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New to Mac and have a couple questions.

B

boshuter

Diamond Member
I picked up a very nice black Macbook and am trying to figure out OS X. I have a couple of issues that I really need some help with.

1. I changed the original users account name and everything to mine, it shows the computer as "len's computer" (my name), and everything else is fine with the exception of the Home folder; when I use "finder" and click on the Home icon it opens and still shows the original owners name. I cannot figure out how to rename this....... for that matter, how do you rename any files or folders in OS X?

2. Is there any way to have folders or apps open in the size you want? Mine open in a fairly small window and I have to move them to the top left and then resize them. Clicking on Zoom sometimes makes them fullscreen, sometimes not. I want them to open to either full screen, or at least to a size I set.

Thanks to any who can help me figure this out..... before I install Windows and give up on this OS :evil:
 
Does it have the OSX install disc? You could always start over, unless he had some apps that you must keep.
 
Originally posted by: sjwaste
Does it have the OSX install disc? You could always start over, unless he had some apps that you must keep.
Click to expand...

I really don't want to have to completely reinstall everything just to get rid of a name on one folder..... it seems like reinstalling is a common practice/advice for Macs from the research I've done.

I'm not very happy with the Mac OS X up to this point, it's pretty, but lacks a lot of things Windows users have gotten accustomed to (like having windows open to the size/location you want them to. At this point I'm about to use Bootcamp to install Windows and if that doesn't work out I'll get rid of this machine.

To be fair, there may be ways to do the things I want to do and being new to the OS, I just haven't figured them out yet. I'd really like to figure out how to change the names of ANY files/folders and get the windows to open either full screen or to what size I prefer.
 
Originally posted by: boshuter
Originally posted by: sjwaste
Does it have the OSX install disc? You could always start over, unless he had some apps that you must keep.
Click to expand...

I really don't want to have to completely reinstall everything just to get rid of a name on one folder..... it seems like reinstalling is a common practice/advice for Macs from the research I've done.

I'm not very happy with the Mac OS X up to this point, it's pretty, but lacks a lot of things Windows users have gotten accustomed to (like having windows open to the size/location you want them to. At this point I'm about to use Bootcamp to install Windows and if that doesn't work out I'll get rid of this machine.

To be fair, there may be ways to do the things I want to do and being new to the OS, I just haven't figured them out yet. I'd really like to figure out how to change the names of ANY files/folders and get the windows to open either full screen or to what size I prefer.
Click to expand...

Reinstalling however would ensure that everything is yours and you are learning from a clean slate.

The home folder isn't just any folder. There is a way to rename it however.

Rename your Home Folder

As for the window size/position thing... in OS X they are not designed to be full screened. That is why the plus sign button doesn't full screen windows, instead it does what is called a 'Smart Zoom'. In the instance of a web browser, it resizes the window so it will horizontally fit everything possible.

I have never had a problem with apps not remembering where they go however. Launch the app, resize and position it how you like, and then QUIT the app (command + Q) and relaunch it. You might want to check out the guide that a helpful soul wrote that is stickied here in All Things Apple. Some of the stuff pertains to the older macbooks (specifically the expose controls) and Tiger instead of Leopard, but for the most part it should have what you are looking for.

The adjustment period takes time, and it is important to remember that they are 2 different OSes with 2 different philosophies.
 
I'd suggest doing a reformat. God only knows what kind of permissions changes have happened and can cause buggyness.

The disk utility under apps>utilities is something you should know as well. If things behave oddly try repairing permissions.
 
I will say that it took me a while to get used to things too. However, not full-screening apps is something I've been used to on a PC as well. I got a 24" monitor, where maximizing everything wasted a lot of space. I now use smaller/lower-res screens the same way, and multitasking is a lot easier. Adjusting to that on the mac was pretty easy, but also using the Expose and Spaces controls has helped. Make sure you set those, especially the hot corners that will give you all windows, windows for that app, and the desktop view. Very, very useful. Take advantage of the multiple desktops, too. Unlike some of the Windows hacks I've seen to enable that, it's much better on a Mac. It's not as nice as Compiz Fusion, though, for multiple workspaces.

About the only thing I'm missing is a good Office suite. OpenOffice.org is decent, but still doesn't handle MS Word documents that well -- screws up bulleted lists a lot. I used Pages and really wasn't impressed to the point where I would buy it.

I might suck it up and buy Office 2008, but I'll probably just end up with Fusion and run Office 2007 in unity view. I already have an Office 2007 Ultimate license, so that might be the deciding factor even though I have to buy Fusion.

I don't use Bootcamp much, because battery life is magically abysmal when booting Windows on my macbook. Plus, it doesn't really have the hardware for much gaming and I have a desktop for that.
 
Originally posted by: boshuter
Originally posted by: sjwaste
Does it have the OSX install disc? You could always start over, unless he had some apps that you must keep.
Click to expand...

I really don't want to have to completely reinstall everything just to get rid of a name on one folder..... it seems like reinstalling is a common practice/advice for Macs from the research I've done.
Click to expand...

Common practice with Windows too. I probably reformat and re-install Windows XP at least once a year just to clean out any crud that has been left by programs I don't use anymore or what have you. If I ever bought a used PC, reformatting would be the first thing I did. Hell, it's the first thing I do when I buy a NEW PC.

What programs are opening in windows that are too small for you?
 
To rename folders other than your home folder just open up finder, click the folder once to select it, then hit return/enter. You can then type the new name.
 
Don't reformat/reinstall. I switched ~4 years ago and have only had to do that once, though I was a little n00b back then and probably could fix it now.

What you should do however, is create a new user account (make sure to give it Administrator privileges). You can then delete the old user's account.

Windows should remember their last size and position, at least Finder and iTunes just did for me.

Renaming things as said early is done by a simple tap of the return key. (command - down arrow to open)

Don't give up on OS X so quickly!! Of course things are going to be a little different, but give it a couple weeks to adjust and you might find yourself impressed soon enough.


 
A reinstall might be in your best interest if you want to get things just the way you want them. It's a bit of a hassle, so it's entirely up to you.

As for the window thing, I would try OSX's "spaces". You can set hot corners up to display and fit all of the current windows onto the screen. You then click on the window you want. It sounds a lot more complicated than it is, and it takes a little getting used to.
 
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