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How to Stop Versions and Return Save-As

Death to Versions, Long Live Save-As!

I got rid of Versions and got back Save-As for Pages, Numbers, Keynote, and Preview. It also works for TextEdit.

I have done a clean install of Lion from a bootable Flash drive, reinstalled iWorks 09, refused to let iWorks do a software update, and now I have Pages and Numbers without Versions and with Save-As. Once you update iWorks it uses Versions so don't let that happen. Also you can't go back to the original iWorks programs once you update them. It says they do not work on your system when you reinstall them. You have to reinstall Lion fresh then install iWorks. I use manual updates and I remove iWorks 09 update. It is annoying but it works. No full screen support which I never used anyway as I have multiple screens.

I have also deleted the Preview program and installed the Preview from Snow Leopard. Now that is also without Version and Save-As. I don't use TextEdit but I read you can also take that from Snow Leopard and it works. The details of how to do this are on these websites:

http://osxdaily.com/2012/01/27/how-to-install-the-older-preview-app-from-snow-le opard-in-mac-os-x-lion/

http://www.formaceyesonly.com/2011/11/25/how-to-downgrade-lions-preview-and-text edit-to-snow-leopard-versions/

I have made a summary:

1. From Snow Leopard, make a copy of these:

FILE: /Applications/Preview.app

FILE: /Applications/TextEdit.app

FOLDER: /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/MeshKit.framework/

2. Rename the Snow Leopard Preview.app to “Previews.app” and the old TextEdit.app to TextEdits.app (Adding an S at the end)

3. Copy Previews.app and TextEdits.app to the Applications folder.

4. Copy “MeshKit.framework” to /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/

5. Download AppZapper from appzapper.com. You can use the free version 5 times, you only need to use it twice.

6. Empty your trash. This helps for the final step.

7. Drag the existing Lion Preview program to AppZapper.

8. It will tell you that it cannot delete a system App unless you change the settings. Do that.

9. Drag the existing Lion Preview program to AppZapper which deletes it.

10. See if it automatically uses this Leopard Previews to open images. If not then set this as the default program for each image type.

11. Go to the trash and collect the files for the Lion Preview program and store them in a folder in case you need them again.

12. Drag the existing Lion TextEdit program to AppZapper which deletes it.

13. Set this Leopard TextEdit as the default program for each document type you want it to use.

Now for what I do which uses Pages, Numbers and Preview, I never see Versions (thank God) and Save-As is my little friend again. 3 days to sort this out.

If Mountain Lion has not fixed this I will consider going to Windows 8. This is madness.

iPod touch (4th generation), iOS 5.1, MacBook, iPad, iPod. Lion.

Posted on Apr 21, 2012 1:42 PM

39 replies

petermac87

Level 5

7,447 points

Apr 21, 2012 7:01 PM in response to Steve Maximus

Now that you have posted your hack, and had many I depth conversations with yourself, do you think you can happily go away and play with your hacked system and leave us in peace?

You made your point at the start.

Thanks

Pete

Apr 22, 2012 12:03 AM in response to nerowolfe

You are alerting people to something that is not true, therefore while you have created this responsibility you feel you have, you are not doing it wisely. This is adding software, not hacking a system, so you have over reacted.

As for filing an issue with Apple, I'm aware of an issue in the Special Characters set and an issue with Numbers that I filed a report on almost 3 years ago and they have not been fixed. So that is a waste of time. I live in the real world.

I suggest you look at my original post, I am alerting people to solutions posted on Mac websites. If people have an issue they can ask me here and they can go to those websites as well so there is three sources of support. Thank you.

Apr 22, 2012 12:11 AM in response to petermac87

Pete, I was responding to comments made here. Therefore I was not talking to myself. People made comments which were not true as they didn't follow the links and understand the process properly. It is not a hack. The only hacks here are people who do not realize this is simply installing Apple software on an Apple system. This is not your forum. You don't own the Apple forums. Therefore please leave this discussion. There were over 66,000 views on a forum about this topic and 47 pages of comments. Some people want a work around solution. I have given one. Let those people that want this to have it. The idea that your viewpoint is the only viewpoint is the same problem that I have with Apple. They have not given people a choice. Since I made my point at the start none of these hysterical responses were needed. I am aware that some people like to use this forum as a soap box and spend considerable time here attacking others for their posts. I am offering people who want it a solution to a significant problem. You might not like that solution. The answer is to leave this forum alone and let those that want a solution find it. You can leave yourself in peace by staying off this particular posting and getting back to whatever important things it is that you do with you significant life.

petermac87

Level 5

7,447 points

Apr 22, 2012 12:47 AM in response to Steve Maximus

You could have said all that in two lines. Getting boring.

Pete

Apr 22, 2012 12:50 AM in response to petermac87

You don't own this forum, it is not a hack, it helps people. One line. Nice!

softwater

Level 5

5,556 points

Apr 22, 2012 3:37 AM in response to Steve Maximus

Well done, Steve. Both for providing information that some people may wish to use and for not letting the backalley bullies silence your voice. As you've said at least twice, I think, if they're not interested they should just butt out. Not to do so contravenes the ToU that some of them are so fond of quoting to others...

I won't use this particular method myself - I prefer Snow Leopard - but I'm of the view that forums should be places to get - not to censor - information.

As you have found, there are some 'noisey neighbours' here that think they can or should dictate what others should be allowed to know, think they have the right to define what counts as a legitimate 'problem', and/or think that helping people solve (their definition of ) "problems" on ASC is their personal responsibility — they should start their own support website, instead of claiming to speak for us all on who will or will not be helped here.

