blind folio Chapter 1 Welcome to iMacbooks.mhprofessional.com/downloads/products/...If you have an iMac DV model or any iMac made in the summer of 2000 or later, your iMac includes

HowTo-Tght (8) / How to Do Everything with Your iMac / Stauffer / 3172-1 / Chapter 1blind folio 3

Chapter 1 Welcome to iMac

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How to…■ Prepare yourself for using your iMac

■ Figure out all the parts of the iMac

■ Set up and move your iMac

■ Start, restart, and put iMac to sleep

In 1998, Apple Computer set out to create a different sort of computer from those that had beenseen in the past—one designed specifically for consumer users who wanted to get on theInternet. They called it the iMac, to suggest that it was the first “Internet” Macintosh marketed. Ituses a lot of the parts and software that a regular Power Macintosh computer uses, but it offersenough differences to make it a whole new idea. And it’s a very exciting idea—a friendly,easy-to-use computer that can still do just about anything at all.

In the fall of 1999, Apple refreshed the iMac line with a new iMac called the iMac DV. ThisiMac model looked only slightly different from the original iMac, but it piled on the features,including more RAM, a faster processor, and better video. The major difference, though, was theinclusion of DVD drives (for watching DVD movies) and FireWire, a special type of port thatenables you to connect digital video camcorders to your iMac for editing video.

By the spring of 2001, the iMac DV’s qualities had extended to the entire line-up of iMacs,and Apple added another interesting twist—Mac OS X, the company’s new, high-end operatingsystem. iMacs introduced in early 2001 can also sport CD-RW drives in place of DVD drives,which enable the iMac to “burn” audio and data CDs. (All iMacs introduced in the summer of2001 have CD-RW drives.) And Apple has continued to improve the entire iMac experience byincluding applications such as iTunes and iMovie with all recent iMac models.

As if this weren’t enough, it turns out that the iMac is great-looking. (The translucent,polycarbonate shell is actually the same plastic used to make bullet-proof shielding.) But don’tlet the fashionable looks fool you. The iMac is a full computer, based on the Macintosh operatingsystem (calledMac OS). Your iMac can run just about any Macintosh program, read and edit justabout any computer document, and can certainly take full advantage of the Internet. In fact, it’sdesigned to be just as functional in a school or small business as it is at home.

As the title of this book suggests, if you have an iMac, you can do just about anything youcan do with any other sort of computer. You’re ready to go.

What Makes iMac Different and CooliMac offers a number of distinguishing features beyond looks. The iMac is a powerful computer,based on Apple’s PowerPC G3 processors. Ease of use was important when Apple created iMac.The iMac is designed to help you get on the Internet, connect peripherals, and even attach to anetwork easily. It has all the important stuff built in—a modem, Ethernet port, graphics—plus twoeasy, modern ways to add extras: Universal Serial Bus and FireWire ports. Moreover, it comeswith applications already installed that you can use for a variety of home or home-office tasks.

4 How to Do Everything with Your iMac

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CHAPTER 1: Welcome to iMac 5


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The iMac is also designed to work collaboratively with other computers over the Internet ora local area network of Macs or PCs. It offers some special ways to transmit, share, and translatefiles that other computers use so you can edit and share them with others.

What Is the Internet?It’s obvious just from the “i” in iMac’s name that the Internet will be a huge focus of this bookand your experience with the computer, so you’ll need to know what it is. The Internet is thename given to a global system for connecting computers to one another using various sorts ofcable, wire, and even wireless technologies. Once connected, these computers can sharedocuments and transfer files between one another. The result is electronic mail, message areas,and the World Wide Web.

The Internet began as a government project to move data over long distances, with redundaniesto survive some sort of wartime or natural disaster. Eventually, it became an imporant way toconnect university computing centers and, later on, individuals. In the early 1990s the corporateworld caught on and electronic mail and messaging became two of the most popular ways to use apersonal computer.

So what makes it the Internet? Any computer using a particular language called theTransmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) can connect to the Internet. All youneed is a modem or a network connection and an Internet connection through an Internet serviceprovider (ISP). The ISP gives you an address on the Internet, called an IP address, which givesyour iMac a unique identity on this global network. Once you have an address, you’re ready tosend and receive Internet documents.

