Did you know When you first boot your Macintosh, the application you see is called the "Finder," which is where much of the work on your Mac is centered.
Did you know You can rebuild the desktop by holding down the -and option key while your Macintosh is starting up.
Definition Parameter RAM is special random-access memory (RAM) in your Macintosh that stores things like clock settings, start-up disk preferences, and sound preferences.
Did you know You can reset the parameter RAM of your Macintosh by pressing command-option-p-r when you first start your Mac. Parameter RAM stores things like the current system alert and the current date and time. If your Mac is acting funny, sometimes resetting the parameter RAM can fix the problem.
Did you know Pressing the control key while clicking your mouse will bring up a contextual menu with menu items that are relevent for the item on which you are clicking.
Remember Don't unplug your keyboard, mouse, or any SCSI device while your Mac is on; doing so can damage that device. If your Macintosh has USB (like an iMac), then this doesn't apply to you!
Did you know You can take a screen shot of the entire screen by pressing -shift-3. You will hear a camera-click noise, and the resulting screen shot will appear on your startup drive as ╥Picture 1╙.
Did you know You can take a screen shot of part of your screen by pressing -shift-4. The cursor will turn into cross-hairs so you can select the part of the screen that you want to take a picture of.
Did you know You can take a screen shot of a specific window on your screen by pressing -shift-caps lock-4. The cursor will turn into a bulls-eye; just click the bulls-eye on the title bar of the window you want to take a picture of.
Did you know You can changed the screen resolution of your Macintosh by clicking on the resolution button on the control strip. You can also change the resolution in the Monitors and Sound control panel.
Did you know If you put an item ╤ alias, folder, document, application, or whatever ╤ in your Apple Menu Items folder (located in your System Folder), it will appear in the Apple menu ().
Did you know You can make two separate words always appear together (that is, they won't break across lines) by pushing option-space instead of space between the words.
Did you know You can create a bullet (Ñ) by pushing option-8. This works in any application on your Macintosh, including in file names in the Finder.
Did you know You can see all the special characters your Macintosh can make with the option and shift keys by looking at Key Caps, which is usually in your Apple Menu (). There you'll find how to create all sorts of symbols like Ñ, ñ, ░, û, ╔, ╥, ╙, ⌐, and ╣ just by pressing Option and another key.
Did you know Some keys, like n, e, i, u, when used with the option key, become "dead keys". This means nothing appears on the screen until you press another key. This allows you to add accent marks to appropriate characters to create û, Ä, ö, ƒ. This works in any application, including the Finder.
Did you know The option key () is like another shift key in that you use with in combination with other keys.
Did you know Most keys on the Macintosh keyboard have a symbol or icon. For example, command = , option = , control = , shift = , delete = , enter = , and escape = .
Did you know On a Macintosh, the return key ( ) and the enter key () sometimes perform different functions. For example, often pressing return in application will submit the value you typed in and move to the next field, while enter will make the cursor remain in place.
Did you know The Escape key on a Macintosh doesn't do much. However, it often chooses the Cancel button in a dialog box. You can get the same result by typing -period.
Did you know Pressing the Tab key () moves you to the next field in a dialog box.
Did you know In the Finder, if you press the Tab key, the Finder will select the item in the current folder whose name alphabetically comes after the currently selected item.
Here's a tip The function keys on your Macintosh don't really do anything. Apple added them so the keyboard will be similar to a PC's, but you can program them for macros or shortcuts.
Did you know You can automate functions of your Macintosh using AppleScript. You can write AppleScripts using the Script Editor, which is usually in your Apple Extras folder.
On the Web AppleScript allows you to automate functions on your Macintosh. To learn more, visit <http://www.apple.com/applescript>.
Did you know You can make a start-up noise by putting a sound in the Start Up folder.
Did you know When you Macintosh finishes booting-up, it will open any object in the startup folder. So if you want to do any of the following right after startup, play a sound, play a movie, open an application, open a file, open a folder, execute an AppleScript, or anything like that, put an alias to the object in your start-up folder.
