Perte de l'accès au bureau

Lorsque l'on branche un moniteur externe et qu'on le débranche, on perd l'accès aux fichiers du bureau. Il faut relancer le finder.

Garder les heures d'une trace sur un GPS60 de Garmin

Il faut sauver la trace active. Dès qu'elle est sauvée sur le GPS, elle perd toutes les dates et heures.

Pour le reprendre sur GoogleEarth, il faut cliquer sur le dossier où il y a la trace, Fichier et Exporter. On récupère un .gpx que l'on peut ouvrir dans GoogleEarth. Penser à prendre les points aussi (première box validée lors de l'importatation) pour visualiser facilement les heures des points.

L'heure utilisée par la trace peut-être gérée avec le petit outil à droite du timeshift.

Pour lancer mysql dans le terminal
/usr/local/mysql/bin/mysql --host=127.0.0.1 --user=root --password=

use "Atlant 2007_08_04_2008"

Ubuntu 9.04 sur MacosX

Premier essai avec Parallel Desktop 4. L'installation se passe bien mais les Parallels tools sont incompatibles ce qui est pénible. En plus Parallel ne communique pratiquement pas. Ils sont nuls.

Je veux tenter vmware mais découvre VirtualBox 2.2.2 gratuit. Je tente et ça marche plutôt pas mal !

Voici un résumé:
Chargement de la version 32bits de Ubuntu 9.04
Création d'un disque virtuel dans virtualbox et définir le lecteur optique comme étant sur l'image disque iso précédemment chargée
Lancement de l'installation et redémarrage
Lors de la configuration de la machine virtuelle, le seul point important est de ne pas activer les effets 3D sur les paramètres d'affichage.
Installer les additions via le menu Périphérique -> Installer les additions invités
Voir ici:
http://www.commentcamarche.net/faq/sujet-7576-virtualbox-installer-les-additions-client-dans-ubuntu

Ensuite j'ai voulu mettre à jour Openoffice en 3.1
Désintaller la 3.0:
sudo apt-get remove openoffice*
sudo aptitude purge openoffice.org-core

(Je ne comprends pas ce que je fais mais ça a marché)

Charger la distribution Debian de OpenOffice
La décompacter
ouvrir un terminal et aller dans le dossier de la distribution par cd et faire un glisser-déposé du dossier de la distribution:
Taper:
sudo dpkg -i DEBS/*.deb
sudo dpkg -i DEBS/desktop-integration/*.deb

Il y a un problème car l'environnement java JRE n'est pas présent ce qui empêche d'installer des extensions.
sudo apt-get install sun-java6-jre sun-java6-plugin sun-java6-fonts

Pour que le sudo ne demande plus de mot de passe:
sudo visudo
Mettre sans commentaire
%sudo ALL=NOPASSWD: ALL

ctrl X pour sauver

sudo adduser toto sudo

avec toto l'utilisateur

après je fais sudo -u toto

(ca ne marche pas toujours, je ne comprends pas pourquoi)

Pour monter un dossier partagé mgi dans le dossier '/home/mgi/Bureau/Mount'
Il faut d'abord le déclarer dans la configuration de VirtualBox
puis :
sudo mount -t vboxsf mgi '/home/mgi/Bureau/Mount'

C'est là où c'est intéressant que le sudo ne demande pas le mot de passe car je mets cette commande dans /etc/rc.local et au démarrage, le dossier est directement accessible.

Deep sleep

Activate: sudo pmset -a hibernatemode 1
Desactivate: sudo pmset -a hibernatemode 0

The content of RAM is here:/var/vm/sleepimage
To erase it:
sudo rm /var/vm/sleepimage

Nombre aléatoire normal sur Excel

How to Calculate a Random Number from a Normal Distribution
Remember that the NORMINV function returns a value given a probability:

NORMINV(probability, mean, standard_dev)

Also, remember that RAND() function returns a random number between 0 and 1. That is, RAND() generates random probabilities. Therefore, it seems logical that you could use the NORMINV function to calculate a random number from a normal distribution, using this formula:

=NORMINV(RAND(), mean, standard_dev)

However, Jerry W. Lewis -- a former Excel MVP and a professional statistician -- offers a stern comment about this approach. "Using NORMINV(RAND(),...) to generate Normal variates is totally unacceptable prior to Excel XP, and is only marginal in XP. This is because of inadequacies in NORMINV and in the tails of NORMDIST itself."