Care for the Case

Wondering how to clean your iMac’s case? The plastics are durable, but they can still bescratched by abrasives or hard-edged objects. Of course, any computer case can be scratched,but the iMac will look a little worse for the wear since it’s designed to be more attractivethan most computers.

To clean the case, Apple recommends you shut down the iMac, pull its plug (from thewall socket or surge protector), and wipe the case with a dry, lint-free cloth. Avoid usingwater or liquid cleaners, since the iMac’s case has seams where liquid could conceivablypenetrate the case and damage the electronics.

To clean the screen, use a slightly damp, clean, lint-free cloth or a cloth from packetsdesigned specifically to clean computer monitors (you can get them at computer andoffice-supply stores). Don’t spray liquids directly on the iMac (spray water lightly on thecloth itself) and don’t use any harsh cleaners.



To learn more about using the iMac with the Internet, see “Get Online with theAssistants,” later in this chapter, Chapter 6 and Chapters 18 through 23, whereI discuss the Internet in detail.

iMac Is Still a MacThe iMac, ultimately, is a Macintosh computer. It’s been simplified, designed in very cleverways, and made to work well on the Internet. At the heart of the iMac, though, is a standardPowerPC G3 processor and the Mac OS.

Any of those Macintosh programs (designed for your iMac’s version of the Mac OS)available in the store or through mail order will work with your iMac. Even new versions of theMac OS available from stores support the iMac automatically—you don’t have to buy specialsoftware that’s only for iMac. There are really only four things you need to look for whenshopping for software:

■ Does it install or run from CD-ROM?Remember, the iMac doesn’t have a floppy drive.Many slot-loading iMac models can also support software that runs on a DVD-ROM.

■ Is it designed for PowerPC?Some older Macintosh programs aren’t specificallydesigned for PowerPC processors like the powerful processor in an iMac. Those oldprograms should still run if you’re using Mac OS 9.1, but they might slow down thesystem. (And they may not work at all in Mac OS X.)

■ Is it designed for your iMac’s version of the Mac OS?Make sure the program isdesigned to be compatible with the version of the Mac OS that your iMac is running.That means, specifically, that it is compatible with Mac OS 8.1-9.1 (or higher),depending on the version you have.

■ Does it run in Mac OS X?If you use Mac OS X as your primary operating system, you’llwant to use “native” applications whenever possible. Any iMac running Mac OS X isstill capable of running older Mac applications—in fact, you can boot into Mac OS 9.1(or later) if you need to work in the “Classic” environment. It’s more efficient andeffective, however, to use applications designed specifically for Mac OS X, which offermore features and better performance from within Mac OS X.

The iMac does not run software specifically written for DOS, Windows, Windows 95/98, orWindows NT/2000, although many programs are written in both PC and Macintosh versions.Sometimes you’ll even find both versions on the same CD-ROM.

And that’s not to say the iMac can’t run PC software at all—it just can’t run PC softwareright out of the box. Special software programs, such as Connectix Virtual PC and FWBSoftware’s RealPC, allow you to run those programs on your iMac (see Chapter 26). Thatsoftware, calledemulationsoftware, can trick Windows programs into believing that they’rebeing run on a Windows-based machine, even as they’re being run on your iMac. It’s a neat tooland it can be done pretty inexpensively.





Computers that use Intel-compatible processors and DOS, Windows, or Windows NTare often called “PCs” for the sake of convenience and to differentiate them fromMacs and iMacs. I’ll follow that convention despite the fact that your iMac is a“personal computer.”

iMac Uses the Latest HardwareGet your iMac home and there’s a decent chance that you’ll soon want external peripherals forit—you may want a printer, a document scanner, and a digital camera, or you may want toconnect your iMac to other computers and copy files between them. Part of the excitement of theiMac stems from its Universal Serial Bus (USB) and, on recent models, FireWire ports that canbe used to connect high-speed peripherals.

