IMac screen question

Any screen that comes up (such as the one I am typing in now) has three circles at the top left with x - + on it. Under that is a small box that has an arrow in it. Somehow the arrow is gone and now it has a circular arrow in it. How would I change that back? Also, sometimes in some posts I read, occasionally a letter will be changed to some symble or trademark thingie in some of the words. Is this all related? I'm fairly new and not great with computers and would appreciate the help.
Peter

Hi Peter,
Cannot quite figure out what you might be seeing. I assume english is the user language chosen for your iMac. I do not know the arrow you speak of, I have never seen an arrow or circular arrow below the red, yellow and green circles. I do see a navigation Arrow, left and right, when opening a folder or Macintosh HD, etc...
The only thing I can suggest that might help is this, open:
System Preferences > Keyboard & Mouse > Keyboard > click on 'Modifier Keys', click 'Restore Defaults', click 'OK'
Rick
iMac G5 iSight 20" - 30G iPOD in Slimming Black -   Mac OS X (10.4.7)   - HP Pav 15" WS and Toshiba Sat 17" WS LP's - Canon 20D & A620

Similar Messages

  • Replacing Intel Imac Screen question!

    Is it possible to replace a core 2 duo imac screen (20 inch) from late 2006 with the same size screen from the newer aluminum models in 2007/2008

    No

  • My old iMac (screen sits on a white dome) opens with a tiny folder that flashes a question mark, instead of a login to user's desktop

    My old iMac (screen sits on a white dome) opens with a tiny folder that flashes a question mark, instead of a login to user's desktop, when booting up after a forced shutdown. How do I get my operating system working again? Thanks --Jim

    The blinking question mark indicates that the firmware could not find a valid Operating System on your machine.
    Your harddrive may have failed. Your filesystem may have be come corrupted.
    Try these things.
    -- try to boot up from the installation disc.
    The startup manager will list all of your bootable partitions then give you a choice of which to boot.  Hold down the option key then power on. Continue holding down the option key until you see the startup manager. This brings up the startup manager. Click on your hd or disc. Click on right arrow key.
    -- Sometimes if volumes don't appear in Startup Manager (what you get when you hold down the Option key at startup), you need to reset the Mac's PRAM, NVRAM, and Open Firmware. Shut down the Mac, then power it up, and before the screen lights up, quickly hold down the Command, Option, P, and R keys, until the Mac has chimed twice more after the powerup chime.
    Then, before the screen lights up, hold down Command-Option-O-F until the Open Firmware screen appears. Then enter these lines, pressing Return after each one:
    reset-nvram
    set-defaults
    reset-all
    "The reset-all command should restart your Mac. If so, you have successfully reset the Open Firmware settings."
    http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1812?viewlocale=en_US
    Should the fail...
    Try taking the battery out for 10 minutes.  Put battery back in.  Cross fingers. Power the machine back on.
    How to eject a cd from the internal cd drive:
    eject cd
    List of devices:
    devalias
    List of variables:
    printenv
    More than you ever wanted to know about open firmware
    http://www.firmworks.com/QuickRef.html

  • IMac screen gone white with small flashing question mark in centre of screen

    iMac screen went blank (greyish white) on startup and now has a small question mark flashing in the middle of the screen.
    Any idea what I should do?

    Thank you.
    Was just trying the routh of a USB keyboard & mouse and by holding down the 'option' key, the request for wireless network popped up; after connecting, 'internet support' popped up and now it's showing a small rotating globe and a horizontal hourglass with 1:23 to go still....
    Let's see how this does

  • Any external monitors as good as imac screen for text?

    hi all.
    this is my first mac.  it's a new 21.5inch imac with a 2.7ghz i5 proc running OS X 10.7.3 and 12 Gigs of RAM (8 Gigs from crucial for $50, who can resist?) 
    i've got it hooked up to an external samsung syncmaster B2330 running in 1920x1080, which is this monitor's native resolution.  works fine.  it's hooked up via the dvi port on the screen via the mini-displayport to dvi adapter for the mac.  i switch this monitor to the vga port when i want to use it as my pc monitor also running at 1920x1080.  there is a source button on the monitor.  very convenient. 
    the issue is that they text on this screen when coming from the mac is not as clear was when coming from the pc despite the fact that the vga port provides much less bandwidth than the dvi port the mac uses.  i've read that the mac and the pc display text on screen using different methods.  my pc uses an nvidia display graphics card.  i believe mac use ati based hardware. 
    there appears to be much more interpolation when displaying text from the mac.  perhaps this is a text size issue i'm not sure.  either way i read a lot on this monitor and need it to be as good as possible for that purpose. 
    so the question is, does anyone have experience with an external monitor that is as good as the imac screen for text display.  i can't use the thuderbolt display or a cinema display since they don't switch to different ports allowing my to use a single external monitor for two machines.  i'm willing to spend up if there is a reason to do so.  i'm on these computers a lot.  i work from home with some regularity and my job is all about reading.
    any help is appreciated.
    best, c