"NORMINV prior to Excel XP produced a very un-normal fraction of values around 6 million standard deviations from the mean," Jerry wrote. "This is due to inaccuracies in the implementation of NORMDIST and NORMINV. Excel XP brought those values into a less obviously wrong location, but otherwise did little to improve the situation. NORMINV in Excel 2003 is a decent implementation."

Instead, Jerry recommends the Box-Muller method described here: http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Box-MullerTransformation.html
This method, he wrote, is limited only by the inadequacies of the RAND() function prior to Excel 2003, which had unacceptable autocorrelation.

The Box-Muller approach suggests that Excel users should use this formula to calculate a random number from a normal distribution:

=SQRT(-2*LN(RAND()))*SIN(2*PI()*RAND())

The Box-Muller method is mathematically exact, Jerry writes, if implemented with a perfect uniform random number generator and infinite precision.

Thunderbird 2.0.0.21, opening attachment

Each time an attachment is opened and click again, it is loaded again and a new copy of the attachment appears even if it was already present. Not fun

Parallel 4 does not find the bootcamp partition

A conflict seems to occur between Macfuse and the NTFS-3G component and Parallel. Both cannot be run at the same time. Unmout the bootcamp volume before to use it in parallel.
To do that, select the partition and use cmd-E. If the partition is normal seen because its name bagins with ., use it on the latteral bar.


Back to the configuration, save the configuration and its run again

TimeMachine

From MacFixIt

Possible reasons and fixes for Time Machine slowdowns

Time Machine has been a great backup solution that has for the most part worked quite well; however it has not been without its glitches. Despite the majority of initial problems being addressed by Apple, there will be times when the backup process seems to just hang or stall out, without giving any apparent errors or notifications.

To easily check out Time Machine logs and track down problems and exactly what Time Machine is doing, download the "Time Machine Buddy" widget, which will display the TM logs in the dashboard.

Hanging may also prevent other operating system functionality, causing spinning beachballs and the inability to shut down when the backups are going. This type of behavior usually indicates the system resources are not accessible to the system when the system is expecting them to be. For instance, if an external drive is not responding as it should, the system may hang while it waits for a response from the drive. There are several reasons why a Time Machine drive may suddenly be inaccessible:

Drive malfunction.
If the drive is making clicking sounds, or doesn't appear properly either on the Desktop or in Disk Utility, then there may be a problem with the drive. For external drives, low power to the drive can cause the system to hang.
Volume corruption.
While the disk may be fine, if the formatting or partitioning of the drive has problems, then the drive will not be properly accessible by the system.
Drives being put to sleep.
The energy-saver setting to put drives to sleep whenever possible can cause them to go into a state where they won't wake up properly. This depends on the drive itself, but while the system waits for the drive, you can experience a hang.
For drive errors, you can try running Disk Utility to check for and repair errors on the drive, or you can more thoroughly do this with third-party disk utility software such as "Disk Warrior," "Drive Genius," "Disk Tools Pro," or "Tech Tool Pro." Checking both the boot drive and the Time Machine drive for errors is recommended.

Beyond drive-specific issues, there can be incompatibilities both with other system resources and third-party applications, which can cause Time Machine slowdowns. If you have antivirus software running, many times this can interfere with Time Machine's functions, especially if you have live scanning or "on-access" scanning enabled. Turning off these settings in the antivirus software may help this situation. Additionally, if you have spotlight enabled for the Time Machine drive (it is enabled by default), it can sometimes endlessly try to index the drive. As such, you can try adding the Time Machine drive to Spotlight's privacy list, and then remove it to restart indexing.

A similar thing can also be done in the terminal, which will ensure the spotlight stores are deleted and started anew:

Open Terminal
Type the following command and include a space after the command:
mdutil -E -i off
Drag the Time Machine disk to the Terminal window to enter the full path to the disk, such as the following:
mdutil -E -i off /Volumes/TMDisk/
Ensuring a space is between the "off" and the drive path, press enter
Repeat this command, changing the "off" to "on" in order to enable spotlight on the drive again.
Finally, if you are backing up over a network (especially a wireless network), backups can be slow by nature. At 54Mb, speeds of most wireless connections, you will run at a maximum of 6MB per second, which translates to 14 hours for a 300GB backup when running at optimal conditions. Given network overhead and other interferences, this can easily double and result in the backup taking a day or two. For the initial backup to a networked device, you might try plugging in the Ethernet connection, which should be at least double the speed, but up to 20 times faster than wireless.

