My New Mac, Snow Leopard Edition, 2nd Edition

My New Mac, Snow Leopard Edition, 2nd Edition

Released August 2009
Publisher(s): No Starch Press
ISBN: 9781593272098

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Book description

So you finally took the plunge and bought a Mac. Whether it's a MacBook, Mac Pro, Mac mini, or iMac—it's still your Mac, and it runs the Macintosh operating system, OS X. But what do you do with your Mac after you turn it on? Do you even know how to turn it off and put it to sleep? Maybe you do. . . . But what about setting up an email account, or playing your favorite CDs and movies? You need a book like My New™ Mac to make everything easy.

In this new, Snow Leopard edition of the best-selling My New Mac, you'll find 52 simple projects that will have you doing useful things right away—like surfing the Internet, sending email, listening to music, taking notes, and playing with your digital photos. Fun stuff, if you know how to do it.

Wallace Wang, best-selling author of My New iPhone and several of those For Dummies® books, gives you step-by-step instructions for organizing your music with iTunes, tracking birthdays with iCal, and clipping and saving information from the Internet so you can find it again.

You'll also find simple projects that show you how to:

  • Organize your files and folders by color and keyword

  • Connect to the Internet, chat with your friends, and listen to online radio stations

  • Install and update your software—and get rid of programs you don't want anymore

  • Set up and manage parental controls to limit your children's computer and Internet access

  • Share songs, images, and documents with other computers wirelessly

  • Use your built-in firewall and keep your computer and information safe from intruders

Don't put off learning how to use your new computer. Let Wallace Wang show you the ropes with My New Mac.

