>Yes, starting with or without extensions both works fine, I can use various
>internet applications without any problems either way,
Sounds like your disk drive is okay then.

> I've zapped PRAM and
>rebuilt desktop to no avail, I just can't use a large portion of the control
>panels.
One other trick to try is removing the Finder Prefs from the Preferences
folder, throw this in the trash and restart. Sometimes this cures
a glitch. If that doesn't work, re-installing the system is your best bet.

> I haven't tried re-installing the system, I don't want to lose my
>applications and preferences, so I suppose I have to transfer those onto
>another disk I can later recover them from before I reinstall the system, is
>that right?

Well, yes, it is wise to make a backup copy of whatever you
might need later in case something goes wrong with an install. 

However, if you do something called a CLEAN INSTALL (sorry I don't
know what this would be in French!), the installer will make
a fresh, clean System Folder for you, but leave the old one there,
usually with a different name such as "Old system". And none
of your applications would be affected anyway.

Once the install is finished, you can select whatever preferences
you had in the old system and drag them over to the new one to
add them in. This is a handy way to keep your internet settings,
for example. If you had any extensions in the old folder that
didn't come with the original system (such as a printer driver,
for example, or some third party software extension) you'll have
to drag these over too.

My advice in this case is to be very cautious about what you
drag over from the old system folder, because we don't know
exactly what was corrupted. You might be adding a corrupted extension
into the new folder! If possible, use the original disks to install
extensions like printer drivers so you get an uncorrupted one.
If you can't do this, then just go very slowly, add in one
extension at a time, and restart each time to make sure it's okay.
Then if the problem re-occurs, you at least know which extension
is at fault.

Same with preferences and control panels--if you can write down
your preferred settings first, and then enter them manually into clean
copies of the control panels, you are more likely to get rid
of the problem. 

This job is kind of a pain, but it does fix a lot of problems.
Good luck!
--Anna

-- 
Quadlist is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and...

 Small Dog Electronics    http://www.smalldog.com   | Enter To Win A |
 -- Canon PowerShot Digital Cameras start at $299   |  Free iBook!   |

      Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html>

Quadlist info:          <http://lowendmac.com/lists/quadlist.shtml>
The FAQ:                <http://macfaq.org/>
Send list messages to:  <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To unsubscribe, email:  <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/quadlist%40mail.maclaunch.com/>

Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com

Reply via email to