Newbie Question - Corrupt Files

Hello all-
I'm just learning the ins and outs of using and maintaining my MacBook. Honestly, before I owned a Mac I never cared about running maintenance scripts, backing up, etc. Anyway, I like to peruse the forums just to gain knowledge and see what everyone else is talking about, and I noticed a topic that appears fairly frequently: corrupt files. Why do files suddenly become corrupt, and is there something I can do to prevent this?
Thanks.

rj80:
You are very welcome.
In terms of preventive measures, Unix Maintenance (CRON cleaning) is one of the very important procedures. See Gulliver's article for details and links to software to assist with this task.
Running Disk Repair from Disk Utility or starting up in Safe Mode from time to time keeps you on top of what is going on with your directories.
One of the commonest problems many users run into is letting their HDDs get too full. The rule of thumb is to have 15-20% free space on your drive. Not only does this enable you computer to perform better, but it also helps prevent directory issues, which can lead to data loss and eventually a Hard Disk crash.
I appreciate your thoughtfulness in awarding stars. Thank you.
Good luck.
cornelius

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Please read this whole message before doing anything.
This procedure is a diagnostic test. It’s unlikely to solve your problem. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.
The purpose of the test is to determine whether your problem is caused by third-party system modifications that load automatically at startup or login.
Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Boot in safe mode* and log in to the account with the problem. The instructions provided by Apple are as follows:
Shut down your computer, wait 30 seconds, and then hold down the shift key while pressing the power button.
When you see the gray Apple logo, release the shift key.
If you are prompted to log in, type your password, and then hold down the shift key again as you click Log in.
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Hi, peckerpac -
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Hi
This can be an issue on other end ( server end ) as export to HTML works fine so Muse is exporting the files correctly but while exporting to external server if it stuck then we should check on server side if there is any problem related to specific file upload.
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the main question i have here: is this problem coming from my software or the ipod itself?
black 30Gb Video Ipod
Starting fresh, after numerous problems, i restored the ipod using the latest ipod updater (2006-01-10) and everything seems to be working fine, maybe 1000+ songs into updating.
iTunes tells me that the update is complete, but i look at the ipod itself and the "DO NOT DISCONNECT MESSAGE" along with the red symbol have frozen. i have experiemented with this, nothing turns it off except manually resetting by pressing the MENU and SELECT buttons simultaneously.
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\iPod_control\F01\GOCC.m4a \iPod_control\Artwork\ArtworkDB
\iPod_control\iTunes\iTunesDB
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bump

Total Newbie Question ... Sorry :-(

I know it's a windows thing, and I am now converted to Mac but I gotta know this because it's doing my head in. It's a complete stupid green gilled newbie question.
When installing new programs on a Mac can you create shortcuts to the programs on the Dock? I did what I THOUGHT it would be, i.e I made an Alias and stuck it in the dock, but on rebooting my Mac later on, in place of the shortcuts where 3 question marks which when clicked on did absolutely nothing???
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I am running Mac OS X 10.6.8 on a 15" MBP 2.33 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 3 GB RAM (added 1 to the original setup.)
A few months ago I replaced the original 120 GB hard drive, as it was getting full and making my computer slower. The new one is a 350 GB 5400 rpm Western Digital drive. I did this myself, following the instructions in ifixit.com, as I have done it in the past with other machines, including my wife's MBP, that is working fine.
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Is this definitely a hardware problem that will be solved by replacing the hard drive again, or is it possible that this is being the result of some corrupt files on my user's library (as the problem only appears after a while)?

ign wrote:
Is it normal that the drve appears to be OK after an OS install and that the physical problem only appears after a while?
If you zero it, yes. That's exactly what zeroing does, "mapping" the HD so bad sectors/blocks are not used. But if a HD is dying, more bad areas will show up. It's time to replace the HD.

What is a "corrupt file" and how do I get rid of it?

Thank you in advance for taking the time to read this and (hopefully) offering a solution! At the end of this past March, I purchased a new ASUS E4109 from Best Buy. It has been working great until 2 days ago when I turned it on. The black screen popped up stating that Windows had failed to run and I needed to install my installation disk (did this come with my laptop?). It gave the options of retrying in normal mode, safe mode, safe mode with networks, etc, etc. When I was finally able to load it in normal mode, it immediately told me I have some sort of corrupt file and need to run "CHKDSK" to repair. Hmmmm for starters, I dont even know what that means. Anyways, the bottom line is that something is wrong with it and I cant seem to figure out how to repair it without making another trip to BestBuy. I would SO greatly appreciate any suggestions to repair, as well as why this happened in the first place. I dont download anything out of the ordinary ( that I know of!) and I cant imagine what could have happened. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE help me if you can.... it's a huge upset that I have a brand new laptop I cannot even use at the moment. I sincerely appreciate any help, suggestions, advice!! Thankyou, Whitney

ASUS laptops do come with recovery discs. There should be two of them labeld as such.
To do a disc check, open My Computer, right click on your C drive and select properties.
Click on the Tools tab, and then check box "Automatically Fix Errors" and click Start. You'll most likely have to restart your computer for it to finish.
Corrupted files can be caused by a lot of things, most commonly not shutting your laptop down correctly by just holding the power button. Viruses can also cause them but we'll go with the assumption that's not it for now.
If you like my post, or solution to your issue/question, go ahead and click on the little star by my name and/or accept the post as the Solution. It makes me happy.
I'm NOT an employee of Best Buy, or Geek Squad, though I did work as an Agent for a year 5 years ago. None of my posts are to be taken as the official stance that Best Buy will take on your situation. My advice is just that, advice.
Unfortunately, that's the bad luck of any electronic, there's going to be bad Apples... wait that's a horrible pun.

HELP NEEDED - iTunes.exe -Corrupt File

I am getting this error message everytime I plug in my iPod to update thru iTunes.
iTunes.exe - Corrupt File
The file or directory/iPod_ControliTunes/TempFile is corrupt & unreadable.
Please run the Chkdsk utility.
So my question is....how do I backup all the songs and playlists so that I do not lose them. And then do I just run the dist that came with the iPod to start it over again and if so do I delete the old Itunes?
Plese help I would like to save the songs, restore iTunes somehow and be able to bring back the songs with nothing lost.

In Windows, the default location of your songs is:
\Documents and Settings\username\My Documents\My Music\iTunes
Your 'iTunes library' file which hold all playlists, locations of songs, ratings etc. is located in:
\Documents and Settings\username\My Documents\My Music\iTunes\iTunes Library.itl
Copy the complete iTunes directory to your backup device.
That way, you will copy all songs and library information.
After fixing the problem with the corrupt file, put the files back to the location they came from (if necessary).
In my very limited experience with the chkdsk utility, no files were lost, but it is always wise to have a backup in case something goes wrong.
Hope this helps.
M
P.S.
You will probably get more help by posting in the iTunes for Windows forum (this is the Mac forum)
17' iMac fp 800 MHz 768 MB RAM Mac OS X (10.3.9) Several ext. HD (backup and data)

Newbie Question - Corrupt Files

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