In This Chapter
Displaying and customizing settings in System Preferences
Saving your changes
Changing settings
The System Preferences window is the place to practice behavior modification in Mac OS X. The settings that you specify in System Preferences affect the majority of the applications that you use as well as the hardware that you connect to your MacBook; your Internet and network traffic; the appearance and activity on your Desktop; and how Snow Leopard handles money, dates, and languages. Oh, and don't forget your screen saver — important stuff!
In this chapter, I discuss the many settings in System Preferences. You discover what does what and how you can customize the appearance and operation of Mac OS X.
Apple has made it easy to open the System Preferences window. Just click the System Preferences icon (which looks like a number of gears) in the Dock, and the window shown in Figure 3-1 appears. You can also open the window by clicking the Apple menu and choosing the System Preferences item.
Tip
To display all the System Preferences icons at any time, click the Show All button. You can also use the Back and Forward buttons (in the toolbar's upper-left corner) to move backward and forward through the different panes you've accessed in System Preferences, just as you use the similar buttons in a Web browser (yes, just like Safari!).
Although the System Preferences panes are arranged by category when you first install Snow Leopard, you can also display the panes in alphabetical order — making it easier to choose a pane if you're unsure what group it's in. To do so, choose View
Tip
In fact, you can right-click the System Preferences icon in the Dock to jump to any pane from the contextual menu. Wowzers!
Note that the System Preferences window has no Save or Apply button. Illustrating the elegant design of Mac OS X, simply quitting System Preferences automatically saves all the changes that you make. (However, some panes in System Preferences have an Apply button that you can click to apply your changes immediately.) As with any other Mac OS X application, you can quit the System Preferences window by pressing
Searching for a single button or check box amidst all the settings in System Preferences might seem like hunting for the proverbial needle in a haystack, but your friends at Apple have added a Search box to the right side of the window toolbar. Click in this Search box (or press
To reset the Search field for a different keyword, click the X button that appears at the right of the Search box.
The first stop on your tour of the System Preferences window is the Personal section. No singles ads here — this section is devoted to settings that you make to customize the appearance and operation of your Desktop and login account.
The Appearance group appears in Figure 3-3.
These settings are
Appearance: From this pop-up menu, choose a color to be used for buttons, menus, and windows.
Highlight Color: From this pop-up menu, choose a color to be used to highlight selected text in fields and pop-up menus.
Place Scroll Arrows: Select either radio button here to put the scroll bar arrow buttons together (at the bottom of the scroll bar, in the lower-right corner of the window) or at the top and bottom of the scroll bar.
Click in the Scroll Bar To: By default, Mac OS X jumps to the next or previous page when you click in an empty portion of the scroll bar. Select the Jump to the Spot That's Clicked radio button to scroll the document to the approximate position in relation to where you click. (You can also choose smooth scrolling, which looks cool, but many folks think that it's too slow compared with the default scrolling speed.) If you select the Double-Click a Window's Title Bar to Minimize check box, you can minimize a Finder or application window by simply double-clicking the window's title bar.
Number of Recent Items: The default number of recent applications, documents, and servers (available from the Recent Items item in the Apple menu, which you can read more about in Book II, Chapter 3) is 10. To change the default, click any of the pop-up menus here and choose up to 50. (Personally, I like 20 or 30 for each.)
Use LCD Font Smoothing: By default, this check box is enabled, making the text on your MacBook's LCD display appear more like the printed page.
Turn Off Text Smoothing for Font Sizes: Below a certain point size, text smoothing isn't much good for most on-screen fonts. By default, any font displayed at 8 point or smaller isn't smoothed, which is suitable for a high-end video card and monitor. You can speed up the display of text by turning off text smoothing for fonts up to 12 point.
Figure 3-4 illustrates the settings in the Desktop & Screen Saver group.
The settings on the Desktop tab are
Current Desktop Picture: You can click a picture in the thumbnail list at the right half of the screen to use it as your Desktop background. The Desktop is immediately updated, and the thumbnail appears in the well (the square box in Figure 3-4). To display a different image collection or open a folder of your own images, click the Add Folder button at the lower left of the window (which carries a plus sign) and browse for your heart's desire; click Choose to select a folder and display the images it contains.
Layout: As I explain in Chapter 2 of this minibook, you can tile your background image, center it, fill the screen with it, and stretch it to fill the screen. (Note that filling the screen may distort the image.) The layout control appears only when you're using your own pictures, so you won't see it if you're using a Desktop image supplied by Apple.
Change Picture: Select this check box to change the Desktop background automatically after the delay period that you set, including each time you log in and each time your Mac wakes up from sleep mode.
Random Order: To display screens randomly, enable the Random Order check box. Otherwise, the backgrounds are displayed in the sequence in which they appear in the thumbnail strip.
Translucent Menu Bar: When enabled, this feature turns your Finder and application menu bars semi-opaque, allowing them to blend in somewhat with your Desktop background. If you'd rather have a solid-color menu bar, deselect this check box.
Click the Screen Saver tab to see the following settings:
Screen Savers: In the Screen Savers list at the left, click the screen saver that you want to display an animated Preview of on the right. To try out the screen saver in full-screen mode, click the Test button. (You can end the test by moving your finger across the trackpad.) If the screen saver module that you select has any configurable settings, click the Options button to display them. (A screen saver is configurable if the Options button is enabled.)
Start Screen Saver: Click and drag the slider here to specify the period of inactivity that triggers the screen saver. To disable the screen saver, choose the Never setting at the far right of the slider.
Use Random Screen Saver: Just what it says: If this check box is enabled, a different screen saver module is used each time the screen saver is activated.
Show with Clock: If you want your selected screen saver to display the time as well, click this check box to enable it.
Hot Corners: Click any of the four pop-up menus at the four corners of the screen to specify that corner as an activation hot corner (which immediately activates the screen saver) or as a disabling hot corner (which prevents the screen saver from activating). As long as the pointer stays in the disabling hot corner, the screen saver doesn't kick in no matter how long a period of inactivity passes. Note that you can also set the Exposé activation corners from here. (For the scoop on Exposé, see the upcoming section, "Exposé and Spaces preferences.")
