Using Advanced Classic Preferences

Click Advanced in Classic preferences to set startup options, configure sleep, or rebuild the Classic desktop. You can set the following options for starting Classic. These execute only on the first Classic startup after you set them, and are usually used for troubleshooting:

• Turn Off Extensions Allows starting Mac OS 9.2 in Classic with all extensions disabled. This is useful for troubleshooting because it loads the bare bones Mac OS 9 components, avoiding all potential third-party extension conflicts.

• Open Extensions Manager Brings up the Extensions Manager when Mac OS 9.2 starts in Classic. This is useful for resolving extension conflicts because you can selectively load items for testing.

• Use Key Combination Lets you specify simulating key combinations when Classic starts up. For instance, some extensions can be disabled individually by pressing particular keys during startup. You can configure these keys in Use Key Combination.

By default, all user accounts on your computer use the same Classic System Folder, which can cause problems with unique settings, such as user names in Classic applications. Select the "Use Mac OS 9 preferences from your home folder" checkbox to give each user unique preferences. This option copies the Preferences folder and other user-specific parts of the Mac OS 9 System Folder (/System Folder/Preferences) to the user's home folder (~/Library/Classic). After selecting this option on a multiuser computer, Classic Startup prompts each user to make a copy of the preferences from /System Folder/Preferences.

You can configure the Classic environment to sleep after a set amount of time with no Classic foreground applications running. Changes made to the inactive time will take effect the next time the Classic environment runs. While Classic sleeps, it puts no load on the system. For this reason, if Classic is configured to start upon login, it's a good idea to also configure it to sleep when inactive. The environment will wake from sleep with a little delay when you open a Classic application. No background Classic applications run while the Classic environment sleeps. If you need Classic background applications to remain running (for scanner button monitoring, for example), set the value to Never. Otherwise, the default value of 5 minutes is a good choice.

You can manually rebuild the desktop in Classic by clicking the Rebuild Desktop button. This process rebuilds only the desktop on the Classic startup volume. To rebuild the desktop on all volumes, start Classic from the Advanced pane with the Use Key Combination option set to Command-Option. This preference item is persistent, so unless you want to rebuild the desktop on every startup, click Clear Keys.