Table of contents

  1. My New Mac, Snow Leopard Edition
    2. Acknowledgments
    3. Introduction
      1. Understanding Computer Terms
        1. Telling the Computer What to Do
        2. Finding a Command
        3. Using the Keyboard
      2. How This Book Is Organized
    4. I. Basic Training
      1. 1. Turning Your Macintosh On and Off Manually or Automatically
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Turning Your Macintosh Off the Normal Way
        3. Forcing Your Macintosh to Shut Down
        4. Restarting Your Macintosh
        5. Scheduling a Time to Turn Your Macintosh On or Off
        6. Starting Programs When Your Macintosh Turns On
      2. 2. Learning to Use the Mouse
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. How to Point and Click the Mouse
        3. Dragging the Mouse
        4. Double-Clicking the Mouse
        5. Right-Clicking the Mouse
        6. Using the Scroll Ball
        7. Using the Side Buttons
        8. Customizing the Mouse
        9. Customizing the Trackpad
        10. Additional Ideas for Using the Mouse
      3. 3. Choosing Commands on the Menu Bar
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Understanding the Menu Bar
        3. Understanding Dialogs
        4. Understanding the Parts of the Menu Bar
        5. Additional Ideas for Using the Menu Bar
      4. 4. Loading Programs and Files from the Dock
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Understanding Program Icons
          1. Starting a Program Through the Finder
          2. Starting a Program Through the Applications Folder on the Dock
          3. Starting a Program Through the Dock
        3. Switching Programs and Windows from the Dock
        4. Quitting Programs from the Dock
        5. Accessing the Documents and Downloads Folders on the Dock
          1. Browsing Through the Documents Folder
          2. Browsing Through the Downloads Folder
        6. Additional Ideas for Using the Dock
      5. 5. Customizing the Dock
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Hiding (and Showing) the Dock
        3. Moving the Dock
        4. Making the Dock Easier to See
          1. Changing the Size of the Dock
          2. Turning Magnification On or Off
        5. Rearranging Icons on the Dock
        6. Adding and Removing Icons on the Dock
          1. Dragging an Icon to the Dock
          2. Opening a Program and Keeping It on the Dock
          3. Removing an Icon from the Dock by Dragging
          4. Choosing the Remove from Dock Command
        7. Adding and Removing Files and Folders on the Dock
          1. Adding a File or Folder to the Dock
          2. Removing a File or Folder from the Dock
        8. Additional Ideas for Customizing the Dock
      6. 6. Manipulating Windows
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Arranging Windows
          1. Closing a Window
          2. Moving a Window
          3. Resizing a Window
          4. Scrolling a Window
          5. Minimizing a Window
          6. Zooming a Window
          7. Hiding the Toolbar of a Window
        3. Hiding and Displaying Windows with Exposé
          1. Hiding All Windows out of Sight
          2. Displaying Only Windows from a Single Program
          3. Viewing All Windows as Thumbnail Images
        4. Working with Multiple Desktops with Spaces
          1. Setting Up Spaces
          2. Switching Between Desktops
          3. Moving Windows Between Desktops
        5. Additional Ideas for Manipulating Windows
      7. 7. Navigating Through Folders with the Finder
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Understanding Drives, Folders, and Files
        3. Understanding the Finder
        4. Viewing the Contents of a Drive
        5. Viewing a Folder Hierarchy
          1. Opening a Folder
          2. Identifying Your Location in the Folder Hierarchy
          3. Navigating Back and Forth Through Folders
          4. Shortcuts to Viewing Folders
        6. Additional Ideas for Navigating the Folder Hierarchy
          1. Placing a Folder in the Finder Sidebar
          2. Placing a Folder as a Stack on the Dock
      8. 8. Managing and Viewing Your Files and Folders
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Creating Files and Folders
          1. Creating a Folder in the Save Dialog
          2. Creating a Folder in the Finder Window
        3. Changing the View of Folders
        4. Peeking Inside a File
        5. Renaming a File or Folder
        6. Deleting a File or Folder
        7. Copying a File or Folder
        8. Moving a File or Folder
        9. Additional Ideas for Managing and Viewing Files and Folders
      9. 9. Conserving Energy While Using Your Macintosh
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. The Parts of Your Macintosh That Will Go to Sleep
        3. Forcing Your Macintosh to Sleep
        4. Making Your Macintosh Sleep on a Schedule
        5. Additional Ideas for Conserving Energy
    5. II. Making Life Easier with Shortcuts
      1. 10. Working Faster with Shortcut Commands
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Using Keyboard Shortcuts
        3. Using Buttons
        4. Using Shortcut Menus
        5. Additional Ideas for Using Shortcuts
      2. 11. Learning to Drag and Drop
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Dragging and Dropping Text
        3. Dragging and Dropping Website Addresses in Safari
        4. Dragging and Dropping Graphics
        5. Dragging and Dropping Files into Programs
        6. Additional Ideas for Dragging and Dropping
      3. 12. Controlling Your Macintosh with Hot Corners
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Defining a Hot Corner
        3. Using a Hot Corner
        4. Additional Ideas for Using Hot Corners
      4. 13. Finding Files Fast
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Finding Specific Files with Spotlight
          1. Using Spotlight Through the Finder
