Can't open most files.

[Wyvers]

Hi, I'm on OS X 10.2

When i launch AOL i get an error message saying "AOL cannot run".

When I try to open a word document, I get this error "HD:Users:nameesktop:Gov/Econ:Abotion_Bibliography.doc Is being used by another user. Do you want to make a copy?" When i click ok for this error message it gives me "word cannot open existing"(Normal). I'm using the newest version. Office:Mac

In iMovie, i get an error for all files and projects i try to open. "could not open project you chose"

Any other program will open. However, when it comes to opening individual files I receive error messages like in QuickTime.

Could someone point me in the right direction with this problem? It's really frustrating because I cannot do anything. Thanks in advanced.

 

[Zammy-Sam]

Welcome to the forum

Hopefully everything will be solved after you repair permissions. Boot into your 10.2 DVD/CD holding the "c" key while booting and enter the Disk Utility part from the Finder of the installation disc. Chose the disc and repair the permissions. You should repeat this step as long until no error is reported anymore.
Good luck!

 

[ElDiabloConCaca]

Zammy-Sam, I think you mean boot from the CD and run a "Repair Disk" (not "Repair Permissions") until the problem is gone. "Repair Permissions", on the other hand, will catch all the permissions errors on the first sweep, eliminating the need to re-run it again immediately.

I would boot from the CD and run a "Repair Disk" over and over until no problems were reported. Then, I would boot from the OS X hard drive and run a "Repair Permissions." That usually takes care of annoying problems like that. "Repair Permissions" should be run from the hard drive, anyway, not the CD.

 

[Wyvers]

Hey thanks for the suggestions! Anyway, I just came home from visiting my friend to help out. Apparently she doesn't have the OSX cd. So I went ahead and tried to repair permissions. After the first sweep it found a lot of errors and I guess they were repaired. I ran it again to make sure and it found one more error. I then ran it a thrid time and nothing else was found. Unfortunately, this didn't fix most of the problems she was having.

iMovie still refuses to open anything and the same goes with Word. However, the only thing it did fix was that it reverted back to the previous setting in which she had no login screen and it booted straight to the desktop. ( It kept giving her a login screen before the permissions fix ). Looking at her computer, most of her personal settings are still not in place. It won't let you change the background at all, and the iTunes icon has changed into a piece of paper and pencil.

My question is, How can I go about resolving the problem now? She bought the G4 laptop from CompUSA and she didn't get a OSX cd or anything else. Not even a factory settings disc. Thanks in advanced.

 

[Wyvers]

Hi, today my friend got a copy of the 2 OSX cd's and 2 software restores for the g4 and it all looked correct. However, when I restarted with the mac osx cd1 in the drive and held the "C" key down nothing happened. I then tried to install OSX but it wouldn't continue because it said the cd can't boot? Could anyone help me with this? I then tried to set the startup disk to the cd which it let me but nothing new happened. I tried to open the disk utility from the cd but it wouldn't let me repair and the first aid app wouldn't run because the os9 enviroment kept stalling.

Are there boot discs out there where I can download and burn with the disk utility and first aid? And as a secdonary thing how would I go about doing a clean install of OSX? None of our mac machines have burners. But we do have windows machines that do.

I don't own a mac OSX system myself but I'm pretty familiar with any of the earlier versions. My friend really needs her laptop working soon. Thanks in advanced.

 

[bobw]

If she bought the machine new at CompUSA, tell her to go back and get the System Disks. They are part of the package she should have received.

The G4 CD's won't work.