    I have an dell 24" lcd as 2ed monitor and text look as clear as the imacs screen
    but it having a t-nfilm lcd panel vs. the imacs ips panel the colour and contast look worse
    but text look as clear
    and it look the same when I boot up in win7 using bootcamp

  • 24 imac screen freeze hard drive reinstall&hardware test ok

    24 imac screen freeze hard drive reinstall&hardware test ok

    Do you have a question? If so please ask it and provide more information. If English is not your native language please use Google Translate .

  • Calibrating 24" IMac screen

    Hi. I am just switching over from Windows to Mac so please be patient with this question. I am trying to calibrate my monitor using spyder 2 pro. In the setup I have t choose between brightness, contrast, or backlight. problem 1. Next I have to chose color sliders or Kelvin preset sliders. I don't want to be too much of an idiot but I can't find this info. All I see is the one F1/F2 control.
    In my digging today I did see where the monitor can be set for all color spaces from a pull down list. Are these monitors that good that they never need recalibrated...do I just pick the space and throw away my Spyder?
    Oh, and I tried the 'advanced' by eye option of color calibrating, making the apple match the background, and would prefer a more effective way. My eyes started playing tricks on me.
    Thanks.

    Hi, I just calibrate mine for the first time with Spyder 3 Pro so I know a little:
    It's better if you start all over again, in case the preferences are set wrong:
    1. Click in Go and select Display, you have to choose that you own an LCD screen.
    2. Select that brightness (F1 and F2) Note: I set my brightness just on the 5th bar from the left to the right
    3. Then after you select it, Spyder should give you some values like Gamma and White Point, I've them as Gamma 2.2 and White Point 6500 K. If the results you have are different, try changing them choosing the option "change this settings"
    3a. if you are changing the settings in the target window you could to choose 2.2-6500 or the target you want.
    4. Once you are agree with the targets you have to click next and set gray balance calibration "on"
    5. on the next screen is ask to choose if you want the ambient light compensation on or off. I choose off, because every time I choose on I had a problem with the luminosity, because the iMac screens have this luminosity problem and they reflect so much light, therefore either you choose off and thats it or you choose on.
    5a. if you choose on, you have to control the environment light, e.g. close your binds or turn off the light, etc. Do this until you get a "Moderately Low" value, which is the best value for editing pictures.
    6. the next steps are easy, just follow the on-screen steps and voilà!!
    Note: do not change the icc settings (preferences>advance settings) leave the value in 2.0 because the iMac wont recognize the 4.0 icc file.

  • Can I use the iMac Screen as an external screen for a PC laptop ?

    can I use the iMac Screen as an external screen for a PC laptop ?

    iMac- How to use your iMac as a Target Display Mode display
    Target Display Mode- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
    I am unaware of any PCs that support connection via Target Display Mode. I have never tried it myself, so I don't know if it would work. All you can do is try provided you have an iMac that supports TDM and the proper cable adaptors.

  • Can i turn off my imac screen while airplay mirroring?

    Wehn i use the key combination shift+ctrl+eject the picture on my apple tv freezes. Is there a other way to disable the imac screen? Thanks

    Hi,
    I did try to search for this question but could not find. Just got Apple TV 3rd Gen. I wanted to watch streamed sports via web and the Airplay works ok but when I try to knock off the iMac screen the TV screen also goes blank. I'm guessing I have to live with this and only iTunes content will allow me to knock off the computer screen?
    Flan

  • G4 iMac Screen Black

    Hi everyone,
    This my first post and I must admit I am a bit desperate!
    I have just turned on my iMac, there was a little pop and the screen remained black. The hard disk is spinning fine and has started up OK, so I can access it over ethernet (thank goodness!).
    But the screen still remains blank..... any thoughts or ideas what might be wrong?? There isn't a brightness control on my keyboard, so this is unlikely!
    Thanks in advance for any help offered!
    G4 iMac 17"   Mac OS X (10.4.8)   iBook G5 Laptop too!