USB is incredibly easy to use—you pretty much just plug things in and they work. Plus, it’sa standard that the latest Mac and PC computers can both use. That means many USB devicesare compatible with iMacs right out of the box. That said, some USB devices require specialdriver software,so read the box carefully, ask a salesperson, or just focus on USB devices thatshow up in the Mac section of the store. If it has a Mac or iMac logo on the box, then it likelyincludes the software drivers you need.

In some cases, you’ll need a Mac OS X-specific driver if you wish to work withthe device in Mac OS X. See Chapter 26 (or Chapter 25, if the device is a printer)for details.

If you have an iMac DV model or any iMac made in the summer of 2000 or later, your iMacincludes additional ports, called FireWire ports. These high-speed ports are included for copyingdata between your iMac and a digital camcorder so you can edit video. But that’s not allFireWire is good for. It is also popular for connecting other devices, including high-speedexternal hard disks and removable disks. You’ll find that many external devices are availablewith FireWire connections. (FireWire ports are based on something called the IEEE-1394standard, so you’ll sometimes see devices that say they use the “1394 port.”) As an added bonus,FireWire is easy to set up, with the same “hot-pluggability” that USB offers.

You need to watch out for peripherals made for older Mac computers. These days, all ofApple’s new products use USB ports, but older Mac printers and scanners may use eitherserialports orSCSIports for their connections. That’s not the end of the world—actually, many ofthose other peripherals made for older Macintosh computers can still be used, but you’ll need anadapter and some know-how. We’ll discuss various peripherals in Chapter 26.

iMac: A Quick TourBefore you get into the heart of setting up your iMac, let’s take a quick look at it to get an ideawhat everything is and how things connect. You’ll find that the iMac has some interesting andsurprising nooks and crannies.


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Different iMac ModelsOne of the things you’ll need to know throughout this book are the different iMac models. Thisis important for two different reasons. First, some iMac models offer particular software bundlesand computer programs that other iMacs don’t. If I discuss a program that you don’t have, you’llwant to be sure it’s because you have a different iMac model, not because you’ve lost the CD.Second, some iMac models differ significantly in how you deal with the iMac, including, forinstance, how you plug in devices or how you insert CD-ROMs.

Original iMacsThere are four distinct versions of the original iMac series, if you don’t count each color as adifferent version. Each of these iMac versions had a tray-loading CD-ROM drive, and differedprimarily in the colors offered, RAM capacities, processor speeds (ranging from 233 MHz to 333MHz), and the size of their hard disks. These Macs generally shipped with Mac OS 8.6 throughMac OS 9, although they do support Mac OS X, as long as you’ve upgraded the RAM, as theoriginal 32MB in most of these models is inadequate for modern computing—128MB or higheris recommended.

Although the original iMacs are still covered in this text, theThird Editionfocuses onissues involving later versions of most of the software—including the Mac OS—than theversions that shipped with original iMacs. If you haven’t updated your iMac with thelatest versions of the Mac OS, Palm Desktop, Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, andothers, you should consider doing so. See Chapter 26 and Appendix A for details.

Slot-Loading iMacsIn the fall of 1999, Apple introduced a new line if iMacs that all feature slot-loading CD-ROM orDVD-ROM drives. At that time, the distinction between the low-end and high-end models wasmade by calling the higher-end models iMac DV, which suggested that they had DVD-ROMdrives and FireWire ports. All slot-loading iMacs also feature improved, higher-fidelity soundthanks to improved integrated speakers. These iMacs have also been designed to avoid using aninternal fan, so they run quieter than most other computers.

In early 2001, Apple again changed things around, offering iMacs that could feature aCD-ROM, DVD-ROM, or a CD-RW (rewriteable) drive. (In the summer of 2001, all iMacsbegan shipping with CD-RW drives as the standard.) Still in the same slot-loading enclosure,these models also included larger hard drives, more RAM, and faster processors. In May of2001, Apple began shipping iMacs that include both Mac OS X and Mac OS 9.1 (or 9.2, in somecases) on the hard disk. Although such iMacs generally default to Mac OS 9.1, in the future(likely beginning in early 2002), iMacs will default into Mac OS X.

