Teach Yourself Visually MAC Mini

by Hart-Davis, Guy

• ISBN13: 9781118374870
• ISBN10: 1118374878
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-09-25
• Publisher: Visual

Summary

The perfect how-to guide for visual learners Apple's Mac Mini packs a powerful punch is in a small package, including both HDMI and Thunderbolt ports plus the acclaimed OS X. But if you want to get the very most from all this power and versatility, be sure to get this practical visual guide. With full-color, step-by-step instructions as well as screenshots and illustrations on every page, it clearly shows you how to accomplish tasks rather than burying you in pages of text. Discover helpful visuals and how-tos on the OS, hardware specs, Launchpad, the App Store, multimedia capabilities (such as connecting your Mac Mini to your HDTV and using it as a media center) and more. Helps Mac Mini users get up to speed quickly on the latest and best features, including the major features of the OS X operating system and the new Thunderbolt and HDMI ports Teaches practical techniques using easy-to-follow, step-by-step visuals and brief explanations Features full-color screen shots on every page Covers OS and hardware basics as well as the Launchpad, the App Store, media center capabilities, maintenance, and troubleshooting Helps you surf the web with Safari, organize movies and music in iTunes, take advantage of home theater capabilities, and configure your system for optimum use. Teach Yourself VISUALLY Mac Mini helps you get big results out of your Mac Mini.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Getting Started with Your Mac mini

Choose the Best Mac mini Model for You  4

Choose Hardware for Your Mac mini  6

Connect Your Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse, and Speakers  8

