Important Note: This is a part of the original Emergency Handbook. It has been renamed the Troubleshooting Handbook and substantially revised. Click Here to go to the current Troubleshooting Handbook.

Problems with Applications, Documents and Memory is part of Chapter 2: Problems Using Your Computer, of the Emergency Handbook which shipped with the iMac and other Macintosh computers, pp: 23-28

The following topics are covered in this article:

1) Message appears saying there's not enough memory.
2) Computer freezes.
3) Software Quits Unexpectedly
4) Application won't open.
5) Application won't open because a file couldn't be found.
6) Document won't open, or application program can't be found.
7) Document can't be saved.
8) "QuickDraw 3D could not be found" message appears.
9) DOS or Windows document won't open, or displays incorrectly.
10) Can't throw away a file.
11) Older Macintosh Programs don't work properly.
12) Window Disappears.
13) Can't quit program opened from Launcher.

All the memory in your Macintosh is in use by other application programs, system software, and system resources.

• Quit other open programs to free memory, then open the program you want to use.

To quit an application, open the application menu at the far right of the menu bar and choose the application name to make the application active. Then open the File menu and choose Quit.

• Follow these steps to allocate more memory to the program:

2. Quit the program if it's open, select its icon, and choose Get Info from the File menu.

Take note of the numbers in the Minimum Size and Preferred Size boxes.

3. If the number in the Minimum Size box is larger than the largest unused block, not enough memory is available to use this program. To free memory, quit open programs or restart the computer. You can also type a smaller number in the Minimum Size box if you want to open the program using less memory. But some programs don't work well if you assign them less memory.

4. If the number in the Preferred Size box is smaller than the largest unused block, you may need to assign more memory to the program. (A program may need more memory if you are working with complex documents.) Type a larger number in the Preferred Size box. (Try increasing the number in increments of 200.)

• Use the Memory control panel to reduce the size of the disk cache, remove or reduce the size of your RAM disk, or turn on virtual memory. For more information, use Mac OS Help (choose Help from the Finder's Help menu).

• Turn off system extensions that you don't need using the Extensions Manager control panel. See the information about the Extensions Manager control panel in Mac OS Help (choose Help from the Finder's Help menu).
• If you have installed system software additions from the Apple Extras folder, you may want to remove them if you are not using them. (This software can decrease the amount of memory available for use by application programs.) To remove a system software addition, run the system software Installer. Follow the steps for a custom installation (one of the choices is to Add/Remove software). For more information, see Chapter 5, "Reinstalling Your Computer's Software," on page 53.
• If you frequently want to open more programs than memory allows, you may want to install more random-access memory (RAM). See the online documentation that came with your computer.

2) Computer freezes.

• Your computer may be trying to complete a task, but it's taking so long that it seems that the screen has frozen. If you need to do something else instead, try simultaneously pressing the Command (x) key and the period key (.) to cancel the task the computer is working on.
• There may be a temporary software issue that can be fixed by restarting your computer. See "Restart the computer." on page 12. If the issue recurs, it may involve one or more of your application programs. See the next entry for additional suggestions.

3) Software quits unexpectedly.

The application program needs more memory, or there is a software issue.

• Write down what you were doing when the message appeared, and write down the text of the message. This information may help a technical support representative diagnose your issue if you later need to contact Apple or the manufacturer of the application program.

About the codes in error messages: The number codes in error messages are used in software development. Sometimes they can help a technician narrow down the source of an issue.

• Restart your Macintosh. (See "Restart the computer." on page 12.) Most software issues are temporary, and restarting the computer usually corrects the issue.
• Check for multiple System Folders on your startup disk, using the Find File command. If you have more than one System Folder, throw away the current System Folder. The System Folder that your computer is using has the Mac OS icon on it, which distinguishes it from any other System Folder.

Try re-blessing another System Folder so that your computer uses that one on startup (see "Re-bless the System Folder." on page 16). If that doesn't work, try reinstalling system software (see Chapter 5, "Reinstalling Your Computer's Software," on page 53.)

Check for viruses on all your disks, using a virus-detection program. Eliminate any viruses the program finds.

• Use the program's Get Info window to give it more memory. (Select the program's icon and choose Get Info from the File menu.) See "Message appears saying there's not enough memory." on page 23.
• If the issue occurs when you are trying to print, there may not be enough memory for printing. Quit other open programs to free memory.
• If the issue only occurs in one application program, check for multiple copies of the program on your hard disk. Use the Get Info command to check the programs' version numbers. Keep one copy of the latest version and throw away all other copies.

Also, try reinstalling the program from the original disks. If reinstalling doesn't solve the issue, contact the manufacturer of the program to see if the program contains software errors or "bugs" and if it is compatible with the version of system software you're using.

• Sometimes incompatible system extensions or control panels can cause system software issues. Restart while holding down the Shift key; this temporarily turns off all system extensions.

If your computer works normally after you do this, use the Extensions Manager control panel (in the Control Panels folder in the Apple [K] menu) to turn on extensions and control panels one at a time. Restart after you turn on each extension or control panel. This procedure should identify incompatible extensions and control panels. (If you just added new software to your computer, its system extension is the most probable cause of the issue.) See "Resolve system extension conflicts." on page 17. If your computer performs better when a particular extension or control panel is turned off, contact the software's manufacturer for information or an upgrade.

• Reduce the number of active fonts in your system by moving fonts from the Fonts folder to another folder [such as "Fonts (Disabled)"]. Then restart your computer.
• If the issue recurs, you may need to reinstall system software. See Chapter 5, "Reinstalling Your Computer's Software," on page 53.