From the FrontHere you can get acquainted quickly with all the different ways you’ll interact with your iMacon a daily basis. Figure 1-1 shows a slot-loading iMac from the front.







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Here are some basic notes about the front of your iMac:

■ Place your mouse close to the keyboard and on a mousepad, which is recommended forsmooth movement and to help keep the inside of the mouse clean. (The Pro Mouse,shipped with slot-loading iMacs, doesn’t require a mousepad due to its optical design.)

■ All iMacs have a Power button on their front; some also have aPOWERkey on thekeyboard. The two keys are functionally equivalent except that the iMac’s front Powerkey can be used to restart some iMacs (later tray-loading and all slot-loading models)when frozen. It can also be used to put the iMac to sleep during normal operation.

On the slot-loading iMac, the Power button on the front of the iMac pulses while theiMac is in sleep mode.

FIGURE 1-1 The slot-loading iMac from the front

The display (15", about 13.8" viewable)

Speakers

Front Powerbutton

Headphonejacks

Slot-loading CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, or CD-RW drive



■ The iMac has shipped with two different keyboards—the space-saving original AppleUSB Keyboard and the newer full-sized Pro Keyboard design. The USB Keyboard is,in fact, a full-featured keyboard—it even includesPAGE UPandPAGE DOWNkeys andARROW keys. The Pro keyboard, however, offers two sets of modifier keys (Z, OPTION,

andSHIFT) as well as special keys for changing sound volume and for ejecting CD media.

■ Feel free to switch the mouse from one side to the other. USB devices can be unpluggedand plugged back in even while the iMac is turned on and active.

■ On the original iMac, the CD-ROM drive needs to be worked with carefully. If youdon’t have a CD in the drive already, you can open it by pressing the colored button onthe front. The drive pops open. (If you do have a CD in the drive, drag the CD icon onthe iMac’s desktop to the Trash icon. This is explained more in Chapter 2.) You’ll needto pull the CD-ROM drive tray out with a finger. Then, place CDs as you would in anyCD player and lightly push the tray back until it clicks shut. You’ll hear the drive whirup to speed and the CD’s icon will appear on the Mac’s desktop.

■ On the slot-loading iMac, CDs and DVDs are a little easier to deal with. Just slide thedisc lightly into the drive until the drive catches and pulls it in the rest of the way.(If you don’t feel the drive catch, don’t force it—make sure you don’t already have adisc in the drive first.) When a CD is ejected, be careful not to grab it too quickly; makesure it’s completely ejected by the iMac first, then grab it.

From the SideThe ports for your iMac’s peripherals and Internet or network connections are on the side of theiMac. On the original iMac, you open the port door by putting your finger in the hole and lightlypulling down and away to expose the ports for connecting your iMac to devices, to the phoneline, and to the Internet.

The slot-loading iMacs don’t have a port door. Figure 1-2 shows the ports for a slot-loadingiMac—earlier tray-loading iMacs have the same ports with the exception of FireWire; the portsare arranged somewhat differently, but labeled the same.

Here are some things to keep in mind about the side of your iMac:

■ The modem and Ethernet ports look similar, but they accept different types of cable. Themodem port accepts a typical RJ-11 “modular” telephone cable connector. The Ethernetport accepts an RJ-45 10BaseT cable (also called “twisted-pair”) connector. If yourconnector isn’t fitting properly, examine the cable and the ports carefully.

■ On the original iMac, the Reset and Programmer’s buttons are best selected with astraightened paperclip. On the slot-loading iMac, the Reset button is an actual button.Be careful though—pressing either while your iMac is running will immediately restartthe iMac and cause you to lose data!

■ USB ports accept USB cables in one direction only, so if the USB connector doesn’t fiteasily, turn it over. FireWire ports are the same way.







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■ The ports for the external speaker and microphone are stereo miniplug ports. (The latestslot-loading models don’t have a microphone port.) The microphone port will accept aPlainTalk microphone (from Apple), a miniplug-compatible microphone, or a line-inconnection from an audio source, like a stereo receiver. The speaker port is a line-outsource; it isn’t amplified, so it will only work with powered speakers or a stereo receiver,not with headphones or inexpensive, nonpowered PC speakers.

