HSF? Please explain
Christine Lim
Version: 3.5.0
Operating system: System 8.1
Formatting: --Other--
Hello all you Mac Wizards,
I know I gonna sound really silly here but what the heck!
What exactly is HSF and HSF+?
Is is something to do with Mac Os 8.1?
How can I know if my mac is in HSF or HSF+ format?
What problems does it cause?
How can I rectify these problems?
By the way I get a "WARNING! Last command cannot be done due to error
(^^^^^^e)" message whenever I want to type something in the Request
or Message box. How do I rectify this problem?
I have posted another message regarding my other "Mac system errors"
problem. I am in desperate need for aid. I appreciate if you can help
me out. Thanks alot in advance.
Christine
<mati...@hotmail.com>
• My mac info - PowerPC 8100/100, 80MB, Virtual Reality On, 2
seperate disk drives (1 GB each), Multiple Scan 17 monitor
• Software info - Mac OS 8.1 (on Both HDs), Norton Utilities 3.5 (on
Both HDS), Virex 5.8.1, Apple Chinese Language Kit (simplified
chinese version), Netscape Communicator 4.0.4, Adobe Pagemaker 6.5
(English and Chinese version), Adobe Pagemill and Sitemill 2.0, Adobe
Photoshop 5.0, Micromedia Freehand 8, Microsoft Words 6 and Excel,
ICQ, MacLink, Norton DiskDoubler Disk 4.0.
• Internet Access - Mac TCP/IP, DHCP, LAN, Cable Modem, Netscape
Communicator 4.0.4
John meyer/Symantec Volunteer
Hi Christine:
No silly questions. HFS is the standard Macintosh filing system for
the hard drive. Think of it as a system for putting stuff into
folders and sticking them into the file cabinets so you can quickly
find everything using a directory but so that everything is kept
separate. Now think of each of the folders you are using as being 2
inches wide. You have to put everything into a folder even if it's
only one sheet. That means if you have a bunch of files that contain
only one sheet, you use a lot of file cabinet space to store them.
HFS+ tries to solve that by creating a similar, but different filing
system that has folders that are only, say, 1 inch thick. That means
that you save a lot of space if you have a lot of small files. That
is the purpose of HFS+ - a more efficient filing system.
HFS+ was introduced in OS8.1, so earlier versions of Mac don't have
this and won't recognize these drives. They look like damaged disk
because Mac doesn't recognize the filing system and can't find
anything.
You can tell how a drive is formatted, single click on the drive icon
on the desktop to select it. then go to the menubar and select
"FILES:GET INFO". In the window about the drive you will see format
information.
MacOS Standard = HFS
MacOS Extended = HFS+.
You need to update your version of NUM for best compatibility with
OS8.1. here is a link to the NUm 3.5.2 updater:
http://www.symantec.com/techsupp/files/num/norton_utilities_version_3x_for_macintosh.html
Download the updater and use it on your installed version of NUM.
If you still have problems, make sure that you are running the latest
versions of the software that you have on the machine. Many software
developers updated their software for compatibility with OS81.
Let us know how this works ofr you.