The Dock group is shown in Figure 3-5.
Settings here are
Size: Move this slider to change the overall size of the Dock.
Magnification: With this check box selected, a Dock icon magically expands, like the national deficit, when you move your pointer over it. You can move the Magnification slider to specify just how much magnification is right for you.
Tip
This feature is useful for helping you click a particular Dock icon if you've resized the Dock smaller than its default dimensions or if you have a large number of items in the Dock.
Position on Screen: Choose from three radio buttons to make that crazy Dock appear at the left, bottom, or right edge of your Desktop.
Minimize Windows Using: By default, Mac OS X animates a window when it's shrunk into the Dock (and when it's expanded back into a full window). From the Minimize Using pop-up menu, you can choose from a genie-in-a-bottle effect or a scale-up-or-down-incrementally effect. To demonstrate, choose an effect and then click the Minimize button (the yellow button in the upper-left corner) on the System Preferences window.
Minimize windows into application icon: By default, Snow Leopard minimizes a window as a thumbnail on the right side of the Dock. Select this check box to minimize a window into the icon for the parent application instead.
Animate Opening Applications: By default, Mac OS X has that happy, slam-dancing feeling when you launch an application: The application's icon bounces up and down in the Dock two or three times to draw your attention and indicate that the application is loading. If you find this effervescence overly buoyant or distracting, deselect this check box.
Automatically Hide and Show the Dock: If you like, the Dock can stay hidden until you need it, thus reclaiming a significant amount of Desktop space for your application windows. Select this check box to hide the Dock whenever you're not using it.
To display a hidden Dock, move your pointer over the edge of the Desktop where it's hiding.
Tip
You can also change these Dock preference settings from the Apple menu.
Figure 3-6 illustrates the Exposé & Spaces settings that you can configure in this group. You can use Exposé to view all the application windows that you're using at one time so that you can select a new active window. Or you can move all windows aside so that you can see your Desktop. Dashboard presents a number of mini-applications (or widgets), which you can summon and hide with a single key. Spaces makes it easy to create multiple desktops that you can switch between, each of which has its own set of preloaded applications.
On the Exposé pane, the settings are
Active Screen Corners: These four pop-up menus operate just like the Hot Corners/Active Screen Corners in the Desktop & Screen Savers pane, but they control the operation of the Snow Leopard Dashboard and Exposé features. Click one to specify that corner as an All Windows corner (which displays all windows on your Desktop), an Application Windows corner (which displays only the windows from the active application), a Desktop corner (which moves all windows to the outside of the screen to uncover your Desktop), or a Dashboard corner (which displays your Dashboard widgets). Note that you can also set the Screen Saver Start and Disable corners from here.
Keyboard and Mouse Shortcuts: Click each pop-up menu to set the key sequences (and mouse button settings) for all three Exposé functions as well as the Dashboard.
Note
You're not limited to just the keyboard and mouse shortcuts on the pop-up menus — press the Shift, Control, Option, and
On the Spaces pane (as shown in Figure 3-7), you find the following settings:
Enable Spaces: In order to use Spaces, select this check box.
Show Spaces in Menu Bar: When this check box is selected, Snow Leopard displays the Spaces desktop number you're currently using in the Finder menu bar. You can click the number in the menu bar to switch to another Spaces desktop or to open the Spaces Preferences pane.
Rows buttons: To add a row of Spaces desktops to the Spaces grid, click the Add button with the plus sign. (By default, Spaces starts with two desktops enabled, so new rows and columns are numbered beginning with three.) To delete a row, click the Delete button (which bears a minus sign).
Columns buttons: To add a column of Spaces desktops to the Spaces grid, click the Add (plus) button. Click the Delete (minus) button to remove a column from the grid.
Tip
If you choose to remove a column or row, Snow Leopard alerts you that the bindings on the deleted desktop(s) will be reassigned.
Add/Remove Application: Click the Add Application button (the button with the plus sign under the Application Assignments list) to add an application to one of your Spaces desktops. You can select which desktop should include an application by clicking the up/down arrows next to the Space column for that application's entry. Just click the desired desktop from the pop-up menu that appears. To remove an application, click it in the Application Assignments list to select it and then click the Remove Application button (which sports a minus sign).
Tip
Spaces can even add an application to all your desktops — choose Every Space from the pop-up menu.
Keyboard and Mouse Shortcuts: Click each pop-up menu to set the key sequences (and mouse button settings) for all three Spaces functions.
Note
As with Dashboard and Exposé keyboard and mouse shortcuts, you can press Shift, Control, Option, and Command keys while the box is open to display modified choices.
When Switching to an Application: When selected, this check box allows you to switch applications between Spaces desktops using the
The Language & Text group appears in Figure 3-8 with the following tabs:
Language: Choose the preferred order for language use in menus and dialogs as well as the standards that Mac OS X will use for each script style.
Text: Specify character combinations that will be automatically replaced with special characters. For example, Snow Leopard will automatically replace the combination TM with the special character ™. You can also choose a language for spell-checking and turn on "smart" quotes (where Snow Leopard chooses double or single quotation marks for you).
Formats: Find these settings here:
Dates: You can select a region and use its date conventions (month-day-year versus day-month-year) or you can click the Customize button to build a custom format for both the long date (Saturday, September 24, 2005) and short date (9/24/2005) used throughout Mac OS X. The changes you make are reflected immediately in the sample box at the left.
Times: Click Customize to select a region to use the preset time conventions. You can choose 12-hour or 24-hour (military) time formats, change the time separator (colons, a period, or a dash), and specify different suffixes for morning (a.m.) and evening (p.m.).
Numbers: These convention settings determine the separators used for large numbers or numbers with decimals, as well as the currency symbol that you want to use and where it appears in a number. You can also choose between standard (U.S.) and metric measurement systems.
Input Sources: Each check box toggles the keyboard layouts available from the Input menu. (To display the Input menu on the Finder menu bar, click the Show Input Menu in Menu Bar check box to select it.) Click the Keyboard Shortcuts button to toggle the shortcuts for switching layouts and input methods.
The Security group is shown in Figure 3-9.
