Easy OS X Mountain Lion

Easy Mac OS X 3/eis the perfect companion for everyone who's bought a new Macintosh with OS X Mountain Lion pre-installed... every Mac user who's upgrading to the newest version of OS X ... and the many new Mac users who've just switched from Windows. This full-color, utterly simple, step-by-step book has been carefully crafted to provide instant access to the tasks beginner-to-intermediate users need to master. Like all books in the Easy series, it's designed to teach visually: readers never have to work their way through lengthy text explanations. Here's just some of what readers will learn how to do... " Get on the Internet and make the most of the Mac's great web and communication tools " Install and use applications, printers, and scanners " Use OS X Mountain Lion's powerful iLife media tools " Customize their Macs " Create home networks and share their Macs with multiple users " Organize their files, folders, disks - and their lives " Keep their Macs running reliably " Use the Cloud, Notification Center, Reminders, Gate Keeper, Messages, Notes and much more.

Kate Binder is a longtime Mac lover and graphics expert who works from her home in New Hampshire. She has written articles on graphics, publishing, and photography for magazines, including Publish, PEI, and Desktop Publishers Journal. Kate is also the author of several books, including The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Mac OS X, and coauthor of books including Sams Teach Yourself Adobe Photoshop CS4 in 24 Hours, Microsoft Office: Mac v.X Inside Out, SVG for Designers, and Get Creative: The Digital Photo Idea Book. To those interested in a successful career as a computer book writer, Kate recommends acquiring several retired racing greyhounds (find out more at www.adopt-a-greyhound.org)--she finds her own pack of greyhounds extraordinarily inspirational.

Chapter 1  Getting Started     2
Touring the Desktop     4
Restarting or Shutting Down the Mac     6
Using the Dock     7
Checking Your Notifications     8
Using Contextual Menus     10
Getting Help     11
Moving and Resizing Windows     12
Minimizing and Maximizing Windows     13
Managing Multiple Windows     14
Using Custom Spaces     16
Setting Basic System Preferences     18
Setting Up Your Internet Connection     20
Connecting to Your ISP     23
Using Universal Access     24
Setting Up VoiceOver     26

Chapter 2  Working with Disks, Folders, and Files     28
Using Single-Window Mode     30
Using Multi-Window Mode     31
Using the Toolbar     32
Customizing the Toolbar     33
Using Different Folder Views     34
Selecting Files     36
Moving and Copying Files and Folders     37
Making a New Folder     38
Renaming Folders and Files     39
Viewing File Information     40
Previewing a File     41
Opening a File     42
Choosing a Program to Open a File     43
Finding Files with Spotlight     44
Creating a Smart Folder     46
Creating a Burn Folder     48
Accessing Your Favorite Files and Places     50
Deleting a File     51
Setting Up a Backup Drive     52
Restoring Backed-Up Files     54
Using the Go Menu     55

Chapter 3  Installing and Using Applications     56
Installing Programs     58
Shopping in the App Store     60
Starting Applications with Launchpad     62
Organizing Applications with Launchpad     63
Using Apps in Full-Screen Mode     64
Saving Files     66
Writing with TextEdit     68
Using the Font Panel     70
Watching DVDs     72
Using the Apple Remote     73
Switching Programs with the Dock     76
Hiding Programs     77
Running Windows on Your Mac     78

Chapter 4  Setting System Preferences     80
Setting System Preferences     82
Changing Your Alert Sound     84
Changing Display Settings     85
Changing the Mouse Speed     86
Changing Keyboard Settings     87
Setting Energy Saver Options     88
Setting the Time and Date     90
Adjusting the System Volume     91
Setting Trackpad Preferences     92
Monitoring Battery Use     93

Chapter 5  Customizing Your Mac     94
Moving the Dock Around     96
Changing the Dock’s Size     97
Customizing the Dock’s Behavior     98
Changing the Way the Finder Works     99
Changing Your Desktop Picture     100
Changing Your Screen Saver     101
Changing Your Login Icon     102
Changing Your Mac’s Language     103
Adding Login Items     104
Increasing Your Mac’s Security     105
Adding New Dashboard Widgets     106
Making Your Own Widgets     107
Creating Custom Network Locations     108

