Mac Beginners

i am a first-time mac user and have currently purchased a mac mini. however, i do have 2 iphones, 1 ipod touch and 1 ipad2 that i have been using for quite some time now. currently, all the devices is sync on my PC using separate windows user log-in account, as the devices each have separate itunes account. would i be able to sync my devices separately with the mac? if yes, how?
Would appreciate any information. Thanks.

the thing is, from my PC, i could create one windows user account for each of the devices and the devices are sync beautifully after the computer are authorised. the devices have the configuration set by its individual users.
in short, from my PC, i have
user A = itunes A sync with iphone A
user B = itunes B sync with iphone B
user C = itunes C sync with ipod
user D = itunes D sync with ipad
i did find that we could create user accounts also with a Mac. maybe the same could be applied?

Similar Messages

We are contemplating a Mac for a family Christmas gift -we currently use a windows based laptop. Do the two systems interface? If a child starts his homework on the pc - can he finish it on the Mac? Can they both be hooked up to the same printer?

We are Mac beginners, considerin a Mac for a family Christmas gift. We currently share one windows based pc. Does anyone use a Mac AND a pc in their household? Would the two systems interface? (Can you start your homework on one system, but finish it on another?) Can they both be hooked up to the same printer? What advice would you give us as we consider this big purchase?

You may find this useful:
Switching from Windows to Mac:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2514?viewlocale=en_US
and
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2518?viewlocale=en_US
and possible even the 'propaganda bits':
Macs are cheaper to own that PCs: http://techpatio.com/2010/apple/mac/it-admins-total-cost-ownership-mac-less-pc
and: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/tco-new-research-finds-macs-in-the-enterprise-ea sier-cheaper-to-manage-than-windows-pcs/6294
Why will you love Mac? http://www.apple.com/why-mac/
- Better Hardware http://www.apple.com/why-mac/better-hardware/
- Better software http://www.apple.com/why-mac/better-software/
- Better OS http://www.apple.com/why-mac/better-os/
- Better Support http://www.apple.com/why-mac/better-support/
- It's Compatible http://www.apple.com/why-mac/its-compatible/

Mac painfully slow and freezing

Hi. I bought a Macbook about 8 months ago. Yesterday it went all slow all of a sudden - meaning 20 minutes startup time and a slow motion cursor (once it logs in and shows the desktop) with an eventual freeze after 3-4 minutes of activity (the rainbow round cursor appears and gets stuck). I spent hours researching on blogs (luckily I had my work laptop PC at home) until I was about to reinstall the OS. Then I found an article that describes how to reset the PRAM (Option - Command - P - R) - I did that and it solved the problem...
My question is - what exactly is stored in PRAM that made my Macbook completely unusable? I know my CMOS on a PC got bad but it never rendered my computer so worthless...
Second - what do I do in such cases? I was lucky to find (randomly) the solution just before I was about to reinstall the whole MacOS 10.5.8. There was absolutely no guidance or suggestion from the OS which I would normally expect...
I was very happy with my Mac for these 8 months since the music production software I used worked so very well on a Mac, but after this really bad experience I'm considering getting a PC just in case.
Thanks and sorry if this is a really basic question from a complete Mac beginner

I can't tell you what might have caused the problem. The PRAM stores certain information such as the startup volume, monitor settings, and some other system parameters. If the PRAM becomes corrupted or if there's a loss of power and the PRAM battery in the computer is dead, then the PRAM content would be lost. In some cases this can even prevent the computer from booting until the battery is replaced.
There isn't anything you can do to prevent such a problem other than checking the PRAM battery and replacing it if necessary. Of course it's very unusual for the battery to die in an 8 month old computer, so I'm guessing it was something else that corrupted the PRAM. What that would be is hard to tell other than guessing it may be a problem with the installed RAM. On the other hand it could prove to be a one time event.
There is nothing specific in the help files that covers troubleshooting. But the Apple Support site provides access to the Knowledge Base to find information that does deal with specific problems. You can search the KB using keywords to look for any relevant articles. Additionally you have access to the Discussions. Book stores also have many books about the Mac and OS X such as The Macintosh Bible and The Missing Manual. These are worth putting on your bookshelf. For more extreme troubleshooting you can visit The XLab FAQs, and you can purchase Dr. Smoke's outstanding eBook on troubleshooting Leopard.