          2. Using Spotlight from the Menu Bar
        3. Using Smart Folders
        4. Placing Folders on the Sidebar
        5. Placing Folders on the Dock
        6. Peeking at Files Without Opening Them
        7. Additional Ideas for Finding Files
      5. 14. Organizing Files and Folders by Color and Weird Words
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Labeling Files and Folders by Color
        3. Searching Files and Folders by Color
        4. Adding Spotlight Comments
        5. Additional Ideas for Labeling Files and Folders with Colors and Comments
      6. 15. Putting Information at Your Fingertips with Dashboard
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Starting Dashboard
        3. Adding and Removing Dashboard Widgets
          1. Adding Widgets to Dashboard
          2. Removing Widgets from Dashboard
          3. Rearranging Widgets on Dashboard
          4. Customizing Widgets
        4. Finding More Widgets
        5. Erasing Widgets
        6. Additional Ideas for Using Dashboard
      7. 16. Giving Your Macintosh Multiple Personalities with User Accounts
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Understanding User Accounts
        3. Creating User Accounts
        4. Logging Out of and In to an Account
        5. Fast Switching Between Accounts
          1. Turning On Fast User Switching
          2. Changing Accounts with Fast User Switching
        6. Deleting an Account
        7. Additional Ideas for Using Accounts
      8. 17. Slapping Parental Controls on Your Kids
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Creating a Managed with Parental Controls Account
        3. Setting Parental Controls
          1. Restricting Programs
          2. Restricting Content
          3. Restricting Email and iChat Contact
          4. Setting Time Limits for Using the Macintosh
          5. Viewing Account Usage
        4. Additional Ideas for Using Managed Parental Controls Accounts
      9. 18. Making Your Mac Easier to See, Hear, and Control
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Enlarging Text on the Screen
          1. Increasing the Font Size
          2. Changing the Screen Resolution
          3. Magnifying Parts of a Screen
        3. Replacing Beeps with Screen Flashing
        4. Turning On Sticky Keys
        5. Using the Keyboard to Control the Mouse Pointer
        6. Additional Ideas for Using Universal Access Features
    6. III. Putting Your Macintosh to Work
      1. 19. Jotting Down Notes
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Storing Notes in the Stickies Program
          1. Creating Notes
          2. Color Coding Notes
          3. Keeping Notes Floating Around
          4. Deleting a Note
        3. Storing Notes in the Stickies Dashboard Widget
          1. Creating a Blank Stickies Widget in Dashboard
          2. Color Coding a Stickies Widget
          3. Deleting a Stickies Widget
        4. Additional Ideas for Jotting Down Notes
      2. 20. Turning Your Mac into an Electronic Reminder
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Scheduling Events in iCal
        3. Displaying a Reminder on the Screen
          1. Creating a Reminder
          2. Viewing a Reminder
        4. Opening a File
        5. Sending an Email Reminder
        6. Additional Ideas for Setting Reminders
      3. 21. Never Forget a Birthday Again
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Storing Names and Birthdays in the Address Book
        3. Automatically Creating a Birthdays Calendar
        4. Additional Ideas for Tracking Important Dates
      4. 22. Playing Audio CDs and Audio Files on Your Macintosh
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Playing Audio CDs
        3. Importing Digital Audio Files
        4. Deleting Digital Audio Files in iTunes
        5. Playing Music
          1. Rewinding (and Skipping) a Song
          2. Adjusting the Volume
        6. Using Playlists
          1. Creating a Playlist
          2. Adding (and Removing) Songs from a Playlist
          3. Creating a Smart Playlist
          4. Editing a Smart Playlist
          5. Deleting a Playlist
          6. Tagging Your Songs
          7. Identifying All Playlists in Which a Song Appears
        7. Using the Genius Feature
        8. Additional Ideas for Playing Music on Your Macintosh
      5. 23. Ripping and Burning an Audio CD
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Picking an Audio File Format
        3. Ripping Songs from a CD
        4. Burning a Custom Audio CD
        5. Additional Ideas for Ripping and Burning CDs
      6. 24. Playing Your Favorite Parts of a DVD
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Switching Between Full Screen and Window Mode
        3. Viewing DVD Movie Chapters
        4. Playing Specific DVD Chapters
        5. Using Bookmarks
          1. Creating a Bookmark
          2. Viewing a Bookmark
          3. Deleting a Bookmark
        6. Using Video Clips
          1. Defining a Video Clip
          2. Viewing a Video Clip
          3. Deleting a Video Clip
        7. Additional Ideas for Viewing Your Favorite Parts of a DVD
      7. 25. Storing Files on a CD or DVD
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Identifying the Discs Your Macintosh Can Use
        3. Erasing a Read/Write (RW) Disc
        4. Choosing Files to Burn to a CD or DVD
          1. Creating a Burn Folder
          2. Burning Files Directly to Disc
        5. Additional Ideas for Burning CDs and DVDs
      8. 26. Transferring Images to Your Macintosh
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Transferring Photos from a Digital Camera
        3. Transferring Images from a Scanner
        4. Copying Images from a Web Page
          1. Saving an Image as a File
          2. Copying and Pasting an Image into Another Program
        5. Capturing Screen Images
        6. Additional Ideas for Storing Images
      9. 27. Organizing Digital Photographs in iPhoto