■ Most slot-loading iMac models include a video-out port, which you can use for videomirroring. It’s found hidden behind a removable plastic grille on the backside of theiMac. This port enables you to connect an external monitor (or a VGA-based overheadprojector) that can display the same image as the iMac’s screen at the exact same time.

FIGURE 1-2 The slot-loading iMac’s ports

Microphone (not onthe latest models)

Speakers

USB portsFireWire ports(not on some models)

Ethernet port

Modem port

Reset button Programmer’s button





Before You Set Up iMacIf you’ve just gotten your iMac and you’re waiting for me to tell you how to get started, this isyour section. I’ll also talk about some relevant issues for users who have their iMac running—stuff not necessarily covered by the iMac manual from Apple. Let’s take a quick look.

Get a Surge ProtectorNot enough people get surge protectors for their computers, and I suggest you run out and buyone right now (or at least later today) if you plan to start or continue using your iMac. The surgeprotector is designed to let you plug in a number of peripherals while stopping power surgesfrom reaching your valuable equipment. It keeps your iMac from getting fried, basically, whena power surge occurs thanks to a lightning strike, power outage, or problem with your (or yourpower company’s) wiring.

You need to get the kind of surge protector that includes protection for the phone line, too.In my experience, extreme surges occur more frequently over phone lines than over power lines.Since your phone line will probably almost always be plugged into your iMac’s modem port, it’spossible for such a surge to go straight into the modem, causing it to cease functioning. In fact,this could affect your entire iMac.

A good surge protector costs at least $25, probably more depending on the features. Don’tget an $8 protector and think you’re done—often, those are just power strips (giving you moreplug receptacles), not protectors. Check the box to see if the manufacturer offers a guarantee orequipment replacement insurance. If so, there’s a decent chance the protector actually works well.

Keep Glare to a MinimumAnother important consideration before you set up your iMac is where the windows are. I meanactual windows—those things in the wall that let sunlight in.

In general, avoid having a window directly in front of the iMac (that is, when you sit at theiMac, the window is at your back) or directly behind the iMac (when you look at the iMac’sscreen, you can see the window behind it). The reason for this is simple—glare and eyestrain.If the window is directly behind you, then sunlight will glare off the screen and make it harder tosee text and images on your iMac. If the window is directly behind the iMac, your eyes will havetrouble adjusting to the varying levels of light, causing strain and fatigue.

Along those same lines, it’s always a good idea to look away from your monitor for a minuteor more every 15 minutes. That means looking out the window (which should be directly to yourright or left if possible), reading a bit, or just letting yourself relax and perform eye exercises,raise a dumbbell, get up for some water, or do whatever you do to relax.

Don’t Forget the ErgonomicsIt’s also important—especially if you plan to use your iMac for an extended period of time—toconsider the ergonomic implications of your setup. While I’m not a doctor or chiropractor, I canpass on some general advice. You might want to consult an expert regarding your setup, especiallyif you’re experiencing any pain or strain from repetitive movements.



First, your hands and legs should generally approach the table and chair that support youriMac at a 90-degree angle. That means elbows at 90 degrees and knees at 90 degrees with yourfeet flat on the floor, if possible. Adjust your table and/or chair if neither of these angles is correct.

Next, you shouldn’t look far down or far up at your monitor—don’t crane your neck, in otherwords. If you’re looking down on your monitor, make a trip to the computer store to purchase astand to raise the iMac. (You can also lower your adjustable chair, if you have one, as long asthat doesn’t adversely affect your sitting and typing position.) The top of the iMac’s screenshould be level with your eyes when you’re looking straight ahead.

In fact, looking straight ahead is exactly what you want to do. Do you have a desk thatpositions the monitor off to the side at an angle? They should be illegal. You should lookdirectlyat a monitor that is in front of you, not to one side. Otherwise, you’ll have your neck and/or backcocked sideways for minutes or hours at a time—not a good thing. It’s like driving cross-countrywhile looking out the driver-side window. That would start to hurt after a while, wouldn’t it?