An additional fix for slow backups can be to restart Time Machine on the drive by removing it and re-adding it in the Time Machine preferences. Doing this seems to clear various bottlenecks in Time Machine and start backups running at faster speeds again.

PRAM et SMC/PMU

From MacFixIt

When to reset the PRAM and SMC/PMU

The PRAM

The Parameter RAM is a small amount of "nonvolatile" RAM (NVRAM) that holds various settings that the system can use before the operating system loads, and maintains these settings even when the computer is turned off. There is a small battery on the computer's mainboard that helps maintain the PRAM settings when power is off.



Many times when people's computers get bogged down and they are experiencing problems, advice will be given to "Reset the PRAM." In certain situations this can fix things, but many times people just blindly throw that advice out there. Resetting the PRAM may sound like an exotic fix that somehow may magically cure something; however, many times doing this is just a shot in the dark. As such, it's not necessarily bad for the computer, but may lead to customized settings such as alternate boot devices and speaker volumes being put back at default values. If you have problems with any of the following then a PRAM reset might help you out:

Volume changes or won't stick.
Video resolutions not sticking or not all available
Time zone information and clock settings
Boot volume isn't set (question mark shows briefly before booting)
Keyboard repeat rates
Mouse input rates (click and tracking speeds)
Default system fonts
Prior to OS X, the PRAM held information for networking, but that has been removed so any network troubles should not be affected by PRAM settings. Sometimes there have been odd problems that have been cured by PRAM resets, including one reported on recently by MacFixIt regarding spell-checking not working. It is possible that settings in the PRAM may indirectly affect various system functions like the spell checker, but knowing this is anyone's guess.

If these settings constantly get reset even when you have not manually reset the PRAM, the computer's logic board battery may need replacing.

To reset the PRAM, reboot the computer and hold the options-command-P-R keys at the same time. The computer will chime, and then continually reset and chime while these keys are held. Allow it to cycle a couple of times and release the keys and allow the computer to boot normally.

NOTE: Resetting the PRAM may require you to set some settings such as mouse speed and keyboard rates again.

The SMC/PMU

The System Management Controller (Intel Macs) or Power Management Unit (PowerPC Macs) is a chip that manages the power for various system components such as the fans and backlights, as well as the circuits that initiates power to the whole system when you turn on your computer.

Like the PRAM, many people readily offer suggestions for resetting the SMC or the PMU. However, there are specific behaviors that will benefit from SMC/PMU resets, and others that won't. For the most part, the power management in the computer should only be reset if you experience problems with seemingly "stuck" settings, or nonfunctional indicators, especially any on the hardware itself (power adapter indicator, or battery life for laptops). The following list of situations are some instances where a SMC/PMU reset can be beneficial:

Battery isn't charging properly
Display brightness won't work properly
Keyboard backlight won't work
Fans blaring all the time
Power button not functioning properly
Closing/opening laptop lid doesn't sleep/awaken the computer
External ports not receiving power
External devices not recognized
Internal components such as Airport or Bluetooth not starting up
Unexpected shutdown

Pour le macbook pro, voici la procédure:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1411

Des raccourcis peu usuels

From MacFixIt

(Command + Shift + L) - Opens a new Safari window and performs a Google search for highlighted text when performed.
(Command + Option + F) - Places cursor in the Google search bar in Safari.
(Command + Delete) - Moves the highlighted file (in Finder) directly to the trash--a great timesaver when deleting multiple files throughout your system.
(Command + Option + Control + 8) - Freaks your unsuspecting friends out by inverting the colors on their screen. This is actually an accessibility feature in OS X that helps vision-impaired users.
(Command + D) - Moves the directory to the Desktop folder when performed in Save, Save as, or Download windows. Most programs have a default save or download folder (or default to your last saved folder). This command is very useful when you are not sure where you want to save your file.

Reconstruire la base des photos de iPhoto au démarrage

From MacFixIt

"alt-cmd" au lancement d'iPhoto

Try rebuilding your iPhoto Library. When attempting to rebuild your Library, it is a good idea to create a backup of the iPhoto Library file, should an unexpected error not allow the rebuilding process to complete properly.

1. Press and hold the Option and Command keys and click to open iPhoto.
2. When the rebuild iPhoto Library dialog box shows, select the options that apply to your particular issues. Do not select boxes that do not apply.
3. Click repair and check the results when iPhoto reopens.