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. How iPhoto Works
        3. Working with Events
          1. Viewing the Photos in an Event
          2. Naming an Event
        4. Viewing All Your Photos
        5. Working with Albums
          1. Creating an Album
          2. Copying Photos to an Album
          3. Removing Photos from an Album
        6. Deleting Photos and Albums
          1. Deleting Photos from iPhoto
          2. Deleting an Album
        7. Working with Faces
          1. Naming Faces in a Picture
          2. Finding Pictures Organized by Faces
        8. Working with Places
        9. Editing Photo Locations
        10. Additional Ideas for Organizing Digital Photographs in iPhoto
      10. 28. Tagging and Sorting Digital Photographs in iPhoto
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Tagging Photos
          1. Renaming a Photo
          2. Rating a Photo
          3. Adding Keywords to a Photo
          4. Making Your Own Keywords
        3. Sorting Photos
        4. Additional Ideas for Sorting Digital Photographs in iPhoto
      11. 29. Editing Digital Photographs in iPhoto
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Rotating and Straightening Photos
        3. Cropping a Photo
        4. Touching Up a Photo
        5. Creating Unusual Visual Effects
        6. Adjust a Photo Manually
        7. Additional Ideas for Editing Digital Photographs in iPhoto
      12. 30. Turning Your Macintosh into an Electronic Picture Frame
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Creating a Slideshow Folder
        3. Storing Pictures in Your Slideshow Folder
          1. Copying Existing Pictures into Your Slideshow Folder
          2. Copying Existing Pictures from iPhoto into Your Slideshow Folder
        4. Capturing Pictures with iSight and Photo Booth
        5. Creating a Slideshow
          1. Displaying a Desktop Slideshow
          2. Displaying a Screensaver Slideshow
        6. More Ideas for Displaying Slideshows
      13. 31. Sharing Files Wirelessly with Bluetooth
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Checking for Bluetooth Capability
        3. Turning On Bluetooth
        4. Sharing Files with Bluetooth
          1. Sharing Files Between Macintosh Computers
        5. Additional Ideas for Transferring Files Wirelessly
      14. 32. Retrieving Files Back in Time
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Retrieving Files from the Trash
        3. Backing Up and Retrieving Files with Time Machine
          1. Setting Up Time Machine
          2. Retrieving Files with Time Machine
        4. Additional Ideas for Backing Up Files
      15. 33. Typing Foreign Languages
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Typing Foreign Characters
        3. Clicking to Choose Foreign Characters
          1. Adding the Character Viewer to the Language & Text Menulet
          2. Opening the Character Viewer
        4. Typing on a Foreign Language Keyboard Layout
          1. Choosing a Foreign Language
          2. Typing in a Foreign Language
        5. Typing in Foreign (Non-Roman) Characters
          1. Choosing an Input Method
          2. Typing Using a Foreign Language Input Method
        6. Typing Chinese, Japanese, and Korean Characters
        7. Additional Ideas for Typing Foreign Characters
    7. IV. Touching the World Through the Internet
      1. 34. Getting on the Internet and Sharing Folders
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Plugging Your Macintosh into the Internet
        3. Connecting to a Wireless Internet Connection
        4. Sharing Folders over a Network
        5. Additional Ideas for Connecting to the Internet
      2. 35. Remembering Your Favorite Websites
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Using Bookmarks
          1. Bookmarking a Favorite Website
          2. Moving and Copying a Bookmark
          3. Editing a Bookmark
          4. Deleting a Bookmark
        3. Organizing Bookmarks in Folders
          1. Creating a Bookmark Folder
          2. Adding Bookmarks to a Folder
          3. Moving a Bookmark Folder
          4. Rearranging Bookmarks and Folders
          5. Saving and Sharing Bookmarks
        4. Using the History Menu
        5. Creating a List of Top Sites
          1. Viewing the Top Sites List
          2. Editing the Top Sites List
          3. Searching the Top Sites List
        6. Additional Ideas for Using Bookmarks and the History Menu
      3. 36. Getting the Latest News Using RSS
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Using RSS Feeds
          1. Configuring Safari
          2. Identifying and Bookmarking RSS Feeds
          3. Viewing RSS Feeds
        3. Reading RSS Feeds by Email
          1. Selecting RSS Feeds
          2. Viewing and Reading RSS Feeds
        4. Additional Ideas for RSS Feeds
      4. 37. Keeping Your Internet Activities Private
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Identifying Safe Websites
        3. Clearing Your Internet Tracks
          1. Clearing Your Google Searches
          2. Resetting Safari
        4. Avoiding Fraudulent Websites and Phishing Scams
        5. Hiding Your Browsing from Others
      5. 38. Saving Research Information from a Web Page
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Saving a Web Page as a File
          1. Saving a Web Page in Page Source (HTML) or Web Archive Format
          2. Saving a Web Page as a PDF File
        3. Emailing a Web Page
          1. Emailing an Entire Web Page
          2. Emailing a Link to a Web Page
        4. Saving a Web Page as a Note
          1. Saving a Web Page as a Note in the Mail Program
          2. Saving Web Page Text as a Sticky Note
        5. Listening to Text on a Web Page
        6. Additional Ideas for Researching on the Internet
      6. 39. Creating an Electronic Clipping Service for Web Pages
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Clipping a Web Page
