I have a new MacBook Pro and I want to open various files I have stored on CD from my old Mac Centris 650. None of them will open on the MacBook because it just doesn't recognize them - they aren't corrupt. How can I open these files? Most are images (Pict, Tiff, EPS). Thanks, Jer
You will need to append the proper filename extensions to them. OS X does not read the file Type and Creator codes that are embedded in your old files created under Mac OS 6, 7, 8, or 9; it relies on filename extensions such as .jpg, .tif, and .pict to determine how to handle them.
I've tried adding the file extension onto the name of a few files and it still doesn't recognize them. I tried .tiff, .tif, .pict, .eps, .png, .jpg, .jpeg and none of them are opening in iPhoto or preview. Is there another app to try opening them in?
You say the files have been stored on CDs. Have you copied them to your MBP's hard drive before trying to rename and open them, or are you trying to rename them on the CDs? The latter won't work, because the CDs are read-only.
There are scores of applications that can open .jpg and .tif files, but if Preview won't open them, it's not very likely that anything else will either, until the problem with the files themselves is identified and solved.
Is it possible that what you stored on the CDs is
aliases to the files, rather than the files themselves? Do the files' icons have little curved arrows in their lower left corners?