Do you have padded mouse and wrist accessories? Don’t let them allow you to get lazy. Theideal wrist position is actually over the keys slightly, not resting on the wrist pad—at least,according to most things I’ve heard and read. If you took piano class as a kid, then you knowhow you’re supposed to hold your hands. Keep them aloft for a while. When you’re tired, don’trest your wrists on little gel things—quit typing.

Finally, the second you start to feel pain or strain, get a hold of your doctor. (Repetitivestrain injuries are serious and often covered by health insurance policies.) You may be able to getadd-on keyboards, mice, or some other solution for working with your iMac. Or your doctor mayprescribe a vacation to the Bahamas for two weeks. Especially if you slip her five bucks or so.

Set Up iMacNow for the moment of truth. When you’ve accounted for surges, glare, and ergonomics, thesetup instructions that come with your iMac are perfectly acceptable.

1. Pull the iMac out of the box, place it on the table and use the little bar to tilt it upslightly, if desired.

Technically the iMac is portable, but it’s still heavy at 35 pounds (40 for the earliertray-loading models). Apple recommends grasping both the handle and the area underthe front of the iMac’s screen, right under the CD/DVD drive, and lifting or carryingthe iMac in two hands.

2. Plug the power cord into the power socket on the back of the iMac, then plug it into yoursurge protector.

3. Using the phone wire that came with the surge protector, connect the phone wire fromyour wall socket to the Phone In socket on your surge protector. Use the phone cord thatcame with your iMac to stretch from the Phone Out on the surge protector to the modemsocket on the iMac. (Note: You can use a small phone splitter from Radio Shack or asimilar store if you want to place a telephone next to your iMac.)



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4. Plug the iMac’s keyboard cord into one of the two USB ports.

5. Plug your iMac’s mouse into the appropriate USB port on the keyboard (depending onwhether you work the mouse with your left hand or right hand).

6. Press the Power button on the front of the iMac. The little light on the Power button builtinto the iMac (not on the keyboard, if your keyboard has aPOWERkey) will light up.

That’s it. If all goes well, your iMac should fire up and be ready to go. You’ll see the famousHappy Mac, followed by either the “Welcome to Macintosh” or Mac OS X screen. Soon, if thisis the first time you’ve turned on your iMac, you’ll be greeted by the Setup Assistant.

If you don’t see anything on the screen, if you see something blinking, or if it’s been,say, 20 minutes and nothing is happening and the power light is amber, pulsating, oroff, turn to Chapter 29 to troubleshoot your iMac.

Get Online with the AssistantsOnce the iMac has started up, you’ll be greeted by the Setup Assistant. The Mac OS’s Assistantsare designed to walk you through some of the basic settings that your iMac needs to operatewithout making you dig too deep into all the configuration controls. The Assistant, instead, asksyou plain questions and helps you enter the answers.

Both Mac OS X and Mac OS 9 have Setup Assistants, and they’re a little different. Whichyou see first depends on which OS is selected as your primary operating system. But, you willneed to set up each operating system the first time you launch it, so you’ll likely encounter bothAssistants at some point.

If the Assistants described in this section don’t sound familiar, you may be dealing withan older iMac and/or Mac OS version. (You’ll also sometimes see these assistants whenyou re-install Mac OS 9.1 or higher.) In that case, you’ll encounter separate Setup andInternet Assistants, which should be fairly self-explanatory. Simply make choices in theAssistant windows and click the right-facing arrow to move on.

The iMac Setup AssistantThe first Assistant you’ll encounter (if your iMac defaults to Mac OS 9.1 or later) is the iMacSetup Assistant. The point of this series of screens is to retrieve registration information, get youconnected to the Internet, and set up other items. After seeing the “Welcome” screen (in manydifferent languages) click the mouse button to run through the Setup Assistant and answer thequestions. When you’ve answered a question, click the Continue button to move to the nextscreen. If you need to go back to a previous question, click the Go Back button.

You should note that the main purpose of this assistant is to register your computer and sendthat registration over the Internet. If you prefer not to set up your iMac for Internet access at thispoint, you can choose the No, Not Right Now option when asked if you’d like to set up Internetaccess. You can later use the Internet Setup Assistant (in Mac OS 9.1 or later) to create anInternet account.





