Description: Macintosh PC Exchange: Troubleshooting Overview (7/96)
Header: Macintosh PC Exchange: Troubleshooting Overview (7/96)

 Article Created: 17 November 1993
 Article Reviewed/Updated: 01 July 1996

 TOPIC -----------------------------------------------------------

 Macintosh PC Exchange is a control panel that lets you format, read, or write
 DOS-format floppy disks in a Macintosh computer.

 Formatting a disk prepares the disk to receive data. PC and Macintosh
 computers format disks differently. The term "DOS" describes disks formatted
 using DOS, Windows, or OS/2. Macintosh PC Exchange doesn't provide data
 translation.

 DISCUSSION ------------------------------------------------------

 REQUIREMENTS
 ============

 Be sure you have the proper software and hardware to use Macintosh PC
 Exchange:

 * System software version 7.0 or later

 * An Apple SuperDrive (formerly called FDHD), or equivalent third-party
  drive that reads DOS high-density disks

 * At least 3 MB of random access memory (RAM)

 WORKING WITH DOS DISKS
 ======================

 After you install Macintosh PC Exchange in your Control Panels folder and
 restart your computer, DOS-format disks appear directly on your Macintosh
 desktop when you insert them into the floppy disk drive.

 Formatting Disks
 ----------------
 Formatting erases all data on a disk. Be sure the disk you want to format
 doesn t contain information you need. Click on the disk icon once to select
 it, and then choose Erase Disk from the Special menu. A format pop-up menu
 includes these options:

 * Standard Macintosh format

  Formats high-density disks at 1440K, and low-density disks at 800K.

 * PC-DOS format

  Formats high-density disks at 1440K, and low-density disks at 720K.

 * Apple II ProDOS disks

  Formats 400K, 800K, or 1.4MB 3.5 inch Apple II ProDOS disks.

 Unreadable Disks
 ----------------
 When you insert a floppy disk into a Macintosh, you may see a message saying
 the disk isn t readable, and asking whether to initialize it. This might
 happen for the following reasons:

 * In the past, many DOS users formatted low-density disks for use as
  high-density disks. On a DOS computer, always format standard
  double-sided disks in the 720K capacity, and high-density disks in
  the 1440K capacity. The Macintosh doesn t recognize an improperly
  formatted disk.

 * An unreadable disk might be damaged. Don t try to repair a DOS-format
  disk with a Macintosh repair utility program. This may destroy
  information on the disk. If the disk requires repair, use a disk
  repair utility on a DOS computer.

 * If a disk has never been used, you just need to initialize it.

 * If you don t see more than one disk format choice, your computer
  needs an Apple SuperDrive. You can t use Macintosh PC Exchange in a
  Macintosh SE or a Macintosh II computer without a SuperDrive upgrade.
  You can t use Macintosh PC Exchange on a Macintosh Plus computer.

 * Macintosh PC Exchange might not be properly installed. The PC Exchange
  icon must be in the Control Panels folder, and you must restart the
  computer after installation. Read the installation instructions in
  the Macintosh PC Exchange User s Guide.

 Extension (INIT) Conflicts
 --------------------------
 The Macintosh loads system extensions, often called INITs, into system memory
 when the computer starts up. When they aren t compatible with other software
 on your computer, you have an INIT conflict. Here are some typical symptoms
 of INIT conflicts:

 * System won t accept a correctly formatted DOS disk.

 * System freezes when you insert a correctly formatted DOS disk.

 * You can t open the Macintosh PC Exchange control panel to make changes.

 If you suspect an INIT conflict, call the Apple Fax Info System at 1-800-505-
 0171 and order fax document number 20242 for instructions.

 WORKING WITH DOS DOCUMENTS
 ==========================

 DOS Documents Won't Open
 ------------------------
 Sometimes you might double-click a document s icon, and see a message saying
 that the application program couldn t be found. An MS-DOS or Windows document
 may not open when you double-click the icon for the following reasons:

 * The Macintosh doesn't know which application program to launch. You
  can follow the steps in the "Opening a Document from within a
  Program" section. You can also follow the instructions under
  "Assigning Document Type."

 * You may be trying to access the document over a network. PC Exchange
  assignments don t work for documents over a network. Assignments work
  only for documents on DOS-format floppy disks and documents copied from
  DOS-format floppy disks.

 * The disks currently available on your computer don't have the
  application. Find the disk that contains the application, and copy
  the application to your hard disk.

 Sometimes the application program launches, but the document doesn't open.
 Here are some reasons this may happen:

 * The application program may not be able to open DOS documents when
  you double-click the icon. Follow the instructions in the "Opening a
  Document from within a Program" section.

 * The document may have been assigned a document type that the program
  can't open. Follow the instructions in the "Assigning Document Type"
  section to change the document type. Refer to the table in the
  "Assigning Macintosh Programs to DOS Documents" section of the
  "Macintosh PC Exchange User's Guide" to find types that a program can
  open.

