2006/2007 RCC FAQs for Mac
    Please refer to the RCC World webpage for additional troubleshooting instructions.

    1. How do I check the IP or hardware address of a computer?
    2. How do I repair disk permissions on Mac OS X?
    3. How do I take a screen shot?

    Switch to Windows FAQ

    How do I check the IP or hardware address of a computer?

    All valid IP addresses at Saint Mary's begin with 147.53. If the IP address begins with 147.53.199, the computer has a temporary Saint Mary's IP address and the computer needs to be registered on ResNet to access the Internet.

    Mac OS 8.x and 9.x

    Go to the Apple menu, select Control Panels, and select TCP/IP. The IP address will be listed in the window that appears. To access the hardware (Ethernet) address, go to the File menu and select Get Info. (Make sure that Ethernet is selected, and not modem or printer port.)

    Mac OS X

    Go to the Apple Menu and select System Preferences. Click on Network. The IP address and the hardware (Ethernet) address will be listed in the window. (Make sure that Built-in Ethernet is selected, and not modem or airport.)

    There is usually a problem with the IP address when:
    • The computer does not get a login screen on startup.
    • The user cannot log in to the network - she will probably get an error message indicating that there was "no domain name server available to validate the password."
    • The user cannot check webpages.
    • The user mentions that he/she used her computer on another network (or another part of the SMC network such as the library) and hasn't been able to login since.

    How do I repair disk permissions on Mac OS X?

     Repairing disk permissions in Mac OS X is a good thing to do if you are noticing unexpected slowness with the computer, crashing of an application, or want to do some preventative maintenance on the computer.
    1. Start/restart the computer. Go to Macintosh HD -> Applications -> Utilities -> Disk Utility.
    2. Select Macintosh HD.
    3. Make sure First Aid is selected.
    4. Click on Repair Disk Permissions. Let the program run. It will tell you what it is fixing and when it is done.
    5. When it is done, restart the computer.

    How do I take a screen shot?

    If you want to take a shot of the entire screen, press the Command/Apple, Shift, and 3 button on the keyboard. You will now have a PICT file at the top level of the startup disk. The file will be named "Picture 1." (The next files will be name Picture 2, Picture 3, etc.)

    If you want to take a shot of a specific part of the screen, press Command/Apple, Shift, and 4. The cursor will now change to a +. Position the + at the top left corner of the desired area. Drag the mouse the bottom right corner of the desired area and release the mouse button. You will now have a PICT file at the top level of the startup disk. The file will be named "Picture 1." (The next files will be name Picture 2, Picture 3, etc.)

    If you have any questions you would like to answered on this web page, please e-mail Kathy Hausmann at kathy@saintmarys.edu.

    Created by Cathy Purtell, edited by Kathy Hausmann
    Last modified September 15, 2009