Fichier ppd de la konica 7040N

Le fichier PPD pour MacOS de la Konica7040N doit être récupéré d'une archive pour Windows 2000. Pas très simple.
Le voici tout prêt.
Décompresser ce fichier .zip et mettre le dossier konica dans
/library/Printers
(ou /Bibliothèque/Printers en français)

Le gestionnaire d'impression à utiliser est:
EFMK2020.PPD

Spell-check problems fixed with PRAM reset

From MacFixIt


Spell-check problems fixed with PRAM reset

The system-wide spell check in OS X has been a welcome addition to the Mac platform, and many developers have implemented it in their programs. However, in some instances this feature may suddenly stop working.

1. Reset the computer's PRAM.

For some reason, the PRAM seems to influence the functionality of the spell checker, and several people with this problem (posting in this Apple Discussion thread) have found that resetting the computer's PRAM has fixed it. To reset the PRAM, reboot the computer and immediately hold the options-command-P-R keys. Allow the computer to reset and make the boot chimes several times, then release the keys and let it boot normally.

Other potential fixes:

1. Boot into Safe Mode.

This problem may also be addressed by booting into Safe Mode (hold shift at bootup) and then running Disk Utility to repair drive permissions. Doing this will run various system maintenance scripts that may fix the problems.

2. Run third-party maintenance utilities.

The popular program "OnyX" will clear system cache files, other temporary files, and perform a variety of system maintenance tasks. These have the potential to clear nonfunctional system features, and as such, we recommend you try this before attempting other more invasive workarounds such as archiving and installing the system.

Trackpad avec 2 doigts

1. Use the Terminal to enable proper scrolling behavior.

If you have just transferred your software and data to a new MacBook or MacBook Pro and are having troubles with two-finger gestures, then entering the following command in the Terminal should re-enable it:

defaults write -g com.apple.trackpad.scrollBehavior 2
After entering this command, either restart the computer or log out and log back in for the changes to take effect.

Restaurer les défauts d'affichage des colonnes de Thunderbird

Alors que Thunderbird est quitté,

Dans:
~/Library/Thunderbird/Profiles//
(ou voir ici )

Effacer le fichier localstore.rdf

Changer l'image de login

Mettre une image appelée "DefaultDestop.jpg" dans /System/Library/CoreServices

iCal indexation

Remise à zéro de l'indexation de ical par spotlight



Fixes:
1. Ensure spotlight is on.
Go to the "Spotlight" system preferences and ensure search results are enabled for "Events & To Do Items" (Number 7) in the list of available categories. Additionally, ensure that the calendars folder or any parent folder is not in the "Privacy" list. If users have added their home folders or library folders to the privacy list, this will prevent spotlight from indexing files within those folders, including the "Calendars" folder that's located in the user's "Library".

2. Reset Spotlight.
If Spotlight is setup properly, users might next try unchecking the "Events & To Do Items" in the "Search Results" list, and then add the "Calendar" folder (/Home Folder/Library/Calendars) to the "Privacy" list. When this is done, restart the system to ensure the Spotlight services get restarted and then reverse these settings. This should force Spotlight to reindex the calendar folder.

3. Manually reindex calendars.
In addition to resetting Spotlight, users can manually start indexing on the calendar folder. Spotlight consists of the "mds" server daemon, the "mdimport" utility for scanning metadata, and various other utilities for managing the metadata. To force indexing of the calendar folder, run the following command in the terminal:

mdimport ~/Library/Calendars
4. Delete iCal's preference file.
Faulty application behavior can be caused by corrupt preferences files. Users can try removing the "com.apple.iCal.plist" file from the /Home Folder/Library/Preferences/ folder, and then relaunch iCal.

5. Delete and reload calendars.
If the previous suggestions do not work, users can try clearing the calendar data and reloading it. To do this, first backup the calendars to a safe location (such as the desktop) using the "Backup iCal..." option in the "File" menu. Then quit iCal and remove the files and folders in the /Home Folder/Library/Calendars/ folder. Launch iCal again and from the "File" menu choose "Restore iCal...," selecting the backup created previously.

Mise à jour

Déconnecter les disques externes. Impossible de faire la mise à jour de sécurité 2009-001 PowerPC sur 10.4.11 avec des disques externes connectés.