Jargon Most Macintoshes (the big exception being the iMac) have something called SCSI (pronounced "scuzzy"), which stands for "Small Computer System Interface". SCSI allows you to connect high-speed peripherals like hard drives, removable media drives, scanners, and laser printers to your Macintosh.
Jargon Macintoshes don't require file name extensions (".EXE",".DOC", etc.). Instead the Mac uses something called a File Creator to indicate the application that created the file. The File Type indicates the type of file. Both of these are created automatically and tracked by the Finder.
Did you know Microsoft was originally planning on calling Microsoft Excel "Mr. Spreadsheet."
For more info If you have a question about something related to a program, turn on Balloon Help, under the Help menu. When you point to something ╤ a folder, a menu item, a window, etc.╤ a little balloon will appear to tell you about the item.
Did you know You can boot your Macintosh from a CD by inserting a CD before restarting your computer and holding the C key after you restart the computer.
Did you know You can take quick notes on your computer using an application called "Stickies," which is usually under the Apple Menu.
Did you know Pressing the option button while choosing a menu can bring up more advanced menu items. For example, if you press Option while pulling down the File menu, Close become Close All.
Did you know Elipses ╥╔╙ in a menu item mean that your Macintosh will ask you for more information before executing the menu item (like for Print╔). You can create elipses by pressing "option-;" in any application, including the Finder.
Did you know An alias is a proxy or an alternate location of a file or folder. An alias can be put anywhere on your hard drive and when you open it, it's like opening the original file or folder. You can create an alias for an item by selecting the item and choosing "Make Alias" from the File menu.
Did you know There are two shortcuts for making an alias. You can select an item and press -M or press - (command-option) as you click and drag the item to another location.
Did you know You can find the original item to which an alias points by selecting the alias and choosing "Show Original" from the File Menu. You can also press -R (the R is for reveal).
Did you know The symbol for the delete (or backspace) key is .
Did you know There is a keyboard shortcut for moving an item to the trash. Just select the item and press - (or command-delete).
Did you know The Put Away command (-Y) in the Finder returns an object to its original location. If you select a file or folder on the desktop and choose Put Away, the Finder moves the file or folder back to the location where it was located before you moved it to the desktop.
Did you know If an item in the Finder is selected, you can press the Return or Enter key to highlight the name so you can rename it.
Did you know In the Finder, if you press the key while clicking on the name of the folder in a folder window title bar, a pop-up menu will appear showing the enclosing folders. If you select one of those folder names, the Finder will open the associated window.
Did you know If you press the option key () while clicking the close box for a window, the Finder will close all the open windows. This is similar to pressing the option key while clicking on the File menu and selecting Close All.
Did you know If you press the option key () while clicking the window shade box for a window, the application will roll-up all the open windows.
Did you know You can automatically hide the current application when moving to another application. Hold the Option key () as you select the name of the application from the application menu.
Here's a tip If you want to feel like a violent action hero, play Quake while listening to ╥Keep Hope Alive╙ by Crystal Method. To complete the effect, keep the Caps Lock key down.
Here's a tip You can create a simple launcher for applications you use a lot. Put aliases of applications in a folder and set the View Options to Buttons. Then move the open window to the bottom of the screen to make it a tabbed folder. Finally, put an alias to this folder in your Apple Menu Items folder.
On the Web If you have access to the World Wide Web, Apple's web site is at <http://www.apple.com>.
On the Web If you have access to the World Wide Web, The Merriam Webster Dictionary is available on-line at <http://www.m-w.com/netdict.htm>
On the Web If you have access to the World Wide Web, Strunk's ╥Elements of Style╙ is located at <http://www.columbia.edu/acis/bartleby/strunk/>.
Did you know A system extension is an item that changes the functionality of the system. Extensions are located in the Extensions folder of the System Folder.
Did you know A system control panel is an item that changes the functionality of the system and has user controls associated with it. Control Panels are located in the Control Panels folder of the System Folder.