Settings here are divided into three tabs:
General: To add an extra layer of password security to your laptop (which I recommend if you often work in a public area), select the Require Password after Sleep or Screen Saver Begins check box. Mac OS X then requires that you enter your login password before the system returns from a sleep state or exits a screen saver. Click the pop-up delay menu to specify when the password requirement will kick in (it's immediate by default). If you're an admin-level user, you can set the global security features in the For All Accounts on This Computer section, which affect all user accounts. You can choose to disable the automatic login feature, force Mac OS X to require a login password each time that a System Preferences pane is opened, automatically log off any user after a certain amount of inactivity, or use secure (encrypted) virtual memory on your hard drive. You can also mark the Disable Location Services check box to turn off the Location feature, preventing applications from using information based on your MacBook's current location.
Tip
Don't want small fingers accidentally controlling your MacBook with the Apple Remote? If you don't need the Remote on a regular basis, click the Disable Remote Control Infrared Receiver check box to select it. (But don't forget to turn your IR receiver back on for your next movie night!)
FileVault: These controls allow you to set the master password for FileVault encryption within the current user's Home folder, which makes it virtually impossible for others to access those files. Only an admin-level user can set the master password. After the master password is set, you can click the Turn On FileVault button to enable FileVault encryption for the user who's currently logged in; the user's Login password becomes his FileVault password as well.
Firewall: As I discuss in Book VI, Chapter 6, Mac OS X includes a built-in firewall, which you can enable from this pane.
To turn the firewall off entirely, simply click the Stop button. This is the very definition of Not a Good Thing, and I always recommend that any MacBook hooked up to a network or the Internet have the system firewall turned on. (The only exception is if you're using a network that you know to be secure and your access to the Internet is through a router or sharing device with its own built-in firewall.)
When the firewall is enabled, click the Advanced button to set firewall options.
To turn the firewall on with only Mac OS X application exclusions, click Block All Incoming Connections — only the sharing services you select on the Sharing pane in System Preferences are allowed through your firewall.) This is a good choice for the most security-conscious MacBook owner, but your firewall will block third-party applications that try to access your network or the Internet.
To turn the firewall on with exclusions, click Automatically Allow Signed Software to Receive Incoming Connections. (Yep, this is the correct option for just about every MacBook owner.) Any connection to a service (such as Web Sharing) or an application (such as iChat) that isn't listed is blocked, but you can enable access for third-party applications on an as-needed basis.
Note
In firewall-speak, these entries are rules because they determine what's allowed to pass through to your MacBook.
It's easy to enable communications with a Mac OS X service: Just use the Sharing pane within System Preferences to turn on a service, and Snow Leopard automatically configures your firewall to allow communications. I describe the Sharing pane in detail later in this chapter.
To add a third-party application, click the Advanced button at the bottom of the Firewall pane, then click the button with the plus sign. Navigate to the application that needs to communicate with the outside world. Click the application to select it and then click Add. To delete an application, select it in the list and click the button with the minus sign. Remember, you don't have to add any of the applications provided by Apple with Snow Leopard, such as Apple Mail, iChat, or Safari; only third-party applications that you install yourself need a firewall rule.
Tip
You can edit the rule for a specific service or application by clicking the rule at the right side of the entry. By default, the rule reads Allow Incoming Connections (including both your local network and the Internet); however, when you click the rule, you can also choose Block Incoming Connections to temporarily deny access to that application.
Tip
If you suddenly can't connect to other computers or share files that you originally could share, review the rules that you've enabled from this pane. You can also verify that everything's shipshape in the Sharing pane in System Preferences, which I cover later in this chapter.
The Spotlight group is shown in Figure 3-10.
Settings here are
Search Results tab: You can enable or disable the check boxes next to each of the categories to display or hide each category in the Spotlight search menu and dialog. Click and drag the categories to the order that you prefer. For example, I like to see matching documents immediately after matching applications in the Spotlight dialog, so I dragged Documents to the second position in the list. You can also specify a different keyboard shortcut for the Spotlight menu and window.
Privacy tab: If you don't want to display the contents of certain folders in the Spotlight — for instance, if you work in a hospital setting and you can't allow access to patient information and medical records — click the Add button (which carries a plus sign) and specify the folder or disk you want to exclude from Spotlight searches. Alternatively, just drag the folders or disks to exclude into the list from a Finder window.
The next category, Hardware, allows you to specify settings that affect your laptop's hardware.
The CDs & DVDs group is shown in Figure 3-11.
Choices here are
When You Insert a Blank CD: Click this pop-up menu to specify the action that Mac OS X takes when you load a blank CD-R or CD-RW. You can choose to be prompted or to open the Finder, iTunes, or Disk Copy. Additionally, you can open another application that you select, run an AppleScript that you select, or ignore the disc.
When You Insert a Blank DVD: Use this feature to specify the action that your MacBook takes when you load a recordable DVD.
When You Insert a Music CD: Choices from this pop-up menu specify what action Mac OS X takes when you load an audio CD. By default, iTunes launches.
When You Insert a Picture CD: Choices from this pop-up menu specify what action Mac OS X takes when you load a picture CD. By default, iPhoto launches.
When You Insert a Video DVD: Choices from this pop-up menu specify what action Mac OS X takes when you load a DVD movie. By default, DVD Player launches.
The Displays group is shown in Figure 3-12.
The two tabs here are
Display: Click the resolution that you want to use from the Resolutions list on the left and then choose the number of colors (from the Colors pop-up menu) to display. In most cases, you want to use the highest resolution and the highest number of colors. You can also choose a refresh rate (from the, ahem, Refresh Rate pop-up menu). Again, generally, the higher the refresh rate, the better. Move the Brightness slider to adjust the brightness level of your display. If you've connected an external monitor or flat-screen TV to your MacBook, click the Detect Displays button and Snow Leopard will add them to the list of available displays, allowing you to redirect your MacBook's video signal.
Tip
Enable the Show Displays in Menu Bar check box if you'll be switching resolutions and color levels often — this means you, Ms. Image Editor and Mr. Web Designer!
