Basic Mac Anatomy

Processors are one type of silicon-based component commonly referred to as "chips."

Monitor: A monitor (or display) is a device-like a video screen-that lets you see what your computer is doing and how you are interacting with it.

Some monitors are built into the computer's case, and some are attached with cables.

Monitors are usually cathode-ray tubes (used with desktop computers) or liquid-crystal displays (used with portable computers).

Keyboard: This is another device you use to enter information into an application or program on your computer.

Mouse: This is another device used to enter information into an application or program on your computer.

Operating System: The Operating System (OS), or System Software, is the set of programs and other files that your computer uses to start itself up, keep track of your files, open your programs, manage connections to networks and to other equipment, and so on.

The OS is stored in the System Folder. Different models of the computer may need different versions of system software.

System software is usually installed when the computer is built. Occasionally you may need to reinstall part or all of the system software, or you may want to upgrade your OS. (See instructions in the manuals that came with your computer.)

Ports: A port is a socket for connecting equipment- such as a monitor, external hard disk, or printer-to your computer.

Ports are marked with icons like those shown below. The port icon identifies what type of equipment you can connect to the port.

ADB Port: The Apple Desktop Bus (ADB) is circuitry built into your computer that lets you connect a key board, a mouse, a trackball, a graphics tablet, a bar-code reader and other input devices.

Serial Port: A serial port is a socket for connecting equipment that transmits and receives data one bit at a time. Most printers and modems use a serial port.

SCSI Port (pronounced "scuzzy"): Is a port on your computer which uses SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) protocol-a set of rules and standards that specify how hard disks, scanners, CD-ROM drives, and other peripheral devices communicate with the computer to which they are connected.

You can use your SCSI port to connect a chain of up to six SCSI devices (called a SCSI chain).

Other ports: Microphone, Ethernet, Monitor.

RAM: (Random Access Memory) is electronic circuitry contained in microprocessors on the computer's main circuit board. Memory is not the same as disk storage space. You use disks to store information and programs. RAM is used by the computer's system software and applications for temporary work session storage.

Components of the Macintosh Desktop Environment

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Finder: The Finder program displays the desktop and keeps track of your files and disks; it is located in the System folder.

The finder is always open (although it may be hidden). You can usually make the Finder the active program by choosing it from the Applications menu in the upper-right corner of the screen), clicking on an icon on the desktop, clicking the desktop, or clicking a disk or folder window.

Icon: An icon is a picture that represents a disk, program, document, or folder. You work with these items (for example, open, copy or move them) by manipulating their icons.

Window: A window is a rectangle on the screen that displays the contents of a disk, folder, or document. For example, when you double-click a folder to open it, the folder's window opens and displays the items inside the folder. (See Anatomy of a Window)

Menu: You use menus to choose a command to tell your computer what to do. Menus reside in the menu bar at the top of the screen. To use a menu, press the menu title to open it, the menu "pulls down" and then drag the mouse pointer to the command you want.

Menus in windows are identified by downward-pointing triangles; these menus "pop up" when you click them.

Dialog Box: A dialog box is a window that appears when the computer needs your attention. Dialog boxes have buttons-such as OK, Cancel or Save-that you must click before you continue your work.

Other Important Desktop Items:

Hard Drive: Where files, folders, and applications can be stored-it is the main storage for your computer.

Trash: The container where you drag files which you want to remove permanently.

Basic Menus in the Macintosh Desktop Environment

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Apple Menu: Use this menu to open an item in the Apple Menu Items folder, or to see information about the active application or program. You can customize the items in this menu by adding or removing items from the Apple Menu Items folder.

About This Computer: Use this to check the version of the Mac OS you are running, how much memory (RAM) is installed in your computer, how much memory is free (not being used by the OS or other programs), and how much memory is being used by the OS and other programs.

File: Use this menu to perform operations with disks, files, folders, windows, and printers.

Open: (open apple+o) Open a file, folder or application.

New Folder: (open apple+n) allows you to create a new folder on any disk.

Close Window: (open apple+w) Close an open file, folder, or window on the desktop.

Get Info: (open apple+i) Get information (size, creation date, location) about a file, folder, application or disk. With applications you can also use this function to verify the version software or check/change its memory requirements.

Make Alias: (open apple+m) Make an alias. An alias is a file that points to another item (such as a program, document, folder or disk).

Find: (open apple+f) Locate an item on any local disk.

Edit: Use this menu to work with text and graphics, or to undo an action (e.g., cut, copy, paste).

Undo: (open apple+z) in most instances this allows you to undo or take back your last action.

View: Use this menu to change the way items are displayed in the active window. You may view by small icon, icon, name, size, kind, label or date.

Label: Use this menu to assign labels to your items on your desktop and in Finder windows.

Special: Use this menu to clean up icons in a window, to empty the trash, to erase disks, and to start over or shut down the computer.

Application Menu: Use this menu to switch from one application to another when more than one program is open.

Anatomy of a Window

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Scroll Bar: Lets you move up, down or sideways in the "page" of any window. To scroll a little at a time, press on one of the scroll arrows.

