Aaron Willems <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Be sure to boot off your Panther CD first, and repair the Boot Disk, followed by repairing disk permissions. DO THIS BEFORE YOU INSTALL THE UPDATE! After you install the update, be sure to boot off the CD one more time, and run disk permissions once again.
Sorry, I disagree. Yes, both these repair routines should be done both before and after installing any major update (and regularly anyway), but not as you prescribe. There are two kinds of disk repair available in Disk Utility: Repair Disk Permissions (the buttons on the left) and Repair Disk (buttons on the right).
Repair Disk is the same job that was done in the classic Mac OS by Disk First Aid (repairing the HFS file system); although it can be done in OS 9 by running Disk First Aid from the boot disk (i.e. it can work on its own active disk, which most repair utilities cannot), in OS X (like in pre-8.5 versions of the classic Mac OS) it must be done from another boot disk, e.g. the Panther CD. So yes, to Repair Disk, start from the Panther CD. (This job can also be done in OS X via the command line by starting in Single User Mode, or automatically by starting in Safe Boot Mode; but that's another, longer discussion.)
However, Repair Permissions should always be done on the boot disk FROM the boot disk. Why? Because Repair Permissions consults /Library/Receipts to determine what the correct permissions are, and the Panther CD only has receipts for the software versions it contains (e.g. 10.3.0 and the apps that came with it), while the receipts on your HD have been updated with everything you've installed since then. Repair Permissions should be done from the CD only in extremity, when the computer won't startup properly; and then once the computer is running right, it should be redone from the boot disk to bring the permissions up to date.
I do maintenance usually in the following order: DiskWarrior (starting from the DW 3.x CD), then Repair Disk (starting from the Panther CD, or via Single User Mode), then Repair Permissions (starting from my normal boot volume). I also have the Macaroni utility installed, which automatically repairs permissions once a week (or however I have it programmed) as well as covering other maintenance tasks; this automation should be built into OS X, but until Apple gets around to admitting that OS X does require regular maintenance, I buy licenses for Macaroni by the dozen and install it in every OS X Mac I set up.
Repair Permissions is important; do it early and often, but always (if possible) from your boot volume.
Andrew Main
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