Documents Greyed Out

[leomac]

We have noticed that since updating to Mac OS X most of the files stored on our Windows server (whether documents or apps) have greyed-out icons and the Mac OS does not seem to recognize them anymore. Is there anything we can do to remedy this problem?

[schneb]

In your Mac preferences, be sure you can view the entire filename plus extension. Is the naming convention correct? Make sure the extension is there and be sure the filename does not start with a period or other punctuation. Is the file locked? Can you access it in any way? Try looking at the file using BatChmod and make sure the permissions are set properly.

[jacques.paul]

That is a REAL problem

Our setup include many G4, a few new G5. Our Server run Window NT 4 Server and service for macintosh. The partitions dedicated to the Macs contains around 10,000 Photo in Photoshop DCS 1 format (color separation preview + CMYK file) and hundred of logo in Illustrator EPS format WITHOUT the extension (.eps) We also have a photo database in FileMaker using the low res. We migrated our Macs to Mac OS 10.3.2 (Panther) and installed new software: Quark 6, Illustrator CS, Photoshop CS etc.

Booted under Mac OS 10.3.2 all of our photo and logo on the Window NT 4 server are greyed (cannot be selected). Copying a test folder to a Window 2000 folder do not change anything. When opening a Quark 5 document in Quark 6 all link to the photo are lost and cannot be relink (the photo document is greyed). Link are also lost in FileMaker.

Adding the .eps (file name convention) to a test file (that operation can be automated with File Buddy 7.5) and double clicking the DCS low res open acrobat (it seem that the low res is now in pdf format). Adding the name extension is also a problem as far as the link to the photo in Quark and FileMaker are lost (we have 10,000+ photo and logo and hundred of Quark pages that are repeat business with only prices change).

Booting under Mac OS 9 (files can be access and have the proper icon) and copying these files to a Mac (mac partition) - and rebooting under Mac OS 10.3.2 and recopying them to the server seem to solve the problem but then the files are greyed for a station booted under Mac OS 9.

While the files are on a Mac partition and the name convention extension is added (.eps) it is possible to make a get info on the first document, go to open with, select photoshop and apply that to all documents like the first one (all document with .eps file name) but we have photoshop.eps, illustrator.eps, freehand.eps in our folders ??? and that operation do not make any difference between these different .eps format.

If you find something else please let me known

Jacques Paul
email: jacques.paul@videotron.ca

[hayne]

The files being greyed-out (inaccessible) would seem to indicate a permissions problem. But I don't understand why it would be different from OS 9 and OS X.

I don't know why this would be an issue, but have you tried enabling AppleTalk in OS X ? (on the Networking preferences).

You should talk to Apple about this problem.

jacques.paul: You can delete your duplicate post by pressing "Edit" and then checking the delete checkbox and then pressing "Delete Now".

[jacques.paul]

Yes I do repair permissions on the mac HD. That is not the problem as far as I known. Apple talk is enable also.

It's seem that the low res (DCS format from Photoshop 7) was in pic format under OS 9 but is now in pdf format under OS 10.3.2

I am from Montreal too.

[hayne]

The permissions problem would be on the Windows side. Repairing permissions on the Mac with Disk Utility only fixes the permissions of software that was installed on the Mac. It doesn't do anything to user documents.
And the documents (files) you are having trouble with are located on the Windows server, not on the Mac, so a solution might need to come from the Windows administrator.

Pick one file that you are having trouble with as an example and show us the result of the following command in a Terminal window:

ls -l path_of_the_file

where "path_of_the_file" is the full path of the example file.
E.g. /Volumes/name_of_folder/name_of_file

[jacques.paul]

Our Server's (Window NT 4 and Window 2000 Server) dont use any security. Guest is enable. Beside not all files are greyed, Quark files (even without name extension) have the proper icon and double click open in Quark 6 under OS 10.3.2.

The problem seem to be only with eps files whitout name extension. From within Photoshop (files on the server - photo in DCS 1 format low-res+4 plates) the icon is greyed and cannot be selected. At the finder level (files on the server) the icon is generic and double clicking on it bring a window asking with which application we want to open it (seem the header - creator - is not read properly). Adding the name extension manualy .eps on files (files on the server) and double clicking the low res DCS files open Acrobat and show the photo.

Copying the files to a Mac partition under Mac OS 9 and rebooting to Mac OS 10.3.2 (same Mac) the same file (DCS: low-res+4 plates) have a different icon and open in Photoshop CS by double clicking on the low-res. At this point importing that file (photo) in Quark show a grey box saying postscript file with no image. Saving this same file from Photoshop CS with the name extension show a new icon, is recognised in Quark get picture and show correctly. If I recall correctly the preview under OS 9 was in PIC format, and the preview under OS 10.3.2 is in PDF format - the problem seem to be there.

