OK, I downloaded some items

[imported_Shivetya]

How do I clean them off my desktop without losing them?


Also, how do I get things out of my task bar? Seems even hitting the red dot puts them down there and I don't want them!

 

[TheStu]

Open up Finder

I think it defaults to your home folder, but if it doesn't navigate to your home folder using the SideBar

Within here, make a new folder 'Downloads'

Drag that folder over to the Sidebar for ease of access

Once it is there, navigate to the desktop, highlight the files, and drag them to the download folder.


Now, open up your browser, and press Apple+,

Find in there what you need to change your download location. Change it to your newly created download folder.

_______________________________________________________________

By Taskbar, I assume you mean the Dock (gots to get the names right )

Ok, you don't want your Dock cluttered, I can appreciate that. Here are some tips

Hit Apple+W to close a window (95% of the time, this will not quit the application, there are exceptions)

Apple+H hides the window, but leaves it as it was

Apple+Q quits an application

Apple+M minimizes an application to the dock

If you have applications on your Dock that you don't want, simply drag them up and off the dock, they will disappear in a puff of smoke.

Bear in mind that your Dock has 2 parts. Left and Right. There is a line that divides the two parts, the right side is reserved for the Trash Can, and minimized windows. The Left side is where you put applications a la Quick Launch. When you have an application open, a little triangle appears underneath the icon on the Dock letting you know that it is open. Any apps that you have open, but not permenantly placed in the Dock will appear to the immediate right of your far-right-most permenant application.

A B C D | Trash

^This is your Dock, A,B,C and D are your 'permenant' applications and | is your divider


A B C D e f g | h Trash

^Here is your dock with 3 non-permenant open applications, 1 minimized window and the permenant apps

 

[imported_Shivetya]

ok, so how do I put things down there?



any idea on how I can get my motorola bt headset to connect? it connects to my laptop/windows just fine but the mac cannot find it

 

[TheStu]

The exact opposite of how you remove them. Drag them to the Dock. When it comes to OS X, I am usually far more surprised when something that I try on a whim (dragging a picture from iPhoto to the Photoshop icon launches Photoshop for example) doesn't work. OS X is all about trying things out, and enjoying using a computer again. Things are simple not because that is inferior, but because it is easier. A lot of Windows users that have never touched a mac since Oregon Trail scoff at it, at the UI, at how 'easy' it is. As if that is a bad thing! Being able to get right down to whatever you want to do with your computer is how it should be. Having to jump through 7 hoops just to email a picture is not how it should be.

You may want to check the instructions for your headset but here is what I remember.

Make sure the headset is off.

Now, Press and hold the power button until the blue light comes on, and blinks slowly. Now, search for bluetooth stuff on the mac. It should find it. The passcode IIRC is 0000

 

[imported_Shivetya]

the imac just cannot find the headset...


also, for something like firefox, any idea how I can load my old bookmarks into it?

I have a copy of the bookmarks on my iMac, but cannot find where firefox stores the current ones

 

[TheStu]

there are 2 ways to do this

For firefox... you can either,

/home/Library/Application Support/Firefox/profiles/(this here is gibberish)/bookmarks.html

Or, you can get the extension FoxMarks (I think) and that will synchronize your bookmarks on any machine that you have firefox on. You connect to their server, it uploads the bookmarks. Then you get to the new machine and you reconnect and download the bookmarks

 

[bearxor]

About your headset:

If you're looking to use it as a pair of wireless headphones, you will require a $130 software upgrade from Apple. It's called OS 10.5. 10.4 does not support a A2DP profile for stereo over bluetooth. There is a way to make it work but it's extremely crappy and requires a lot of 3rd party software installation and command-line work. Unfortunately, A2DP "just works" in Windows XP or Vista (not really, but windows downloads new drivers for it when it detects a bluetooth headphone).

Otherwise the best I can think of is that you're not putting it into discover mode. Which headset is it?

 

[imported_Shivetya]

Well I got the headset to work finally... seems if I let the iMac look for it when it was already on it could not find it. So I started having the imac look for it while the set of was off and powered the set on, now it knows about it. Unfortunately the BT ability of the iMac is very range limited compared to my laptop.

Still have two minor issues.

When I start FF I get a desktop icon (looks like FF drive) and its there for the duration. I also have what appears to be a WOW shortcut, I assume I can just trash that and use the one I put on the task bar?


