So many questions here

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Hello everyone. After so many years of being a Windows user, finally I'm in the club. I recently bought a Macbook Pro 15" with 750 GB HDD, 2.2 GHZ cpu, 4 GBs of ram and a HD6750 graphics card. This is my first encounter with Mac OS so off course I have thousands of questions. Here are first 19 :)

1- Does MacBooks disable battery usage when battery is full? What should I do if I do not want the device to constantly fill/empty the battery?

2- There's no boss key plugin (one that lets you chose the key combination) for safari or firefox?

3- cmd w minimizes windows to dock. cmd q quits them completely. Red x minimizes most quits some of the bundled software. Cant we make macbook pro quit when red x is pressed no matter what? Some people told me to use Path Finder which is supposed to be better than Finder. What do you say to that?

4- There was this magnify software bundled with windows os's which created a section in screen with zoomed version of where your mouse hoovers. I could not find an equivalent for Mac OS. I know cmd wheel up zooms in, but I'm in my bed trying to read and all I have in my hand is a mouse. Cant cmd wheel up with only a mouse. What should I do?

5- Ok. Quicktime is ****** like every app that makes you do extra stuff to get it to the thing that it should already be doing in the first place. So I gave a chance to VLC player that was talked highly off every Mac conversation I heard before. But it creates a playlist that contains the file I just played. As I play files it keeps adding them to the playlist. When I hit next it plays the first file I played in that occasion. That's a bummer. Because imagine I played a movie, then I started to play a tv show's episode 6 for instance. Halfway through I realize that I already had watched the 6th episode. So I hit next button to see the 7th episode. But I see the already played movie in front of me.

So what I want is just a player that does not create a playlist and cleans all files listed when I start a new video, and creates one if there are multiple video files named like each other residing in the same folder. I could not find that option in VLC player. What do you say?

6- Does remote management work like Logmein or teamvier? They are pretty user-friendly. Is default remote management work like those software? From a browser window and what not?

7- My room is pretty hot nowadays. Its 30 celsius degree. But does that justify a yesterday-bought, "doing nothing but writing this" "no extra software" "has only been on for like half an hour" notebook to be running at 50 celsius degree?

8- What menubar temperature utility do you use?

9- I'm awaiting for cloud. And am not a member of mobile.me. Do you think I should enroll to it?

10- I just wanted to try that bootcamp to see if it's user friendly like everything in mac. It asked me to download windows support files. I said yes. It downloaded them. Wanted me to keep them in an image file in an external drive or burn them on disk. I said ok to burning. It did. Then It asked me to resize my 750 gbs unpartitioned macintosh disk to create a windows partition. I quit right at that moment because I was afraid that It might delete my whole hard drive. Would it? Would it want me to get my windows installation disk after? Can it be an image file of windows os? Does it have to be a dmg file? I do not want to use windows 7 as bottcampped OS. I want to use XP. Mainly because I own an xp but not a win 7. So how much disk space should I spare for XP and 2-3 games worth of 20 GBS?

11- I'm a risk manager specialist in a bank. So I'm highly dependent on Office Excel 2010. I use elaborate formulas, tables and macros. Are there any difference between Office in Mac OS and Office in Windows? If there are I'm gonna keep using my own Office by installing it in bootcampped windows.

12- How does safe upgrade/install (or was it called something else?) work? Does it keep my users and applications folders when installing a new version of Mac OS? That is howmost of you guys keep going without partitioning your drives?

13- When I'm viewing my pictures why I cant move between them with next and previous buttons even if there are tons of pics in that folder?

14- I use a logitech mouse (nx nano) Downloaded appropriate software for it from Logitech site. Works flawlessly except that it does not move forward/backwards between Finder windows with its Forward/backwards buttons. I works in safari and firefox but not in Finder. Checked the options but not a solution.

15- cmd tab moves between opened apps. But why does it show me apps that are minimized to dock with the red x button. Because I cannot reach them even if I pull my fingers when I'm on them while cmd-tabbing. I have to click on them on dock to get them back. Then why cmd tab makes me see them?
 

pigoo3

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Well written...but YIKES!!!;)

- Nick
 

chscag

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Hello everyone. After so many years of being a Windows user, finally I'm in the club. I recently bought a Macbook Pro 15" with 750 GB HDD, 2.2 GHZ cpu, 4 GBs of ram and a HD6750 graphics card. This is my first encounter with Mac OS so off course I have thousands of questions. Here are first 19

Please use our forum search function. Additionally, each forum has a number of "Sticky" notices and posts at the top. Read through them. After you've absorbed all that and still have questions, post a few at a time.
 

Slydude

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I'll take a shot at a few of these to get things started:

2. Are you looking for a key combination to launch these programs or do something else? You can make some key combinations in the Keyboard Shortcuts section of the Keyboard system preference pane.

4. Screen Magnification Go to System Preferences and Open the Universal Access preference pane. Click the seeing tab to get at screen magnification. Be sure to click the options button it will bring up more controls.

