If you normally work on a PC, you will find most operations on a Mac to be very similar. However, the procedures for some basic operations, such as turning on the machine or inserting and removing a CD, are a bit different. This guide will help you get acquainted with the Mac.

To turn on the computer

On Instructional Technology's Mac G-5 workstations, touch the small round symbol at the bottom of the right side edge of the screen frame or press the small round power button on the front of the computer.

To open or launch a program

Along the bottom of the computer screen is a row of icons called the Dock.

Each icon represents a software program or utility installed on that Mac. Click on an icon to open the associated program. The menu bar along the top of the screen will change to show the functions for the new program. Some of the program's toolbars will become visible. If you are running more than one program at one time, toolbars and documents associated with the other programs may also remain visible.

To close an open program on the Dock

Should your Mac operations slow down, check to see if you still have open programs that you are no longer using. To close a program without unfolding it, right-click on the program's icon in the Dock. Choose Quit from the popup menu.

To reactivate an open program from the Dock

Click on the program's icon on the Dock.

To locate a program or utility that is not on the Dock

Click on the Finder icon on the Dock:

On the Finder menu bar, choose Go > Applications. Select the program you wish to use. Double-click to start.

To respond to a bouncing Dock icon

A bouncing Dock icon indicates that a program is waiting for a response from you. Click on the icon. You will likely find an open dialog box, processing decision, or other required step. After attending to the item, you can again hide the program.

To switch between open programs

The program menu bar that is visible along the top is the active program that will accept commands.

To work with another open program, click on the program's icon on the Dock or click within a visible window associated with that program; the menu bar at the top of the screen will change to the newly active program. You can also scan through your open programs by holding down the Apple key and pressing the tab key. Yet another way to switch between programs is to use Mac's Exposé feature. On iTech Macs, move your mouse to the upper left corner (to the left of the apple). The screen will show separate windows for each active application. Click on the application window you wish to activate. Exposé also responds to keyboard commands:

• F9 to reveal separate windows
• F10 to view all windows stacked as before
• F11 to move all windows off the screen and show the desktop

To hide active programs

If your screen becomes crowded with open programs, you can hide some while you work unencumbered with the rest. Click on a program item to activate the program's menu bar. On the left side of the menu bar, click on the program's name and from the drop-down menu select "Hide [ProgramName]".

The program will fold up and tuck itself down into the Dock, but will remain open. A small triangle under the program's icon will remind you that the program is still open (and consuming memory).

To save documents

Instructional Technology's laboratory computers are configured to return to their original state when rebooted. This means that any files you save to the computer's hard drive will be erased when the computer is restarted. Be sure to save your documents on external media: CD, USB key, external drive, or your network drive. (See Saving files to your U drive from a Mac for instructions.) When external media are connected to the Mac, an icon will appear on the desktop. Double-click the icon to open a window that shows the drive's contents. Drag your documents to this window to save them on the destination drive.

To save a document from a program's menu

Choose File > Save or File > Save As. A pop up window will show destination options. Navigate to your desired external storage media: a network drive, CD, external drive, USB key or other storage device. Select the desired folder, and save the file. Note that network drives don't always show up in the list of locations the first time you save a document. See Saving files to your U drive from a Mac for instructions.

To open and close the CD/DVD drive

Touch the eject () key on the upper right corner of the keyboard. To close it, touch the same key again. Try to resist the urge to push the drive in. The drive on these Macs is called a SuperDrive. It will read and write CDs as well as DVDs.

To access the contents of your CD or data DVD

A few seconds after you insert the disk and close the drive, an icon representing your CD or DVD will appear on the computer screen's desktop. Double-click on the CD/DVD icon to open the folder and see the contents of the disk.

To play a DVD

When you insert a DVD, the computer will open a program to play the DVD. Navigate through the DVD by clicking on the appropriate buttons on the on-screen remote.

