My new iMac

[kok_wei]

Just brought home a 20" iMac today. The offer for the first half of this month is a free set of transparent speakers(which looked more like a potty to me) and a wireless keyboard. So far, I only know how to surf the net and check e-mails. For the rest of the applications, I'm totally lost! :icon_eyes

[tsechien]

Congrats!!! Don't worry, I was lost initially too but you will get used to it really easily.

chien

[yoong]

Congrats on the purchase and yeah dont worry, learning the OS is easier than using a dSLR. hehe.

[viggo]

Lost? How can you be lost? Its a Mac. You cant be lost. Its the most idiot-proof piece of technology invented.

[ozzy]

welcome to the club! dont worry, like u i too was lost at first... but now i get lost when i have to use a windows PC at uni!

[McLaren]

Welcome to the Mac club. I'm noob myself having the iMac for less then 6 months. As Viggo said,"it's the most idiot-proof technology invented". Just go with your logic to operate the apps. :)

[LoctorMayat]

Your potty speakers are actually Harman Kardon Soundsticks II

been drooling about it for quite some time liao.. *DROOOOOL~~~*

[kok_wei]

Your potty speakers are actually Harman Kardon Soundsticks II

been drooling about it for quite some time liao.. *DROOOOOL~~~*

I don't think I will be using it a lot. Let me know if you want to buy from me :004:

[hyperon]

I don't think I will be using it a lot. Let me know if you want to buy from me :004:
What's the asking price?

[will.i.am]

btw..how much did u pay for the whole package?with those speakers n wireless keyboards?where?

intend to get a mac also ,now still considering the pros n cons.hehehe:100:

[webster]

Your potty speakers are actually Harman Kardon Soundsticks II

been drooling about it for quite some time liao.. *DROOOOOL~~~*
I don't think I will be using it a lot. Let me know if you want to buy from me :004:

kok_wei, don't believe those orang seberang propaganda. Those plasticky ugly speakers are just cheap pasar malam stuff that will just take up space on your table. Lemme do you a brotherly favour by offloading it from you. ;)

[khoking]

Congrates! 20" should be nice, but I actually prefer wide screen monitor nowadays. :D

[NikonK]

congrat! i found 20" colour better than 24" panel generally, may be thats why Eizo dont really do a ColorEdge 24", they max out at 22"

the imac c2duo can be a real workhorse and churning more $$$ for future mac pros & macbook pros :icon_madu

[LoctorMayat]

kok_wei, don't believe those orang seberang propaganda. Those plasticky ugly speakers are just cheap pasar malam stuff that will just take up space on your table. Lemme do you a brotherly favour by offloading it from you. ;)

Ei... get in line you orang pulau :laugh:

[seethoe]

wah! congrats! ...how much did it cost u?

[kok_wei]

Well, I bought the iMac for RM5999 with free wireless keyboard and free "potty"(Harman Kardon Soundsticks II). This is the PC fair offer they are having until middle of this month. I also paid an additional RM609 for the Apple Care Protection Plan.

Okay, I'm going to sell the "potty" for RM650. The box is not even opened yet. Any takers?

Mac Question #1:
How do I maximize a window to fill up the whole screen? I pressed the small round green button with a "+" sign in it on the top left side of the window but the size of the window only increase a bit.

[khoking]

Mac Question #1:
How do I maximize a window to fill up the whole screen? I pressed the small round green button with a "+" sign in it on the top left side of the window but the size of the window only increase a bit.

I just move my mouse to the lower right of the window and PULL it to max manually.

[LoctorMayat]

Don't forget to "BUY" the patch from Apple to upgrade your wireless LAN to 802.11n

You know........ "BUY" ??? :laugh:

[noordin]

Well, I bought the iMac for RM5999 with free wireless keyboard and free "potty"(Harman Kardon Soundsticks II). This is the PC fair offer they are having until middle of this month. I also paid an additional RM609 for the Apple Care Protection Plan.

Okay, I'm going to sell the "potty" for RM650. The box is not even opened yet. Any takers?