4) Application won't open.

• The application program may already be open. Check the Application menu to see which programs are running.
• There may not be enough memory available to open the program. Quit any programs you're not using and try again. If that doesn't work, try restarting the computer. You can also use virtual memory to make more memory available to your programs. You turn on virtual memory in the Memory control panel. See the information about the Memory control panel in Mac OS Help (choose Help from the Finder's Help menu).
• The program isn't requesting as much memory as it needs. Use the program's Get Info window to give it more memory. See "Message appears saying there's not enough memory." on page 23.
• The program may be damaged, or it may not be compatible with Power Macintosh technology. Check to make sure the software is PowerPC-compatible. (See the program's documentation, or contact the manufacturer or vendor.) Make sure you install the software from a known good source (such as the original program disks).
• Check that the program is compatible with the version of system software that you are using. (See the program's documentation, or contact the manufacturer or vendor.)
• You may need an updated version of the software. Contact the software manufacturer for more information.

5) Application won't open because a file can't be found.

Macintosh programs designed specifically for the PowerPC microprocessor (also called "native" applications) use special files called "shared libraries." Any necessary shared libraries should be installed automatically when you install these special Macintosh programs.

Follow the directions that came with your program to reinstall it. If the shared library is still missing, contact the software program's manufacturer for assistance.

6) Document won't open, or application program can't be found.

The document may have been created with a program that is not on your hard disk, or with a different version of the program.

• Try starting a program that you think might be able to open the document. Then choose Open from the program's File menu to open the document. For more information, see the documentation that came with the program.
• Purchase and install the correct software to use the document, or find out if the creator of the document can convert it to a format that one of your programs can use.
• Rebuild your desktop. To rebuild the desktop, hold down the Command and Option keys on the keyboard while you restart the computer. Hold down the keys until a dialog box appears asking if you want to rebuild the desktop. Click OK.
• Don't try to open the files in your System Folder. Most of the files in your System Folder are used by your computer for internal purposes and are not intended to be opened.
• If the document is from a DOS or Windows computer, see "DOS or Windows document won't open, or displays incorrectly." on page 28.

7) Document can't be saved.

• A CD-ROM disc is a read-only medium. This means that information can be read (retrieved) from it, but not written (stored) on it. You can save the changed information on a hard disk.

8) "QuickDraw 3D could not be found" message appears.

• Make sure that the following files are in the Extensions folder, inside the System Folder:
• QuickDraw 3D
• QuickDraw 3D RAVE
• QuickDraw 3D Viewer
• QuickDraw 3D IR

• Quit other open applications.
• Reduce the amount of memory allocated to the application:

  1. Select the application's icon in the Finder.
  2. Choose Get Info from the File menu.
  3. Type a lower number in the box for Preferred Size.

• Install more memory (RAM).

9) DOS or Windows document won't open, or displays incorrectly.

If you can't open a DOS or Windows document by double-clicking its icon, try one of the following:

• Open the document from within the program by choosing Open in the program's File menu.
• Use the PC Exchange control panel (in the Control Panels folder in the Apple [K] menu) to specify which Macintosh program will open the document.

• Your application program may have special procedures for opening and saving documents with different file formats. See the information that came with your program, or call the program's publisher.
• Try opening the document in another program.

Note: Some characters that can be displayed on the Macintosh are not accurately displayed on DOS computers.

See information about working with DOS or Windows documents on your Macintosh in Mac OS Help (choose Help from the Finder's Help menu).

10) Can't throw away a file.

• The file may be locked. From the Finder, select the file's icon, choose Get Info from the File menu, and click the Locked checkbox to remove the X. You can delete locked files that are in the Trash by holding down the Option key while you choose Empty Trash from the Special menu.
• An application program may be using the file. Close the file or quit the program.
• The file may be in a shared folder that can't be changed. You can throw away the file by turning off file sharing temporarily (click Stop in the File Sharing control panel). Or you can select the shared folder, choose Sharing from the File menu, and uncheck the box labeled either "Can't be moved, renamed, or deleted" or "Same as enclosing folder."

11) Older Macintosh programs don't work properly.

• Some older Macintosh programs are not completely compatible with Macintosh computers that have the PowerPC microprocessor or Mac OS 8.1. Contact the program's publisher to see if an upgrade is available.

12) Window disappears.

• Another window may be covering the one you're looking for. Move, resize, close, or hide windows until you see the one you want.
• The program the window is associated with may be hidden. Choose Show All from the Application menu and then click the window you want, or choose the program from the Application menu.

13) Can't quit program opened from Launcher.

Some programs in the Learning section of the Launcher (when you press the Learning category button) are self-running demos. If you can't get out of one of the programs or demos, try the following:

• Look again to see if you can find a Quit button or other quitting option.
• Hold down the Command key on your keyboard and, while holding it down, press the period (.) key.
• While holding down the Command key on your keyboard, press the Q key.
• Press the power button on your Apple USB keyboard or on the front of your computer, then press Return to shut down the computer.
• Restart your computer by holding down the Command and Control keys while you press the power button on your Apple USB keyboard or on the front of the computer.

To view the other sections of Chapter 2: Issues Using Your Computer, click on any of the links below:

• article 43040: Problems with Hard Disks, CDs, and Other Storage Media
• article 43041: Problems with USB Devices
• article 43042: Problems Printing
• article 43043: Performance and Other Problems
• article 43044: Problems with Networks and File Sharing
• article 43045: Problems with Sound and Video