Color: Click a display color profile that will control the colors on your monitor. To load a profile, click the Open Profile button. To create a custom ColorSync profile and calibrate the colors that you see on your monitor, click the Calibrate button to launch the Display Calibrator. (You can also launch it from your Utilities folder within your Applications folder.) This easy-to-use assistant walks you step-by-step through the process of creating a ColorSync profile matched to your monitor's gamma and white-point values.
The Energy Saver group is shown in Figure 3-13.
Move the Computer Sleep slider to specify when Mac OS X should switch to sleep mode. The Never setting here disables sleep mode entirely. To choose a separate delay period for blanking your monitor, drag the Display Sleep delay slider to the desired period. You can also power down the hard drive to conserve energy and prevent wear and tear (an especially good feature for laptop owners).
Tip
If you want to start or shut down your laptop at a scheduled time, click the Schedule button. Mark the desired schedule (the Start Up or Wake check box and the Shut Down/Sleep check box) to enable them; then click the up and down arrows next to the time display to set the trigger time. Click OK to return to the Energy Saver pane.
Some of the settings can toggle events that control Snow Leopard's sleep mode, including a network connection by the network administrator (Wake for Network Access). If you want the display to dim before your Mac goes to sleep, enable the Automatically Reduce Brightness before Display Goes to Sleep check box. You can also set Mac OS X to restart automatically after a power failure, which is a good idea if you're sharing music or files with others. Naturally, MacBook owners will want to click the Show Battery Status in the Menu Bar check box to select it.
Tip
Mac laptop owners can set two separate Energy Saver configurations by clicking one of the two tabs at the top of the pane:
Battery Power: Applies when their MacBook is running on battery power)
Power Adapter: Kicks in when the laptop is connected to an AC outlet
Your MacBook will automatically switch to the proper configuration when you plug or unplug your laptop.
The Keyboard group is shown in Figure 3-14.
The two tabs include
Keyboard: Move the Key Repeat Rate slider to alter the rate at which a keystroke repeats. You can also adjust the Delay until Repeat slider to alter how long a key must be held down before it repeats. If you change your keyboard, you can always run the Keyboard Setup Assistant by clicking the Change Keyboard Type button — you can also set up a wireless Bluetooth keyboard from this pane.
Tip
MacBook owners can set the F1–F12 keys as standard function keys within applications by enabling the Use All F1, F2, Etc. Keys as Standard Function Keys check box. If you enable this feature, you have to hold down the Function (or Fn) key while pressing the F1 through F12 keys to use the regular hardware keys.
Tip
If you have a MacBook Pro, you can choose to turn the ambient keyboard lighting on and off from this pane, or turn off keyboard lighting after an inactivity delay that you set.
Keyboard Shortcuts: If you're a power user who appreciates the lure of the keyboard shortcut, you can edit your shortcuts here.
Tip
Looking for even more keyboard customizing possibilities? Select the All Controls radio button on the Keyboard Shortcuts pane to see additional keys to use.
Figure 3-15 illustrates the Mouse preferences pane.
The contents of this pane depend on whether your MacBook has a USB or wireless Bluetooth mouse installed. If you haven't installed a mouse yet, you see a Waiting screen that leads you through the installation process. After you add a mouse, trackball, or other pointing device to your system, you see the settings shown in Figure 3-15.
Mouse: Drag the Tracking Speed slider to determine how fast the mouse tracks across your Desktop. You can also drag the Double-Click Speed slider to determine how fast you must click your mouse to cause a double-click. Drag the Scrolling Speed slider to specify the rate at which the contents of windows will scroll. Lefties might want to change the primary mouse button for aftermarket pointing devices. You can also zoom the display with your Mighty Mouse scroll ball while holding down the key of your choice — a great option for image editing. To install a wireless Bluetooth mouse from this pane, click the Set Up Bluetooth Mouse button, which runs the Bluetooth device Set Up assistant.
(Optional) Bluetooth: If you're using a wireless Bluetooth mouse or keyboard, you can check the battery level on these devices from this pane. You can also specify whether your Bluetooth keyboard or mouse wakes your Mac from sleep mode. If you don't have a Bluetooth keyboard or mouse, this tab doesn't appear.
Figure 3-16 illustrates the Trackpad preferences pane.
This pane is available only to MacBook owners, allowing this elite crowd to customize the tracking speed and double-click speed for their trackpads. You can also set your MacBook's trackpad for two-fingered scrolling (vertical and horizontal) and zooming. (I imagine both will someday become Olympic events.) If you prefer to zoom by holding down a key, click the pop-up menu to select the key. You can also enable clicking and configure right-clicking by using the trackpad.
Tip
I suggest that you leave the Ignore Accidental Trackpad Input check box selected to prevent spurious movements and clicks — and, if you use a mouse with your laptop, you can elect to disable the trackpad while the mouse is connected. This helps to prevent accidental copies or moves within a Finder window!
Figure 3-17 illustrates the Print & Fax preferences.
Click the Options & Supplies button to configure the selected printer's features, and click the Open Print Queue button to display the Print Queue window (no great shockers there). To add a new printer or fax connection, click the Add button, which bears a plus sign — Snow Leopard launches the Browser. You can read more about printer and fax setup in Book VIII, Chapter 4.
The other settings here are
Share This Printer on the Network: Click this check box to share this printer with other computers on your network. To specify who can use your shared printer, click the Set Permissions button. System Preferences switches to the Sharing pane, where you can add or remove users from the permission list.
Default Printer: Click this pop-up menu to select the installed printer that acts as the default printer throughout your system. If you choose Last Printer Used, Mac OS X uses the printer that received the last print job.
Default Paper Size: Will that be US Letter or Tabloid? Click this pop-up menu to specify the default paper size for future print jobs.
If you've added a fax entry to the list, click the entry to set up the fax send/receive functions built into Snow Leopard. To receive faxes on your MacBook, you must first set up a fax connection; then, click the Receive Options button and select the Receive Faxes on This Computer check box.
After faxing is turned on, you can configure the other settings from the Print & Fax pane and the Receive Options sheet. These settings include
Fax Number: Enter the phone number that others call to reach your MacBook.
