Caring for disks

For information on floppy disk care, see the section on working with disks in Part II of this book, or consult the instructions that came with your floppy disks.

Hard disk precautions

Hard disk drives are delicate mechanisms and should be handled with care.

mDo not bump, jar, or move your computer while the hard disk is in use. If you need to move the computer, wait until the hard disk stops spinning.

mDo not spill any liquids on or near the hard disk.

mDo not expose the hard disk to hazardous vapors, such as those from cleaning solvents.

Testing and repairing disks

Both floppy disks and hard disks can become damaged by repeated use and handling. If you see a message reporting that a disk is damaged or unreadable, you can use Disk First Aid or Apple HD SC Setup to try to diagnose and correct the problem. Both programs are on the disk called Disk Tools that came with your computer.

If a hard disk icon doesn’t appear

If you can’t start up from a hard disk or don’t see its icon on the desktop, try the following:

mIf the hard disk is internal, shut down your Macintosh, wait at least 10 seconds, and then turn it on again.

mIf the hard disk is your startup disk, start up with a different disk. If the hard disk’s icon appears on your desktop, reinstall the System Folder on the hard disk using your backup copy.

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Chapter 8: Using Disks 127

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Apple 145B manual Caring for disks, Testing and repairing disks, Hard disk precautions, If a hard disk icon doesn’t appear