Set Up Your Mac mini and Create Your iCloud Account  10

Start Your Mac mini and Log In  14

Connect Your Mac mini to the Internet  16

Connect Your Mac mini to a Wired Network  18

Connect Your Mac mini to a Wireless Network  20

Connect a Printer to Your Mac mini  22

Connect an iPhone, iPad, or iPod to Your Mac mini  24

Connect a SuperDrive to Your Mac mini  26

Give Commands Using the Menu Bar and Toolbar  28

Open and Close Windows  30

Minimize and Hide Windows  31

Put Your Mac mini to Sleep  32

Wake Your Mac mini Up Again  33

Log Out, Shut Down, and Resume  34

Chapter 2 Sharing Your Mac mini with Others

Create Another User Account  38

Configure Your Mac mini for Multiple Users  40

Switch Among Accounts with Fast User Switching  42

Turn On Parental Controls for an Account  44

Choose What Applications a User Can Run 46

Prevent a User from Seeing Inappropriate Web Content  48

Choose Whom a User Can Email and Chat With  50

Limit the Times Someone Can Use the Mac mini  52

Learn What Actions a Managed User Has Taken  54

Chapter 3 Running Applications

Open and Close an Application  58

Install an Application from the App Store  60

Install an Application from a CD, DVD, or Downloaded File  62

Run an Application Full Screen  64

Switch Quickly to Other Applications  66

Switch Applications Using Mission Control  68

Uninstall Applications You No Longer Need  70

Save Documents to iCloud  72

Share Files with Others Using Share Sheets  74

Keep on Top of Your Alerts with Notification Center  76

Chapter 4 Managing Your Files and Folders

Find Your Way around Your Mac mini’s File System  80

Using the Finder’s Four Views Effectively  82

Look through a File without Opening It  84

Search for a File or Folder You Need  86

Create a New Folder 88

Copy a File from One Folder to Another  90

Move a File from One Folder to Another  92

Create and Use Compressed Files  94

Copy Files to or from a USB Drive  96

Transfer Files Using AirDrop  98

Burn Files to a CD or DVD 100

Throw a File or Folder in the Trash 102

Chapter 5 Surfing the Web

Open and Close Safari 106

Open a Web Page 108

Open Multiple Web Pages at the Same Time 110

Navigate from One Web Page to Another 112

Return to a Web Page You Visited Recently 114

Customize the Top Sites Screen for Quick Browsing 116

Bookmark a Page You Want to Revisit 118

Keep a Reading List of Web Pages 120

Search for Websites 122

Download a File from the Internet 124

Secure Safari for Safe Browsing 126

Chapter 6 Sending and Receiving Email

Open and Close Apple Mail 130

Add Your Email Accounts to Mail 132

Send an Email Message 134

Receive and Read Your Email Messages 136

Reply to a Message 138

Forward a Message to Someone Else 140

Send a File via Email 142

Receive a File via Email 144

Read Email Messages Quickly in Conversations 146

Reduce the Amount of Spam You Receive 148

Chapter 7 Chatting with Messages and FaceTime

Open, Set Up, and Close Messages 152

Add Someone to Your Buddy List 154

Chat with a Buddy Using Text 156

Chat with a Buddy Using Audio and Video 158

Send and Receive Files via Messages 160

Open, Set Up, and Close FaceTime 162

Make and Receive FaceTime Calls 164

Chapter 8 Organizing Your Work Life

Open and Close Calendar 168

Find Your Way around the Calendar 170

Create a New Calendar 172

Create an Appointment 174

Share Your Calendar with Other People 176

Open and Close Contacts 178

Add a Contact to Your Contacts 180

Change the Information for a Contact 182

Keep Track of Tasks with Reminders 184

Create Notes 188

Chapter 9 Enjoying Music, Video, and DVDs

Connect Your Mac mini to Your Stereo or TV 194

Mirror Your Mac mini’s Display on Your Apple TV via AirPlay 196

Open and Close iTunes 198

Add Your CDs and Songs to the iTunes Library 200

Set Up Home Sharing 202

Set Up iTunes Match 204

Play Songs 206

Play Videos 208

Create Playlists of Songs You Like 210

Have iTunes Create Smart Playlists for You 212

Burn an Audio CD Containing Songs 214

Listen to Radio Stations over the Internet 216

Enjoy Podcasts 218

Watch a DVD 220

Sign Up for Game Center 222

Play Games with Game Center 224

Chapter 10 Making the Most of Your Photos

Open and Close iPhoto 230

Import Photos from Your Digital Camera, iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch 232

Browse through Your Photos 234

Crop a Photo to the Right Size 236

Rotate or Straighten a Photo 238

Remove Red Eye from a Photo 240

Improve the Colors in a Photo 242

Add an Effect to a Photo 244

Sort Your Photos into Events 246

Sort Your Photos by Places 248

Create Photo Albums and Smart Albums 250

Identify Faces in Your Photos 252

Send a Photo via Email 254

Chapter 11 Customizing Your Mac mini

Change the Desktop Background 258

Set Up a Screen Saver 260

Rearrange the Icons on the Dock 262

Create and Remove Extra Desktop Spaces 264

Set Up Hot Corners to Run Mission Control Easily 266

Make the Keyboard and Mouse or Trackpad Easier to Use 268

Make the Screen Easier to See 270

Run an Application Each Time You Log In 272

Set Your Mac mini to Put Itself to Sleep When Unused 274

Chapter 12 Working on a Network

Connect to a Windows Domain 278

Connect to an OS X Network 280

Connect via VPN 282

Connect to a Shared Folder 284

Connect to a Shared Printer 286

Chapter 13 Protecting Your Mac mini and Your Data

Understanding Threats to Your Mac mini and Your Data 290

Control Which Apps Can Be Installed with Gatekeeper 292

Choose and Install Antivirus Software 294

Scan Your Mac mini and Remove Viruses 296

Turn On the Firewall and Tighten Its Security 298

Identify Phishing Messages 300

Back Up Your Mac mini 302

Recover Your Files from Backup 304

Chapter 14 Troubleshooting Your Mac mini

Install the Latest Updates 308

Add RAM to Your Mac mini 310

Connect an External Drive to Your Mac mini 312

Recover Hard Drive Space by Emptying the Trash 314

See Which Application Is Causing OS X Problems 316

Force a Frozen Application to Quit 318

Go Back to an Earlier Version of a Document 320

Recover When OS X Crashes 322

Solve Problems with Corrupt Preference Files 324

Troubleshoot Disk Permission Errors 326

Repair Your Mac mini’s Hard Drive 328

Recover Using Local Recovery or Internet Recovery 329

Index  330