When a Fax Arrives: You can determine how many times the phone rings before your laptop's external modem answers the incoming call. By default, Mac OS X saves the incoming fax to your Shared Faxes folder, but you can change that location — or you can choose to print the incoming fax on the printer that you specify. Heck, if you like, you can send your fax to both destinations (a disk folder and a printer) or even mail the fax to the e-mail address you specify.
Tip
If you send and receive a large number of faxes, make sure you enable the Show Fax Status in Menu Bar check box.
You can also allow other computer users on your local network to send faxes through your MacBook. Enable the Share This Fax on the Network check box, and your laptop's external fax modem appears when the other users add a fax connection.
The Sound group is shown in Figure 3-18. To set the overall system audio volume, drag the Output Volume slider. To mute all sound from your MacBook, select the Mute check box. I recommend that you select the Show Volume in Menu Bar check box, which displays a convenient volume slider menu bar icon.
The three tabs here are
Sound Effects: From this pane, you can choose the system alert sound and the volume for alerts. You can also choose to mute application and Finder menu sound effects, as well as toggle the sample sound effect when the volume keys are pressed on your MacBook's keyboard (or from the Volume slider). If you use Front Row with your laptop, you can enable or disable the Front Row audio effects from this pane.
Output: Use these settings to choose which audio controller your MacBook uses for playing sound. Unless you've installed additional audio hardware, this remains set to Built-in Audio or Internal Speakers. You can adjust the balance between the left and right channels for the selected output controller.
Input: These settings allow you to specify an input source. Unless your MacBook includes a Line In input source, leave this set to your Internal Microphone. Drag the Input Volume slider to increase or decrease the input signal volume; the input level display provides you with real-time sound levels. If your MacBook is in a location with a large amount of background noise, click the Use Ambient Noise Reduction check box to improve the quality of your audio input.
Your Internet and Network connections are controlled from the settings in this category.
The MobileMe group is illustrated in Figure 3-19.
The four tabs are
Account: In the MobileMe Member Name and the Password text boxes, respectively, type your MobileMe member name and password to display the Account tab. If you want to subscribe, click the Learn More button to launch your Web browser and you're whisked to the MobileMe sign-up page. For more information about joining Apple's MobileMe service, see Book VI, Chapter 4.
Sync: If you want to synchronize your MacBook (or multiple Macintosh computers) with the personal information and data stored online in your MobileMe account, select the Synchronize with MobileMe check box and click the pop-up menu to specify manual or automatic synchronization. (To manually sync, click Sync Now.) You can also specify which categories of data you want to sync. Naturally, the fewer categories you choose, the less time it takes to sync. To register a computer so that you can sync with it, click the Advanced button and then click Register Computer. Snow Leopard can display your Sync status in the Finder menu bar.
iDisk: This pane displays your current iDisk usage and allows you to subscribe for additional space with the Upgrade button. You can set your access privileges for your public folder by selecting or deselecting the Allow Others to Write Files in Your Public Folder check box, and you can add a password that others have to enter before they can access your public folder. For a complete description of iDisk, see Book VI, Chapter 4.
Tip
I recommend that you click the iDisk Sync Start button on the iDisk tab to enable the Snow Leopard iDisk syncing function (which creates a local copy of your iDisk on your MacBook). Select the Update Automatically option; this option allows iDisk to run much faster because Mac OS X can read and write by using your local iDisk copy on your hard drive. Your MacBook regularly synchronizes the data on your local hard drive across the Internet with the iDisk on the Apple server. To make sure that you're always using the most recent copy of a file on your iDisk, select the Always Keep the Most Recent Version of a File check box.
Back to My Mac: From this list, you can control file and screen sharing across all the computers you use with your MobileMe account. To begin using the Back to My Mac features, click the Start button. (Remember, you'll have to turn on Back to My Mac on all computers that will use this service.)
The Network group is shown in Figure 3-20.
You can choose an existing Location by clicking the Location pop-up menu at the top of the dialog, or you can create and edit your Locations by choosing Edit Locations from this pop-up menu. (Automatic is the default, and it does a pretty good job of figuring out what settings you need.) As I mention in Book II, Chapter 3, creating Locations makes it easy to completely reconfigure your Network preferences when you connect your computer to other networks — for example, when you take your laptop to a branch office. You can also set up Locations to accommodate different ISP dial-up telephone numbers in different towns.
Tip
If you need to create a new Location that's very similar to an existing Location, click the Location pop-up menu and choose Edit Locations. Then select the Location that you want to copy, click the Action button (bearing the gear symbol), and choose Duplicate Location from the pop-up menu. The new Location that you create contains all the same settings (without several minutes of retyping), so you can easily edit it and make minor changes quickly.
Tip
You can choose locations from the Apple menu — a useful trick for laptop road warriors.
When you select Ethernet from the Services list, the Status pane shows your connection information. Because most networks have a DHCP server to provide automatic settings, you probably don't have to change anything; Snow Leopard does a good job at making introductions automatic between your MacBook and both a local network and the Internet.
Tip
Notice the very attractive Assist Me ...button at the bottom of the Network pane? It's there for a very good reason: Click it, and Snow Leopard launches a network connection and troubleshooting assistant that guides you step-by-step. If your ISP doesn't provide you with instructions on setting up your Internet connection — or that oh-so-smart Mr. Network Administrator is too busy to help connect your MacBook to your office network — use both this book and the network assistant to do the job yourself!
Need to make manual changes to your network settings? Click the Advanced button (it's like opening the hood on your car). The tabs on the Advanced sheet include
TCP/IP: These settings are provided either automatically (by using Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol [DHCP]) or manually (by using settings provided by your network administrator).
DNS: The settings that you enter here specify the DNS servers and search domains used by your ISP. Typically, any changes you make here are requested by your ISP or your network administrator. Click the Add buttons (with the plus signs) to add a new DNS server address or search domain.
WINS: Dating back a few years, WINS is a name server required for computers running NetBIOS (practically dinosaurs in the computer timeline), and likely only those computers running a version of Windows older than Windows 2000. If that sounds like gobbledygook to you, you need to enter something on this tab only if instructed to do so by your network administrator.