Mac Question #1:
How do I maximize a window to fill up the whole screen? I pressed the small round green button with a "+" sign in it on the top left side of the window but the size of the window only increase a bit.

There's a triangle at the right bottom of the page. Drag it down and sideways and it'll expand till you fill the screen.

Geat price for the bundle.

[djspinnet]

Mac Question #1:
How do I maximize a window to fill up the whole screen? I pressed the small round green button with a "+" sign in it on the top left side of the window but the size of the window only increase a bit.
Kok Wei, the green + button is actually "resize to best fit" and not maximize. There's a difference in the philosophy of OS X and other Operating Systems - OS X enables "drag and drop" virtually everywhere and anywhere, so the best fit is actually to facilitate the drag and drop anywhere feature :) If you have a fully maximized window, you'll never be able to drag and drop effectively :)

[kok_wei]

Mac Question #2:
It looks like everytime I wanted to view photos in iPhoto, I need to import my photos first. For example, I have my collection of photos stored in my external HDD and I wanted to view all of them in iPhoto, I will need to drag and drop the directory containing my photos from my external HDD into the "library" folder in iPhoto or a new folder that I have created in iPhoto. Does this means I am actually creating a copy of the folder that I dragged/dropped into the iPhoto folder?

Can I have iPhoto points to my external HDD so that I can access all my photos directly?

[kok_wei]

Mac Question #3:
I remember reading this somewhere in the web but forgot how it is done already. How do I open a unix shell terminal? Is it Bourne or Korn or C shell?

[hyperon]

Wait for the definitive answer from djspinnet. Meanwhile, look for terminal and console in the utilities folder. I think tcsh, bash and zsh is available (that's what it says in my reference for Mac OS X 10.2).

[mac]

I don't like to use iPhoto for viewing photo, coz it'll create to many same file of diff saiz. I use iView Media for photo viewing and captioning. I think there are some other freeware viewer around.
As for the iphoto, maybe u go to its preference look for library location, if u see that then u can change it

[hyperon]

I use iView Media as well. There is also Photo Mechanic.

[djspinnet]

Mac Question #2:
It looks like everytime I wanted to view photos in iPhoto, I need to import my photos first. For example, I have my collection of photos stored in my external HDD and I wanted to view all of them in iPhoto, I will need to drag and drop the directory containing my photos from my external HDD into the "library" folder in iPhoto or a new folder that I have created in iPhoto. Does this means I am actually creating a copy of the folder that I dragged/dropped into the iPhoto folder?

Can I have iPhoto points to my external HDD so that I can access all my photos directly?
Yes, it will import all the photos into the default iPhoto library. Move your iPhoto library to your external HDD and delete the default library in the default location (~/Photos/iPhoto Library). The next time iPhoto opens, it should ask you to locate your library or create a new one. Find a library (and point to the one you just moved to your ext HDD)

However like a few others have mentioned above, for more serious photographers, iPhoto just doesn't quite cut it. It's more than good enough for the layman but for someone who probably already have your own method of organizing your photos, other alternatives are probably better. My personal favourite is Shoebox by KavaSoft.

Mac Question #3:
I remember reading this somewhere in the web but forgot how it is done already. How do I open a unix shell terminal? Is it Bourne or Korn or C shell?
Under Applications > Utilities > Terminal. By default it is a bash shell, but if you prefer tcsh or ksh or zsh you can chsh it :)

[kok_wei]

Mac Question #4:
I noticed I can't play vcd. Which vcd player would you recommend ah?

[hyperon]

I use VLC media player.

http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-macosx.html

[tsechien]

I don't like to use iPhoto for viewing photo, coz it'll create to many same file of diff saiz. I use iView Media for photo viewing and captioning. I think there are some other freeware viewer around.
As for the iphoto, maybe u go to its preference look for library location, if u see that then u can change it


Thanks! I really like iView Media3 now. Much more sophisticated compared to Photo Mechanic.

chien

[kok_wei]

Thanks! I really like iView Media3 now. Much more sophisticated compared to Photo Mechanic.

chien

hmmm.. it looks like not many people are in favor of iPhoto. I think I'll give iPhoto a try first and probably will use other applications for managing and editing my photos. Is it advisable for me to continue using iPhoto and then later I can install and use other photo management applications? If I have edited some photos using iPhoto, will I still be able to see the edited photos in another application? Just like to make sure that I don't end up spending a lot of time for housekeeping when I decide to switch to other application.