Help converting pages document with images over to a 300 dpi jpg file

Hi
I'm pretty new to using Pages. I have created a 4 page Pages document with a lot of iphoto images. It's for a elementary school yearbook. The publisher ulitmately needs a 300 dpi jpg file.
How do I convert the pages document into a 300 dpi jpg?
I tried to convert it first to a pdf then to a 300 dpi jpg but when I sent that file over, they said that when they zoomed in, the images all looked blurry.
Any ideas on what to do without having to start all over again? Worst case, I guess I can print out in best quality, scan and save as jpg but there's got to be an easier way.
I'm not a graphic designer, just trying to fuddle my way through so you'll have to go easy on me with the techno speak. Any cliff notes for mac beginners?
Thanks much in advance for any help!

The conversion isn't perfect between Pages and Word. The same font is handle differently in the two applications and so are many other things too. If you are concerned about how it looks use Pdf versions instead.

How to launch an executable file

I recently journeyed into the land of the light and am the brand new owner of a MacBook Pro. Having been a slave to PC's for WAY too long, I am clueless how the mac operates, but a VERY quick learner.
I am have downloaded an executable file that I need for work, but cannot seem to get it to launch to install my program. I know this is very elementary, but we all have to start somewhere.
Thank you!
Shelly
PS - this is only the first elementary question i will have, so if you have a good source for Mac beginners, please share. I haved purchased "Macbook Pro - Portable Genius", but that seems to be more focused on visually arranging my computer.

Shootist007 wrote:
As to the Executable file. Apple Mac OS X does not use Executable files (.exe).
Ahem! Of course it does. Any computer does
<http://foldoc.org/executable>
It's just that, on Mac OS X, the filename extension .exe does not designate an executable, as it does on other platforms. Mac OS X GUI applications have the filename extension .app, but, technically speaking, although they function as the equivalents of .exe files on Win, they are not executables themselves (the executable file being buried inside).
Mac software is usually (but by no means always) distributed as compressed archives (.zip), with which you're familiar from Win, or as disk images (.dmg), which may or may not be compressed. In principle they are similar to .iso disc images on Win. (Btw, a disk is a magnetic medium, while a disc is an optical medium. Now you know how to separate the sheep from the goats.)
s2parks wrote:
we all have to start somewhere.
Switch 101: On Windows, I used to...
<http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2514>
Mac Tutorials
<http://www.apple.com/support/mac101/work/>
Mac 101
<http://www.apple.com/support/mac101/>
Additionally, David Pogue's Missing Manual is often suggested for beginners. You can also check
Take Control of Switching to the Mac by Scott Knaster
<http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/switching>

Managing multiple macs and ipads for beginners

Hi.
I'v just been given responsibility for maintaining about 40 macs and 160 ipads in a school. I want to deal with things from my MBP where possible. I have been thinking about using the server app (i'm running Yosemite). My main issues are people not updating their macs OS, security updates and apps . I want to push out the latest print drivers other updates and maybe even apps.
For the ipads I will need to update them as the students are too young to do it themselves. I will have to push out different apps to different classes.
I have no programming skills and I am not exactly an expert at networks.
Your advise is greatly welcomed.
thx

Hi.
I'v just been given responsibility for maintaining about 40 macs and 160 ipads in a school. I want to deal with things from my MBP where possible. I have been thinking about using the server app (i'm running Yosemite). My main issues are people not updating their macs OS, security updates and apps . I want to push out the latest print drivers other updates and maybe even apps.
For the ipads I will need to update them as the students are too young to do it themselves. I will have to push out different apps to different classes.
I have no programming skills and I am not exactly an expert at networks.
Your advise is greatly welcomed.
thx

MAC for Beginners

I am a newbie with Mac OS. Can someone please point me in the right direction where I can learn all the basic stuffs about MAC OS to start with.
Many thanks,
Joe.

Joe!
If you used another Apple ID to post this question already, it's here:
Where is the Mac OS Beginner's Sections
Don't create more Apple IDs than you can keep track of.

