Do I have a Bad iMac?

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I`ve purchased this iMac almost a year ago (February `06)
Being a switcher, I first blamed the problem on a lack of care. But as I have been using the computer, I am progressively becoming frustrated.

My problem is the following. Say I`ve been browsing and have more than one window open. If I wanted to close a window, and then the next one, the cursor initially on the first window to be closed will be a black arrow and when I left click it to close the window the cursor will then be a little hand when placed over the red or close button for the next window.

If I wanted to close this window, I will have to move the cursor over any other place in the window (except the for the buttons), left click it, and then go back to the red button to close the window. This time the cursor would have turn to a black arrow again and close the window.

This is very annoying as I try to be very careful and place the cursor exactly over the red or close button on the browser window in order to close it. Only to find out that for some unknown reason it is not and then I have to girate the mouse elsewhere in the open browser window/select a place with no HTTP links,left click to get out of the select mode, and the go back to the red or close button in order to finally left click it again and close the window.

Has anyone here come across this?:mad: :confused: :rolleyes:
 
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Reinstall OS X.
 
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gcopter
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I wish it was that easy. I have. Several times since purchased, like three or four times. Sorry, this is not the answer to my problem. Thanks for your suggestion.:eek:neye:
 
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imac 20" 216 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 1GBSDRAM, 250 GB hd, Airport Extreme, Bluetooth 2.0
This is probably NOT a good question, but are you still under warranty? There are lemons in everything, I think you should get help and maybe a replacement or whatever Apple will do.
 
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If you've already tried reinstalling OS X, you've ruled out a software issue, thus the problem lies in the hardware.

I would suggest either calling Apple or taking the machine down to an Apple store and let them diagnose the problem. I hope you have some sort of extended warranty.
 
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It isn't a hardware issue. Also, as you have found out, reinstalling OS X is not the saviour as many ex-Windows users proclaim (reinstalling was a good catch-all technique to "fix" things in Windows, not OS X).

It is an issue of redrawing screen items. It happens sometimes. I have seen the exact same thing happen in other operating systems. It has to do with cache and sometimes with how some web pages are written. Doing a Disk Repair or Repairing Permissions may help. Be sure to regularly clear your caches as well. Use Onyx, MacJanitor, etc.
The same thing can happen in other apps, so using a utility app may help clear it up system-wide.
One thing you don't want to do is reinstall OS X anymore. That only works in rare, unique situations like excessive kernel panics. Otherwise, reinstalling does little to help anything. Reinstalling should be the absolute last thing to do in order to remedy an issue.
 
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go into system preferences and look at all the mouse or track-pad options.

You might have done that but maybe you don't know
 
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The problem is none of the above. I just re-created it with my Mini, and it is not a software issue, nor is it a hardware issue. It's the way OSX is. What you are trying to do is close an inactive program. By inactive I mean a program other than the one you are currently using. For example, right now I have Mail behind Firefox. When I try to close Mail while in Firefox I get the arrow that turns into a hand, thus requiring me to left-click anywhere in Mail and then I can close it.

EDIT - If you don't move the mouse while clicking it works just fine, however if you move slightly off the X then it will turn into the hand.
 
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Does that depend on the Mac OS that you have installed or does it vary on different version of Mac OS?
 
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The problem is none of the above. I just re-created it with my Mini, and it is not a software issue, nor is it a hardware issue. It's the way OSX is. What you are trying to do is close an inactive program. By inactive I mean a program other than the one you are currently using. For example, right now I have Mail behind Firefox. When I try to close Mail while in Firefox I get the arrow that turns into a hand, thus requiring me to left-click anywhere in Mail and then I can close it.

EDIT - If you don't move the mouse while clicking it works just fine, however if you move slightly off the X then it will turn into the hand.

Ok, that makes no sense to me. How can you close Mail from Firefox? If the window behind is exposed you can simply close the window by clicking the red button. Please explain this more.
 
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When do you get a mouse which turns into a hand ??? I've never had that, is it a two mutton mouse thing ? What kind of mouse do you have ?
 
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I've been having a play, and sure enough if you close a window and the one behind is inactive, the cursor doesn't change. That's how I'd expect it to be, tbh. However, if I click the button that would normally go red then it actually performs the action, briefly flashing red while it does so.

If I have an inactive application behind the one I am using and I move the mouse over its control buttons, they highlight just as the would on the active app. The focus hasn't changed, and the app isn't brought forward, but the buttons respond properly.
 
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gcopter
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nukemm`s recreation of the problem is the most accurate description of my problem and I`m starting to think that that must be it, meaning I have to be very precise as to where I place the cursor whenever I`m activating any of the top left buttons in a window. I`ve been a switcher now for just about a year and it is been one of the hardest things to get used to as opposed to Windows where those buttons are larger and you didn`t have to have the visual accuity of a fighter pilot to hit `em squarely. I`m still very happy and satisfied with OS X except I think this is a major annoyance to me.
 
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G'day gcopter, if you have 2 windows open and you hover your mouse cursor over the red button on the inactive window, what happens? The red button should activate, allowing you to close it while leaving the active window open.

.... is the placement of window controls for close, zoom, and minimize. All three are now round buttons located at the left edge of the title bar, and follow a traffic light metaphor: red closes, yellow minimizes, and green zooms. For people who are color blind or who still use grayscale displays, the buttons also feature a roll-over effect when you pass your cursor over them: the close button displays an X, the minimize button displays a minus sign (-), and the zoom button displays a plus sign (+). The new controls also function for both active and inactive windows, so you can close a background window without bringing it to the foreground.
 
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I don't click the red button, I just bring forward the window I want to close by clicking on it once anywhere on it, then I do Command (or Apple key) + W. :girl:

Depending on the application you are running, you might have to click anywhere on the window that is left open to reactivate it. Some apps are aware of the window becoming the front window, so you don't have to do this clicking thing.

Since some apps are this savvy, I imagine this is a question of programming and not OS X's fault.
 
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Sometimes I use the keyboard shortcut - Command+` to cycle through windows in application or Finder (if more than one window is open), then when I bring a window to the foreground I keep my thumb on the Command Key and switch my finger from the ` (which is on the same key as the tilde ˜ ) to the W key to close the active window.
 
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gcopter
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G'day gcopter, if you have 2 windows open and you hover your mouse cursor over the red button on the inactive window, what happens? The red button should activate, allowing you to close it while leaving the active window open.

Whilst I hover the cursor, the arrow remains and the button (red in this case)displays an "X".

Even now it`s hard for me to recreate the problem, but I swear it has happened. I would have multiple windows and programs open and or running, then I start moving the cursor over to close a window and sometimes in this process the cursor would turn to a hand instead of remaining as an arrow. When it is displaying the hand, I am unable to click the button to close it and I`m forced to left click elsewhere on the window,preferably over a spot where there are no links.
 
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A totally bizarre occurrence ... I would just use the keyboard shortcut Command+` & Command+W/Q...
 

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