[kok_wei]

Yes, it will import all the photos into the default iPhoto library. Move your iPhoto library to your external HDD and delete the default library in the default location (~/Photos/iPhoto Library). The next time iPhoto opens, it should ask you to locate your library or create a new one. Find a library (and point to the one you just moved to your ext HDD)



A friend of mine told me that I can use iPhoto Buddy to help me with the iPhoto library management thingy. http://www.iphotobuddy.com/. I guess this is another way of doing it.

[tsechien]

hmmm.. it looks like not many people are in favor of iPhoto. I think I'll give iPhoto a try first and probably will use other applications for managing and editing my photos. Is it advisable for me to continue using iPhoto and then later I can install and use other photo management applications? If I have edited some photos using iPhoto, will I still be able to see the edited photos in another application? Just like to make sure that I don't end up spending a lot of time for housekeeping when I decide to switch to other application.


Keep iPhoto onboard. You can install other 3rd party viewers (which I think are much much better). I think if you edit any pic in iPhoto, you have to save and Export the edited copy as a separate file as changes done in iPhoto will not affect your original that you Imported initially. Correct me if I am mistaken....I hardly use that dang thing....

chien

[pixelife]

You've chosen ur path wisely, welcome to the real world of super computing, may the force be with you!

[kkog]

Well, Adobe Lightroom is another interesting option, especially if you deal with lots of RAW files. It uses the non-destructive editing interface like on iPhoto and Aperture so you have to export any changes. Totally different way of working than the photo manager-Photoshop workflow but I like it for keeping everything in one place.

[djspinnet]

I think if you edit any pic in iPhoto, you have to save and Export the edited copy as a separate file as changes done in iPhoto will not affect your original that you Imported initially.
Yes, you're right. You can revert to your original anytime.

[kok_wei]

I'm selling the "potty" here... :busted: http://www.photomalaysia.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23703

[kok_wei]

Just like to share my experience with iPhoto, iMovie and iDVD today.

For the past couple of days I have been using ProShow Gold(runs on windows only) on my laptop to make a DVD slideshow for my mom's vacation photos. Actually, I had been using ProShow Gold for a long time already and am very happy with it. So, last night I tried to burn mommy's vacation slideshow on the DVD but it froze up half way due to the Anti-Spyware running on the laptop somehow had a conflict with the processes of ProShow Gold. I actually knew about this problem but forgotten to turn off the anti-SpyWare. Wasted one DVD coz it got burned halfway. Then, I turned off the anti-SpyWare and repeat the whole rendering process in ProShow Gold. Everything seems to be working fine and as it was already late, I let it continue to burn while I go to bed. The next morning I came to check the DVD and to my surprise, the burning process seems like still running. It was 63% completed at that time. Then 5 hours later I came to check again and... aiyaaahh.. still 63%. Then, straight away I did a "ctrl+alt+del" and closed all the task and reboot the laptop coz it was getting a bit sluggish already. Second DVD wasted!! :019:

After that I turned around and looked at my iMac. I thought I better give that iMac a try and see how things goes. I was not very confident if I can get what I wanted with this thing coz I am still not very familiar with all that iWhatever Mac applications and I'm still in the pc -> Mac transition stage. To make things worse, mommy called and said she will come over in the afternoon to check out the DVD. So, with the pressure mounting and without wasting much time, I quickly fired up my iMac and started playing with iPhoto, iMovie and iDVD at 2:30pm. To cut the story short, by 6:30pm I have already got a DVD of mommy's vacation photos arranged in a slideshow that looked like it was made by some Hollywood director and also with some movies up and ready for viewing. I must say, I was really really really impressed with all those iSomething in that iMac. Though I felt there is some limitations in these iWhatever but I'm quite happy with it's performance already. :D

