Frequently Asked Questions and Technical Tips

Click on the links below to bring you to the explanation. The first link will bring up a PDF file explaining how to set your Apple Mail, using various Service Providers like Roadrunner, Centurylink, Gmail, etc., to receive Webmail messages. Just download the PDF file to your computer and/or print it out to follow the directions. The last two links will take you to other pages on this website.

OS X TIPS AND TRICKS

Customize Icons

  • Select the icon you wish to change
  • Get Info: File - Get Info or Command-I
  • Select picure you want to use
  • Get Info
  • Click on icon. Copy
  • Go to "target." Get Info. Click to select. Paste.

Zoom: Go to System Preferences - Universal Access. Turn on Zoom. To Zoom, use Command-Option + -.

Cancel Drag and Drop: While dragging, press esc.

Show/Hide Dock: Command-Option-D.

Find Serial Number of Your Mac: Apple Menu - About this Mac - Double-click Version.

Capture Picture from iTunes Visualizer

  • While selection is playing, go to Visualizer - Full Screen
  • Wait for image you like. Capture with Command-Shift-3.
  • You get PDF on Desktop. Open it (Preview.)
  • Go to File - Export. Select JPG. Save.

Accidental Overloaded Dock

  • Trash Dock Preferences
  • Go to Home - Preferences - com.apple.dock.plist
  • Restart or Logout
  • Dock os now the Apple Default. Rebuild Dock.
  • Back up dock.plist for future.

Keyboard Shortcuts

  • Command-Shift-4-Spacebar: Picture of Window
  • Command-Shift-4: Select Screenshot
  • Command-1: Show as Icons
  • Command-2: Show as List
  • Command-3: Show as Columns
  • Command-Shift-H: Go Home
  • Command-Option-ESC: Force Quit
  • Command-L: Make Alias

LINKS TO MAC INFORMATION

The following web pages contain numerous links to Mac information. Take a look and see if there's anything useful to you.

SNAPNDRAG

A 6.1 MB picture (High Resolution TIFF) was too big to send as an attachment with a dialup modem. SnapnDrag Capture reduced that 6.1 MB TIFF to a 16KB JPEG, easy to send. Get SnapnDrag at http://www.yellowmug.com. It's free and easy to use! If you get it and want instruction, call Bill Dean at 527-8405.

CUSTOMIZING ICONS FOR FOLDERS, APPS, ETC.

Change that dull gray folder icon to something personal. To do this, find the icon of a picture that you would like for the folder -- perhaps a flower or a picture of your granddaughter. Click once on the icon. Go to File>Get Info. Click on the icon in Get Info. Copy. Now select the icon of the folder you want to change. Go to File>Get Info. Click on the icon in Get Info. Paste. The folder icon is changed.

SAVING FILES AS PDF

OS X users can very easily convert any file to a PDF (Portable Document Format) that will be readable by any computer. It�s a good way to send a document to a Windows user. PDFs will open in either Preview or Acrobat Reader on a Mac and in Reader on a PC.

In the Print dialog box, click �Save as PDF.� Instead of printing the document, the Mac sends the PDF to the Desktop, ready to attach to an email.

BACKING UP OS X MAIL

Go to Home>Library>Mail. Just copy the entire folder to a CD or external drive.

SPECIAL EFFECTS

OS X Universal Access provides some interesting visual assists.

  • You can zoom the screen for an enlargement of text that is too small for easy reading.
  • You can see what�s on your screen in reverse (White on Black).
  • Zoom
    • Open System Preferences
    • Open Universal Access
    • Click Turn On Zoom
    • Hold -Option. Click + To go back: -Option. Click -. If you zoom out too far, you might feel seasick when you move the mouse. Try it.
  • White on Black
    • Open System Preferences
    • Open Universal Access
    • Click Switch to White on Black. White on black was very useful when one of our members tried to view a web page that had links in dark red text against a dark blue background. When she switched to White on Black, the text was easy to see.
    • Text will not print white on black
    • You can also change everything on the screen to grayscale

CHANGE BROWSER HOMEPAGE

Setting what page you see (Home Page) when you open your browser is an easy task, regardless of what Operating System or Browser you use. You can set any web page. Some people use their hometown newspaper. Others open to their ISP Web Mail. Bill Dean uses refdesk.com as the Home on his iMac and yahoo.com on his iBook.

Go to Preferences:

  • Safari (OS X): General. Type the URL (the www, etc.) in Home Page box. Close window.
  • Firefox (OS X): Main. Type the URL (the www, etc.) in Home Page box. Close window.
  • Internet Explorer (OS X and 9): Web Browser>Browser Display. Type the URL in Address. Click OK. Close Window.
  • Netscape (OS X and 9): Appearance>Navigator. Type the URL in Location. Click OK. Close Window.

Some people like the browser to open with a blank page. Preferences in all these Browsers provide that choice. In Safari, You find a Pop-up Menu that provides four choices. When you have the Home Page Preferences set, quit the browser, then reopen it. It will open with the new Home Page.

MAKING SYMBOLS WITH YOUR KEYBOARD

You can use the keyboard to make special symbols in your Appleworks documents:

  • To make a bullet (�) use Option-8
  • To make a check mark (?) use Option-V
  • To make degree symbol (�) for 72�, for instance, use Option-zero

USING MOUSE KEYS

If you have the unhappy situation that your mouse doesn�t work, you can navigate the cursor with Mouse Keys.

  • Use Mouse Keys
    • Open System Preferences
    • Open Universal Access. Select Mouse. Turn Mouse Keys On. Set Initial Delay to Short. Set Maximum Speed to Fast.

  • On Numeric Pad
    • 1 moves cursor diagonal down left
    • 2 moves cursor down
    • 3 moves cursor diagonal down right
    • 4 moves cursor left
    • 5 One click selects; two clicks open
    • 6 moves cursor right
    • 7 moves cursor diagonal left up
    • 8 moves cursor up
    • 9 moves cursor diagonal right up