apple 1 Getting started Mac OS X guide for Windows users So you ve made the switch? Moving to the Mac or coming back after a long time on Windows? This quick guide explain all the basics of the modern Mac OS X interface so that you quickly feel at home with your new Macintosh. Mac OS X menus The menu bar In Windows, each application launches its own window(s) with its own menu bar(s). In Mac OS X, all menus are located at the top of the screen. All Mac OS applications use this bar, and the options it shows depend on which application is active. The Finder s menu bar The Apple menu Windows Start button allows you to access applications, documents and favourites, to configure your system preferences and to shut down your computer. Mac OS X s Apple menu lets you access information and commands at any time, such as System Preferences, Dock settings, Location preferences (see the Network Locations section), Recent items, Log Out, etc. To find out more about logging in/out and user accounts, please see the online Mac Help in the Help menu.
apple 2 The Dock Innovative and fully customisable, the Dock is Mac OS X s equivalent to Windows QuickLaunch toolbar and usually lives at the bottom of the screen, giving you instant access to what you use most. Simply drag your favourite stuff applications, folders, documents, web addresses and more straight into the Dock from the Finder as you would with Windows. The items in the Dock shrink to fit as you add more and a triangle under an icon in the Dock indicates the application is currently running. You can resize the Dock by clicking the divider between the left (applications) side and right ( everything else ) side of the Dock, then moving the cursor up and down. Turn Magnification on (in the Apple menu) to help you see icons in the Dock when they get small. Drag an item out of the Dock and watch it disappear in a puff of smoke! Windows XP Quicklaunch toolbar (on the left) and Mac OS X s Dock when you launch your Macintosh for the first time (on the right) Browsing the computer The Finder The Mac OS X equivalent to the Windows Explorer is called the Finder. To browse your files, open a new Finder window by either: - Selecting New Finder Window from the File menu, or - Clicking the Finder icon (smiling Mac logo) in the Dock, or - Clicking on the Desktop, then typing +N. The easy-to-use, single-window interface makes navigating the hard drive, external FireWire and USB drives, CD-ROM discs, local networks even your idisk easier than ever. Finder windows allow you to see disks, servers, applications and documents. Like an Internet browser, the Back button takes you to the previous screen you were in.
apple 3 Windows navigation toolbar (on the left) and the Finder standard navigation buttons a.k.a. the toolbar (on the right) You can customise your toolbar with the Customize Toolbar option from the View menu. You can also customise the Finder with View Options from the View menu. You can modify the view settings with the View menu or you can click on one of the three buttons at the top of the Finder window next to the Back button. Choose between Icon view, List view and Column view. Browsing views: Column, List and Icons To eject or unmount a disk, drive or server, simply drag its icon to the Trash in the Dock, which will change its icon to an Eject button. You can also use the Eject item ( +E) from the File menu or the Eject item from the contextual menu when you Control-click (press the Ctrl button and click) a volume. Ejecting a CD-ROM
apple 4 Browsing your applications Applications are located in the Applications folder, equivalent to Windows Program files folder. This folder is located at the root level of your Hard Drive. By default, you can access it from the shortcut button in the Finder toolbar. To access your favourite application with a single click, just drag it to the Dock (see the Dock section). You can also use the Go menu or the keyboard shortcut Option-Command-A ( + +A). The Applications folder on Windows XP (left) and in the Dock of Mac OS X (right) Unlike Windows applications, Mac OS X applications may run while they have currently no window open (closing all windows does not quit the application). To quit an application, click on the application s icon in the Dock to select it (not necessary if that application is the active one) and choose Quit from the File menu or press +Q. Windows basics Mac OS X windows have their three main buttons in the upper left corner. Each button is identified with a colour and a sign. The red button with an x sign closes the active window, the orange with a sign shrinks it to the Dock, and the green + button expands it. You may also see a white button in the upper right corner; this button hides the toolbar. Windows basic windows (on the left) and the basic Finder window (on the right)