1If you do opt to set up an Internet account, you can use the assistant to set up a special trial

account with Earthlink, or you can set up your iMac with an existing account. If you choose anexisting account, you’ll want to have all information from your ISP handy—with help from theassistant, you’ll enter everything by hand. When you’re done establishing an Internet account orotherwise working online, you’ll be connected to the Internet automatically by the assistant.

Mac OS 9 has other assistants that, oddly enough, don’t seem to launch any more onnew iMac models. (They used to with earlier models.) If you open the Applications (MacOS 9) folder, then the Utilities folder, you’ll find an Assistants folder. Double-click theMac OS Setup Assistant to perform some basic setup tasks, including setting an owner’sname and, if desired, a printer. (These are topics that are also covered later in the book,if you’d like to worry about them then.) Double-click the Internet Setup Assistant ifyou’d like to get some help establishing an Internet connection.

The Mac OS X Setup AssistantThe Mac OS X Setup Assistant begins in a way similar to the iMac Setup Assistant—after themusical “Welcome” screen, you begin by choosing your country and clicking the Continue button.You continue to answer questions in the Assistant and click the Continue button to move to thenext question; click the Go Back button to return to a previous screen. After the initial screens,you’ll be asked to enter registration information and some demographic questions—don’t forgetto check No next to the I Would Like… options if you don’t want to be contacted by Apple orthird parties.

The next screens are more interesting. On the Create Your Account screen, enter your fullname in the Name entry box, followed by an eight-character (or less) user name in the ShortName box. This will be your name on the Mac OS X system, and it will be the name of yourpersonalhomefolder, where your documents and preferences will be stored. Next, enter aneight-character (or less) password in the Password and Verify boxes (since you can’t see whatyou type, you’ll enter it twice). Remember that passwords are case-sensitive, so if you use anycapital letters, you’ll always have to type those letters as capitals. In the Password Hint entrybox, enter a hint that doesn’t give away your password, but that you can use to help rememberit, if desired.

The password and user name are necessary if you decide to enable Multiple Users,discussed in Chapter 27, or to access your iMac from another computer on a networkas discussed in Chapter 28. (You’ll also sometimes use the password and user namewhen installing new software.) Also, the password can be any length, but the first eightcharacters are the only ones that are looked at by Mac OS X. Remember to keep yourpassword from being easily guessed by combining numbers and letters, preferably usingnonsensical words.

Once you’ve created a user account, you’ll set up your Internet account. If you have yourown existing account, select that option and click Continue. You’ll then need to select the type ofaccount and enter information provided by your ISP. If you don’t yet want Internet access, youcan select I’m Not Ready to Connect to the Internet and skip a few steps.





Next up, you’ll choose your local time zone on the Select Time Zone screen, followed by theSet Your Date and Time screen (use the arrows next to the “digital” date and time entries tochange them to the current date and time). Click Continue and you’ll be reminded to register ifyou haven’t already. Then, the Mac OS X desktop will appear and you’re ready to compute.

iMac: On, Off, Sleep, InfoOnce you get past the Assistants, you’re greeted with the desktop—the space that shows yourhard drive icon, a few words across the top of the screen, and even a little Trash can. I’ll discussthis area in more depth in Chapters 2 through 5. For now, we need to talk about a few importantcommands.

Which Mac OS Do You Have?The first one is the About This Computer command. Throughout this book, I’ll be referring todifferent versions of the Mac OS. In order to know if a particular feature is available to you,you’ll need to know if you have Mac OS 9.1, Mac OS X, or a later or earlier version of the MacOS. To find out, move your mouse pointer to the top of the screen and point it at the little Applepicture. Click the mouse button once. A menu appears.

Now, move the mouse down the menu until it points at About This Computer (in Mac OS 9)or About This Mac (in Mac OS X). Click the mouse button again. The About This Mac windowappears (see Figure 1-3).