Now I'm more confident to use my iMac to work on my next DVD project, my church's 25th anniversary video footage which I just shot this morning. :109:

[ozzy]

Mac Question #2:
It looks like everytime I wanted to view photos in iPhoto, I need to import my photos first. For example, I have my collection of photos stored in my external HDD and I wanted to view all of them in iPhoto, I will need to drag and drop the directory containing my photos from my external HDD into the "library" folder in iPhoto or a new folder that I have created in iPhoto. Does this means I am actually creating a copy of the folder that I dragged/dropped into the iPhoto folder?

Can I have iPhoto points to my external HDD so that I can access all my photos directly?

u can also import photos to iPhoto without it actually creating a copy of the photo in the iPhoto library.. just go to iPhoto>preferences>advanced, and then uncheck "Copy files to iPhoto library.... "

[ted]

Mac Question #2:
It looks like everytime I wanted to view photos in iPhoto, I need to import my photos first. For example, I have my collection of photos stored in my external HDD and I wanted to view all of them in iPhoto, I will need to drag and drop the directory containing my photos from my external HDD into the "library" folder in iPhoto or a new folder that I have created in iPhoto. Does this means I am actually creating a copy of the folder that I dragged/dropped into the iPhoto folder?

Can I have iPhoto points to my external HDD so that I can access all my photos directly?

Dewd, check out iView Media Pro. I dont use iPhoto within the first week of purchasing me iBuku. :icon_rr:

*ps: Thnaks mac for the iView Media Pro tips!* :icon_rr:

[kok_wei]

Mac question #5:
Do you folks have problem with setting up your streamyx account in Mail? Mine can't seems to work.

Mac question #6:
How do I import e-mail messages and mailing list(address book?) from my Outlook Express into Mail?

Mac question #7:
How to do print screen?

[djspinnet]

Mac question #5:
Do you folks have problem with setting up your streamyx account in Mail? Mine can't seems to work.
Hmmm... I'm not too sure about this, I've never handled any Mail/streamyx support. Are you sure your settings are right?

Mac question #6:
How do I import e-mail messages and mailing list(address book?) from my Outlook Express into Mail?
You can try these few utilities (although I've never tried them as I don't use Outlook, only Thunderbird (Windows and Linux) and Mail.app in OS X.

http://www.hawkwings.net/2007/02/14/from-outlook-to-mailapp-with-libpst/
http://www.hawkwings.net/2005/12/11/abfiller-importing-outlook-contacts-made-easy/
http://www.hawkwings.net/2005/09/11/importing-email-from-outlook-and-outlook-express/

Worse come to worse, you can try importing your Outlook Mails into Thunderbird, then importing the Thunderbird import of Outlook to Mail.app (worst case scenario)

Mac question #7:
How to do print screen?
You can use the Grab utility in Applications > Utilities > Grab or you can press these key combinations:

Cmd+Shift+3 -- take screenshot of entire window (it will capture and create a .png image on your desktop for you)

Cmd+Shift+4 -- drag your mouse over the area to capture and it'll capture just that area for you

Cmd+Shift+4, then press Space -- capture only the hightlighted window (entire window)

[tsechien]

Mac question #5:
Do you folks have problem with setting up your streamyx account in Mail? Mine can't seems to work.

I faced that same issue as well. What I did was to bring my modem and laptop to Hardwicke House for the technician to sort it out. Something to do with the encryption level on your password (no need to change password or to open the network). If I remember what it is tonight, I will PM you on this.

chien

[kok_wei]

Mac question #8:
In iMovie HD, how do I trim the middle portion of a video clip? I only know how to trim the front and back portion of the video clip. Aiyaah.. wanted to send the snapshot but the filesize is so huge(600+ kB). This brings me to question #9..