Du ssh sur windows

http://www.math.u-psud.fr/~assist/Mail_a_la_maison/PCwindows.php

Un tutoriel de Putty

http://michauko.org/blog/2009/02/23/tunnels-tcp-via-ssh-putty-etc/

Disque Réseau Time Machine

Pour voir les disques réseau montés, faire dans le terminal
defaults write com.apple.systempreferences TMShowUnsupportedNetworkVolumes 1

ssh-add et absence de commnuciation

Après avoir créé une clé privée et une publique. Je voudrais ne plus avoir à rentrer la phrase pour me connecter au moins sous terminal.
Je fais sous terminal un ssh-agent
Cela créé bien le fichier temporaire
Mais un ssh-add me donne:
Marc-Girondot-2:~ mgi$ ssh-agent
setenv SSH_AUTH_SOCK /tmp/ssh-BVgdFOunte/agent.9235;
setenv SSH_AGENT_PID 9236;
echo Agent pid 9236;
Marc-Girondot-2:~ mgi$ ssh-add
Could not open a connection to your authentication agent.

Bon après moults recherches, je trouve qu'il faut le lancer dans un shell à part
Marc-Girondot-2:~ mgi$ exec ssh-agent bash
bash-3.2$ ssh-add
Enter passphrase for /Users/mgi/.ssh/id_dsa:
Identity added: /Users/mgi/.ssh/id_dsa (/Users/mgi/.ssh/id_dsa)
Identity added: /Users/mgi/.ssh/identity (/Users/mgi/.ssh/identity)


et là ca marche
mais que pour le shell en cours. Dès que je réouvre le terminal, c'est de nouveau pareil

En plus pour l'instant je n'arrive pas à détourner les communications du finder. Je voudrais faire un tunnel comme pour un vpn.

________________________________________
Ca y est, je crois que j'ai compris, Il faut lancer l'application à l'intérieur du terminal. Glisser déposer l'application sur la fenêtre du terminal et Enter. Il faut essayer...

________________________________________
Infos utiles:
http://fotinakis.com/blog/2008/secure-mac-screen-sharing/

On your other Mac…

Now, from your client computer, open up Terminal and run the following (for reasoning, see the LifeHacker article Add More Functionality to Leopard’s Screen Sharing):

defaults write com.apple.ScreenSharing ShowBonjourBrowser_Debug 1
and (to enable quality control settings)…

defaults write com.apple.ScreenSharing \
'NSToolbar Configuration ControlToolbar' -dict-add 'TB Item Identifiers' \
'(Scale,Control,Share,Curtain,Capture,FullScreen,GetClipboard,SendClipboard,Quality)'

____________
http://www.dribin.org/dave/blog/archives/2007/11/28/ssh_agent_leopard/

Changer le nom d'un utilisateur

Dans les préférences systèmes, sur compte d'utilisateur. Faire un clic droit sur un nom et choisir options avancées.
Ne marche qu'en 10.5 il semble

Ejecter un CD bloquer dans le lecteur interne d'un macbook ou d'un powerbook

Mini-Tutorial: Ejecting media in Mac OS X: Removing 'stuck' CDs/DVDs

From time-to-time, removable media (including CDs, DVDs and others) can refuse to eject via the normal Mac OS X methods -- pressing the keyboard eject key; using the Command-E keyboard combination; selecting the item in the Finder and clicking the Eject button next to its name; dragging the item to the trash; or pressing the F12 key.

A number of methods can be applied to help coax media out of an optical drive in such a situation. Before applying these methods, however, note that busy disks (either startup disks or disks with an open file) should not be ejected and will not using any of the aforementioned standard processes. As such, be patient with a disk that will not eject immediately. Sometimes a disk continues to be identified as busy for several seconds after any contained files are not in use, and waiting a few moments then re-attempting the ejection is successful.

Use Disk Utility to eject The first and simplest method, if you only want to unmount a single volume on the disk, is to use Disk Utility, located in Applications/Utilities. In Disk Utility, simply select the volume you want to unmount and click Eject.

Hold Down the mouse button at startup In some cases holding down a connected mouse button at startup will cause a misbehaving optical drive to eject its media.

Unfortunately, this method will not work if you are using a Bluetooth keyboard.

Also, for Xserve users, make sure that the machine is unlocked (using the included allen wrench) before holding down the mouse key during startup.

Boot into Open Firmware and eject If you have a Mac that will not startup properly and has a stuck disc, try booting into Open Firmware by holding down Command, Option, O key and F key during startup. After booting into Open Firmware, type the command eject-cd.

