Q: What is the best way for me to learn more about my computer or a particular program?

A: Play with it! Make sure you watch what buttons you push, and what happens when you push them. Try it and see what happens! A great place to start is in a programs Preferences. This is where developers will put many adjustable settings; so if you can change it, the program must be able to do it!

Q: How do I get the CD/DVD out of my drive?

A: Press the Eject key on Apple keyboards, or F12 on non-Apple ones. Apple's symbol for eject is a triangle with a bar below it.

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Q: How do I empty the trash?

A: Select the Trash Can in the dock and hold on it. This will bring up a menu above it. In that menu is an "Empty Trash" item. Selecting that item will empty the contents of your Trash.

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Q: Can I recover the data after I have emptied the trash?

A: The simple answer is no. There are programs that may be able to recover the data, but it will be incomplete at best. Services are available that analyze the internal components of a hard drive to reconstruct your data but they are expensive and again, may not work. Your best bet is to keep your backups up-to-date so you don't have to worry about losing data.

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Q: What is this file with ".dmg" at the end? And why can't I delete it?

A: A file ending in .dmg is a Disk Image file. It is a file that contains a virtual disk when opened. When opened, your Mac believes that a disk has been inserted. For all intents and purposes your computer thinks this disk is real. Typically you will see software distributed over the internet inside Disk Image files. When you open the file (aka "Insert the 'disk'"), it shows the 'disk' on your desktop. You can not delete the Disk Image file without unmounting the disk image (aka "Ejecting the 'disk'"). You should copy all the files or programs on the 'disk' onto your computer, only then will you not need the 'disk' anymore and can safely delete the Disk Image.

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Q: What software do I need to get with my new computer?

A:

None. But, it's good to have the following:

• Firefox: a web browser, similar in function to Safari. It is open-source, meaning anyone can look at the code and assist with development of new versions. If a website refuses to work under Safari, it is likely going to work in Firefox. It is available for free. The best place to download it is firefox.com.
• Carbon Copy Cloner : This is a utility that will make an exact duplicate of your hard drive on another internal or external hard drive. This tool is useful for making an entire backup of your computer. It is available for free. The best place to download it is VersionTracker.

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Q: Why can't I play the video/sound sent to me? My Windows-using friends can play it!

A:

Most likely it is a file that is encoded using Windows Media (the filename will end in .wmv or .wma for video and audio, respectively). While QuickTime can play most media files, it does not support all - mostly for licensing reasons. Flip4Mac makes a QuickTime plugin for Windows Media. It's free, and can be downloaded from Microsoft here.

If you're not dealing with Windows Media, a very comprehensive add-on pack for QuickTime called Perian will most likely allow QuickTime to play your files. It is available for free from perian.org

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Q: I have a frozen program, how do I quit it?

A: Under the Apple-Menu, select Force-Quit..., this will bring up a list of all your currently running programs. You may then select one and force it to quit.

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Q: How do I uninstall a program? There is no add/remove utility like Windows!

A: Just drag it to the trash. That's it!

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Q: What are all the keyboard commands for the Mac?

A:

Each program defines its own keyboard shortcuts, so it depends on the program. For a full list, goto your "System Preference", then select "Keyboard & Mouse" ("Keyboard" in 10.6 Snow Leopard). Once there, select "Keyboard Shortcuts". Below are some system-level commands and common shortcuts that you will see. They are:

• F9 : Exposé, all windows
• F10 : Exposé, one application
• F11 : Exposé, clear desktop
• F12 : Enable Dashboard
• Command-Q : Quit the currently active application
• Command-N : Make new item (Finder = new folder, Safari = new browser window)
• Command-X : Cut the current selection to the clipboard
• Command-C : Copy the current selection to the clipboard
• Command-V : Paste the clipboard
• Command-Tab : Switch Applications
• Command-Shift-Tab : Switch Applications (reverse)
• Command-Space : Start a Spotlight search
• Command-Shift-3 : Take a picture of the screen (aka take a screenshot), and save it to the desktop
• Command-Shift-4 : Enable a screenshot of a selection (your mouse will turn into cross-hairs to select an area, and save it to the desktop

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Q: Where is the equivalent to the Windows 'Backspace' key?

A: It is in the same place, just using a different name. Above "Return", where you are expecting "Backspace" is called "Delete". This Delete Key will move your cursor to the left and delete a character, just as the Backspace key does under Windows. On a desktop keyboard there is a second Delete Key directly under the Help Key (under F13). This will delete a character to the right of the cursor, just as it would under Windows. It is commonly called the 'Forward Delete' Key. On an Apple laptop, "fn-delete" (holding the Function key and pressing Delete) will perform a forward delete.

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