Mac Training For Beginners

I've just bought my first Mac (Book Pro Retina)
Apple won't allow me to purchase One to One training as I didn't buy from their retail store.
I did read the T&C but I didn't understand their definition of retail store until today .
I take responsibility for my error in not buying from an Apple store.
I am really pleased with my Mac but I am unimpressed with Apple
The person I spoke with at the Apple store today said we want to help our customers but then said I can't offer you the training
I know, I know, these are the rules for someone who is new to Apple this seems like poor service
Anyway having said my piece, my question is what can I do for training
I've started watching the Mac training videos on the Apple website, I've been told there is training on You Tube
Does any one have any suggestions for where else I get some training please (I don't know anyone else with a Mac)
Thanks

This is the link for your "Terms and services:
https://www.apple.com/retail/learn/one-to-one/terms.html
" One to One membership is only available at the time of purchase to those customers who buy a new, Apple Certified Refurbished, or Clearance Apple Macintosh computer (“Mac” or “eligible Apple Product”) in an Apple Retail Store, from the Apple Online Store (www.apple.com), or by calling 800-MY-APPLE. For the purpose of these Terms and Conditions, the time of purchase” extends for 14 days from the date of purchase."
"It's not my fault that I was given this product as a gift."
It might be that whoever bought this for you will have to transfer the account to your name and allow you to buy one to one.

Mac/Windows beginners question

I have a project where AVID omf files live on a fire wire drive digitized using the Windows format. Hooked drive to MacBookPro and laptop could not identify drive. Error message is that drive is incompatible. Options are "ignore", "cancel", or "initialize". I am afraid of initializing since drive contains 250GBs of non-retrievable media.
Can I see a drive digitized in windows on the mac laptop?
What software do I need to accomplish this?

Please specify what you mean by "Windows format". FAT32? NTFS? Joliet?
If it's an NTFS drive, try installing NTFS-3G from http://daniel-johnson.org

Can't save multiple folders to external drive. Get: "The operation can't be completed because you don't have permission to access some of the items." when dragging large folders to mac os extended journalled external drive from OS 10.6.8

Hi
I am feeling VERY desperate!
After losing an external drive [dont ask....] -   I got another one : 2TB WD formatted properly [ OS extended journalled for mac ] ready for action to move my thousands of files and images and ppts in hundreds of folders across from the laptop to this drive because I travel a bit with the laptop and this is too risky not to back up at home.
But this message came up after starting on moving folders across [** and not straight away, sometimes after moving a folder when 4 of 6 gb of files across then the message comes up = very frustrating]:
"The operation can’t be completed because you don't have permission to access some of the items."
I am dragging mixed sometimes large complex folders to this os extended journalled external drive from my mac book pro OS 10.6.8 - it would take decades to move items one by one or even folder by folder and really confusing.
I have dragged-copied various small folders and files across successfully, but it is only working 50:50 and I can't leave machine with the idea of things copying eg: overnight - it just won't work....
I have been browsing google and find some people describing in CODE how they overcome this 'message'   .... but I [and I guess some other viewers of this in future & also in desperation] would need instructions for beginners.... to try this type of thing. I don't know any code.
How can this be happening - I feel ANGRY at APPLE !!!! for not posting easy fix instructions yet re; this, or better still updating software so it doesn't happen [ that I can find at least !!! ] .   There seem to be hundreds of people stuck with this stupid message and inability to back up their projects etc.
Can anyone help ?
Many thanks
Julie
15 August 2011

hi Samberl
thanks a lot for the fast reply.
I was dragging folders from main folders on the laptop-desktop onto the external drive icon - to copy them across....
Your suggestion sounds very promising - I didn't know about 'cloning'.
Yes the idea is to backup the laptop -    I thought I would just move it all now, new - and then keep saving/dragging physically   across to the new drive myself each day or two...
Would this be the sizeof the internal hard drive = c.500 gb ?   =   under the HD icon on desktop is written :
" 499.76gb , 311.5 gb free "
I can erase and start agin on the new external drive - so this plan is to make two partititions, rather than the one at present, and make one of them 500 gb ?
I have found CCC [carbon copy cloner] googling - looks good.
When CCC site says it backs up the hard drive - would this mean all my files [over 100 gb] that are mostly in folders on the desktop, plus the others in itunes, iphotos etc found in the HD icon, would all copy across successfully [wherever they are in the computer ] ?
thanks again, hope you can clarify these things and then I will go for it.
It would be great and amazing if this 'lack of permission' message doesn't show up in the process of doing this ccc transfer - hopeful!
Julie

Can anyone tell me where I can find a beginners guide to the filing system?

