Mouse pointer & start up sound

How do I:

(1) Change the size and shape of the mouse pointer?

(2) Shut off or reduce the start up sound?

IMAC 21" with the latest Mac OS X Version 10.6.4 software.

Thanks!

fireman0174 said:

How do I:

(1) Change the size and shape of the mouse pointer?

Click to expand...

Can't change the shape (that I know of), but the size can be changed in System Preferences => Universal Access. Click on the Mouse & Trackpad tab:

(2) Shut off or reduce the start up sound?

IMAC 21" with the latest Mac OS X Version 10.6.4 software.

Thanks!

Click to expand...

The startup sound volume (or lack thereof) is based on the volume the computer is set to. So, if you don't want it to chime at all, just mute it before you shut it down.

Also, I would recommend not shutting down the machine at all. Just let it sleep when you're not using it. This isn't Windows, it doesn't need to be rebooted much, if ever.

cwa107 said:

Also, I would recommend not shutting down the machine at all. Just let it sleep when you're not using it. This isn't Windows, it doesn't need to be rebooted much, if ever.

Click to expand...

Wont that kill the battery?

adnoh said:

Wont that kill the battery?

Click to expand...

No. The amount of power drawn from the battery while the machine is sleeping is just enough to keep things in memory so everything is there when it wakes up. I've had my MacBook in sleep mode for over 12 hours at a time without using much at all from the battery. And if the battery should ever draw so low where it can't maintain, the machine will shut itself down.

Thanks for the tips. Should have known about the cursor size.

As far as leaving the machine on, no problem when I'm at home during the day. But not at night and when no one is home.

Thanks again.

cwa107 said:

Can't change the shape (that I know of), but the size can be changed in System Preferences => Universal Access. Click on the Mouse & Trackpad tab:

The startup sound volume (or lack thereof) is based on the volume the computer is set to. So, if you don't want it to chime at all, just mute it before you shut it down.

Also, I would recommend not shutting down the machine at all. Just let it sleep when you're not using it. This isn't Windows, it doesn't need to be rebooted much, if ever.

Click to expand...

fireman0174 said:

As far as leaving the machine on, no problem when I'm at home during the day. But not at night and when no one is home.
.

Click to expand...

If you sleep it, it is effectively off. There is no need for concern over not being home for a day, a week or a month. As chscag mentioned, if the battery fully drains (I've left mine in sleep for a week without running out of juice) , it will power down.

It's sort of like a cable or satellite TV box. If you "power it off", it doesn't actually go off, it just goes into a "standby" mode so that it can do instant-on when you hit the power button again. Now, if you pull the power cord, then you get to see what a full reboot looks like (and of course it usually takes a number of minutes).