My first Mac, a few issues

[rogersmj]

Picked up my first Mac yesterday, a 20" iMac Core 2 Duo (my setup last night), stock for now.

I have spent much of the last 24 hours learning the ins and outs of various things. It took me awhile to get my MX1000 bluetooth's buttons working the way I wanted to (thank you SteerMouse), my network shares mounted automatically at boot (thank you AppleScript -- although it still asks me if I want to run it at boot), and all the software that I need installed.

I have a few issues that I hope you experts can help me with.

First of all, a concern: the menubar appears to be burning into the screen already! When I go to restart, for example, and the menu bar disappears and I have a plain blue screen for a few seconds, I can see a ghost where the menu bar used to be. It doesn't appear to be permenant, because if I put on a video for an hour or something that fills the screen, and then log out or reboot, it's not there. However, I have owned a lot of LCDs and I've never seen one do this. At least not any LCD made in the last 10 years. It concerns me.

Second, some customization issues: I installed UNO and immediately loved it -- everything looks so much better being all uniform -- but I have some work to do on the dock. I've seen a few people's screenshots here and there where they have their dock icons separated into "groups" with space between them. I have searched all over and I can't find what app does this. Any help would be appreciated.

Third, those darn home/end keys. I'm a programmer most of the time, so having home/end keys that actually go to the home or end of the row that I'm in is essential. I found a hack of sorts that takes care of that in every app but FireFox -- and it's driving me batty. Anyone know how to make them behave correctly in FF too?

Finally, with regards to mounting my network shares. I don't like them being -- for lack of my knowledge of the real term -- "abstractly" mounted on the desktop. I want to specify a mount point in the file system, like I could in Linux. However, in linux you use /etc/fstab to do this, but apparently not in OSX. Any pointers?

I'm sure I'll come up with other things soon. Most of my issues I have been able to resolve through searching this forum or searching on Google. I ask your patience as you help me with these last few. Thank you!

 

[Eraserhead]

Second, some customization issues: I installed UNO and immediately loved it -- everything looks so much better being all uniform -- but I have some work to do on the dock. I've seen a few people's screenshots here and there where they have their dock icons separated into "groups" with space between them. I have searched all over and I can't find what app does this. Any help would be appreciated.

I think they create an application with a blank icon, there may be another way too...

Third, those darn home/end keys. I'm a programmer most of the time, so having home/end keys that actually go to the home or end of the row that I'm in is essential. I found a hack of sorts that takes care of that in every app but FireFox -- and it's driving me batty. Anyone know how to make them behave correctly in FF too?

Not sure, take a look at this page (sorry if you've already found it with your searching).

 

[rogersmj]

Not sure, take a look at this page (sorry if you've already found it with your searching).

Yeah, that's actually the method I used to get the home/end keys working in all other apps. Still don't work in FireFox though. I can't imagine why not.

 

[nagromme]

Welcome aboard!

First of all, a concern: the menubar appears to be burning into the screen already! When I go to restart, for example, and the menu bar disappears and I have a plain blue screen for a few seconds, I can see a ghost where the menu bar used to be. It doesn't appear to be permenant, because if I put on a video for an hour or something that fills the screen, and then log out or reboot, it's not there.

That sounds really odd. So you're saying if you watch a video for an hour there's no ghost. What about when you FIRST start the video. Is the ghost there? Or when you view a full-screen image? (Right-click an image and choose Slideshow.)

If you ONLY see the ghost on the shutdown screen and not on any other images, then it's not burning in.

My guess is that you are seeing the soft SHADOW image that is always underneath the menu bar (just like the shadow on a window). If the menu bar goes away BEFORE the shadow goes away, then you are left with just the shadow, and an empty space above it where the menu was. I've seen that happen for a moment myself. Is that what you are seeing maybe?

Re mount points... I'm not sure what you're doing, but can you just use aliases (shortcuts)? Put those where you want them?

Re Dock oprganization, the most clutter-free method I use is just to put FOLDERS in the Dock (after the line) and put shortcuts to apps in the folders. Right-click a Dock folder and you get a popup list--sort of like having a bunch of custom Start menus. Then only the really common apps go directly in my Dock.

 

[rogersmj]

That sounds really odd. So you're saying if you watch a video for an hour there's no ghost. What about when you FIRST start the video. Is the ghost there? Or when you view a full-screen image? (Right-click an image and choose Slideshow.)

If you ONLY see the ghost on the shutdown screen and not on any other images, then it's not burning in.

My guess is that you are seeing the soft SHADOW image that is always underneath the menu bar (just like the shadow on a window). If the menu bar goes away BEFORE the shadow goes away, then you are left with just the shadow, and an empty space above it where the menu was. I've seen that happen for a moment myself. Is that what you are seeing maybe?

Well I tried it with a full screen image, and I still see a line up where the menubar used to be. However, it doesn't seem as bad as it did last night. The effect seems to be waning. I'm wondering if this is some sort of side effect of the brand new panel. Maybe once it gets a little more "exercise" it won't do it anymore. I have no real basis for this, I'm just wishing and hoping so I don't have to get this thing serviced.

As far as the mount points, yes I'm using aliases now...but it's more of an organization issue for me. I guess I can hide all the ones on the desktop.

Thanks for the tip on the dock!