To remove external storage media

To ensure that you will not lose or corrupt your data, the icons representing your CDs, DVDs, USB keys, firewire drives, and other external media must be removed from the Mac desktop before the media are physically removed. Close the device's desktop folder and any of its open documents. Then drag its desktop icon toward the Trash basket on the lower right corner of the screen. This operation will not erase the contents of your storage media. As the icon approaches the Trash icon, the Trash icon will change into an Eject icon (). When the device's icon and the Eject symbols meet, release the mouse. The device's icon will disappear. You can then remove the storage media or detach your external device.

To Burn (write to) a CD on the Mac

This process will write to a CD-R disk and close the CD so it can be read by both PC and Mac computers. Files cannot later be added to this CD. For other CD writing options, explore the Disk Utility program found in the Utilities folder.

1. Insert CD: Open the CD drawer by pressing the eject key () on the upper right corner of the keyboard. Insert your blank CD-R into the drawer. Press the eject key again to close the drawer. A dialog box will appear: "You inserted a blank CD. Choose what to do from the popup menu."
2. Select Action: Open Finder. Enter a name for your CD. Click OK. An icon for your CD will appear on the Mac desktop. Click on the icon to open the CD's folder.
3. Select files: Drag the files you want to copy into the CD's folder. When all desired files have been selected and added, you are ready to write or "burn" them to the CD. Close the CD directory by clicking on the small red dot on the upper left of the window.
4. Burn the CD: Drag the CD icon to the Trash Can at the lower left of the desktop. The Trash Can icon will turn into a "Burn CD" "message and symbol. Your selected files will be written to the CD. The CD drawer will open when the job is completed. Remove your CD. Press the eject key () to close the drawer. Insert your blank CD into the drawer. Press the eject key again to close the drawer. A dialog box will appear: "You inserted a blank CD. Choose what to do from the popup menu."

To work with one of several visible documents or images

Click on the window containing the document. The document will become active and the appropriate menu bar will appear at the top of the screen. If more that one document or image is currently being used with that program (say, several photos), click on the item with which you wish to work. That will become the active one. Visual clues that a document or image is active are: (1) the three little buttons at the upper left of the window will glow red, yellow, and green, and (2) the text in the active title bar will darken while the text in the other, inactive, windows will be grayed out.

To close, minimize, or enlarge a document window

At the upper left corner of the document window are three small buttons:

When you move the mouse over each button, an x, - and + will be revealed.

• To close the document, click on the red x button on the left.
• To minimize the document window, click on the yellow - button in the middle. The document will shrink to an icon-sized miniature on the right side of the Dock. Unlike hiding the program on the Dock, this function minimizes the individual document.
• To restore the document window, click its Dock icon.
• To maximize the document, click the green + button on the right. The document window will expand to show all its contents. Unlike on a PC, the document will not stretch to cover the whole screen.
• To restore the document to its previous size, click on the green + button again.
• To temporarily hide a browser window's navigational bars, click on the clear button on the far right of some windows. Click the button again to restore the navigational bar.

To adjust the volume

On the top line of the number pad on the far right of the keyboard are three volume keys. Press the first key on the left to lower the volume. A screen with a sound symbol and bar will appear. Each time you press the key, the volume will decrease by one step on the bar. To raise volume, press the second key for each increase in volume. The third key mutes the sound.

To access special functions

On the Mac, the key with the Apple on it (called the Command key) acts like a super Control key:

This is the key represented on instructions or shortcut symbols by a symbol that looks a little like a snowflake. It is used in many keyboard shortcuts, and typically takes the place of the Ctrl key used for shortcuts in Windows. For example, on a PC you would use would use Ctrl+C to copy selected items. On a Mac, the shortcut to copy is Command+C.

To close down a program

On the program's menu bar, select the program's name. From the drop-down menu, select Quit [ProgramName].

To log out and/or shut down the Mac

Click on the Apple in the upper left corner of the screen. Select the Log Out [UserName] or Shut Down option. If the Mac stops responding altogether and refuses to shut down, ask for assistance from Instructional Technology staff.

Additional resources

Online Help files detailing the general operation of a Macintosh computer are available by opening Finder and selecting Help > Mac Help.

Most software applications also provide Help files. Choose Help from the menu bar of the application.

Just switched to a Mac? See Apple's Switch 101 site for details on how to do Windows things on a Mac.