I certainly would have no problem helping someone who'd tried this method and then needed help sorting out any problems on their system, related to it or not.

Apr 22, 2012 4:02 AM in response to softwater

Thank you Softwater. I was pretty surprised by their responses. The information I provide here is elsewhere on the web. I was simply saving people the 3 days it took for me to find it, implement it and test it. I unfortunately can't stay on Snow Leopard as I have MobileMe accounts for work and I don't want to lose sync and tell everyone a new email address. Therefore this solution is for those that have to use Lion. I envy you being able to stay on Snow Leopard. Until Lion I have not used these forums as everything just worked. Now I will stop using them again because I have better things to do in my life than be attacked by people who didn't even read the post realizing it is not a hack it is a software instillation. I have switched off email notification from this forum as I prefer to have nothing more to do with these people and their arrogance. Again thank you for your comments.

softwater

Level 5

5,556 points

Apr 22, 2012 4:04 AM in response to Steve Maximus

You do right. At least two of the previous posters are self-confessed 'flame war' artists.

I'd just add that the most important rule before anyone tries to run your procedure is

1. Back up your system.

The second most important one is

2. Back up your system again.

With two backups in the bag, the only thing anyone risks losing is their time. And even then, they may well learn a fair bit about how OS X works in the process.

All good. 🙂

etresoft

Level 8

46,530 points

Apr 22, 2012 6:01 AM in response to softwater

...and everyone else's time when they come here looking for help to get their system running again.

It is not a crime to not like Lion. If so, don't install it. If you don't like change, then stick with what you like. Why would anyone bother to update to Lion and then hack up their system to remove the upgrades. That is just pointless.

The one piece of advice we hate to give is erase your hard drive and reinstall. When people come here having performed such terminal hacks they found on the Internet that they don't understand or even remember, erasing and reinstalling is the only help we can provide. Congratulations, you have made the world just a little bit more difficult and confusing.

petermac87

Level 5

7,447 points

Apr 22, 2012 6:17 AM in response to softwater

softwater wrote:

You do right. At least two of the previous posters are self-confessed 'flame war' artists.

Hello Softwater. Bit quiet over at your Blog you went to, never to return here? Good to see you haven't changed.

Steve, good luck with the Hack and happy to see you have now closed the thread as answered, even though you answered it yourself. Someone may stumble on it one day and find it useful, just hope they don't come here because it stuffed up their system and need help.

Good Luck

Happy all is resolved

Pete

Apr 22, 2012 7:06 AM in response to softwater

Softwater, I looked up flame war artist. I didn't even know that these people existed. I see they can't read simple things like the fact that I had to upgrade to Lion due to MobileMe, and they still think this is a hack or that I can't update my system. Their delusional refusal to confront these facts seems to be part of the flame war psychology. I will try again to get this forum to stop emailing me as it seems to have ignored my request I guess that is an Apple thing these days. Enjoy and thanks again for the advice. As I now know about flame wars I say "Don't let the trolls get you down."

Scan

Level 1

8 points

Apr 22, 2012 7:50 AM in response to Steve Maximus

Hi,

entirely agree with you, Apple forced MobileMe users to upgrade to Lion if you don't want to loose your email address if not I would NEVER have upgraded, was completely happy with SL. I don't like Lion OS, from Versions to the whole iPad OS looking style, hate Launchpad and other useless stuff but the thing which upsetted me the most is the Battery life and general performance I have since Lion (Fans almost always on with Core i7 and 4Gb of Ram!! - SMC reset and other short solutions didn't resolve that). However, I am not modifying my OS to get rid of Versions as I don't want more trouble. Hope that Mountain Lion will fix that... We are at mercy of their good will.

etresoft

Level 8

46,530 points

Apr 22, 2012 8:31 AM in response to Scan

Scan wrote:

Apple forced MobileMe users to upgrade to Lion if you don't want to loose your email address

Not true. You can use iCloud on any modern e-mail client.

the thing which upsetted me the most is the Battery life and general performance I have since Lion (Fans almost always on with Core i7 and 4Gb of Ram!! - SMC reset and other short solutions didn't resolve that). ... Hope that Mountain Lion will fix that...

I suggest you start your own question to get that problem fixed. It isn't normal. The last thing you want to do is apply a software update to a system that is having problems like that.

Scan

Level 1

8 points

Apr 22, 2012 9:03 AM in response to etresoft

From Apple iCloud FAQ:

"iCloud requires iOS 5 on iPhone 3GS or later, iPod touch (3rd and 4th generation), iPad, or iPad 2; a Mac computer with OS X Lion; or a PC with Windows Vista or Windows 7 (Outlook 2007 or 2010 or an up-to-date browser is required for accessing email, contacts and calendars)."

and also:

I have an active MobileMe subscription. How do I sign up for iCloud?

You can move from MobileMe to iCloud anytime between now and June 30, 2012. Before you do, update all your devices to the latest software required for iCloud. Then when you’re ready to move your MobileMe account to iCloud, go to me.com/move.

iCloud supported system requirements: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4759

Then, check that about the battery life, it is not my imagination and not a coincidence:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3747360

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3200038

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3194235?answerId=15860855022#15860855022

etc, etc...and this is only Apple forums...

Scan

Level 1

8 points

Apr 22, 2012 9:10 AM in response to softwater

Softwater,

I don't see anymore your last post and yes I knew about that new trend (iPad OS looking style) in Apple so I am resigned. Also I don't use some features like Launchpad so I deleted it from my Dock, no problem, the thing which worries me is Battery life and general performance, hope Mountain Lion will improve that. Cheers,

How to Stop Versions and Return Save-As