Mac Training Guide!

This is the Hardware section of Mac OS X System Preferences, here We will tweak the system to interact with CDs-DVDs, the Display, control how the Keyboard and Mouse behave, install printers and set the audio alerts.

CDs & DVDs

In this option, We assign a function for the System to do when a Blank CD and DVD is loaded, when a Music or Picture CD is inserted We set the application to use it, We can even tell the System what to do if a DVD Movie is loaded.

Displays

In Displays We can change our monitor resolutions, select how many colors the screen should use and even rotate our screen 90º, 180º and 270º. The System provides an automatic Display detector that helps you choose the correct resolution and color to use.

In the Color Tab you can calibrate your Display or choose a Calibration Profile provided by the System. It’s recommended to have your Display calibrated if you work in the Pre-Press, Graphic and Video Production business. Calibrating your Display helps you get a more accurate color information for all your graphic applications. Apple provides Colorsync to help you get the most realistic colors from your computer. Colorsync is used when you calibrate your Displays.

Energy Saver

Energy Saver is used to tell the computer when to go to sleep in order to stop consuming energy while idle, it tells Mac OS X that if the Computer is idle for a X period of time to shut down the Display and put the System to rest until a key or a mouse is pressed. Here We can tell the System to wake up if a network connection is detected, if the modem detects an incoming call, to use the Power Button in order to put the System to sleep and to wake up if a Energy interruption has ocurred.

Keyboard and Mouse

In this area We control the Mouse and Keyboard speed, the double click speed and the delay between clicks and assign our own keyboard combinations to any given function of the System.

Print and Fax

In the Print & Fax area We select the Printer to use, this Printer can be a USB Printer attached to the computer, a IP based printer on a network, a Windows shared Printer, a Bluetooth Printer or a Printer in an AppleTalk network. For the Fax We can use the Internal Modem if your computer has one or a USB based Modem from Apple or any other vendor.

Here We can set the Default Paper Size, check for Print Queue Jobs and Share our Printer going to the Network Printer Sharing option.

Sounds

The System Sounds, here We can assign the Default sound alert, Mute the whole System, control de Volume and assign the Output and Input ports to be used by the System (Line out – Digital out, Line in – Digital in).

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