 Incorrect Document Format
 -------------------------
 Sometimes you can open a document, but find the format is wrong. It may
 contain incorrect characters and strange codes. This can happen when an
 application program recognizes the document s type, but doesn t interpret the
 document s file format (the way the information in the document is encoded).

 Check the application s documentation for document opening and saving
 procedures with different file formats, or open the document with another
 program.

 You can also try assigning a different document type. Follow the instructions
       "Assigning Document Type" section of this article. Refer to "the table
 in the "Assigning Macintosh Programs to DOS Documents" section of the
 Macintosh PC Exchange User s Guide" to find types that a program can open.

 Opening a Document from within a Program
 ----------------------------------------
 To open a document using an application program, follow these steps:

 1) Launch a Macintosh application.

 2) Choose the Open command from the File menu.

 3) In the dialog scroll box, select the DOS document and click Open.

 Here's why the document you want may not be listed in the directory dialog
 box when you choose Open in an application program:

 * The program can't recognize the document type assigned to the
  document. Try to open the document with another application program.
  Or reassign a document type following the instructions in the
  "Assigning Document Type" section to change the document type. Refer
  to the table in the "Assigning Macintosh Programs to DOS Documents"
  section of the "Macintosh PC Exchange User's Guide" to find types
  that a program can open.

 * You may be trying to access the document over a network. PC Exchange
  assignments don't work for documents over a network. Assignments
  work only for documents on DOS-format floppy disks and documents
  copied from DOS-format floppy disks.

 Assigning Document Type
 -----------------------
 The Macintosh PC Exchange control panel lets you map file types. A three-
 letter DOS suffix maps to a corresponding document type on the Macintosh.
 Here's how to designate a specific Macintosh application for opening MS-DOS
 documents:

 1) Choose Control Panels from the Apple menu.

 2) Double-click the PC Exchange control panel to open it.

 3) Click on Add.

 4) In the DOS Suffix box, type a period and the three-letter DOS suffix
   (for example, .TXT). The suffix is required. There is an error in the
   manual which states that a suffix is NOT required. This is incorrect.

 5) In the lower part of the dialog box, select the Macintosh
   application.

 6) Choose a document type from the Document Type pop-up menu (for
   example, TEXT).

 7) Click OK.

 Once you make this assignment, you can double-click the icon of the DOS
 document to open it.

 When assigning document types, you must specify the type of document the
 application supports. If you re unsure of which document type to use, TEXT is
 the safest.

 Once you ve made assignments, documents appear on the disk with the icon
 representing application and document type. Documents with an unassigned DOS
 suffix appear as generic DOS documents.

 So that all network users are consistent, make a master list of assignments
 on one Macintosh. Also, place a copy of the PC Exchange Preferences file in
 the Preferences folder, within the System Folder, of each licensed user s
 Macintosh.

 WORKING WITH MACINTOSH DOCUMENTS
 ================================

 Document Types
 --------------
 Choose Save from the File menu to save documents onto a DOS-format disk. When
 saving documents created or modified on the Macintosh, be sure to save the
 document in a file format that the DOS application can read. Refer to the
 application s documentation to find out what file formats the program can
 open, import, and save.

 The Macintosh also creates two new files for each document, to keep track of
 such things as the location of icons and windows. You ll need to leave about
 5K of extra disk space for each document to accommodate these files.

 Document Name Length
 --------------------
 While the Macintosh supports document names up to 31 characters long, DOS
 supports up to eight characters plus a three-character suffix. Macintosh PC
 Exchange truncates a longer name used on the Macintosh when saved to a DOS
 disk. To preview what the shorter name looks like:

 1) Click on the file to highlight it.

 2) Choose Get Info from the File menu.

 3) Click on the document name in the Info dialog box. This switches
   between the Macintosh and DOS (truncated) version of the name.

 If this procedure doesn't work, make sure the File Sharing Extension is in
 the Extensions folder.

 Non-English Word Processors
 ---------------------------
 When you create a document with a non-English word processor on the
 Macintosh, the special accent characters (diacritical marks) may change when
 you open the document on a DOS computer. DOS computers may not support all
 characters displayed on a Macintosh.

 This article is one of many available through the Apple Fax center. For a
 complete list of available fax documents, search the Tech Info Library for
 Apple Fax Document Index or call the Apple Fax line at 1-800-505-0171 and
 select document number 20000 (Apple Fax - Document Index - Product Support
 Literature). The Apple Fax center is available free of charge 24 hours a day,
 7 days a week.


 Article Change History:
 01 Jul 1996 - Added Fax Doc Word
 13 Oct 1994 - Added keyword; made several technical corrections.
 28 Sep 1994 - Reviewed for technical accuracy.
 29 Apr 1994 - Indicated that a suffix is required for DOS files.
 09 Feb 1994 - Added more troubleshooting information and retitled.

 Support Information Services
 Copyright 1993-96, Apple Computer, Inc.
 Keywords:  supt,kfax, kalley