802.1X: This tab controls which wireless networking security protocols that you may need to connect to a third-party wireless base station or access point. Click the Add Configuration button (with our friend the plus sign) to create a new wireless connection configuration, including your username, password, and the protocols that need to be used. Note that these settings are set automatically when making a wireless connection with an Apple AirPort Extreme base station.
Proxies: Network proxy servers are used as part of a firewall configuration to help keep your network secure, but in most cases, changing them can cause you to lose Internet functionality if you enter the wrong settings.
Most folks using a telephone modem, cable modem, or digital subscriber line (DSL) connection should leave these settings alone. Enable and change these settings only at the request of your network administrator, who should supply you the location of a PAC file to automate the process.
Tip
If you've enabled your Mac OS X firewall and you use FTP to transfer files, enable the Passive FTP Mode check box on the Proxies pane. I recommend that you enable this setting to allow downloading from some Web pages as well.
Ethernet: From this pane, you can configure the settings for your Ethernet network interface card. I strongly recommend that you leave the Configure pop-up menu set to Automatically (unless specifically told to set things manually by your system administrator or that nice person from Apple tech support).
When you select Modem from the Services list, you can enter the telephone number, account name, and password provided by your ISP. In most cases, that's all the information you need. But if you need to make a manual change, click the Advanced button to display these tabs:
Modem: Click the Modem pop-up menu and choose the brand and model of your external modem.
Tip
I strongly recommend that you enable the Enable Error Correction and Compression in Modem check box; also select Wait for Dial Tone before Dialing from the Dial Mode pop-up menu. These settings provide you with the best performance and the fastest speeds.
You can also select tone or pulse dialing and whether you want to hear the two modems conversing. (If the caterwauling bothers you, turn off the Sound option.)
DNS: These settings are the same as those I cover earlier, in the section "Ethernet network settings."
WINS: Again, you're likely to never need these WINS settings, so make changes on this tab only if instructed to do so by your network administrator.
Proxies: Some ISPs use proxy servers for their dial-up accounts to maintain security, but changing these settings willy-nilly is inviting disaster. Leave them disabled unless given specific instructions on what to set by your ISP.
PPP: These settings are used for a Point-to-Point Protocol connection over a telephone modem. Again, your ISP provides you with the right values to enter here.
Tip
If you're concerned about who's using your Internet connection — or you want to add an extra layer of security when you dial out — select the Prompt for Password after Dialing check box on the PPP tab, and Mac OS X prompts you each time for your Internet account password.
I recommend that you select the Show Modem Status in Menu Bar check box on the Modem status pane, which gives you a visual reference on your connection status.
The FireWire and AirPort settings on the Advanced sheet are the same as those for Ethernet that I cover earlier in this chapter. However, three settings are on the AirPort status pane that I cover here:
Network Name: Snow Leopard handles wireless connections automatically in most cases; if possible, it connects to the last wireless network you joined. If that network isn't available or there are others to choose from, Snow Leopard displays a dialog asking you which available network you want to join. If you want to join only one or more preferred networks (for security or convenience reasons), click the Advanced button and click the Add button (which bears a plus sign) to enter the wireless network name and password.
Turn AirPort Off: Okay, here's the honest truth — wireless networking is a significant drain on a laptop battery! If you're sure you're not going to use your MacBook's AirPort network hardware in the near future, you can click this button to activate and deactivate your laptop's network hardware. Turn off AirPort if you don't need it, and your laptop will thank you. (Just turn it back on using this same button when you need it or use the AirPort status menu in the Finder menu bar.)
Show AirPort Status in Menu Bar: Hey, speaking of the AirPort Status Menu in the Finder Menu Bar ...select this check box to display it! You can immediately see the relative signal strength of your connection, switch among available wireless networks, and turn off your AirPort hardware to conserve your battery power (without digging deeply into System Preferences).
Since your MacBook has Bluetooth hardware available, the Bluetooth group, as shown in Figure 3-21, appears.
The choices on this pane include
Device listing: From this pane, you can opt to allow other Bluetooth devices to discover your MacBook (with the Discoverable check box). All recognized Bluetooth devices in range appear in the list, and you can configure or disconnect them. You can also set up a new Bluetooth device from here by clicking the Set Up New Device button. Also, if you like, Snow Leopard can display a Bluetooth status menu in the Finder menu bar.
Tip
MacBook owners who want to conserve power can disable Bluetooth entirely. Just click the Off check box and you save a significant amount of battery time!
Advanced sheet: Click the Advanced button to display another group of settings. The Open Bluetooth Setup Assistant check box determines whether Snow Leopard automatically launches the Bluetooth Setup Assistant when no Bluetooth devices are recognized. If you're using a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard, you can wake your MacBook using these devices. You can set Snow Leopard to alert you if an audio request is received from a Bluetooth device, and you can share an Internet connection with connected devices.
Tip
You can also edit your Bluetooth Serial Ports from the Advanced sheet, allowing you to use a Bluetooth connection as a virtual serial port. You can add or remove serial services from the Serial Port sheet as well.
Figure 3-22 illustrates the Sharing preferences.
Click the Edit button to change the default network name assigned to your MacBook during the installation process. Your current network name is listed in the Computer Name text field.
Each entry in the services list controls a specific type of sharing, including DVD or CD Sharing, File Sharing (with other Macs and PCs running Windows), Web Sharing, Screen Sharing, Remote Login, Remote Management (using Apple Remote Desktop), Remote Apple Events, Xgrid Sharing, Internet Sharing, Bluetooth Sharing, Scanner Sharing, and Printer Sharing. To turn on any of these services, select the On check box for that service. To turn off a service, click the corresponding On check box to deselect it.
From a security standpoint, I highly recommend that you enable only those services that you actually use. Each service you enable automatically opens your Snow Leopard firewall for that service. A Mark's Maxim to remember:
Note
Poking too many holes in your firewall is not A Good Thing.
When you click one of the services in the list, the right side of the Sharing pane changes to display the settings you can specify for that particular service. Note that some services may be disabled, depending on the hardware connected to or installed in your MacBook.
The last section of the System Preferences window covers system-wide settings that affect all users and the overall operation of Mac OS X.
The Accounts group is illustrated in Figure 3-23.
