Easy Mac OS X Lion - Kate Binder [24]
Click the Date & Time button in the System Preferences window to display time and date preferences.
Click the Date & Time button to see your choices.
If the Set date & time automatically box is checked, click to remove the check mark.
Click a day on the calendar to set the date, or type in the date; drag the hands on the clock to set the time, or type in the time.
* * *
Note: Do You Have the Correct Time?
If you use a timeserver to set your Mac’s clock automatically over the Internet, be sure you’ve chosen the correct time zone in the Time Zone tab of the Date & Time preferences.
* * *
* * *
Tip: A Clockwork Preference
The third button in the Date & Time preferences pane opens the Clock tab, where you’ll find settings for the menu bar clock. You can even choose an analog clock with hands instead of the regular digital display.
* * *
Adjusting the System Volume
A small thing such as the volume of the sounds your Mac plays can have a significant impact on your experience while using the computer. You can always increase the volume when you’re working in the next room or when you want to turn up the radio and sing along, or lower it when you don’t want to wake the baby.
Click the Sound button in the System Preferences window to display sound preferences.
Click the Output button to see your choices.
If you have more than one output device (internal speaker and external speakers), choose the device you want to use from the pick list.
Drag the Output volume slider to change the volume for all sounds produced by your Mac.
* * *
Tip: Muting for Discretion’s Sake
Click the Mute check box next to the Output volume slider if you want to turn the volume all the way down.
* * *
* * *
Tip: Getting Louder (or Softer) Faster
Click the Show volume in menu bar check box to put an extra menu in your menu bar that’s simply a volume slider. To use it, click its icon, release the mouse button, and click and drag the slider. Also, many keyboards now have volume controls at the top of the numeric keypad.
* * *
Setting Trackpad Preferences
Trackpads—those snazzy touch-sensitive pads laptops use instead of trackballs these days—are funny creatures. Because they don’t feel the same as a mouse, you might want to use different speed and double-clicking settings than you would for a mouse. You’ll need to experiment until you’re comfortable with the settings.
Click the Trackpad button in the System Preferences window to display mouse preferences.
Drag the Tracking Speed slider to set how fast the trackpad cursor moves.
Modify the settings to control your Mac with multi-finger gestures.
Click the Scroll and Zoom button to change how you use your trackpad to scroll through windows and pages and how you zoom in and out.
* * *
Note: Trackpad Settings
Ignore accidental trackpad input reduces the sensitivity of the trackpad so you don’t click or drag accidentally, and Ignore trackpad when mouse is present turns off the trackpad when you plug in a mouse.
* * *
* * *
Note: A Trackpad but No Laptop
If you love trackpads but don’t use a MacBook, you can still satisfy your craving. Apple’s Magic Trackpad costs $69 and connects to any Mac with Bluetooth
* * *
Monitoring Battery Use
If you’re a laptop user, you know how important it is to keep track of the charge in your MacBook’s battery. Running out of power at a crucial moment could be a disaster—you’ll definitely want to keep an eye on the Battery menu to make sure you don’t lose unsaved data when your Mac shuts down suddenly.
Click the Energy Saver button in the System Preferences window to display energy preferences.
Click the check box to display a battery menu in your menu bar.
Click the battery status menu to change the way it displays how much battery charge is left.
* * *
Note: Saving More Power
Look at the Energy Saver functions in the System Preferences