Did you know The Macintosh System can automatically put control panels and extensions the proper folder. Just drag the item on to the System Folder when it's closed. The System will then ask you if you wish to have it move the items to the proper location.
Did you know System alerts are stored in the System file, called a suitcase. You can see what sounds are in your system by opening the System suitcase. Sounds can be automatically moved into the System suitcase by dragging the sound to the closed System Folder.
Did you know Fonts are stored in the Fonts folder in your System Folder. Fonts can automatically be moved into that folder by dragging the font to the closed System Folder.
Did you know When you see a diamond () next to the name of an item in the Applications menu, this means that application is trying to get your attention.
Did you know You can see how much memory your Macintosh has by choosing ╥About This Computer╙ from the Apple menu while in the Finder.
Did you know Your program settings are stored in the Preferences folder located in the System Folder. If you can't back up your entire hard drive, just back up your Preferences folder, so if you have to restore any applications, your preferences will still be there.
Did you know Programs like Netscape Communicator store bookmarks and e-mail addresses in your Preferences folder. Look for a folder called ╥Netscape ─╙.
Here's a tip Programs store their settings in the Preferences folder in your System Folder. You should periodically open the Preferences folder and delete preferences for programs you don't use anymore.
Did you know If you have multiple hard drives, you can unmount the non-system hard drive or partition by choosing the hard drive icon and selecting Put Away from the File Menu.
Here's a tip Put an alias of your Apple Menu Items folder in your Apple Menu Items folder. This will allow you quick access to the folder, just by choosing it from the Apple menu.
Here's a tip If you're using Mac OS 8.5, you can quickly summarize the contents of some files using Sherlock. Just control-click on the file in the Finder and choose the menu option "Summarize File to Clipboard." Your Macintosh will summarize the file and open the clipboard so you can paste the contents into another program.
Here's a tip Macintosh file names are limited to 31 characters in the Finder. You can add more information by using the "Comments" field. Select a file and choose Get Info from the File menu. Under "General" you'll see a comments box where you can add extra information.
Did you know In Mac OS 8.5, you can change the column widths of the Finder windows in List view. If you reduce any date column, the Finder will abbreviate the date. If you extend the Size column very wide, the Finder will show the file size in bytes.
Did you know Option-clicking a window in another application will cause the current application to "hide" when you switch to the next application.
Here's a tip When you're working on a document, folder, or application, move the item to the desktop. When you're done with the item, select the item and choose "Put Away" and the Finder will move the item back to the place where it was stored before.
Did you know Mac OS 8.5 has icon proxies, which is the small icon located in the title bar of the item's window in the Finder. If you click and hold on the icon proxy, you can drag it just like you're dragging the regular icon.
Here's a tip You can create a small peer-to-peer network between any two Macintoshes, just by connecting a standard serial cable to their printer ports, and setting up LocalTalk. You can network any two iMacs using a Ethernet cross-over cable. Check Mac OS guide for more information on LocalTalk.
Did you know You can see exactly how much memory each program is using by choosing "About this Computer╔" from the Apple menu in the Finder. Then, turn on Balloon Help and point to any application's memory bar in the list.
Here's a tip Put an alias of "Apple Menu Items" in the Apple Menu Items folder. This way, you can easily add or remove items from the menu just by selecting that item in the menu. I put an em-dash (option-shift-hyphen) in the name to ensure that the alias appears at the bottom.
Did you know To save space, you can substitute the character "─" (option-f) in place of the word "Folder" in folder names.
Here's a tip Before you install a program, consider changing the label of all your extensions and control panels to something else, like "Cool." Then after you install the program, you can tell if the installer added any control panels or extensions to your Macintosh's System Folder.
Did you know Mac OS 8.5 allows for 32-bit icons (millions of colors), while previous version of the Mac OS were limited to 8-bit (256 colors). You can download some cool (and free) 32-bit icons at "The Icon Factory" <http://www.iconfactory.com>.
Did you know You can open a document in just about any graphics format using PictureViewer, which is installed with QuickTime 3.0 and later.