Can anyone tell me where I can find a beginners guide to the filing system on the Macbook Air iOS 10.9.4?

So, does this mean you have given up and decided to return to the MS Windows (PC) embrace?
The link that dominic23 provided has parts 1, 2, and 3 — did you review all of these? What remaining question(s) do you have about the Apple file system?
Videos that you may find on the Apple site are not updated regularly, and steps/techniques shown in them may be outdated, or not work as shown on the current operating system release.
Did you look into the Apple Retail Store One to One learning assistance?
Did you consider either of the following books as a learning aide?
Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual, Mavericks Edition
OS X Mavericks: The Missing Manual

How do I install on mac?

I have been trying to install arch linux on a macbook pro, have tried several different ways and can not get it to work. I don't want to use rEFInd(but will if necessary) I am using a new hard dirve with nothing on it and do not have the mac installation disc. I have installed arch on 4 different systems so i am not afraid of terminal. I have used syslinux, not grub(not afraid to learn.)
mac part # MD101LL/A
link- http://everymac.com/systems/apple/macbo … specs.html
any and all help is appreciated
Last edited by Linux_Beast_Man (2013-12-26 08:51:46)

Youtube guides are likely the problem. You say you've also followed the wiki - but just in case you should use the following two pages:
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Beginners%27_Guide
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Macbook
Also, while I generally discourage external resources, in this case the following refind page will be helpful. It is written by the author of refind who is also an active archer (or at least active on these forums) who knows the ins and outs of arch linux:
http://www.rodsbooks.com/refind/install … #installsh
The mount error sounds like dosfstools is not installed but I'm not sure where you are getting this error if as you say the installation doesn't even show up in the efi menu. Is this error in the installation environment?
The second problem of it not showing up in the menu sounds like there is no active efi manager properly installed/activated. I can't help with grub as I don't use it - but from glancing at the wiki it is allegedly more complicated than refind and may require a OSX system or CD to "bless" the partition. I see our own wiki page may be sparse on details for the alternative (refind), so rods book (3rd link) may be what is needed.
These, however, are general comments. For specific help we'd need to know what you have actually done and exactly when/where any error messages are showing up. There are several choices that have to be made in the installation process, and we don't know which you've chosen.
PS: And a belated welcome to the forum. Don't worry about our initial gruffness - if you can accept and respond well to constructive criticism you're certainly welcome here. If this is your first forum membership I'd like to also suggest the following reading. Unfortunately the title makes it seem more punitive than it need be, but it is an excellent read, and makes membership in any tech/computer related forum much more productive:
http://catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
Last edited by Trilby (2013-12-26 13:03:53)

Can anyone recommend a good instruction book for intermediate Mac users?

I have been using Mac for 3 years now so am not a total beginner, but still need help in many areas of OS X use. These forums are brilliant and thanks to the willing help from more expert members I have learnt a lot ( thank you), however there are times when just having a book open in front of you is the easiest way to get to grips with something. Can anyone recommend a good user manual for people like me who don't need a real beginners guide but also don't want a mind numbing, in depth, advanced text. I already have Maria Langers Visual Quickstart Guide which is useful but is exactly what it says, a quick start, and David Pogues Missing Manual which I find a little frustrating as he seems to fall short of explaining exactly how to do something after he says it can be done!
I guess what I am really after is a clearly written book that is good for beginners and more advanced users alike, with screen shots to show you what you should be doing.
Grateful for any suggestions.
macbook white 2ghz Mac OS X (10.4.6) 512mb ram and 60gig hard drive,

Hi again,
Many thanks for the feedback and the star!
For troubleshooting, Dr Smoke's Troubleshooting Mac OS X eBook is invaluable. Again, I have the Panther edition. I haven't, yet, felt the need for the Tiger edition with so many of the tips available free via his FAQs.
The only drawback, of course, is that when one is in a fix and possibly unable to boot up, the e-book isn't accessible unless one has a copy on another Mac.
Have fun,
Adrian

