expose not working

[flat6]

Just picked up a new 15" PowerBook a few days ago, everything is great except Expose doesn't really do anything ... or it does it wierdly. Basically, if I press F9 and F10, stuff should happen, right? Windows should be getting smaller and bunching together on the screeen the second I press F9 or F10?

Instead, I press F9 (or F10) and I get a little semi-transparent icon that goes away after a split second, and nothing happens.

Then, a minute later or 10 minutes later or at any random time (say once or twice during one hour of doing whatever on the computer) it does the Expose thing and fits all windows onto the screen, allowing me to select which one interests me.

Am I just using it wrong? Or is it busted?

 

[musicpyrite]

rtfl!! F9 and F10 are for adjusting the screen brightness!

Go to the Exposé icon in the system preferences to see what F keys are Exposé.


Oops. Someone has been smelling the alcohol from cleaning their keyboard!

 

[flat6]

My F1 and F2 keys are brightness
The user manual that came with the PowerBook says F8, F9, F10 and F11 do various things with Expose and that type of thing, F9 and F10 in particular for what I'm trying to do.

 

[tech4all]

My brightness control keys are F14 and F15. Plus I never seen that icon before. At least not the "-".


EDIT: Yea I forgot, I have a PM so mine are different. But still odd about that "-". Never seen that before.

 

[LeeTom]

Your powerbook is set to not use the F1-F10 keys as function keys, but as brightness, volume, etc.
That's what the "fn" key in the lower left corner is for. Hold it down while pressing F9, F10, and F11, and expose will work.
You can change the action of the F keys to be the other way around, so that pressing the 'fn' will have the opposite effect. That setting is in the keyboard & mouse preference pane.

Lee Tom

 

[flat6]

Your powerbook is set to not use the F1-F10 keys as function keys, but as brightness, volume, etc.
That's what the "fn" key in the lower left corner is for. Hold it down while pressing F9, F10, and F11, and expose will work.
You can change the action of the F keys to be the other way around, so that pressing the 'fn' will have the opposite effect. That setting is in the keyboard & mouse preference pane.

Lee Tom

You're the man Lee, that did it. Fn-F9 and Fn-F10 do the Expose thing.

Now, what the hell do F9 and F10 actually accomplish (see first image I posted)?

 

[flat6]

Never mind, I think it's backlight for the keyboard.

 

[LeeTom]

You're the man Lee, that did it. Fn-F9 and Fn-F10 do the Expose thing.

Now, what the hell do F9 and F10 actually accomplish (see first image I posted)?

That makes your keyboard glow brighter or darker, if you have the backlit keyboard. I believe if there is enough light in the room, it won't come on at all though.

Lee Tom