[VickyVee]

After such a great response to my first posting, and at the kindly invitation of the Purple Giant, I present herewith my latest questions in making the (extremely happy so far) conversion from PC to Mac. Not sure if they belong here or in the Mac OSX forum, but I'm sure you'll let me know.

Also, the top 5 shareware/freeware thread here is great. Got VLC and Launchbar, and they rock. And got Tinkertool, for posterity.

1. If you want to move a file or folder, how do you CUT and paste it (rather than just copy and paste it, and then delete it after)? The file menu doesn't seem to allow "cut" as an option.

2. I'm having MAJOR problems getting AOL to work -- not just the software but also signing into the website too. (I'm using a Netgear router, which, according to threads I read in the archives here, may be the problem.)

3. Is there any way to keep Finder and/or Word For Mac from displaying .tmp and backup files for word documents. It gets confusing.

4. And (drumroll please)...now for my most embarrassing question...is there a BACKSPACE (as opposed to a Delete key) on the Powerbook? I, um, can't seem to find one.

Thanks again all for your hospitality, and patience with my newbie-ness.

VV

[splatq]

Originally posted by VickyVee:
1. If you want to move a file or folder, how do you CUT and paste it (rather than just copy and paste it, and then delete it after)? The file menu doesn't seem to allow "cut" as an option.

2. I'm having MAJOR problems getting AOL to work -- not just the software but also signing into the website too. (I'm using a Netgear router, which, according to threads I read in the archives here, may be the problem.)

3. Is there any way to keep Finder and/or Word For Mac from displaying .tmp and backup files for word documents. It gets confusing.

4. And (drumroll please)...now for my most embarrassing question...is there a BACKSPACE (as opposed to a Delete key) on the Powerbook? I, um, can't seem to find one.

Thanks again all for your hospitality, and patience with my newbie-ness.

VV

1) There actually is no "cut & paste" on a Mac (like the Windows iteration that you're used to). To move a file, rather than copying it, hold down the command key while you drag the file.

2) Sorry, I'm not sure about the AOL question...

3) I think there is an option in Word to not create temporary files, but I'm not positive on this one, either. It's been a long time since I've used Word.

4) My PowerBook's delete key does act like a backspace; Do you mean for the backspace to act like a delete key? Like inserting the cursor in the middle of a sentence and have it delete everything after the cursor? Hold down the function (fn) key and it should work like you want it to.

[thePurpleGiant]

Originally posted by VickyVee:
1. If you want to move a file or folder, how do you CUT and paste it (rather than just copy and paste it, and then delete it after)? The file menu doesn't seem to allow "cut" as an option.

2. I'm having MAJOR problems getting AOL to work -- not just the software but also signing into the website too. (I'm using a Netgear router, which, according to threads I read in the archives here, may be the problem.)

3. Is there any way to keep Finder and/or Word For Mac from displaying .tmp and backup files for word documents. It gets confusing.

4. And (drumroll please)...now for my most embarrassing question...is there a BACKSPACE (as opposed to a Delete key) on the Powerbook? I, um, can't seem to find one.

You must be doing pretty well, considering that most of your questions are almost out of your hands.

1) I don't know what splatq meant by command dragging a file to move it, simply dragging a file will move it and not copy it with no modifier key... But he is right that you can only 'copy' and paste files in the Mac Finder, unlike Windows where you can cut and copy.

There are many reasons for this, mostly they relate to 'breaking the concept of copy and paste', and to be honest, you probably don't care too much about the reasons behind it! A few good workarounds for this are:

a) Drag the file to the desktop, then go to the window you want ,and drag it back in.
b) Use spring-loading folders. Drag the file(s) over to a folder you want to start navigating in the finder, and keep holding the mouse button down. That folder will open, and you can keep holding the mouse button and hovering over folders until you want to drop it.
c) Drag the file into the right hand side of the dock (next to the trash). the navigate to where you want to place it, and hold command and drag it out of the dock into the Window. Voila. (note, if you don't old command when you drag it off, it will take it out of the dock, and leave the original where it was).


2) AOL?!? I didn't think smart people like you still used AOL Sorry, can't be of much help, other than suggesting the switch to a better ISP.

3) Ah Word, so many silly things it does. Mostly blame Microsoft for this. I am not at home right now, but I can't say I ever come across .tmp files, so I'm sure there is a way around it that someone here will know...

4) The 'Delete' key on your Powerbook does exactly what the 'backspace' key on a PC does. Just a different terminology. On the other hand, the key you would call 'delete' on a PC, is called the 'forward delete' key on a Mac. And your Powerbook doesn't have a forward delete key - although a shortcut to the same function is to hold the 'fn' key and press delete.

[splatq]

Originally posted by thePurpleGiant:
You must be doing pretty well, considering that most of your questions are almost out of your hands.

1) I don't know what splatq meant by command dragging a file to move it, simply dragging a file will move it and not copy it with no modifier key... But he is right that you can only 'copy' and paste files in the Mac Finder, unlike Windows where you can cut and copy.

If you have a firewire HD and drag files to it from the desktop, it'll copy the files rather than move them. I use the command key when I drag the files so it will move them instead.

[cpac]

Originally posted by splatq:
If you have a firewire HD and drag files to it from the desktop, it'll copy the files rather than move them. I use the command key when I drag the files so it will move them instead.

Aha - but that's for the case where you're actually moving from one drive to another - in every other case, just dragging the file with no modifier key will move (and not copy) the file.

[malvolio]

Originally posted by cpac:
Aha - but that's for the case where you're actually moving from one drive to another - in every other case, just dragging the file with no modifier key will move (and not copy) the file.

Not just separate drives. Dragging between partitions without using the Command key also copies.

[cpac]

Originally posted by malvolio:
Not just separate drives. Dragging between partitions without using the Command key also copies.

picky-picky. - the OS sees the different partitions as different drives anyway

[VickyVee]

Thanks for the answers. Two out of four isn't bad (and the spring-loading folder dragging is a plus). I had a funny feeling that the only answer I'd get to the AOL question is to stop using AOL. For what it's worth, AOL for Mac seems to work with everything EXCEPT a Netgear router. Very strange.

VV