Basic file saving

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I feel a real prune, but I just cannot find how to do a simple save of a document in Mountain Lion.
I try SAVE AS and get told I do not have permission to save.
I try giving my file a RENAME but it just ignores and I cannot save anything. Everything insists it must be UNTITLED.

Really sorry, but I must be missing something really, really basic here which is fundamentally different from Windows.

Richard
 
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chas_m

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Normally the Save As should work as expected, which tells me you're having issues with your drive (or are trying to save into another account, or have permission issues with your own account).

Try this: log out of your account, log into the guest account. Open textedit or something, write a sentence, use save as. Does it behave the same way as it did in your own account?
 
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I have just tried a basic Textedit.

The problem I might have is that I took over this Macbook Pro from a friend. I can see only two accounts - my own new account and an "everyone" account from when I tried to transfer all my Windows stuff across. The original owner's account does not show as an account option although it does appear in the Finder list.

As suggested, I went in to the Everyone account for the text edit but that account did not make any other input type applications available to me. Anyway, it did not object when I saved a short textedit sentence, but I cannot find it again now!

I suppose I am in a mess. All my Windows stuff has arrived safely in Everyone but having read all the instructions from Migration Assistant about making the files as SHARED I have failed to transfer those files to my own account. Maybe I should try to use Everyone as my own account instead of my new account, but then the problem is that I do not get the other standard applications. I guess that Everyone is special for Migration assistant.

Having used Windows for so many years I am really struggling with basics. If I can get those right I shall be fine.

Any suggestions about how to change account permissions, or would it be an option to do a complete clear out of everything to bring my laptop back to an "as new" state then start reload scratch.

Richard
 
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chas_m

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Normally I'm against the "wipe and reinstall" catchall for every Window ailment, but in this case I think it might be the best course. This time, DO NOT set up your own account first and then use Migration Assistant: use it AS you set up the Mac for the first time (as though it was new) after the system reinstall. That will help A LOT.

Second thing I can help you with is "struggling with the basics" -- Macs aren't nearly as different from Windows as people make it out to be -- same old file/folder metaphor with all the main components in the same places. What gives people trouble is generally:

1. Trying to make the Mac behave like Windows -- a fool's errand if ever there was one!
2. Being unwilling to "unlearn" a few things and open one's mind to an alternate (perhaps better) approach.

For both of these a visit to Switch 101 will probably do a world of good.
 
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MacInWin

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+1 for what chase_m said. The reason you can't write is that in OSX there is a security feature called "permissions" that governs who can do what to files. When you created your own account, OSX established permissions for YOUR files. When you then migrated through MA, OSX created a new account (because it didn't know to whose account you wanted the files migrated) and gave them all permissions for that account. The same security applies to software, which is why "everyone" cannot run programs installed by YOU.

So, by wiping out the drive and reinstalling OSX, then migrating BEFORE you establish any accounts, MA will ask for YOUR information to create the account, and you will have the proper permissions to read/write/execute your programs.

If you cannot use MA again (PC is gone, recycled, whatever) there is a painful way to change your files, but as chase_m said, wipe and reinstall is much better.
 
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Thanks for such a thorough explanation - I understand the principle but I have to say the prospect of wiping really scares me. I shall have to research how to do that (I suppose it is the same sort of thing as reformatting on Windows) - but I shall have to search for the correct "button to press" to do it then get Mountain Lion back as a starting point. At least I have nothing of worth which will get destroyed except Photoshop which I presumably shall have to reload later
Chas_m's information link will be helpful too, and I have found the Mac instruction sites very helpful, but I agree it is difficult to "un-learn" years of habit - Bill Gates did a good job tying us all in, but I do like what I see on Mac and want to move.
Am I being realistic, or do I need some "professional" help to get this done?
Richard
 
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MacInWin

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No "professional" help needed. Here is a link with how to do it. If you don't have an Apple ID, you may have to establish one. Also, if you have PS, you should uninstall it first to free up the license so that you can reinstall it later. Open PS, go to help and use "deactivate" to release the license. Then follow the instructions in the link. Once ML is reinstalled, follow this link to see how to move the data. In particular, note the section titled "Transferring with the Setup Assistant that appears when your Mac starts up for the first time." That's what you want to do to move your files. Finally, reinstall and activate PS and any other software you need and you should be good to go.
 