We are going through the process of opening every photo in Photoshop CS and resaving them with the name extension in DCS 1 format from Photoshop CS.

Something else. Quark 6.0 and even Quark 6.1 is very slow under Mac OS 10.3.2 ... I mean slow ... in a 4 pages documents typing text in a box hardly follow - text appearing with a delay. Under Mac OS 10.2.8 the same Quark 6.0 or 6.1 is responding correctly.

[hayne]

Quote: Originally posted by jacques.paul The problem seem to be only with eps files whitout name extension. From within Photoshop (files on the server - photo in DCS 1 format low-res+4 plates) the icon is greyed and cannot be selected. At the finder level (files on the server) the icon is generic and double clicking on it bring a window asking with which application we want to open it (seem the header - creator - is not read properly). Adding the name extension manualy .eps on files (files on the server) and double clicking the low res DCS files open Acrobat and show the photo.

Okay - you hadn't made it clear before that when you were talking about icons being greyed out, that was in PhotoShop. I had assumed (naturally) that you were talking about Finder.

If a file does not have the proper icon in Finder and/or Finder does not know what application to use for that file when you double-click on it, that means that the file has lost its meta-data (type & creator info). This can happen if you copy the file to a filesystem that does not support meta-data or if you access the file via a protocol that does not support meta-data.

Perhaps your Windows volume is getting mounted via SMB (Samba) when you use OS X. SMB does not support meta-data (type & creator). Ask your administrator to check on what protocol is being used to mount the Windows volume.

You want to use AFP (instead of SMB) to mount the volume.
I note that this was the problem discussed in this other thread (http://forums.macosxhints.com/showth...=&postid=89055) where someone else had a similar problem to you and it got fixed by changing to AFP instead of SMB.

[jacques.paul]

I think you put the finger on it.

As a matter of a fact in Jaguar 10.2.8 we had no problem accessing the servers after installation.
When we migrate to Panther 10.3.2 we HAD to create Samba accounts for the Mac's in the server to be able to mount them from within Panther. So the AFP partitions on the servers must be accessed under Samba protocol.

Before creating these accounts the servers was not visible and cannot be mounted in Panther even with apple share enable. There is something different in Panther. An other clue is the fact that a Mac booted under Mac OS 9.2.2 cannot be seen by another Mac running Mac OS 10.3.2 until “allow file sharing over TCP-IP“ is checked in the file sharing dialog box of the Mac running OS 9. That was not the case with Jaguar. In panther apple share seem to be enable only for the appletalk printers, not for file sharing.

Any idea of what can be do on the servers and/or on the Mac running Panther to force them to use AFP protocol. I did'n find any clue in the other thread (http://forums.macosxhints.com/showt...mp;postid=89055) on how to make the change.

Thank a lot for your answer and for the time you kindly give me, I appreciate very much

Jacques Paul

[hayne]

Try using Finder's "Go" menu and choosing "Go to Server" and using the "Browse" button.
If that doesn't work, try entering a URL of the form:
afp://192.168.1.200
where the 192.168.1.200 would be replaced by the actual IP address of your server.

And have a search around on these forums and the main macosxhints site for tips on mounting AFP volumes.

[leomac]

Yes, Jacques, I can confirm that Hayne is correct. (Actually, the post he referred to did contain the answer -- but it was on the first page of threads). I did a little test and discovered that if you connect to the server thru the "Connect to Server..." menu item (Cmd K), which would require entering the IP address of the server, all of the icons show up properly. If, however, you connect by browsing through the Network icon, you will get the grayed-out files. Here is part of the posting I referred to above...
---
You solved it!!! Thank you!

Appletalk was active on my machine -- I had enabled it during one of my attempts to solve the problem.

However, I never (foolishly) made a new server connection (command-k)... I just kept using the desktop alias I had set up when I first configured the server, thus, I kept using SAMBA.

Now, with a new (Appletalk) server connection, all the icons show up correctly -- even the XPress files, and I don't have XPress installed on this machine!

This is great! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you ALL!
---

The "Thank You's" go for me, too!

Leo

[jacques.paul]

Yes, Hayne was right, using SAMBA (without even knowing it) to access the files was the problem. We was loosing the metadata.

The test I made on the Window2K server are conclusives. We still have a problem with the Window NT 4 Server (our main photo bank server). As we discover, it cannot be accessed in AFP by Mac's running Panther because afp over IP is not supported in NT 4.

Jaguar was supporting afp over appletalk AND over IP - Panther only support afp over IP

The connect to server command afp://192.168.1.149 result in Server not found trying to access NT 4

Thank a lot Hayne and all of you guy for the help - it's very much appreciated.

Jacques Paul