TITLE
    System 7.5: Improper Shutdown Notification
Article ID:
Created:
Modified: 		18011
6/22/95
11/6/00
TOPIC

    Can you explain the operation of the shutdown check warning in System 7.5 and in pre-System 7.5 Performa system software?

DISCUSSION

    System 7.5.x

    In System 7.5.x, the General Controls control panel uses the Notification Manager to issue the message about improper shutdown. The file called General Controls Prefs in the Preferences folder is where the current checkbox setting of whether to issue the notification is kept.

    During a normal shutdown or restart the Shutdown Check file is deleted by the Finder. When the General Controls control panel initializes, it looks for the presence of the Shutdown Check file. If it is found, then a crash situation is assumed. The found Shutdown Check file is kept and made invisible, if it is not already. If the Shutdown Check file is not found during startup, a new one is created. The creation time and date of the Shutdown Check file is the approximate startup time of the last successful startup for the System Folder of the startup volume.

    Developer guidelines evangelize that dialogs not be issued during an extension loading time. This is why you do not see the notification as the General Controls control panel loads. The approved method for issuing messages from extensions is the Notification Manager. General Controls posts the improper shutdown warning notification to be displayed as the Finder comes up.

    The notification message could be misleading if you switch between multiple startup volumes. For example, you set the startup volume to be another volume other than the current volume. Before restarting normally you crash, and the computer starts up from the newly selected startup volume. You then operate from this new startup volume for a number of days. Finally you choose the original volume to startup from in the Startup Disk control panel and restart. The old Shutdown Check file is now found by the General Controls control panel and the system realizes that it was not shut down properly the last time.

    Another similar example might be after a crash, if you start up from a floppy disk. Restarting from the floppy-based System Folder does not generate an improper shutdown notification, but when you return to starting from the hard drive the warning notification is issued.

    You should interpret the warning notification based on whether the current volume being booted from had shut down normally the last time it was active.

    Pre-System 7.5

    Prior to System 7.5, the Performa control panel was used on Macintosh Performa computers to determine if the computer had been shut down correctly or not. The Performa control panel also created an invisible file to monitor the proper shutdown process, but this file was called the Performa Shutdown Check and was located in the Preferences folder within the System Folder.

    Sometimes this preference file would become corrupted creating bogus improper shutdown messages. In other words, even if you had shut down properly the computer would report that you had not. In these cases, deleting the Performa Shutdown Check and Performa Preferences files will resolve this issue. Both files are located in the Preferences folder.

    You need to trash the Performa Shutdown Check file and the Performa Preferences file. These files are located within your Preferences folder within your System Folder on your hard disk. Once you have trashed these items, restart the computer.

Document Information
Product Area: Mac OS System Software
Category: System 7.5.x
Sub Category: Troubleshooting
Keywords: sys75, kalley

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