Specific Question re: Documents that will download but won't launch on a MAC.. Help
 

I am running a Mac G3- OS 9.2, no firewall, DSL connection. I am downloading mp3 audio files. Upon completion, they show up in the designated folder.. problem: 20% show up as Quick Time MP3 files which I can launch and play, and the other 80% show up as a plain "document" (icon looks like a plain sheet of paper) that will NOT launch and I cannot find any way to play these files..

Do I need another program to play these files, and has anyone else experienced this problem? There seems to be no way to tell which files after downloading will show up as a QuickTime MP3 that will play and which ones just show up as "document" and won't launch. A lot of wasted time.. Anyone... Please help. I will be happy to give more details if it will cause anybody to take the time to respond. :confused:

Launch QuickTime Player (or iTunes, or...) and select Open from the File menu to open the MP3 files.

Small problem
 

THANKS FOR YOUR REPLY: Really- very rare in this particular forum.. Tried to open files (plain document icon) with Quick Time Player.. They do not show up when I go to file>open new> ? The only files that show when I go to open new are the Quick Time MP3s. If I try to open these directly by double clicking on them out of their folder, I am prompted by the Finder to select another program with translations but the only programs it offers to try are AOL IM and Adobe Acrobat Reader? Very strange.

itunes is only available on MAC 0SX. I'm running 9.2. Any other suggestions as to what type of documents these are or what programs will run them?

No you don't need an another programm to play them. The files should be OK. The Finder is just to stupid to recognise them as MP3s and everything on this god damn OS depends on the Finder. :(

As far as I can remember is the "PC Extensions" control panel responsible for the filename extension <-> type/creator association. You can maybe use it to enforce that files with a .mp3 extension should be opened with application XY...

Oh, and here's iTunes 2.0.4 for Mac OS 9.x.x.

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=120073

my sympathy
 

I'm also new at this jrry g but ihave the disadvantage of being a geezer and newbie. i havn't found the faqs or the forums useful at all. i guess limewire's not for rookies
for the experts out there these blank documents are unreadable thru the file menu. they'r just not there
now jerry i'll tell you what i've found works...
i run the blank files through the only program i have that recognises the blank files called winamp mac 0.71. after 30-40seconds it becomes a winamp file and then edit will recognize it, then i go to i tunes and convert it to an mp3.
if this sounds like a pain, it takes about as long as LW does to save a file(which is just about never). i havn't found a way to save any other kinds of files that comes as blanks despite spending many of my retirement hours trying. ijust tossed them.
if you can't find this program somewhere( don't try limewire, it will just be a blank page) then i suggest that LW is going to be an utter wast of time for you.

bikeboy 8500/g3 os8.6

FOUND THE CURE
 

EUREKA! I HAVE SOLVED THE PROBLEM.. For anyone inerested about those files that would randomly download as a plain "non mp3" document which wouldn't launch.. The problem was- All of those documents had one thing in common when compared to the others that downloaded as mp3s... The file names were too long... That's it. I just had to go in and rename the file (shorten it up) and add .mp3 to the end. The mp3 icon would appear as soon as I renamed it and clicked off of the title bar.. That simple. Shorten the name and add .mp3 to the end.

Thanks for everybody's interest.

stufit dose that i tink when y add .mp3 to the end

Can't open Lime wire files supposed to be MP3
 

Did you get any information to figure out how to translate or read the Limewire file received instead of as a MP3?

Thanx

Alan

hi Jerry

glad you managed to solve your prob.

by the way you said that
"itunes is only available on MAC 0SX. I'm running 9.2. Any other suggestions as to what type of documents these are or what programs will run them?"

I’ve been running iTunes on OS 9.1 to my great delight for years now (Version 2.04 is running right now). You should try.

ciao
JoJo

blank documents to mp3
 

Whoever enlightened us on shorting the file names to turn blanks into mp3s deserves a blow job from a girl of their choice. I don't know how many hours I've wasted downloading and deleting files like that. I actually gave up on Limewire for the longest time after getting so frustrated with it, then I discovered this "support group". How cool...thanks to everyone who worked on that problem.

Which extensions have these files? A blank document means only that you haven´t selected a standard player/viewer for this format (at least on Windows).

Morgwen

Morgwen wrote:

Which extensions have these files? A blank document means only that you haven´t selected a standard player/viewer for this format (at least on Windows).

--------------------


They have none. It's just a blank icon, with the file name under it and NO extension. If you do not have an extension on a file, the Finder will not know what programs to run it with. The quickest solution for anyone running the classic mac OS with this problem, is to just go and get the freeware .mp3 player, SoundApp. You go into it's preferences and make the creator type (file association) 'SoundApp', and it will automatically change the file icon to an .mp3 icon when you play it. If you open a playlist and drag and drop the blank icon DL'ed files into it it will play them. If it can't, you know you've got a bunk file. I prefer that to QuickTime, as it is a better player - also it makes playlists and can expand .mp3's to *true* uncompressed, non-DRM (Digital Rights Managed)'ed, .aiff CD files.

Sometimes older IS better, in this increasingly digitally locked and restricted world.

:confused:

Since when its possible to download files without a extension? I never heard this... and I never downloaded such a file!

Morgwen

Filenames in Classic Mac OS are limited to 31 characters. The only exception is Mac OS 9 which can handle longer filenames but the Finder can't display them...

You've got OS9 right? If so, it's because that version is different in how it handled filenames from earlier OS's. OS9 lopped out the middle letters and left the ends on. In 8.6 and earlier, the OS just read the filenames 31 characters long and if it ran out of space to get the file designation in - oh well... Ooops. Not good for those who generally launch applications by clicking on the file icon. No designation, and the 'puter has no idea of what to do with the file. If it is an unassociated file *type*, like an .mp3 file from someone with Macast, it will at least ask you what application to handle the file with. If you don't add the filetype, it doesn't know what is what.

After I read it, its good that I don´t use OS9 and I sure will never do... :)

Thanks for the info.

Morgwen

I just use FinderPop (one of the coolest shareware programs ever made) to convert the creator codes to my player of choice (SoundJam, ITunes, Quicktime, etc.).

If you don't have FinderPop, you can use various Applescripts to change file types and creator codes at the desktop.

for os9 ther are no vireses prty much also all y have to do is add .mp3

dmg and limewire docs
 

I go thru the download, verifying and savinig only to find the file is still a LIMEWIRE document, and therfore useless(?).
Alsom is a .dmg a "Dmaged" filer?

Re: dmg and limewire docs
 

No, .dmg is a disk image file... you have to burn it on a CD or need an emulator to open it.

Morgwen

I Tunes
 

Hi Jerry G

I run Mac OS 8.6 and recently Installed I Tunes, I needed to download the OS 8.6 Patch for I Tunes, it was a bit of a fiddly job to put it all together but nothing to to difficult and it works like a charm.

Can't think of the site just now but if you have any trouble finding it I may be able to help, most likely got it of Google.

Regards Granddad Vogel

ITunes
 

Jerry G

The site is called " The Worm in the Apple", you'll find it on Google.

Cheers Granddad Vogel.