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MacInWin,
I am so grateful for your advice. I have followed it to the letter and, bingo, I reformatted the disk, reloaded ML and transferred everything from my Windows machine. It took about 18 hours elapsed time and I have not yet tried using anything but initially it looks excellent.
Internet is very basic here in the outback (just 13 miles from Nottingham in the centre of the UK!) but in Telecoms terms that is no mans land. My internet comes in by radio through a tiny aerial on the roof.
Very grateful thanks for your sound advice.
Richard
 
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MacInWin

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Glad it all worked for you. I lived in Suffolk, near Bury St. Edmunds, many years ago, so I know what the "outback" is like!
 
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Chas_m
I suppose you are right, but perhaps we should make the telecoms people understand that there really are people who do not live in big conurbations. Very nice for towns to have mega, mega speeds but surely they should begin to give us who live outside just a decent basic service so that businesses located outside the towns can get benefit of some sort.
Richard
 
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I thought the UK government was undertaking a major overhaul re internet to all homes and cable / optic fibre was being used, I part live in the UK down on the south coast and quit isolated but we now get 50 mbp min 90 mbp max on cable.
 
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Oldscribe
I envy you in Switzerland - our favourite holiday place.
It seems you have been listening to the UK Politicians, and yes, that nice Mr Brown promised EVERYWHERE would get at least 2 mbps by 2013. Problem is that the way they think, "everywhere" is London and the South East. Here in the midlands, unless you are right in a big town you don't seem to count. But they are politicians looking for votes with fairy promises. Just not fair because we pay the same line rental as big cities for an almost non-existent service.
Where I am, 13 miles from the City of Nottingham, the landline delivers 0.5 mbps (yes, half a meg) on a good day, and I am not joking when I say that on very wet or very windy days even that struggles through the overhead copper wires. The excuse is always that we are "too far away from the nearest box". I would have thought that in to-day's technological age some simple piece of equipment could be fitted simply to boost the signal. Ironically, the water board have just been replacing the mains water supply to our village, but there was no joined up thinking to put fibre in the ground at the same time - different Utilities you see, but I blame the local council who gave permission for the roadworks and should have insisted.
Hence my move to wireless. I looked at Satellite but that was too expensive. I get 2 mbps which is adequate at the moment but could get 16 if I paid more.

I am happy now and shall not go back.
 
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Come live in Australia then you'll know what the outback is really and how BIG it is .... though I'd say it begins generally about 20kms outside of any major town.... or is that just the moronoshpere perhaps..?? lol!!
 
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I thought the UK government was undertaking a major overhaul re internet to all homes and cable / optic fibre was being used, I part live in the UK down on the south coast and quit isolated but we now get 50 mbp min 90 mbp max on cable.

Only applies in certain, limited, areas. I'm just outside York but no plans at all to upgrade my local exchange to fibre and we're not in a cable area either. 4 - 5 Mbps is the most we get here on a good day with a following wind. Some of my slightly more rural neighbours cannot manage more than 2Mbps. And don't even think about mobile broadband. No plans for 4G in this region, but even a decent 3G signal would be good.
 
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Shadowboxer,
Strangely I can relate to what you say. My daughter has been working for 5 years on an outback cattle station in Northern QLD about 200 miles NW of Mt Isa . Nearest shop was 4 hours away, and year before last we visited following a road trip from Perth to Darwin. Both trips were miles of absolutely nothing. They took us to one of their grazing "paddocks" being 100 square miles - amazing and certainly could not appreciate "outback" without seeing for myself. . Choppers are very much a necessity. We are not quite that isolated!.
Going back later this year via the Red Centre so that should be another stunning adventure.
Richard
 
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G'day Richard,
I knew there'd have to be a few other Aussies onboard in this forum.... I was being a tad facetious though...... we truly live on an amazing continent.... If you're going to the centre this year, I'd be paying special attention to what our aboriginal fellas are up too... check out the work of Steven Strong on forgottenorigin.com for more info.
Cheers.
 

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