Using the Terminal There are two commands that can be used in the Terminal (located in Applications/Utilities) which can be used to force disk ejection:

The first command to try is drutil tray eject. Simply type in this command and press return.

The other method takes a little more work but can work in instances where the first method fails.
1. Type the command drutil list into the Terminal and press return . This will provide a list of all currently connected removable devices. [ScreenShot 1-DiskEject] -- connect FireWire/USB drives for this
2. Use the command drutil tray eject 1

In the above command, the number "1" should be replaced with whatever drive number you obtained in the first step.

Enabling an Eject menu As a side note, you can enable another means of ejecting disks by opening the folder System/Library/CoreServices/Menu Extras and double-clicking the file "Eject.menu". An eject icon will appear in the menubar that can be used to close and open selected optical drives.

If you no longer want the Eject menubar item, hold down the command key while clicking and dragging the icon out of the menubar space.

Connexion en VPN pour la z'olie Luly

Message pour Luly
La connexion sur mac passe sans problème. Par contre sur xp c'est un peu plus compliqué mais voilà la solution. Disons que ça marche chez moi.


Configuration pour Windows XP

D'abord il faut modifier un registre:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/926179
Voici la procédure simplifiée pour un XP SP3
1/ Cliquer dans le menu démarrer
2/ Choisir Exécuter
3/ Dans le champ, rentrer regedit et cliquer sur OK, une fenêtre s'ouvre
4/ Déplier le niveau HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
5/ Déplier les niveaux SYSTEM puis CurrentControlSet puis Services puis PolicyAgent
6/ Dans le menu Edition choisir Nouveau, et choisir Valeur DWORD
7/ Rentrer le nom suivant (faire un copier coller, c'est plus sûr): AssumeUDPEncapsulationContextOnSendRule, et appuyer ENTER.
8/ Faire un clic-droit sur le nom AssumeUDPEncapsulationContextOnSendRule, et choisir Modifier
9 / Dans la case, Données de la valeur, mettre 2 et cliquer sur OK

Ensuite il faut redémarrer et créer la nouvelle connexion:

1/ Cliquer sur Démarrer et Ensuite "Panneau de configuration"
a/ Passer en affichage classique si il est en simplifié
2/ Double-cliquer sur "Connexions réseau"
3/ Cliquer sur la barre lattérale: Créer une nouvelle connexion
4/ Une fenêtre s'ouvre, cliquer sur suivant
5/ Choisir "Connexion au réseau d'entreprise", puis suivant
6/ Choisir "Connexion réseau privé virtuel", puis suivant
7/ Donner le nom de la connexion, exemple "Luly par Marc", puis suivant
8/ Entrer l'adresse suivante girondot.hd.free.fr , puis suivant
9/ Si demandé, choisir que tout le monde peut y avoir accès, puis suivant
10/ Cliquer pour avoir un racourci sur le bureau et Terminé
11/ Dans la boîte de dialogue, rentrer le nom d'utilisateur "Luly" et le mot de passe est ton nom sl
a/ Tu peux cocher enregistrer si il y a que toi qui utilise ce compte
12/ Faire Propriété et aller dans le tab "Gestion du réseau"
a/ Dans type de réseau VPN, choisir "PPTP VPN"
b/ choisir OK
13/ Faire Connecter

Pour une utilisation normale, faire :
14/ Cliquer sur le nom de la connexion sur le bureau
15/ Faire Connecter

Formater un disque dur avec diskutil

"This is the best, and only, way to format an external hard drive, which is courtesy of Kappy.

Extended Hard Drive Preparation

1. Open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder. If you need to reformat your startup volume, then you must boot from your OS X Installer Disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Installer menu (Utilities menu for Tiger or Leopard.)

2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Note the SMART status of the drive in DU's status area. If it does not say "Verified" then the drive is failing or has failed and will need replacing. SMART info will not be reported on external drives. Otherwise, click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.

3. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID (only required for Intel Macs) then click on the OK button. Set the number of partitions from the dropdown menu (use 1 partition unless you wish to make more.) Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Partition button and wait until the volume(s) mount on the Desktop.

4. Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.

5. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.

6. Click on the Erase button. The format process will take 30 minutes to an hour or more depending upon the drive size.

Steps 4-6 are optional but should be used on a drive that has never been formatted before, if the format type is not Mac OS Extended, if the partition scheme has been changed, or if a different operating system (not OS X) has been installed on the drive."