Each user on your system has an entry in this list. The panes and settings here change, depending on the access level of the selected account. They can include
Password pane: Click in these text fields to enter or edit the account name, password (using the Change Password button), and password hint for the selected user.
Click the Address Book Card Open button to edit the card that you mark in the Address Book as My Card. Mac OS X launches the Address Book, and you can edit your card to your heart's content. (For the complete scoop on the Mac OS X Address Book, see Book II, Chapter 6.)
You can set a different MobileMe account name and password for each user account from this pane as well. If you're sharing your Mac with a number of other users, each person can set up his or her own MobileMe account!
If you have administrator access, you can enable Parental Controls for the selected user account or open the Parental Controls pane. (More on Parental Controls later in this section as well as in Chapter 5 of Book III.)
Picture well: From the Picture well — the square area to the right of the Account list — you can choose one of the thumbnail images provided by Apple to represent you, or drag a photo in from iPhoto. Click the well to display the thumbnails. Click Edit Picture to drag a new image from the Finder or take a video snapshot using your MacBook's iSight camera.
Login Items pane: The applications and documents that you add to this list launch automatically each time that the current user logs in to Mac OS X. To add an application, click the Add button (which carries a plus sign), navigate to the desired application and select it, and then click the Add button. (Alternatively, you can simply drag an item from a Finder window into the Login Items list.) To remove an application from the list, click to select it and then click the Remove button (which has a minus sign). Each application can be launched in a hidden state — its window doesn't appear on the Desktop. To toggle an item as hidden or visible, enable the Hide check box next to the desired application. The order that Login Items are launched can be changed by dragging entries in the list into the desired sequence.
Note that a user must be logged in to view and change the items on the Login Items pane — even an Administrator-level user can't access another user account's Login items!
Tip
You can even set up Login Items directly from the Dock! Control-click (or right-click) the desired Dock icon to display the pop-up menu and then click Open at Login.
Login Options pane: Look for the button with the little house icon, lower left. If you're using an admin-level account, click it to set a number of global options that control how users log in. For example, you can choose to display either a Name and Password field on the Login screen (which means that the user must actually type in the correct username) or a list of users, from which a person can select a user ID. (If security is a consideration, use the Name and Password option.) You can also add VoiceOver spoken interface support at the Login screen, making it easier for physically challenged users to log in to this MacBook.
Tip
If you choose, you can log in automatically as the selected user by clicking the Automatically Login <Username> pop-up menu and choosing your account. (Not a particularly secure feature for MacBook owners, but convenient as all get-out.)
The Login Options pane also allows you to enable or disable Fast User Switching (which I discuss in Book III, Chapter 4), and you can prevent anyone from restarting or shutting down the MacBook from the Login screen by selecting the Hide the Restart and Shut Down Buttons check box.
Click the System Preferences Date & Time icon to display the settings that you see in Figure 3-24.
The three tabs here are
Date & Time: To set the current date, click the date within the mini-calendar; to set the system time, click in the field above the clock and type the current time.
You can't set these values manually if you use a network time server. To automatically set your MacBook's system time and date from a network time server, select the Set Date & Time Automatically check box and then choose a server from the pop-up menu that corresponds to your location. (Of course, you need an Internet connection to use a network time server.)
Time Zone: Click your approximate location on the world map to choose a time zone or click the Closest City pop-up menu and choose the city that's closest to you (and shares your same time zone). Alternatively, select the Set Time Zone Automatically Using Current Location check box — a real convenience for MacBook owners who are constantly traveling.
Clock: If you select the Show the Date and Time in Menu Bar check box, you can choose to view the time in text or icon format. You can also optionally display seconds, the date, AM/PM, and the day of the week; have the time separator characters flash; or use a clock based on 24 hours.
Tip
Personally, I get a big kick out of my MacBook announcing the time on the hour ...plus, it helps pull me back into the real world. (You have to eat sooner or later.) Anyway, if you'd like this helpful reminder as well, select the Announce the Time check box on the Clock pane, and click the pop-up menu to select an hour, half-hour, or quarter-hour announcement.
Click a standard level user account in the list to enable or configure Parental Controls for that user. Figure 3-25 shows the Parental Controls settings. (Parental Controls are disabled for administrator accounts and the Guest account.)
I discuss the Parental Control settings in detail in Chapter 5 of Book III. You can use these settings to restrict a user's access to certain applications, or limit Mail and iChat communications to specific individuals. An administrator can also switch a user account to the Simple Finder, making Snow Leopard much easier to navigate (and limiting the amount of damage a mischievous or malicious user can inflict on your system).
The Software Update settings are shown in Figure 3-26. (Oh, and don't forget that you need an active Internet connection.)
The two tabs here are
Scheduled Check: I recommend selecting the Check for Updates check box; I also recommend that you choose Daily or Weekly from the pop-up menu. (You can also elect to download critical updates in the background automatically while you continue working.) To check immediately, click the Check Now button.
Installed Updates: Click this tab to display a list of the updates you've already applied to Mac OS X and Apple applications. You can open the list as a log file as well, which allows you to cut and paste text.
Figure 3-27 illustrates the Speech settings. For a discussion of how these settings are used, visit Book IX, Chapter 3.
The two tabs here are
Speech Recognition: This pane has two tabs of its own: Settings and Commands. With Speakable Items toggled on, you can control Snow Leopard with spoken commands.
Settings tab: If you have more than one microphone, you can select which one you want to use as well as set the input volume with the Calibrate button. You can change the Listening key (Esc by default) and specify whether your MacBook should listen only while the key is pressed or whether the Listening Key toggles listening on and off. You can also change the name of your computer (using the Keyword box) and whether that name is required before a command. From the Play This Sound pop-up menu, you can indicate what sound effect Mac OS X plays when it recognizes a speech command. (Optionally, Snow Leopard can confirm the command by speaking it if you enable the Speak Command Acknowledgement check box.)
Commands tab: Here, you can select which types of commands are available as well as whether exact wording of command names is required. Click the self-named button to open the Speakable Items Folder from this pane. Read more about these settings in Book IX, Chapter 3.