7. If I remember correctly the chips in that Mac Book Pro are rated up to about 150 degrees (60+ C). As long as you don't have the ventilation blocked (such as by leaving it sit on a soft surface such as a bedspread) you should be OK. The Mac will shut itself down if terms reach a critical stage. The Mac pros can feel very hot because quite a bit of heat is dissipated through the metal casing.

12. Upgrade installs keep the user folder and other data in place. Some Apple applications may be moved/replaced if they are being replaced with a newer version. I don't remember ever losing data due to this but a backup is always a good idea.

13. What are you viewing the pictures in? Have you tried using the arrow keys?
 
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Well, let me give this a shot:

1) Are you talking about when it's plugged in? If so, yes, once the battery is full it will continue to run on AC power. You don't have to always let the battery run all the way down before charging it again. Just plug it in when needed. It's good to calibrate the battery once every month or two. Here's more on Macbook batteries:
Apple Portables: Calibrating your computer's battery for best performance

2) Not sure what this is. What do you mean by "choose the key combination"?

3) Remember that OS X is a completely different operating system and you'll have to get out of your Windows habits and mindset. This means you have to learn to quit a program every time, not just close the window, because the red close button never closes an application, except in some rare instances. But you'll get used to it. Command-Q is just as easy as clicking a button. I have no problem with the Finder, bu some people prefer other file management applications. It's all a matter of personal preference, but it's always good to use your Mac the way it was intended to be used before using third party anything. Give it a try as is first and if something still really irks you, then find a third party workaround.

4) Just hold the Control key and swipe up or down with two fingers on the trackpad to zoom in and out. Your mouse pointer's location will be the center point.

5) What doesn't QT Player do that you need it to? You just click on an mov file and it should start to play. You say you want it to just do what it's supposed to, which it does (play video files), but then you say you want it to create playlists in some instances. Maybe someone else could pitch in here.

6) I've used LogMeIn on my Mac and it works pretty much the same way it does in Windows.

7) That doesn't sound terribly hot to me. My MBP, while transcoding video for many hours, can get up to 80 or even 90 degrees celsius. Macbook Pro's are made to work as hard as any desktop computer and it will get hot. Just be sure your computer has plenty of ventilation: keep things away from the vents, keep it at least a foot away from the wall, and invest in a cooling stand with a fan to keep cool air flowing underneath if you want to put your mind at ease.

8) smcFanControl is popular, as is the iStat Pro widget for the Dashboard. But keep in mind that such tools aren't always entirely accurate. Temperature is monitored by the operating system and if your computer gets too hot, it will save its state and shut down. So you don't really need to worry about it or keep an eye on the temperature. Just ensure proper ventilation and use it as intended.

9) I'm not sure but I think iCloud is replacing MobileMe. In any case, MobileMe was one of Apple's worst missteps so I wouldn't use it. But that's just me. I'm not really into cloud computing. Someone else might be better able to give you an answer.

10) When you use Boot Camp to create a partition, it will let you choose how much of your hard drive you want to use for Windows. Then it will ask you to insert your Windows installation disk. I don't think it can be anything other than a disk. And of course you can run XP or any other OS you want via Boot Camp. All the instructions you need are in the Boot Camp Assistant. Here is a good place to start:
Mac 101: Using Windows on your Mac via Boot Camp

11) They should be generally the same, though there may be minor variations between them.

12) Not sure what you're referring to here. Whenever you update OS X your files and preferences are left in tact. Use Time Machine with an external hard drive to keep backups of your files though, because you never know.

13) When you're viewing your pictures where? In iPhoto? In Finder? In Finder, you should be able to use the arrow keys to navigate between photos. There are also different views you can use (column, list, cover flow and icon). Press the space bar to preview a file without opening an application.

14) Not sure what you mean about moving forward and backwards between Finder windows or forward/backwards buttons.

15) The app switcher shows you all open applicationss but doesn't affect window behavior. It you select an application whose window is minimized in the dock, it will just make that application active. It won't assume that you want that window back. The window will remain in the dock because that's where you put it. If you want to use the app switcher to show and hide applications, use Command-H to hide an application, then use the app switcher to reveal it again. I do this far more often than I ever minimize to the dock, it's much faster in my opinion.

Here is some good switcher information. Some of it I'm sure you know, some of it may reveal some functions to you and it may help you get some of the OS X terminology right.

Apple - Support - Mac 101

If you're more visually oriented, as I am, you may prefer these video tutorials. They feature Snow Leopard so things may look a little different if you're using Lion, but it all works pretty much the same:

Apple - Find Out How - Mac Basics
 
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chas_m

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1- Does MacBooks disable battery usage when battery is full?

I think you mean "charging," and the answer is yes.

What should I do if I do not want the device to constantly fill/empty the battery?

Nothing special. Apple recommends that you "cycle" the battery periodically (by this they mean run it all the way down and charge it all the way up). In practice I find that this is not a hard-and-fast rule. My machine is four years old with original battery and still has 80% of capacity (and stays plugged in almost all the time)

2- There's no boss key plugin (one that lets you chose the key combination) for safari or firefox?

To the best of my knowledge that's not a built-in ability in either browser on either platform. My advice would be to stop looking at porn at work. :)

3- cmd w minimizes windows to dock.

