bluesdog
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iMac registry?
I'm new to mac's. Does it have a registry like win 95?
How do I uninstall programs ?
How do I uninstall programs ?
People who write programs for macs generally dont use the windows "shotgun" installation method. That is, they dont scatter bits and pieces of the program all over your directories. In the case of a normal installation youll get a folder at the root level of your HD and MAYBE an extension in your extensions folder. From there its just a matter of removing those two items.
It's always better to let the original installer (from an installation disc) remove the program IF one is available.
One of the reasons is that some programs may install their files of which filenames may not be recognizable to you. This also include invisible files.
Some programs may install file(s) not only in control panel folder, extentions folder and/or preferences folder. ATM, for instance, leaves a font database in the first level in the system folder.
>Does it have a registry like win 95?
No. Yet, Mac maintains some invisible files to keep track of file types, comments, and icons associated with programs, but its nature is totally different from Win95/98's registry.
P.S. forkbeard, my server is finally up and running. I can go home now. :-)
Elpmet
One of the reasons is that some programs may install their files of which filenames may not be recognizable to you. This also include invisible files.
Some programs may install file(s) not only in control panel folder, extentions folder and/or preferences folder. ATM, for instance, leaves a font database in the first level in the system folder.
>Does it have a registry like win 95?
No. Yet, Mac maintains some invisible files to keep track of file types, comments, and icons associated with programs, but its nature is totally different from Win95/98's registry.
P.S. forkbeard, my server is finally up and running. I can go home now. :-)
Elpmet
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To summarize bits and pieces people have dribbled out...
If there is an uninstaller, sure use it.
All application installer place the application itself but some also install a system extension, ussually easily identifiable as such, or a control panel or a font. All applications either on install or run create a preference file either in it's own folder or in the system preference folder.
Manually trashing installations ussually works straight forward enough.
There is no exact thing like a system registry on Win machines. The closest you get is the invisible desktop databases combined with the pref file created by each app.
On win 9x corruption of the registry was inevitable (some done by the OS itself) and dreaded and the object of much work around fixes. On Macs corruption is assumed to happen sooner or later. If it's the desktop database you may rebuild manually ( hold down option-apple on restart and when the disk is mounted it will ask do you want to rebuild it) or deliberately trash the desktop database (lot's of ways to do this) and the system will automatically rebuild the desktop database by itself. Security software ussually needs to be gotten around to allow this and often requires a restart anyway.
If by some chance it is the app pref which has gotten corrupt then trash the pref and relaunch the program. You will need to reset any particular prefs settings you need.
In other words on Macs registry corruption is a matter of modest maintenance while on a Win it is a matter of sophisticated training, expense, heartache, shame and stupidity. YMMV
If there is an uninstaller, sure use it.
All application installer place the application itself but some also install a system extension, ussually easily identifiable as such, or a control panel or a font. All applications either on install or run create a preference file either in it's own folder or in the system preference folder.
Manually trashing installations ussually works straight forward enough.
There is no exact thing like a system registry on Win machines. The closest you get is the invisible desktop databases combined with the pref file created by each app.
On win 9x corruption of the registry was inevitable (some done by the OS itself) and dreaded and the object of much work around fixes. On Macs corruption is assumed to happen sooner or later. If it's the desktop database you may rebuild manually ( hold down option-apple on restart and when the disk is mounted it will ask do you want to rebuild it) or deliberately trash the desktop database (lot's of ways to do this) and the system will automatically rebuild the desktop database by itself. Security software ussually needs to be gotten around to allow this and often requires a restart anyway.
If by some chance it is the app pref which has gotten corrupt then trash the pref and relaunch the program. You will need to reset any particular prefs settings you need.
In other words on Macs registry corruption is a matter of modest maintenance while on a Win it is a matter of sophisticated training, expense, heartache, shame and stupidity. YMMV
If you want to get fancy you can go into the extensions folder in the system folder and remove the extensions that belong w/ the program you are removing.
Other than that it is really simple.
forkbeard