Other questions,nits,etc

1. Can I have Mail only show me what isn't in smart folders? Some trick to that?

2. Where can I find a program to tune the colors of my screen against? Preferably free

3. Also, how do you "tab" between full screen windows?

 

[TheStu]

Still called the Dock

Did you copy the Firefox icon out of the .DMG and into your applications folder?
Delete the WoW alias (shortcut) no big deal.

1) I dont understand the question
2) /Applications/Utilities
3) F9 will tile all the applications you have open on the screen
F10 will tile all the windows of a given application
F11 will show your desktop

 

[erikistired]

yeah it sounds like you're running firefox out of the .dmg file. double click on the dmg file, drag Firefox to your applications folder. then drag the firefox icon from your applications folder to your dock. unmount the dmg file, then delete it. happiness ensues!

apple key + tab will alt-tab between windows. apple + ` will alt-tab between windows in a program (pop up window in a browser and main browser window for instance). you can also use expose as stu described. i use a hot corner myself, but that's user preference.

if your bookmarks are saved as a .html file you can import them into firefox.

 

[Tegeril]

Another way to keep items in the dock while they are running, click and hold (or ctrl+click or right click) on the icon, and choose Keep in Dock from the menu.

 

[imported_Shivetya]

Rephrasing the Mail issue.

I have many smart mailboxes. Those are fine, I used something similar with Forte's Agent on Windows.


My problem is, how do I have an inbox or smart mailbox that shows me all mail not in smart mailboxes ONLY?

The main inbox shows all mail.



Oh I got FF fixed. It was running out of the dmg file. What got me is that when I installed it it puts up a panel with a big FF symbol and an arrow to a shaded "App" folder. That shaded App folder had nothing to do with the Mac's application folder


Oh, Bluetooth range and clarity sucks on the iMac. I have to keep my XP laptop around to BT so I can have clear Skype or Vent. People on other end reported it being very choppy at times and quick to become static laced. No big deal... (oh it did this under load and not under load)

Its nice not to have to watch the virus software update daily

Downloaded iWork, will try it out next week.

Going to eventually get some decent speakers for this. Was told to look at a Garmin Firewave to attach my current 3-coupler setup

 

[TheStu]

Originally posted by: Shivetya
Rephrasing the Mail issue.

I have many smart mailboxes. Those are fine, I used something similar with Forte's Agent on Windows.


My problem is, how do I have an inbox or smart mailbox that shows me all mail not in smart mailboxes ONLY?

The main inbox shows all mail.

This may only be available on Leopard (which I am actually downgrading from later, so I can come back to correct), but, you make a new Smart Mailbox, and you set the rule to be "All mail not in" and then you set the inbox/mailbox that you want. And since you can keep adding to that, you can quickly set it up so that this new Smart Mailbox only contains the info not in the other ones.

Oh I got FF fixed. It was running out of the dmg file. What got me is that when I installed it it puts up a panel with a big FF symbol and an arrow to a shaded "App" folder. That shaded App folder had nothing to do with the Mac's application folder

Yes, one of my many annoyances with Firefox (and the reason i don't use it) is that they are extra lazy and that applications folder is just there to mock you. Furthermore, they don't use the Apple dictionary (so you have to now maintain two of them) for spell-check, don't use Apple Keychain (so if you also use Safari, your passwords don't carry over) and IMO, it doesn't work well with the overall UI

Also, the New Mac User Guide that I posted specifically details how to install Firefox

Oh, Bluetooth range and clarity sucks on the iMac. I have to keep my XP laptop around to BT so I can have clear Skype or Vent. People on other end reported it being very choppy at times and quick to become static laced. No big deal... (oh it did this under load and not under load)

I never really did much with bluetooth audio. I use it to sync my phone contacts and that is about it.

Its nice not to have to watch the virus software update daily

True dat yo

Downloaded iWork, will try it out next week.

I personally love iWork, it is dirt simple to use, and if you just have a need for a word processor/presentation maker/and spreadsheet maker, then iWork is the way to go on OS X. Yes, there is NeoOffice, but iWork is much nicer IMO. Furthermore, if you are doing fairly light stuff, or don't have to use Office, the $79 price tag sure beats out Office's $400

Going to eventually get some decent speakers for this. Was told to look at a Garmin Firewave to attach my current 3-coupler setup

I have no idea