Size Box: Allows you to change the height and width of a window.

Zoom Box: Allows you to change the size of a window quickly. Clicking once sizes the window so that all of its contents are visible (if possible). Clicking again returns the window to its original size.

Close Box: Closes the current window.

MacOS Filing Hierarchy

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You use an application (or program) to do work on your computer. Types of applications include word processors, spreadsheets, databases, and graphics programs. You use an application to create documents.

A document is any piece of work you do on your computer that you save as a separate file.

A file is a collection of data of a certain type. Application programs and documents are two types of files. Each file is represented by an icon.

A folder is a container for programs, documents, and other folders. You can use folders to organize your files.

Fundamental Skills

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• Opening an Item
  Using the mouse pointer double-click the item.

• Copying an Item
  Using the mouse pointer single-click on the item (to select it) and then hold down the option key and drag the item to the desired location. This will keep your file in its original location, while putting a copy in the chosen destination-two files total.

• Moving an Item
  Using the mouse pointer single-click on the item (to select it) and then drag the item to the desired location. This will move your file to the new location-one file total.

• Selecting Multiple Items
  1. Using the mouse pointer hold down the shift key and single-click the desired items.

  2. Depress the mouse button and drag to enclose the items. It will make a box surrounding them.

• Renaming an Item
  Using the mouse pointer single-click on the item (to select it) and then hit the return key. This will allow you to type in a new name for the item. It is strongly advised that you only rename documents or drives/disks; changing the name of an application may cause it to quit working.

• Removing an Item ("putting in the trash")
  To remove an item from a disk, use the mouse pointer single-click on the item (to select it) and then drag it into the trash. If you have done this correctly the trash should change from "empty" to "full" (see below).
  

• Formatting a Disk
  Insert the disk into your floppy drive. Once the icon for the disk appears on the desktop, go to the Special menu and choose Erase Disk; a window will pop-up. Name the disk, and change the format type to Macintosh and the size to the appropriate amount (ex: a Double-sided High-Density disk would be Macintosh 1.4MB). Choose Erase. Once a disk is erased you cannot retrieve any data it may have stored.

• Ejecting a Disk
  1. Using the mouse pointer single-click on the disk (to select it) and then drag it into the trash. Don't worry, this will not put your disk into the trash, only eject it.

  2. Using the mouse pointer single-click on the disk (to select it), go to the File menu and choose Put Away. (Note: this will not work with some older versions of the MacOS.)

Basic System Components

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The System Folder also contains several folders- including the Control Panels, Extensions, Apple Menu Items, Fonts, and Preferences folders-which store files of a certain type. When you drag one of these files (such as a font or a control panel) onto the System Folder icon, the item is automatically stored in the appropriate folder.

Control Panel: You use control panels to customize your computer system. You can change how the keyboard works, how the alerts sound, how icons are arranged, and many other aspects of your system. Control panels are in the Control Panels folder inside the System Folder.

System Extension: A system extension is a file that adds features to your computer's system software. (For example, QuickTime is a system extension that gives your computer the ability to use digitized video and audio files.)

Apple Menu Items: Contains standard System accessories (for example, the Chooser). You can control what appears in the Apple menu by dragging items in or out of the Apple Menu Items folder.

Chooser: An item inside Apple Menu Items. You use the Chooser to tell your computer what equipment you want to use (for example, which printer to use or which shared disk to connect). You use the Chooser to select equipment connected to your computer via serial port, or equipment connected over a network.

Fonts: A font is a set of characters and symbols in a distinctive typographic design(for example, Times, Helvetica, and Palatino). Fonts are stored in the Fonts folder inside the System folder of your startup disk.

There are literally thousands of fonts available for use on a Macintosh. You can install as many fonts as your computer memory can support.

Preferences: Every file in this folder is put there by a piece of software, Microsoft Word or Netscape Navigator, for example. It is where the computer stores settings specific to an application-like having Netscape open to the Ole Miss homepage when it starts up. You cannot open a Preferences file; it can be opened only by an application or piece of software can.

DO NOT delete anything from your System Folder unless you are absolutely sure of its purpose and function. With one careless action you could critically disable your Macintosh's operating system. If you are unsure whether it is safe to delete an item from your System Folder check your User Manual, contact Apple, or call the IT Helpdesk.

Tips for Organizing & Using Your Mac

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The alias has the same icon as the original, but its name (which you can change) appears in italics. You can make multiple aliases for an item.

Organize your Filing System. Store all your Applications in an Applications Folder; store your Documents in a Documents folder. Doing this makes it easier for you to find items. Use aliases on the desktop or on your hard disks main window to make access to applications and documents quicker. Reminder: The desktop is not a completely stable environment. By saving your documents directly to the desktop, or to a folder located on the desktop you make retrieval of this data more difficult if your machine crashes or dies.

Save. Save often. You never know when your machine will crash; even with every precaution taken it can happen. By saving your documents often you won't lose as much time once your machine is functional again, because you won't have to start from scratch.

Backup important files to more than one location. You never know when a disk may corrupt, be demagnetized or lost. Don't lose your final term paper, thesis or dissertation by failing to do this.