apple 5 Managing your files Moving files or folders The way to move files and folders in Mac OS X is quite similar to Windows. Just select a file or a folder and drag it to the target location. An easy way to do this is to make use of the column view. You can also create shortcut buttons to your favourite folders in the Finder toolbar. All you have to do is drag your folders to the toolbar and then drag your files to this shortcut. To remove any of your folders shortcuts, drag the folder off the toolbar. To remove default home folder buttons, use the Customize Toolbar option in the View menu or Control-click on the item you want to remove and select Remove Item. Dragging a shortcut to the Finder Toolbar Selecting multiple files in Mac OS x is achieved with Command-click ( +click); in Windows, it is Control-click (Ctrl+click). Copying files or folders To copy files, hold down the Option (Alt) key while you drag them to their target location. A + sign will appear next to the cursor showing that you are copying and not just moving the items. Another way to copy files is to select them, choose Copy from the Edit menu, go to the target folder and then select Paste from the Edit menu. The mouse Every Macintosh comes with a single button mouse. Although this mouse does not have a leftbutton (unlike PCs), you can enable some options by Control-clicking on the desktop, in an
apple 6 application s window, or on a file or folder. When you click on the desktop while holding down the Control key, a contextual menu appears next to the cursor showing the available options. A Windows contextual menu (on the left) and a Mac OS X contextual menu (on the right) Mac OS X offers built-in support for USB mice. With a two-button or scroll wheel mouse, you can take advantage of convenient features of the OS without needing to hold down the Control key.
apple 7 Keyboard shortcuts In Mac OS X, keyboard shortcuts are assigned to certain actions. These shortcuts work like their Windows equivalents except that the Command key ( ) is used instead of the Control key (Ctrl). For example, to copy and paste a paragraph in a text document, highlight the text, press +C to copy the desired text, then press +V in your target document to paste the selected text. Keyboard shortcuts are shown to the right of their corresponding menu items To create a new folder, try the Shift-Command-N ( + +N) shortcut when you are in the Finder. Drag and drop Mac OS X s drag and drop feature has much broader scope than the Windows one, allowing you to copy information from a document (text, graphic, web page, etc.), open a document in any application or simply move it to the desktop for later use. To use this, just select what you wish to copy (URL, e-mail attachment, picture, movie, etc.), then drag it to the target location and drop it.
apple 8 Shortcuts and aliases Like Windows, Mac OS X lets you create shortcuts to your favourite applications, files and folders. In Mac OS X, these shortcuts are called aliases. You can make aliases by Command-Option-dragging ( +Alt+dragging) applications, files and folders; the small arrow sign next to the cursor indicates that you are creating aliases and not copying or moving these items. The Make Alias command ( +L) in the File menu achieves the same result. Windows shortcut (on the left) and Mac OS X aliases (on the right) System Preferences With Mac OS X, all system controls are grouped in one easy-to-use application called System Preferences. You can access System Preferences from the Apple menu or by clicking its icon a light switch with the Apple logo that you can find in the Dock. System Preferences allow you to quickly access and adjust all your system controls including display, network and Internet settings from individual preference files called panes. Windows XP control panels (on the left) and Mac OS X s System Preferences (on the right)
apple 9 Network Locations One of the great features of Mac OS X is its ability to create independent configurations for your different network locations. To create a network location, open the Network preferences pane and choose New Location from the Location pop-up menu. The Network preferences pane If you want to configure all your network interfaces for a unique location (Ethernet, AirPort, Modem, etc.), you can specify the order of activation with the Active Network Ports item from the Show menu. Wireless Internet access requires AirPort Card, AirPort Base Station and Internet access (fees may apply). Some ISPs are not currently compatible with AirPort. Typical indoor range is 50 m (150 feet) from the AirPort Base Station, but may vary with site conditions. Special authorisation may be required in some countries. 2002 Apple Computer, Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, AirPort, FireWire, ibook, imac, Mac, Macintosh, PowerBook, QuickTime, idvd and PowerMac are trademarks of Apple Computer Inc. Trademarks reserved in the United States and in other countries. All products and company names referred to in this document may be trademarks belonging to their respective owners.