        3. Viewing a Web Clip
        4. Changing the Appearance of a Web Clip
        5. Deleting a Web Clip
        6. Additional Ideas for Web Clips
      7. 40. Watching Video on Any Website
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Downloading and Installing RealPlayer
        3. Downloading and Installing Flip4Mac
        4. Downloading and Installing Windows Media Player for Mac
        5. Additional Ideas for Watching Videos on the Internet
      8. 41. Expanding Your Mind by Listening to Free College Lectures
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Choosing a College in iTunes U
        3. Listening to Downloaded Lectures
        4. Additional Ideas for Listening to Lectures
      9. 42. Listening to News, Music, and Talk Shows over the Internet
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Finding and Listening to an Internet Radio Station
          1. Saving Internet Radio Stations in a Playlist
          2. Listening to Internet Radio Stations in a Playlist
          3. Deleting an Internet Radio Station from a Playlist
        3. Finding Podcasts
        4. Listening to Saved Podcasts
        5. Additional Ideas for Listening to Radio Stations and Podcasts
      10. 43. Setting Up an Email Account
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Getting Your Email Account Information
        3. Configuring the Mail Program for Your Email Account
        4. Configuring Mail Manually
        5. Additional Ideas for Creating Accounts in Mail
      11. 44. Reading and Writing Email
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Retrieving Email Messages
          1. Manually Retrieving Messages
          2. Automatically Retrieving Messages
        3. Reading Your Messages
          1. Retrieving a File Attachment
          2. Defining Where to Store a File Attachment
        4. Deleting a Message
        5. Saving Email Addresses
        6. Writing a Message
          1. Creating a New Message
          2. Replying to a Message
          3. Forwarding a Message
          4. Attaching a File to a Message
        7. Saving Messages as Drafts
        8. Additional Ideas for Reading and Writing Messages
      12. 45. Making Email Look Pretty
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Using Stationery
        3. Using Signatures
          1. Creating a Signature
          2. Using a Signature
          3. Deleting a Signature
        4. Additional Ideas for Making Email Look Pretty
      13. 46. Organizing Your Email
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Sorting Messages
        3. Searching for Messages
        4. Using Smart Mailboxes
          1. Creating a New Smart Mailbox
          2. Editing a Smart Mailbox
          3. Deleting a Smart Mailbox
        5. Using Rules to Sort Messages
          1. Creating a Folder for Sorted Messages
          2. Creating a Rule
          3. Editing and Deleting a Rule
        6. Additional Ideas for Organizing Email
      14. 47. Dealing with Junk Email
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Bouncing Messages
        3. Using Junk Mail Filtering
          1. Configuring the Junk Mail Filter
          2. Identifying Junk Mail
          3. Deleting Junk Mail
        4. Additional Ideas for Dealing with Junk Email
      15. 48. Instant Messaging with iChat
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Setting Up an iChat Account
        3. Starting iChat
          1. Adding a Name to Your Buddy List
          2. Starting a Text Chat
          3. Starting an Audio Chat
          4. Starting a Video Chat
        4. Additional Ideas for Using iChat
    8. V. Maintaining Your Macintosh
      1. 49. Learning About Your Macintosh
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Identifying Your Operating System Version, Processor Type, and Memory
        3. Identifying the Types of CD and DVD Discs Your Mac Can Use
        4. Additional Ideas for Identifying the Parts of Your Macintosh
      2. 50. Installing, Updating, and Uninstalling Software on Your Macintosh
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Installing Software from a CD or DVD
        3. Installing Software over the Internet
        4. Updating Software
        5. Uninstalling Software
        6. Additional Ideas for Installing Software on Your Macintosh
      3. 51. Ejecting Stuck CDs or DVDs
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. How to Eject a CD or DVD Normally
        3. How to Eject a Stuck CD or DVD
          1. Eject from the Disk Utility Program
          2. Eject from the Terminal Program
          3. Restart and Hold Down the Left Mouse Button
          4. Restart and Hold Down the C Key
        4. Additional Ideas for Ejecting and Preventing Stuck CDs or DVDs
      4. 52. Password Protecting Your Macintosh
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Password Protecting Screensaver and Sleep Mode
        3. Password Protecting System Preferences
        4. Disabling Automatic Login
        5. Turning Automatic Login Back On
        6. Logging Out Automatically
        7. Choosing and Changing Your Passwords
        8. Additional Ideas for Password Protecting Your Macintosh
      5. 53. Encrypting Your Data
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Encrypting Your Home Folder
          1. Setting a Master Password
          2. Securely Erasing Files and Virtual Memory
          3. Turning On FileVault
          4. Turning Off FileVault
        3. Additional Ideas for Encrypting Your Data
      6. 54. Configuring the Firewall
        1. What You'll Be Using
        2. Turning the Firewall On (or Off)
        3. Configuring the Firewall
        4. Additional Ideas for Using the Firewall
    9. The Next Step
    10. About the Author

Product information

  • Title: My New Mac, Snow Leopard Edition, 2nd Edition
  • Author(s):
  • Release date: August 2009
  • Publisher(s): No Starch Press
  • ISBN: 9781593272098