No, it closes windows completely, but does *not* (usually) quit the application. Apple and others not been completely uniform on this, but generally the above is true.

cmd q quits them completely. Red x minimizes

No. The red button replicates the function of cmd-w.

Cant we make macbook pro quit when red x is pressed no matter what?

I suspect that there's a third-party solution for that out there somewhere.

Some people told me to use Path Finder which is supposed to be better than Finder. What do you say to that?

I say rubbish. I pity the mind that craves adding complexity where none is needed. I say most of them use it as a Windows "crutch" because they don't want to embrace the simplicity and elegance (though I do allow that there may be cases where it increases efficiency).

As I say in my essay (link below), learn the Mac first. Once you feel comfortable with the way the Mac works, ONLY THEN can you accurately assess your needs and supplement what's already there to best improve your workflow. That's my view.

4- There was this magnify software bundled with windows os's which created a section in screen with zoomed version of where your mouse hoovers. I could not find an equivalent for Mac OS.

cmd-(plus sign) in most app, built-in.

I know cmd wheel up zooms in, but I'm in my bed trying to read and all I have in my hand is a mouse. Cant cmd wheel up with only a mouse. What should I do?

Buy an iPad for reading in bed. That laptop is going to fall off the bed and bust open one of these days when you start reading something boring.

5- Ok. Quicktime is ****** like every app that makes you do extra stuff to get it to the thing that it should already be doing in the first place.

Nope. You just don't know how to use it yet.


6- Does remote management work like Logmein or teamvier?

Yes. There is also built-in.

7- My room is pretty hot nowadays. Its 30 celsius degree. But does that justify a yesterday-bought, "doing nothing but writing this" "no extra software" "has only been on for like half an hour" notebook to be running at 50 celsius degree?

Perfectly normal.

8- What menubar temperature utility do you use?

I don't, because my Mac does that for me. I didn't buy a computer to become the babysitter/manager of the computer. Unless the thing is shutting off on you, it's doing it's job. Stop worrying about it.

9- I'm awaiting for cloud. And am not a member of mobile.me. Do you think I should enroll to it?

You can't, so don't worry about it.

I'll get to the rest later.
 

Slydude

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As far as the whole MobileMe/Cloud thing goes. I find MobileMe quite useful though it looks like Apple's Cloud might also have some good features. Since they are no longer taking MobileMe applications I suggest waiting until their Cloud implementation arrives and see if it meets your needs.
 
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Well, let me give this a shot:

4) Just hold the Control key and swipe up or down with two fingers on the trackpad to zoom in and out. Your mouse pointer's location will be the center point.

THis doesn't happen on my Mac running Lion. Is there a setting to activate it?
THanks

I found it

4. Screen Magnification Go to System Preferences and Open the Universal Access preference pane. Click the seeing tab to get at screen magnification. Be sure to click the options button it will bring up more controls.
 

dtravis7


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It's under Mouse options in System Preferences and not Trackpad. Here is a screen shot.

Screen Shot 2011-09-03 at 6.50.48 PM.png
 
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11 - Be happy, Macros are back in Mac Office 2011. They were missing in 2008.
 
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chas_m

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10 - I quit right at that moment because I was afraid that It might delete my whole hard drive. Would it?

No.

Would it want me to get my windows installation disk after?

It would want you to insert an unregistered Win7 disk if you are on Lion. Lion only supports using Windows 7.

Can it be an image file of windows os?

No you can't use a pirated copy of Windows, or a previously-used copy.

I do not want to use windows 7 as bottcampped OS. I want to use XP.

If your machine is running Lion, that's too bad. Only Windows 7 is supported on new Macs.

11- I'm a risk manager specialist in a bank. So I'm highly dependent on Office Excel 2010. I use elaborate formulas, tables and macros. Are there any difference between Office in Mac OS and Office in Windows? If there are I'm gonna keep using my own Office by installing it in bootcampped windows.

Are there ANY differences? Very likely. Are there any MATERIAL differences? There's no way for us to tell you. Take a thumb drive down to an Apple Store, ask if you can load up a spreadsheet and take a look. Everything should work fine, but I can't guarantee it.

12- How does safe upgrade/install (or was it called something else?)

I'm not sure what you mean by this.

13- When I'm viewing my pictures why I cant move between them with next and previous buttons even if there are tons of pics in that folder?

When I use QuickLook to look at photos in a folder, up and down arrow seem to work for me. Open folder, select all (cmd-a), space bar, up/down
 
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Start up problem

Dear All,

I have macbook (lepord), I am using this for last three years but now I am facing lots of problem.

1. Starting Problem

I am not able to start my macbook as fast as it use to before, It is taking 5-10 minutes in starting. Some times I have to connect it to charger in order to start and Sometimes it doesn't even get start.

Kindly suggest me in order to solve this problem.

2. Slow
I also notice that now its working is also become very slow its functioning and processing has become.
 

Slydude

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Can you tell us a bit more about the specs for this Mac? What processor and how much memory does it have? Also, how much free space is on your startup drive?
 

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