why isn't my mac reading the downloaded file?
 

I just downloaded limewire and the file is just sitting on my desktop.
I have stuffit expander, which can open .bin files, but for some reason my computer is not translating this fille.
when i double click it the error message reads:
"the document limewire.bin could not be opened because the program that created it could not be found" or something like that.
there is no installer icon, or folder icon, on the desktop, rather the icon looks like a blank piece of paper.
can anyone help?

Could you elabrate on which system you're running
 

OSX may have some generic looking files with sort of blank pages but OS9 would look different I have found. Did you download the wrong version of Limewire perhaps?

Re: why isn't my mac reading the downloaded file?
 

Running MAC OS 9.x? To make it shor you can do this:

1) Drag and drop the file on the icon of stuffit expander (v5.5 or 6.0 is best), then choose the file to decompress and its desination folder.

or

2) Launch Stuffit expander then go to File>Expand and select the .bin file, chose destination folder on sext prompt

or a bit more advanced but will help you to know these stuff

3) Download an utility that allows you to change File type and Creator Codes for Mac files, (called at times metadata, but don't get scared here...that's just a definition as much as the one used when you call a piece of dough with a hole in the middle, with the name of "donut")
There are more sofistcated and advanced programming utilities to do that, but those are not beginners friendly. I suggest you get instead nice shareware called filetyper 5.5.1 that makes the process simple. The utility is available for downoad from:
http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~dazuma/filetyper/
The guy who made this 640Kb small yet powerful application, here offers also a visual quick guide to help you get familiar with this little great utility that you can use whenever having problems of type/Creator mismatch...my advice is to try it and learn it (it's real easy and quick), will solve a lot of problems and will make you a bit more computer literate:)

by the way once you installed the utility change the type to BINA and the Creator code to SITx and click on change (remember that both are always 4 characters long and are case sensitive!!!). You will see the icon change from Blank to the Stuffit Binary file one.

4) if all these did not work the try using the "Autotyper" attached here the file named Autotyper_BINA-SITx.zip will fix the way the file shows on you Mac. Use Stuffit to expand the .zip archive attached. I had to zip it because that's the only way to attach it here...

Use it only for .bin files that have no icons!! To use it: Drag the file on the Autotyper et voila' it's a Stuffit Expander binary file showing the correct icon!

I scanned the file with antivirus before to attach it here and it's clean, of course you can scan it for antivirus before running it if you like

One of these 4 methods should do the trick! still problems...email me

PS: please register on the forum, it's nicer to talk to a registered user rather then unknown one...

While the above methods deal with the problem once it's happened, you may want to edit your internet "File Helper" and/or File Exchange Control Panel mappings.

This is where the filename extension (.bin) is being mapped to the corresponding file type and creator code information. Once it's set, it's set.

You could try opening Stuffit Expander, choosing Preferences and set the option to handle all file types (click the little bar at the bottom, I believe). Then in Internet Explorer, on Download options, Uncheck "automatically decode binhex" and "automatically decode MacBinary" files. Then try redownloading.

In my experience, .bin files are the files that have the most problems, compared to .sit or .hqx.

Hope this helps......