Mac question #9:
What is the quickest and easiest way to send a snapshot picture(with size suitable for web sharing) of my desktop in PM thread?


p.s. btw, thanks every single one of you for taking the trouble to answer my questions. I hope I don't sound too rude by not thanking ya'll earlier. Just wanted to keep this thread short mah.

[McLaren]

Kok wei,
that was also my experiences. For that reason I state that you should"go with your logic/ common sense when exploring the iApplication thingy. Those chaps at Apple musta have done plenty of research to simplify life for noob like myself. :)

[kok_wei]

I faced that same issue as well. What I did was to bring my modem and laptop to Hardwicke House for the technician to sort it out. Something to do with the encryption level on your password (no need to change password or to open the network). If I remember what it is tonight, I will PM you on this.

chien

Chien,

The salesperson at Switch, QueensbayMall recommended me to try Entourage. I went home and gave it a try and within 5 seconds I'm already hooked up and able to download e-mails from my streamyx account. Amazing! :045:

Still not satisfied why Mail can't work with streamyx account though. :dry:

[tsechien]

Chien,

The salesperson at Switch, QueensbayMall recommended me to try Entourage. I went home and gave it a try and within 5 seconds I'm already hooked up and able to download e-mails from my streamyx account. Amazing! :045:

Still not satisfied why Mail can't work with streamyx account though. :dry:

It can work with Streamyx. It is the setting in the modem that causing the trouble. You are using D-Link, right?

Let me find out what it is exactly and call you.

chien

[kok_wei]

You can try these few utilities (although I've never tried them as I don't use Outlook, only Thunderbird (Windows and Linux) and Mail.app in OS X.

http://www.hawkwings.net/2007/02/14/from-outlook-to-mailapp-with-libpst/
http://www.hawkwings.net/2005/12/11/abfiller-importing-outlook-contacts-made-easy/
http://www.hawkwings.net/2005/09/11/importing-email-from-outlook-and-outlook-express/

Worse come to worse, you can try importing your Outlook Mails into Thunderbird, then importing the Thunderbird import of Outlook to Mail.app (worst case scenario)



Wah... these steps looked a bit complicated(I wanted everything to be simple.. it's a Mac mah). Anyway, I might give it a try if I have the time. Thanks.

[kok_wei]

Mac question #8:
In iMovie HD, how do I trim the middle portion of a video clip? I only know how to trim the front and back portion of the video clip.



I know how to do this already. :112:

Just need to drag the two triangle shaped thingy and whatever that's in between the two triangles will be removed once I hit the Delete button.

[kok_wei]

I'm selling the "potty" here... :busted: http://www.photomalaysia.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23703

My selling price for the Harman Kardon Soundstick II has gone down. Check it out here. http://www.photomalaysia.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23703

[kok_wei]

help! Yesterday when I switched on the iMac, it sounded like there is a vacuum cleaner inside. The vent at the back where air flows out seemed to blow out a lot of air. Any iMac user experience this before? Did I triggered some "jet blower" thingy?

[LoctorMayat]

CPU panas bang......

[kok_wei]

How can CPU be hot when I just turned it on? hmm..

Duuhh.. it's okay already now.

One thing I noticed is that I need to depress the "ON" button for like 1-2 second. Last night I might have pressed too fast the first time. Then it didn't turn on. Then the second time I press and hold for like 5 seconds and then the "vacuum cleaner" mode kicked in. I restarted a few times but still the same. Then 30 minutes ago, I turned on and the "vacuum cleaner" noise is still there. Then I shut it off and went out to pick up wifey from work. Then now I turn it on and now everything is silent as normal. :) hmm... maybe I'll try to recreate the situation see what happens.

[webster]

How can CPU be hot when I just turned it on? hmm..

Duuhh.. it's okay already now.

