Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Resetting the Parameter RAM
The Parameter RAM (PRAM) holds hardware settings that are set by the user
and that are carried across reboots, such as the speaker volume or the key
repeat rate. If you have problems such as your computer displaying a question
mark each time it boots, external monitors not working as they should, or
the computer seems unable to remember the sound settings across each boot,
then you might like to try resetting the PRAM. To do this, reboot and—before
the Apple logo appears and you hear the boot-time chime—hold down
COMMAND
and
OPTION
, and then hold
P
and
R
. The system will restart. Release all keys,
and let the computer boot as usual.
Tip 185
Force-Open a Document
You can drag and drop files onto any Dock icon to open them, but only if that
application believes it can understand that particular type of file (for example,
.DOC
files are understood by Microsoft Word). Unfortunately, some applications
don't realize they can read certain types of files when they actually can.
Forcing an App to Open a File
To force an application in the Dock to at least attempt to open a file it doesn't
believe it can, hold down
OPTION
+
COMMAND
before clicking and dragging the file
to the Dock. If the application genuinely can't understand the file, either
nothing will happen or you'll see an error message.
Increasing the Chance of Success
For a higher probability of success when dragging to the Dock icon as
described earlier, you might also try removing the file extension from the file
before opening it as described (that is, the part after the dot in a filename,
such as
.JPG
). To do so, select the file and hit
COMMAND
+
I
. In the Name &
Extension field of the dialog box that appears, remove the extension.
Note that removing the extension by simply renaming the file by any other
method probably won't work, depending on your system's settings—the file
will retain the extension but give the appearance of not doing so.
Don't forget to restore the file extension after attempting to open it!