    PistachioUK, Welcome to the discussion area!
    Sorry but this is the discussion area for the iMac G5. You should post your iMac G4 question in the iMac G4 discussion area.
    iBook G5 Laptop too!
    No such beast. There are G3 and G4 iBooks but there are no G5 iBooks.

  • IMac screen edges are showing light

    Hello
    i just bought my imac today and i noticed while watching movie when screen goes black the edges of screen shows white light.
    is this a fault?

    I'm considering buying an iMac for the purpose of putting at the centre of a home cinema (amongst other things), and this was one of my questions too.
    Have you thought of a physical low tech solution like draping a thick piece of cloth (maybe a bit of blackout curtain) over the iMac screen once you have the output going to the projector?
    On a Window's box with dual displays, it is simple enough with most graphics drivers to output to only one screen or various other options.  I'd have thought it was the same for a Mac.  Hope someone else has a more informed answer.

  • IMac Screen intermittently goes black

    ust recently my iMac screen has started to go black after a few minutes. Usually this happens after my iMac wakes up and I've started to run an application. I can't seem to get the screen to return to normal without rebooting the machine, which seems to fix the problem. I've already verified and repaired all permissions. I've verified the disc and no problems were fund. I've called Apple support and was told it might be a video card. I've run the hardware tests, both short and extensive, and no problems were found.
    I have two questions: any suggestions, and can the geniuses at my local bar replace the video card if that's determined to be the problem, or will my iMac have to be sent somewhere?

    Welcome to the Apple Discussions!
    Video card issues usually require a swap out of the logicboard because the card is usually soldered/glued to the motherboard. They would likely need to order the logicboard.
    Have you checked the RAM to be sure that it is seated properly in the slots?
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1423
    Dah•veed

  • IMac screen blanks out

    My iMac screen blanks out. I watch live TV on it. I hear the sound in the background but no picture. How do I fix this problem?
    Also, Where do I see my reply if someone replies. Do I have to use the search box to look for my question? I selected email notification yesterday. I got 144 emails from the community. I just want to receive the answer for my question not the whole community. This forum is kind of confusing.
    anyone please....
    Thanks.

    Unless you are doing this in Windows the best way to get an answer would be to go to the iMac support area. Click on the Support Communities.
    If you have an older one then go to the front page and click on Support and select the one you have.
    With what little information you gave a guess would be your video card may be going out? Zap the PRAM and reset the SMC? The User Guide on how to do it is also there.
    As far as the e-mail notifications I couldn't tell you.

  • IMac screen is black. Will not turn on via remote keyboard or mouse?

    iMac screen is blank.  Can not turn on with remote keyboard or mouse.  Any suggestions?

    Hey Paul2046,
    Thanks for the question. I understand you are experiencing issues with your iMac. The following resource may provide a solution:
    Troubleshooting: My computer won't turn on
    http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1367
    Thanks,
    Matt M.

  • New 27" iMac Screen Has Grey Marks

    Called Apple support. They just told me to take into an Apple store. I've had my new iMac for maybe two weeks now and I just started to notice the lower half of my iMac screen has a sort of grey / purple residue throughout. Not sure if it's on the outside or the inside but it appears to be on the out. I've tried wiping the screen several times with the black cloth that came with my computer but nothing gets rid of it. I've also tried a very damp cloth.
    Any ideas?

    I have a late 2009 21.5 iMac.
    Last night my friend brought his mid 21.5  2010 iMac here so I could upgrade him to Yosemite ( I have very fast internet).
    Anyway, side by side, the 2010 iMac is EXTREMELY bright compared to my late 2009 iMac.
    Here is a photo that I took of them to give an idea. I posted a question about it elsewhere here but no responses yet.
    You can see the color profiles for each. The 2010 is on the left, 2009 on the right. I wonder if there's a way to adjust the color profile to match the 2010?
    If you look ...you can see mine has a grey tinge ....(it looks yellow on my monitor but on the camera and to my eyes, mine is definitely a grey tinge. The 2010 is bright white no matter where you look at it.
    Below is a link to my original post in detail for anyone who might have a solution:
    https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6629552

Maybe you are looking for