Software Update

If you configured an Internet account using the Mac OS X Assistant, Software Update mayautomatically launch and check special Apple computers via the Internet for updates to yourMac OS X software. If Software Update finds new versions of your software, the SoftwareUpdate icon flashes in the Dock at the bottom of the screen; click it and a listing will appearin the Software Update window. Place check marks next to the items you want to install, thenclick Install. A window will appear asking for your password; enter it in the Password boxand click OK. Now, the updates will be downloaded and installed automatically. Note thatthese updates can take a long time if you have a modem connection, so if you’d like to ignoreSoftware Update for now, click Cancel in the Software Update window and it will disappear.(See Chapter 29 for more on Software Update.)



This window tells you some other things about your iMac, including how much systemRAM (random access memory) it has and, in Mac OS X, the type of processor your iMac hasinstalled.

Turn Off iMacYou’ve already turned on your iMac successfully using the Power button on the front of theiMac. But what about turning off the iMac? There are a couple of different ways to do that, andit’s important to turn it off correctly.

Let’s start with the one waynot to turn off your iMac. Don’t just cut power to the machine.That means don’t just pull the cord out of the wall or surge protector, and it means don’t justthrow the power switch on the surge protector. If your iMac ever crashes you may have to resortto this sort of thing, but not yet.

Instead, shut down your iMac gracefully by choosing the aptly named Shut Down command.In Mac OS 9, move the mouse up to the Special menu. (If you don’t see the Special menu, clickonce anywhere on the desktop background.) Click once on the Special menu item and the fullmenu appears. Now point to the Shut Down command and click the mouse again. Your iMacshuts down.

In Mac OS X, you choose the Shut Down command from the Apple menu (the one that lookslike an Apple logo).

Another way to Shut Down is to tap thePOWERkey on your iMac’s keyboard, if it has aPOWERkey. A dialog box appears, allowing you to do a number of power-relatedthings. To shut down, just click the Shut Down button with your mouse.



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FIGURE 1-3 On the left, the About this Computer box in Mac OS 9; on the right, About ThisMac in Mac OS X



You may notice that, after choosing Shut Down, your iMac goes through a few hoops. It willask all open application programs if they need to save anything, then it tells them to quit. Duringthat process, the application may askyou if you want to save something. Once all that businesshas been taken care of, the iMac quits all those programs, writes some last-minute things to thehard disk, and shuts itself down. To start up again, tap the Power button.

Restart iMacSometimes you don’t really want iMac to shut all the way down. Instead, you want it to simplyrestart—maybe you’ve just installed a new program or you’re experiencing odd behavior becauseof an errant program or similar issue. In that case, you’ll click Restart from the Special menu (inMac OS 9) or from the Apple menu (in Mac OS X). You can also tap thePOWERkey on yourkeyboard, if you have such a key, and choose Restart. Your iMac goes through the same procedureas when you issue the Shut Down command, except that the power is never turned off to the iMac,and the Mac OS starts right back up again after the contents of system memory are cleared.



Put iMac to Sleep

Here’s the cool option. You know how it takes a minute or so for your iMac to start up whenit’s completely off? Well, you can choose to put the iMac to sleep instead, so that it wakesup more quickly and is ready to work. The best part is that the iMac is still using very littlepower, even though it’s turned on and working. (In some cases, it can even wake up to acceptan incoming fax!)

If your iMac is a slot-loading model, you can put it to sleep by simply pressing thePower button on the front of the iMac. Your iMac should immediately power down, plus,the Power button will strobe, almost as if the iMac were snoring.

You can also put the iMac to sleep by choosing Sleep from the Special menu in Mac OS 9,or by choosing Sleep from the Apple menu in Mac OS X. Alternatively, if your iMac hasa POWERkey on its keyboard, you can press that key, then click the Sleep command thatappears in the dialog box onscreen.

To wake up your iMac, just tap any key on the keyboard. The screen will light back up(it may also shimmer a bit) and iMac will beep to acknowledge your command. You’re readyto compute.



Documents

blind folio Chapter 1 Welcome to iMacbooks.mhprofessional.com/downloads/products/...If you have an iMac DV model or any iMac made in the summer of 2000 or later, your iMac includes