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Fixing an iDVD “locked” file

I still use iDVD a lot, because it’s quick and easy to spit out a DVD either with simple menus, or an as auto-play disc with no menus at all… but every now and then, I get this warning about the file being locked.

This specific error came up when I copied the file to another Mac, but I’ve seen similar locking problem even on the same Mac and even with the same user…

Here’s the fix: command-click on the file in the Finder, and select Show Package Contents from the contextual menu. This will open a Finder window showing you the files.

Go into Contents, and then Resources, and look for the project.lock file, and delete it. That should fix it.

Bonus Tip: If you want a fast way of recursively opening all folders in list view, select the main folder, and hit command-option-right arrow. Want to close them all? command-option-left arrow.

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Eee PC and DVD

Even before I got the Eee PC I had read through the forums and learned that you could restore it if you totally mucked it up with the included disk. Ummm, yeah, but the Eee PC does not have an optical disk drive, right?

I had found this Universal Drive Adapter while ordering something else and figured for the price I’d grab one. Once I got it I pulled the DVD drive from my dead G4 hooked it all up, and it worked. I stuck in a DVD with a photo slide show and managed to browse the files and view the images. Success!

Obviously this is not exactly a good portable solution, but if I ever do need a DVD drive connected, it’s nice to know I can do it. (Yeah, I know you can buy an external USB DVD drive, but I was more interested in a cheap solution using what I already had.)