Calling all Mac Users! Need some tips

[dreamshark]

It looks like I'll be doing the BBT this year on a Mac of some kind, so I've been trying to get the iMac In the Attic into a condition where I can use it if a better one doesn't show up. It's probably about 6 years old and is running OS9.2. It's got Word98, and I was able to open and edit my BBT template from last year, so it ought to be usable for this task.

Here's some questions I was unable to figure out the answers to:

1) Is there any way to rename the main hard disk? It's currently showing up as "untitled." Just selecting the name and typing a new one has no effect. It's not important, just annoying.

2) How do you add/delete things in the Application List (the dropdown list in the upper right corner)? Word 98 does not show up in this list, and I want it to. The text editor (called something like Simpletext) shows up twice. I'd like to delete the second copy.

3) What do you call the list that drops down from under the apple icon in the upper left corner? It has some overlap with the Application List that drops down from the upper right corner, but is not quite the same. It's got both applications and old files in it. I have no interest in the old files and don't want to see them there. How can I get them out of this list? How can I get Windows98 to appear?

4) How do you configure the IP address? I have no problem connecting to the Internet in a LAN that has a DHCP server, but have no idea how to assign a static address in the absence of a DHCP server, or even to find out what my current IP address is. [Remember, I don't have OSX, so don't tell me about Linux commands!]

5) How do I create an alias on the desktop for commonly used applications and/or files? I see some aliases already lying around, so I know it's possible. I'm hoping there's a key-combo that you can hold while dragging the icon (on Windows it's the ALT key).

6) When the computer freezes up, is there some way to restart it comparable to CTL-ALT-DELETE on Windows?

7) When you click the little box in the upper left corner of a window, does this actually close the application or just hide it? If the latter, how do you close it?

8) Is there a way to set view preferences for folders so it defaults to the list view instead of the icon view?

9) What is the default browser for this OS? There's a copy of Netscape 6 (which I got working after a few false starts) and a copy of Internet Explorer. But I'm guessing there's a native browser hidden away somewhere that might work better on this machine than either of the alien browsers. What's its name?


THINGS I DID FINALLY FIGURE OUT
1) Which folder Word98 was supposed to live in. I accidentally dragged it out of its home folder while trying to create an alias and it refused to start until I got it back into the folder it expected to be in.

2) Finding the USB thumbdrive. I must not have had it fully seated the first time. I removed and reinserted it, and it DID pop up on the desktop, just like people told me it would. Unfortunately, however, this version of the OS cannot read Windows files, so it showed up as unformatted.

Comments

[barondave.livejournal.com]

A quick reply, from memory of OS9:

1) Your hard drive is networked, and you can't change networked drives. I forget which DA turns off the network connection, Users, or something. You'll have to turn it back on if you network computers at Minicon.

2) All open applications should show up in the Applications menu. My guess is that somebody renames MS Word to Simple Text. (I think you can rip off the Applications Menu to make it a floating palette).

3) It's call (ta da!) the Apple Menu. There's a folder in your System folder called Apple Menu Items. There should be an app under the Apple Menu that says "Add To Menu" or somesuch.

4) Network, iirc.

5) The Make Alias command is in the Edit Menu, iirc, and is also Cmd-M. What you're looking for is Cmd-option-drag the file to a location.

6) Oh great, now I've forgotten. Something with the power key...

7) If the box on the left doesn't do it, the box on the right closes it. Cmd-W is Close, if you can't figure out the boxes.

8) There is, but I've never gotten it to work properly. In the Finder, under Preferences (or View Options), set up the folder specs and click the box "All Folders". In theory, if you set the topmost folder (eg the HD), all the rest will default to it. In theory.

9. Mac didn't have a native browser, eg Safari, until OSX. Your default is in Network, iirc.

Boy, it's only been two years and I'm rusty...

[jbru.livejournal.com]

7) The box on the window closes only the Window. It never stops the application from running. To do that you want to Quit. This option is usually in the File menu or you can use Commad-Q. (The Command key is the one with the apple and little squiggle on it next to the spacebar.)

[dreamshark.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's what I meant. Quit. This is one of those areas where Mac and Windows users can't even communicate because:
* "Close" in MacSpeak = "Minimize" in Winspeak
* "Quit" in MacSpeak = "Close" in Winspeak

I used to know that equation, but had forgotten. Thanks for the reminder.

[ckd]

barondave has hit most of these, so just to fill in a bit:

6. I think Control-Command-Power is the whammy, or there's a recessed reset button near the ports (assuming it's one of the CRT iMacs) that you can hit with an unbent paper clip. (I think Apple wanted to maintain some reason to have an unbent paper clip around even after they got rid of the floppy drives....)

7. That closes the window. Some applications will exit when the window is closed; most won't (generally those that let you have multiple documents open). You can tell if it's still running because the menu bar will still reflect that application, and it should also be checked in the application menu (upper right).

9. I'm pretty sure IE was the shipped default browser for 9.2.

[chasophonic.livejournal.com]

Some others:

I'm with Dave, how quickly we forget!

4: TCP/IP Preferences or Internet config. Maybe

8: One of rhe Dropdown menus on the desktop does this. Might be called "View". Has options of "as list" and "as icons". I think you can color the folders here as well.

5: this quite what you asked, but you can select recent applications and recent documents from the Apple Menu. It always seened to have its own rules about what counted as recent though and sometimes things don't show.

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

People know these things in muscle memory, and will help you figure it out at the con.

K.

[galacticvoyeur.livejournal.com]

this is quite likely

[dreamshark.livejournal.com]

As much as possible I'm trying to figure it out ahead of time so I can get the computer desktop cleaned up and the BBT half-done before I get there. It will also make me less irritable to work with at the con. I'm never happy until I've customized my computer environment.