One thing I noticed is that I need to depress the "ON" button for like 1-2 second. Last night I might have pressed too fast the first time. Then it didn't turn on. Then the second time I press and hold for like 5 seconds and then the "vacuum cleaner" mode kicked in. I restarted a few times but still the same. Then 30 minutes ago, I turned on and the "vacuum cleaner" noise is still there. Then I shut it off and went out to pick up wifey from work. Then now I turn it on and now everything is silent as normal. :) hmm... maybe I'll try to recreate the situation see what happens.

the solution is very simple. in order to aviod the vacumn cleaner sound, go pick up your wifey from work everytime you need to turn it on. :laugh:

[LoctorMayat]

Abang...

When system boots up... there is one stage let's just call it "system thermal profile setting"...

It depends on the CPU to tell the system how fast the fan should spin so that it won't explode...

Sometimes hor... it doesn't work as expected :laugh: So your system EFI firmware thought that the CPU too hot liao... hence telling the fan..

"Oi! Spin at full speed! CPU is hot in here.. so take off all your clothes!"

That's the "vacuum cleaner" sound ... fan spinning at full speed

Then... later... or after your restart... it's okay liao...

So.. tarak apa punya...

[tsechien]

Abang...

When system boots up... there is one stage let's just call it "system thermal profile setting"...

It depends on the CPU to tell the system how fast the fan should spin so that it won't explode...

Sometimes hor... it doesn't work as expected :laugh: So your system EFI firmware thought that the CPU too hot liao... hence telling the fan..

"Oi! Spin at full speed! CPU is hot in here.. so take off all your clothes!"

That's the "vacuum cleaner" sound ... fan spinning at full speed

Then... later... or after your restart... it's okay liao...

So.. tarak apa punya...

This Loctor can also be quite smart.....................sometimes! :laugh:

chien

[macnpalm]

congrats on your purchase... never thought so much mac users here... :) so you've done your research on the "potty" speakers price huh?? got the same set for almost over a year now... my only problem with it is the volume control... but overall, it is good... and it goes beautifully beside my iMac too... ;)

[LoctorMayat]

This Loctor can also be quite smart.....................sometimes! :laugh:

chien

Yeah la u the smartest la.... :laugh:

[mac]

So your system EFI firmware thought that the CPU too hot liao...

i tot EFI is for fuel injection engines

[LoctorMayat]

Now computer also need some V-power ma... :laugh:

Anyway....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extensible_Firmware_Interface

[kok_wei]

Abang...

When system boots up... there is one stage let's just call it "system thermal profile setting"...

It depends on the CPU to tell the system how fast the fan should spin so that it won't explode...

Sometimes hor... it doesn't work as expected :laugh: So your system EFI firmware thought that the CPU too hot liao... hence telling the fan..

"Oi! Spin at full speed! CPU is hot in here.. so take off all your clothes!"

That's the "vacuum cleaner" sound ... fan spinning at full speed

Then... later... or after your restart... it's okay liao...

So.. tarak apa punya...

ooorrr.. I see. Say so in the first place mah. Next time tell your EFI firmware engineer to display a message on the screen saying "Tarak apa punya..". Give him an opportunity to write another extra line for this year's accomplishment. :laugh:

[LoctorMayat]

Ha? I only sell Loh Han Ko by the roadside woh... what you talking about?

[azrul]

loctor is quite right, most computers do a check of their systems when they power up and running the fan at full tilt is one of the common things, then the RPMs are reduced after sensors establish the processor is 'cool'. most fans are linked to a thermostat that will vary the speed of the fan according to temperature. even on my old VAX, part of the boot up process is to run the fans at full RPM and that's quite scary considering each fan is the about the size of a fan in a car radiator...

the PC file server in the studio does the same thing on first bootup.

[kok_wei]

I dunno about you guys but when I am working on my Dell pc in the office, sometimes I intuitively squeeze the mouse(hoping to see all the opened windows shrunk and laid flat on the desktop). :laugh: :laugh:

[Initiald]

I dunno about you guys but when I am working on my Dell pc in the office, sometimes I intuitively squeeze the mouse(hoping to see all the opened windows shrunk and laid flat on the desktop). :laugh: :laugh:

Ok, I'm not too sure if it's the same but don't you have the Show Desktop button on the Quicklaunch bar when you click on it? All open windows automatically minimise.