Text to Speech: Here's a fun pane. Click a voice from the System Voice pop-up menu, and Mac OS X uses that voice to speak to you from dialogs and applications. You can set the Speaking Rate (from Slow to Fast) and play a sample by clicking the Play button. (Try Zarvox, Bubbles, and Pipe Organ.)
The Announce When Alerts are Displayed feature actually speaks the text within alert dialogs; to configure spoken alerts, click the Set Alert Options button. You can optionally add a phrase before the text, which you can choose from the Phrase pop-up menu. To add a phrase to the list, like Don't Panic!, choose Edit Phrase List from the list. Move the Delay slider to specify how much time your Mac waits before reading the dialog to you.
You can also optionally announce when an application wants your attention, and Snow Leopard can speak the text that's currently selected within an application when you press a key that you specify.
This pane also provides a couple of convenient shortcut buttons that take you to other "speech centers" within System Preferences — specifically, the Date & Time and Universal Access panes.
Figure 3-28 illustrates the Startup Disk settings.
To select a startup disk, click the desired startup drive from the scrolling icon list.
Mac OS X displays the version numbers of each system and the physical drives where each system resides. Select the Network Startup icon if you want to boot from a System folder on your local network; typically, such a folder is created by your network administrator. If you've set up a Windows partition on your hard drive using Boot Camp, the folder appears with a Windows logo.
Note
If you're planning on rebooting with an external Universal Serial Bus (USB) or FireWire startup disk, that disk must be connected already, powered on, and recognized by the system before you display these settings.
Click Target Disk Mode to restart your MacBook as a FireWire external hard drive connected to another computer. (This comes in especially handy when you're upgrading to a new Mac and you need to move files between the two computers. I've also used it when the video card in one of my Macs decided to stop working. This allowed me to make an updated backup copy of the ailing Mac's hard drive before I sent it off for repair.) You can also restart your MacBook and hold down the T key to invoke Target Disk Mode.
After you click a disk to select it, click the Restart button. Mac OS X confirms your choice, and your MacBook reboots.
The Preferences pane shown in Figure 3-29 controls the automatic backups performed by Snow Leopard's Time Machine feature.
To enable Time Machine, click the On toggle switch and then select a disk that will hold your Time Machine backup data on the sheet that appears; click Use for Backup to confirm your choice. If you have an external Time Capsule wireless unit, click Set Up Time Capsule.
By default, Time Machine backs up all the hard drives on your system; however, you may not need to back up some hard drives or folders on your MacBook. To save time and hard drive space, Time Machine allows you to exclude specific drives and folders from the backup process. Click Options and then click the Add button (with the plus sign) to select the drives or folders you want to exclude, and they'll appear in the Do Not Back Up list.
Tip
To remove an exclusion, select it in the list and click the Delete button (with the minus sign). Note the Total Included figure increases, and Time Machine adds the item you deleted from the list to the next backup.
By default, Snow Leopard warns you when deleting older backup files, but you can turn this off from the Options sheet as well.
Tip
You can elect to back up your MacBook immediately by clicking the Time Machine icon in the Finder menu bar and choosing Back Up Now.
The final group, Universal Access, is shown in Figure 3-30. These settings modify the display and sound functions within Mac OS X to make them more friendly to physically challenged users. Note that if you select the VoiceOver On radio button, Mac OS X speaks the text for all text and buttons onscreen.
If you have an assistive device that's recognized by Mac OS X, select the Enable Access for Assistive Devices check box to allow it to be used throughout the operating system. You can also elect to display the Universal Access status icon in the Finder menu bar.
The four tabs here are
Seeing: These settings make it easier for those with limited vision to use Mac OS X. You can toggle VoiceOver on and off from here; I discuss more on this feature and these settings in Book IX, Chapter 3. To turn on the display Zoom feature, select the Zoom On radio button or press
To specify how much magnification is used, click the Options button. From the sheet that appears, you can set the minimum and maximum Zoom magnification increments. From the keyboard, use
Tip
You can also determine how the screen moves in relation to the trackpad pointer from the Zoom Options sheet: By default, the zoomed screen moves with the pointer, but you can set it to move only when the pointer reaches the edge of the screen or maintain the pointer near the center of the zoomed image automatically. If your mouse has a scroll wheel or ball, you can specify a modifier key to activate the Zoom feature.
If you prefer white text on a black background, select the White on Black radio button (or press the
Hearing: If you need additional visual cues to supplement the spoken and audio alerts in Mac OS X, click this tab and select the Flash the Screen When an Alert Sound Occurs check box. Two-channel stereo audio can be reduced to single-channel mono audio with the Play Stereo Audio as Mono check box. To raise the overall sound volume in Mac OS X, you can click the Adjust Volume button to display the Sound System Preferences settings, where you can drag the Volume slider to the right.
Keyboard: These settings help those who have trouble pressing keyboard shortcuts or those who often trigger keyboard repeats (repetition of the same character) accidentally. If you mark the Sticky Keys On radio button, you can use modifier keys individually that are grouped together automatically as a single keyboard shortcut — in other words, you can press the modifier keys in a key sequence one after another instead of all together. Sticky Keys can be toggled on and off from the keyboard by pressing the Shift key five times. (You can optionally specify that Mac OS X sound a beep tone when a modifier key is pressed and whether the modifier keys are displayed onscreen.)
Turn Slow Keys on to add a pause (of the length that you specify) between when a key is pressed and when it's actually acted upon within Mac OS X. You can optionally add a key-click sound each time you press a key. To turn keyboard repeat off entirely, click the Set Key Repeat button, which opens the Keyboard preference settings that I discuss earlier.
Mouse & Trackpad: With Mouse Keys active, you can use the numeric keypad to move the mouse pointer across your screen. Mouse Keys can be toggled on and off by pressing the Option key five times. Drag the Initial Delay and Maximum Speed sliders to specify how long you must hold down a keypad key before the pointer starts to move as well as how fast the pointer should move across the screen. You can also disable the trackpad on your MacBook when using Mouse Keys.
If you prefer a larger pointer, the cursor can be resized to make it easier to spot onscreen. You can also click the Open Keyboard Preferences button to turn on Full Keyboard Access or to remap keyboard shortcuts for both the Finder and many applications.