Easy Mac OS X Lion - Kate Binder [60]
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Tip: The Key to Force Quitting
If you’re a lover of keyboard shortcuts—they’re definitely more efficient than using the mouse—then you’ll be thrilled to know that the keyboard shortcut to get to the Force Quit dialog is +Option+Esc.
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Reformatting a Hard Disk
There are three good reasons to reformat a disk. First, if you want to use the disk on a Windows or Unix computer, it will need a different format. Second, formatting a disk erases all data completely. And finally, reformatting a disk is a last resort if you’re having problems opening or saving files on it.
Double-click Disk Utility to start it (it’s in the Utilities folder within Applications).
Choose the disk to be formatted in the list on the left and click the Erase button.
Choose a Volume Format option, type a name for the disk, and click Erase.
Click Erase again.
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Caution: Sensitivity Training
Disk Utility’s Format menu contains six options, two of which you should definitely avoid. Mac OS Extended is the basic Mac disk format, and Mac OS Extended (Journaled) enables your Mac to keep a list of system operations so that it can restore your disk to its previous state. Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled) and Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive) should only be used to use the disk with UNIX programs that support case-sensitive file systems. The fifth and sixth options, MS-DOS (FAT), are used for Windows partitions that you use with Boot Camp, Apple’s utility for running Windows on your Mac.
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Glossary
A
access permissions See permissions.
accessibility The degree to which a device or program is usable by people with disabilities.
Action menu A pop-up menu that appears in dialog boxes and windows in the form of a gear icon. It provides access to commonly used commands.
admin user An administrative user of Mac OS X; a user who can read, write, and move some files that do not belong to her and who can change locked System Preferences settings and install new software.
AIFF Audio Interchange File Format is a sound file format used by iMovie and other multimedia programs.
AirPort An Apple-branded combination of hardware (AirPort cards and the AirPort base station) and software with which computers can form a Wi-Fi network and communicate with each other and the Internet without wires.
alias A small file that, when double-clicked, opens the original file from which it was created.
Apple ID A username for the Apple website and the iTunes Store.
Apple menu The menu at the left end of the Mac’s menu bar, which is accessed by clicking the Apple logo; it contains commands such as Shut Down that work no matter which application you’re using.
application A program; usually refers to a fully featured program rather than a small accessory program or widget.
Application menu The menu that appears to the right of the Apple menu in each program; it’s always labeled with the name of the program.
App Store Apple’s online software store, accessible via an App Store program on each Mac.
archive A compressed version of a file that must be unarchived before it can be opened.
B
back up To copy important files to a new location in case the originals are damaged or deleted.
base station A device that creates a wireless AirPort network in conjunction with Macs equipped with AirPort cards.
Bluetooth A short-range wireless technology that enables computers to communicate with other devices such as PDAs, keyboards, and mice.
bookmark A record of a web page’s location, saved for future reference.
boot To start up a computer.
broadband A high-speed Internet connection such as DSL or a cable modem.
burn To write data to a disc; it usually refers to a CD or DVD.
burnable folder A folder whose contents will be burned to a CD or DVD when the user chooses.
button Interface equivalent of the real-world object