 

[tobyg]

My Dell 24" panel does this too when it's first turned on. After about 5 minutes, I don't see it. Make sure your panel is warmed and see if you still experience the same problem.

 

[nagromme]

My Dell 24" panel does this too when it's first turned on. After about 5 minutes, I don't see it. Make sure your panel is warmed and see if you still experience the same problem.

Yikes! I never heard of this before. Glad I have been warned, so I won't stress out if I see it on my new iMac

As far as the mount points, yes I'm using aliases now...but it's more of an organization issue for me. I guess I can hide all the ones on the desktop.

As you may have already discovered, Finder's Preferences allow you to specify whether mounted servers appear on the desktop or not.

(And I'm thinking you can make a server automount at boot, or at least login, without an AppleScript, but maybe that was in OS 9.)

 

[StealthRider]

If you figure it out, nagromme, let me know - I could really use that feature too.

 

[nagromme]

Maybe it's an OS 9-only thing, but I thought that when you connect to a server there's a checkbox to auto-connect in future.

Failing that, can you just drag a server into your Login Items list? (System Prefs > Accounts)

 

[rogersmj]

Now I'm having an even more-uncool problem: I can't eject a DVD. It whirs and clicks around like it's going to eject it, and then decides against it and mounts the disc again. This has happened in both XP and OS-X. Grrr.

 

[frankblundt]

Just like in Unix, although the volumes are "abstractly" mounted on the desktop they're actually mounted in /Volumes/

from Finder > Go menu > Go to Folder > /Volumes

 

[MacProGuy]

Now I'm having an even more-uncool problem: I can't eject a DVD. It whirs and clicks around like it's going to eject it, and then decides against it and mounts the disc again. This has happened in both XP and OS-X. Grrr.

What happens when you drag the disc into the trash? Does it eject properly then?

What about upon reboot ... if you hold down the eject key, does it eject?

What kind of disc is it? Perhaps it's something peculiar about the disc... as in having multiple partitions (I've seen OS X get confused in the past with CD media that has multiple sessions burned onto it... just FYI...)...

If you can eject it by the above, try a different disk to see if that solves the problem... and if it is with all discs, or one particular disc!

Good Luck.

 

[frankblundt]

the Apps > Utilities > Terminal command is: drutil tray eject

works for me when the eject key/f12 and other things don't

 

[rogersmj]

Well guys I tried all those things and I can't get this damn disk to come out. It's just a burned DVD data disc, single session. I've never had a problem with this disc on other machines. Dragging to trash doesn't work, eject key doesn't work, eject on boot doesn't work, eject from terminal doesn't work. It sounds like it is physically unable to eject, so the drive reaccepts it. I don't know what to do. I don't see an emergency eject hole -- here's a case where design comes back to bite function in the ass.

 

[elisha cuthbert]

Well guys I tried all those things and I can't get this damn disk to come out. It's just a burned DVD data disc, single session. I've never had a problem with this disc on other machines. Dragging to trash doesn't work, eject key doesn't work, eject on boot doesn't work, eject from terminal doesn't work. It sounds like it is physically unable to eject, so the drive reaccepts it. I don't know what to do. I don't see an emergency eject hole -- here's a case where design comes back to bite function in the ass.

what i do if i cant get a disc out is tilt my ibook on its side let gravity take control and give it a few firm slaps on the other side
obviously its gonna be hard with the iMac but give it a try

 

[frankblundt]

the slot load drives i've encountered all had an emergency eject button just inside the slot on the right hand side. but whether they're still doing that in the new iMacs i'm not sure... can't hurt to poke around in there a bit and see, well, not much anyway - can't be worse than slapping it

If it keeps doing this, i'd be taking it in for a replacement drive

 

[elisha cuthbert]

can't be worse than slapping it

it works though

 

[rogersmj]

Holy crap, I finally got it out! Let me see if I can describe this...

The disc was definitely physically jammed. I got a mini screwdriver and a flashlight and was trying to determine how the internal mechanism of the drive worked. I watched inside it best I could as I pressed the eject button. I determined that along the front edge of the drive -- as in the, the forward-facing side, toward the LCD -- there is some sort of black plastic "tray" that runs the full length of the drive directly behind the forward felt piece. When I pressed eject, it appeared to be this piece that was jamming on the frame of the iMac itself -- it was trying to push outward, but it was maybe a half a millimeter too far forward and so was not lined up quite properly with the eject slot. So I took my little screwdriver and pushed it in between this long plastic piece and the edge of the eject slot, prying it slightly backward so it could clear the edge of the eject slot. I then hit the eject button with my elbow (my hands being occupied with the screwdriver and flashlight, and viola -- my disc popped out.

Did that make any sense to anyone? I hope it helps if your disc ever gets horribly stuck. Right now I'm afraid to put another one in. I live an hour from the closest Apple store, so a service visit isn't very appealing to me.

Here's hoping this is my one quality control issue with my first Mac.

 

[nagromme]

Does the disc have a sticker on it?

 

[rogersmj]

Nope. I's a Memorex DVD-R with no label. The only thing I did after burning it was write on it with a Sharpie.

 

[BrutX]

you can use automount to connect to your network shares without dropping an icon on your desktop. check this out:

http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20031022164821984&query=automount+samba

i do this rather than dragging shares into the startup items for two reasons:
1) don't have a bunch of those network icons on my desktop (or in my sidebar)
2) this works for all users on the system