to see what speeds they support. If it says something like "4x-16x" or "up to 16x" then that's good.

If you DON'T have a model that can write DVDs, then you'll need to get CD-Rs instead.

Right now I'm not sure your system is in a state where you could write DVDs or CDs, though. Can you actually see your files?

Hopefully Disk Utility will fix things up.
 
Mikuro said:
Hi. Welcome to macosx.com.

I think the first thing you should do is run Disk Utility to verify your disk and repair it if anything is wrong. That might fix it completely. Start up from your installation CD by inserting the CD and holding down the "C" key while you turn on the computer. There should be a menu at the top where you can select "Disk Utility". (I don't remember exactly where everything is in OS 10.2, but I think that's where it is.) From there, select your disk from the list and click the Repair button. When that finishes, you should also click "Repair Permissions".

As for the DVD question, I can't tell from your description exactly which model iMac you have. I'm guessing you have one that looks like a white desk lamp, right? The thing is, some of those can write DVDs and some of them can only write CDs. If you can manage to open System Profiler (which is in the "Utilities" folder in your Applications folder), that will give you more information on your specific model.

If you do have a model that can write DVDs, it will only be able to write them at 4x. 16x discs should work in it anyway, though, just not at top speed. Check the discs' label to see what speeds they support. If it says something like "4x-16x" or "up to 16x" then that's good.

If you DON'T have a model that can write DVDs, then you'll need to get CD-Rs instead.

Right now I'm not sure your system is in a state where you could write DVDs or CDs, though. Can you actually see your files?

Hopefully Disk Utility will fix things up.
Click to expand...
Hi , I have an old iMac 10.2.8 (the one that looks like a white ball cut in half)- Referring to my previous questions/problem - desktop is worrying me - after experiencing a power failure I have a band of blue down one side of my screen to the left and the rest of the screen is black - I still have desktop items showing up on the screen - but the background pictures are gone - The icons at the bottom of the screen were gone too -
But for now, they have come back. I went to the site PBear recommended for questions concerning Jaguar and tried holding down the shift key during restarting-as the person suggested.

This seems to have brought back the icons but I don't know if this is temporary or not.

I did also go to the Disk Utility and Repair permissions - it repaired a few things, but made no difference in the screen.

The other applications do not seem to be affected. My question.. can I go on like this , assuming the icons Stay. Or do I need to fix this desktop problem completely ? My son told me that it's not a good idea to use the computer daily , if there is some sort of problem. I don't want to lose all my stuff (like Photoshop) , etc. Which I am afraid of , if I put in the restore disc !

Thanks for helping me ! I'm thrilled to have the icons back up - I'll keep my fingers crossed that they stay ! Thanks again and Warmest Regards ! Ree (p.s. My computer can run DVD's)
 
Sounds like you need and UPS system and a good external disk for backups. Backing up is VERY important! I think you just learned that lesson.
 
It sounds like things have been fixed. I don't think you need to worry too much. Regardless, the thing to do now is to back up your data. Once that's done I wouldn't bother doing anything else unless you have more problems. Backing up your data is always a good idea.

As for your computer model, "10.2.8" is the version of the software, not the hardware. There are several different models of iMac that fit your description. They can all read/play DVDs, but they can't all write DVDs. So to verify what your computer can write, open System Profiler like I said before, and look under "Disc Burning" (or something like that; again, I haven't used 10.2.8 in a while, so things might be a little different than what I describe). It should say something like "CD-Write: -R, -RW" and if it can write DVDs, it will also say "DVD-Write: -R, -RW".

Your son's advice is right if you've lost data and are trying to recover it. In that case continued use might make it harder (or even impossible) to recover. But if all your data is accessible, using the machine shouldn't be a problem.

But again, backing up your data is always a good idea, so I recommend doing that ASAP.

Buying an external hard drive would be the easiest way to back up, but also more expensive and less safe than using DVDs. (I'm sure some people would argue with me on the safety of DVDs, but I will always advocate DVDs because they eliminate the possibility of losing your data due to a software error.)
 
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