Chapter 6  Organizing Your Life     110
Adding Contacts     112
Creating Groups of Contacts     113
Creating a Smart Contact Group     114
Exporting Contacts as vCards     116
Importing a vCard     117
Mapping a Contact’s Address     118
Adding Reminders     119
Making Notes     120
Adding an Appointment to Your Calendar     121
Modifying an Event in Your Calendar     122
Switching Calendar Views in Calendar     123
Setting Up an Event Alert     124
Inviting Contacts to Events in Calendar     125
Putting Contacts, Bookmarks, and Calendars Online     126
Searching Calendars     127
Subscribing to a Calendar     128
Publishing a Calendar     129
Syncing an iPad, iPod, or iPhone with Your Mac     130

Chapter 7  Printing, Faxing, and Scanning     132
Setting Up a Printer     134
Switching Printers     136
Printing a Document     137
Sending a Fax     138
Using a Scanner     140
Adding Fonts     142
Organizing Fonts     143

Chapter 8  Keeping in Touch     144
Setting Up Email Accounts     146
Sending Email with Mail     148
Receiving Email with Mail     149
Organizing Mailboxes     150
Creating a Smart Mailbox     152
Filtering Email in Mail     154
Intercepting Spam in Mail     156
Making Video Calls with FaceTime     158
Getting an Apple ID for Chatting     160
Using Messages with Other Services     162
Sending Chat Messages     164
Making Voice Calls     165
Holding a Videoconference     166
Applying Special Video Effects     168

Chapter 9  Living Online     170
Surfing in Safari     172
Organizing Bookmarks     174
Using the History in Safari     176
Automatically Filling Out Forms     177
Using Tabbed Browser Windows     178
Searching Within a Web Page     180
Viewing Web Pages in Reader Mode     181
Saving Web Pages to Your Reading List     182
Browsing Securely     183
Sharing Web Pages with Your Friends     184
Sharing from Anywhere     186
Connecting with Game Center     187
Storing Personal Data in iCloud     188
Keeping Your Documents in iCloud     190
Accessing Your Mac Remotely     192
Controlling Kids’ Computer Use     194

Chapter 10  Getting an iLife     196
Importing Photos into iPhoto     198
Creating iPhoto Albums     199
Printing Photos     200
Sharing Photos Online     202
Applying Fun Photo Effects     204
Ripping Songs from a CD     206
Making a New Playlist     207
Burning a Music CD     208
Buying Songs Through iTunes     209
Renting Movies and TV Shows     212
Subscribing to Audio and Video Podcasts     214
Importing Video Footage into iMovie     216
Inserting Transitions     218
Saving a Movie     220
Creating a New GarageBand Project     221
Building a Song     222
Exporting a Song     223

Chapter 11  Sharing Your Mac with Multiple Users     224
Creating and Deleting Users     226
Making a User an Admin     228
Logging In and Out     230
Switching Users Without Logging Out     231
Resetting Your Password     232
Sharing Files with Other Users     234

Chapter 12  Creating a Home Network     236
Joining a Wired Network     238
Creating an AirPort Network     240
Connecting to Networked Computers     242
Moving Files with AirDrop     243
Sharing Files on a Network     244
Displaying Your Desktop on Apple TV     245
Controlling Another Mac     246
Searching Macs     248
Sharing a Printer on a Network     249
Sharing an Internet Connection     250
Joining a Wi-Fi Network     251

Chapter 13  Maintaining Your Mac     252
Guarding Against Malware     254
Fixing Errors with Disk Utility     256
Repairing the Startup Disk     257
Updating Programs with the App Store     258
Using the Date & Time Preferences     260
Color Calibrating Your Monitor     262
Forcing an Application to Quit     266
Reformatting a Hard Disk     267

Glossary     268
Index     276