Identifying Orphaned Files

Orphaned files in Mac OS 9

    The term orphaned file has different meanings in Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X. Because Mac OS 9 relies exclusively on creator signatures to know which application should open a file, the term orphaned file in Mac OS 9 refers to a file whose creator signature does not belong to any available application. Such orphaned files are easy to locate - simply identify all files whose creator signature does not match any known application. File Buddy does exactly that in Mac OS 9 with the Scan for Orphans command in the Cleaning menu.
    Not so simple is identifying files with creators which don't match anything in the desktop database and yet are not orphans. File Buddy can identify most files installed by Apple, but beyond that you must rely on your own judgement.
    Increasing the Accuracy of the Scan in Mac OS 9
    When attempting to locate an application for a file in Mac OS 9, File Buddy will look in the desktop database of all mounted volumes for a creator which match that of the file in question. Mounting all available disks and rebuilding their desktops prior to the scan will minimize the number of owned files falsely reported as orphans.

Orphaned files in Mac OS X

    Mac OS X can use more than just creator signatures to determine which application should open a file. Furthermore, applications in Mac OS X can declare in their property lists whether they can edit files of a particular type, or simply function as viewers of the type. Hence the term orphaned file in Mac OS X could be interpreted in more than one way. For the purposes of identifying orphaned files in Mac OS X, File Buddy considers a file to be orphaned if Mac OS X thinks there are no applications available which can open the file.
    Such files could simply be missing the correct creator, file type, or file extension, as Mac OS X can use any or all of these in determining an application to open files.

Reporting the Results of the Scan

    Files identified as possible orphans are sent to a variation of the file list window. The window is identical to a standard file list window with the exception of a single addition button located just above the list on the left side of the window.
    Use the menu displayed when this button is clicked contains commands to:
    Flag a creator or specific file to be excluded from future scans.
    Change creators to any on the info window's creator menu, or another one of your choosing.

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