New Macbook Pro - questions already!

Hi All,
Well I did it I just bought a new Macbook Pro and have started playing with it. I will reserve my comments for later, but for now, all I can say is 'Wow'.

Question 1: I installed Firefox and see that it appears as a 'Disk' on my desktop. Why doesn't this appear as an application, and what does 'ejecting' this disk do to the application?

Thanks!

the search button is ur best friend

it appears as a disk because it is not actually fully installed yet. You have to drag the application from the disk to the applications folder, then in will install and you can eject the disk.

eliehass said:

it appears as a disk because it is not actually fully installed yet. You have to drag the application from the disk to the applications folder, then in will install and you can eject the disk.

Click to expand...

thank you! that worked. Interestingly enough, I could run the application even when it was a 'disk'. Anyway, I ejected those disks and installed the applications in the way that you recommended.

Glad I can help Programs can run from their "disks" because technically they are on you computer, but the safest way to do things is always put it in the applications folder and eject the disk. I myself am pretty new to OSX and I'm not sure why things work this way, if anyone cares to explain it would be nice, however I do not find it to be an inconvenience at all, just a part of the installation process.

Here is my question #2.

I download the installer for Microsoft Media Player for Mac and it turned out to be a file with a .bin extension. When I try to open the file the application that loads is Quicktime, which obviously isnt going to execute the binary. My question is, how do I delete the file type association?

Thanks in advance!

eliehass said:

Glad I can help Programs can run from their "disks" because technically they are on you computer, but the safest way to do things is always put it in the applications folder and eject the disk. I myself am pretty new to OSX and I'm not sure why things work this way, if anyone cares to explain it would be nice, however I do not find it to be an inconvenience at all, just a part of the installation process.

Click to expand...

from what I understand, it is like having an executable running from a disk in windows. you can run it from the disk, but you could also copy the executable to the computer.

installations work differently in Mac OS X. When you copy over a program from a package, you are essentially installing the application.

Opening up a .dmg file is like opening up a .zip file. The beauty of copying over packages is that it is easy. No need to go through an installation wizard. Also, when you want to uninstall, just drag that package to the trash. No need to worry about registry, temp files, etc.

Though, technically, there are some files in Preference Panes and Library. I'm not sure if those get deleted when you drag a package to the Trash.

mapexvenus said:

Here is my question #2.

I download the installer for Microsoft Media Player for Mac and it turned out to be a file with a .bin extension. When I try to open the file the application that loads is Quicktime, which obviously isnt going to execute the binary. My question is, how do I delete the file type association?

Thanks in advance!

Click to expand...

Delete your Media Player download* and download this instead.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/player/wmcomponents.mspx

[size=-4](* The .bin file is an obsolete compression format that requires StuffIt Expander to expand. Similarly, the old Windows Media Player is an obsolete, buggy, PowerPC application, which is why I suggested you delete it. )[/size]

Hehehe, I had the exact same problem a few days ago. It was confusing as heck at first, but now I understand...

Question 3

In Windows, I have to frequently defrag my drive, delete temp files, make sure that my registry is clean (when un-installs don't do their job well) etc. What operations do I have to carry out on my Mac to make sure that I keep my system performance up?

Thanks again for all the answers!

technologist said:

Delete your Media Player download* and download this instead.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/player/wmcomponents.mspx

[size=-4](* The .bin file is an obsolete compression format that requires StuffIt Expander to expand. Similarly, the old Windows Media Player is an obsolete, buggy, PowerPC application, which is why I suggested you delete it. )[/size]

Click to expand...

I agree!

to get rid of all the files from an application download aprzapper. you get some free zaps with it, then you have to pay..it gets everything you wont want anymore. just drag and drop.

mapexvenus said:

In Windows, I have to frequently defrag my drive, delete temp files, make sure that my registry is clean (when un-installs don't do their job well) etc. What operations do I have to carry out on my Mac to make sure that I keep my system performance up?

Thanks again for all the answers!

Click to expand...

Although some argue that you can defrag your mac, most agree it is pointless. Dragging an app is all you need to delete it, in some cases you may have some residue settings files left behind, but a quick spotlight search for the app name should locate them for you to delete manually. There is also a free app called appcleaner that does a decent job of locating these files for you and deleting them.