"Show Javadoc" not working in NetBeans 6.7 // JDK 1.6 on Mac OS 10.5

Hi,
I searched many sites (including forums.sun.com: see e.g. http://forums.sun.com/thread.jspa?threadID=753501)
-- still I cannot find a solution that would work for me.
Here is a full description - hopefully somebody has solved it on Mac and will help me...
1) To reproduce, I select anything (say String) in NetBeans, ^-click and select "Show Javadoc": the result is a tiny gray message "*Cannot perform Show Javadoc here*".
2) I have a Mac and Netbeans 6.7.1, installed java 1.6, it (seems to me) came without docs:
@ /System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions> ls -alrt
total 56
drwxr-xr-x   3 root wheel   102 Jan 20 2009 1.3.1
drwxr-xr-x   8 root wheel   272 May 21 02:34 1.4.2
drwxr-xr-x   8 root wheel   272 May 21 02:34 1.5.0
drwxr-xr-x   9 root wheel   306 Nov 17 10:45 1.6.0
lrwxr-xr-x   1 root wheel     5 Nov 18 13:14 1.3 -> 1.3.1
lrwxr-xr-x   1 root wheel     5 Nov 18 13:15 1.4 -> 1.4.2
lrwxr-xr-x   1 root wheel     5 Nov 18 13:15 1.5 -> 1.5.0
lrwxr-xr-x   1 root wheel     5 Nov 18 13:15 1.6 -> 1.6.0
lrwxr-xr-x   1 root wheel     1 Nov 18 13:15 Current -> A
drwxr-xr-x   9 root wheel   306 Nov 18 13:15 A
drwxr-xr-x 12 root wheel   408 Nov 18 13:15 ..
lrwxr-xr-x   1 root wheel     3 Nov 18 13:30 CurrentJDK -> 1.6
drwxr-xr-x 14 root wheel   476 Nov 18 13:30 .
@/System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions> find . -name docs.\*
./1.4.2/Home/docs.jar
./1.5.0/Home/docs.jar 3) I added
/System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions/1.5/Home/docs.jar
to "Platform Manager" / JDK 1.6 / javadoc -- in vain, nothing's changed.
According to all major search engines, this problem seems to exist for years and is experienced by many.
It is really frustrating.
Please help!

scphan,
thanks a lot for your reply! It is helpful! (although not "solved" - alas).
The thing still doesn't work: maybe I missed some magic trick?
If you bear with me, here is what I did:
a) downloaded jdk-6u10-docs.zip
(from "Java SE Development Kit Documentation 6"
-->
https://cds.sun.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/WFS/CDS-CDS_Developer-Site/en_US/-/USD/ViewFilteredProducts-SingleVariationTypeFilter)
-- it was unzipped automatically by my Safari downloader, creating the "docs" directory);
b) then I pointed the Netnbeans to this dir (it says "Add ZIP/Folder", so to my understanding the "dir" should work, only faster), --
-- still "Show Javadoc" results in "Cannot perform"... (:-.
Anything I did terribly wrong?
Note that I stared at the http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/index.jsp for a while before finding the "documentation" link.
Noticeable also that the page starts with "What Java Do I Need?" but doesn't answer that question.
Why does Sun make it so freaking hard for the beginners?..
Does it make sence to ship something without documentation?..
Why doesn't Apple distribution include it for 1.6 although it does for 1.5 and 1.4?..
Why do creators of Java not care that Java actually works out of the box, -- including (and that I think makes my question a Java question) in one of the two most popular Java IDEs?
(The last few sentences are mostly for flounder).

Adobe Extension Manager and Photoshop CS5 and MAC OS 10.7.5

Even after reinstalling and updating the Extension Manager for CS5, when downloading Photoshop extensions I get the message: "You do not have the appropriate permissions required to perform this operation. Contact your system administrator to obtain permission." I'm the sole user and the administrator on this Mac. (OS 10.7.5).
I'm stumped and would appreciate any assistance.

Hi there! Because the forum you originally posted in is for beginners trying to learn the basics of Photoshop, I moved your question to the Downloading, Installing, Setting Up forum, where you'll get more specialized help.
To help others help you, please read through this article and provide any additional relevant details.

Mac Beginners

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