New to macs and just downloaded flash player. I notice, in finder, that flash player is under devices in finder. Am I suppose to eject that? What's the point of that? Thanks!
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New Mac person here... Do I have to eject programs from finder?
- Thread starter flatfoot99
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Most programs you download end in .DMG, which stands for Disk Image.
When you double-click a DMG file, it mounts the disk image in Finder, the same way it mounts USB drives when you plug them in, or mounts a CD/DVD if you stick on in (if your Mac has a CD/DVD drive).
For 99% of the applications out there, you're supposed to then drag the application from the mounted DMG, and drop it in your Applications folder. Then you eject the DMG, and since you've already "installed" your app (by dragging it to the Applications folder), there is no reason to keep the DMG file around anymore. You can delete it from your Downloads folder.
Some applications, like Adobe Flash, don't get dragged to the Applications folder. They run a Windows-like "Setup Wizard" that asks you some questions, and you click Next, Next, Next until it's done installing. But once installed, it's safe to eject/delete the DMG from Finder.
DMGs are cool because they can compress the files inside, which makes downloading apps quicker. Also, when your Mac opens a DMG, it's able to tell if it's damaged (like from a bad download).
When you double-click a DMG file, it mounts the disk image in Finder, the same way it mounts USB drives when you plug them in, or mounts a CD/DVD if you stick on in (if your Mac has a CD/DVD drive).
For 99% of the applications out there, you're supposed to then drag the application from the mounted DMG, and drop it in your Applications folder. Then you eject the DMG, and since you've already "installed" your app (by dragging it to the Applications folder), there is no reason to keep the DMG file around anymore. You can delete it from your Downloads folder.
Some applications, like Adobe Flash, don't get dragged to the Applications folder. They run a Windows-like "Setup Wizard" that asks you some questions, and you click Next, Next, Next until it's done installing. But once installed, it's safe to eject/delete the DMG from Finder.
DMGs are cool because they can compress the files inside, which makes downloading apps quicker. Also, when your Mac opens a DMG, it's able to tell if it's damaged (like from a bad download).
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No problem. I updated the description above to include Flash, because it's one of the few apps that doesn't follow the "drag from the DMG to your Applications folder" rule.
Yep. A .dmg is like a "virtual CD" and once you've installed the app then you're free to eject it.