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bkpbc1 · Jun 3, 2006, 02:58 PM

Whenever I open up a program, the name of it and a white rectangle-shaped thing show up on my desktop. For example, right now I am using Firefox, MSN Messenger, and iScrobbler (for last.fm) and all of them are on my desktop. Is this normal? It's really annoying and if there's any way of them not showing up I'd prefer that.

I would post a picture if I knew how to take a screenshot of my desktop, and I don't know how to do that either. Could anyone explain that to me too?

TETENAL · Jun 3, 2006, 03:11 PM

To take a picture of your screen press

⌘⇧3

and to take a selection press

⌘⇧4

There are some more combinations which are all explained in the Help (Finder Help->Mac Help).

What you see on the desktop is a mounted disk image (that is an image of a disk that is mounted as if it were a real disk on the desktop). This is only intended as a mean to transfer applications over the internet. You are supposed to drag the application out of the disk image and into your Applications folder ("Drag & Drop Installation"). You can then unmount the disk image (drag onto the trash) and throw away the disk image file (drag into the trash) and from then on use the application in the Applications folder. Some disk images have a background image that explains the installation process of dragging the application into the Applications folder (Firefox has not unfortunately, so you had no way to figure that out on your own).

bkpbc1 · Jun 3, 2006, 03:22 PM

Ok, everything that is on the desktop I moved to the Applications folder. It still stayed on the desktop, however. So then I tried to drag them to the trash and it didn't give me the option of deleting them - just ejecting them. When I attempted to eject them, it said that they are in use and cannot be ejected.

bkpbc1 · Jun 3, 2006, 03:24 PM

Also, what is this symbol?
⇧

Goldfinger · Jun 3, 2006, 03:27 PM

Originally Posted by mascarafiend

Also, what is this symbol?
⇧

shift

goMac · Jun 3, 2006, 03:28 PM

Originally Posted by mascarafiend

Ok, everything that is on the desktop I moved to the Applications folder. It still stayed on the desktop, however. So then I tried to drag them to the trash and it didn't give me the option of deleting them - just ejecting them. When I attempted to eject them, it said that they are in use and cannot be ejected.

What you are seeing are basically virtual disks. I don't see why software developers insist on using them for everything, but they appear a lot.

They work a lot like real disks. The idea is that you copy your program off the virtual disk into your applications, then eject the virtual disk. After your eject the virtual disk, you can delete the file the virtual disk came in.

Because virtual disks act a lot like real disks, you can't eject them if you are still running things off of them. Before you eject a virtual disk make sure you close any programs you ran from a virtual disk.

Apfhex · Jun 3, 2006, 03:30 PM

⇧ is the SHIFT key.

You don't drag the images themselves to the Applications folder, you drag the contents of those images (the Application files themselves) to the Applications folder.

Obviously, if you have a file from one of the disk images opened, it will be in use and you can eject it.

bkpbc1 · 03:40 PM

(never mind)

bkpbc1 · Jun 3, 2006, 03:39 PM

Originally Posted by Apfhex

You don't drag the images themselves to the Applications folder, you drag the contents of those images (the Application files themselves) to the Applications folder.

Ooooh okay. That makes sense.

I didn't realize that was my problem. Why does it make you do that every time you download a new application?

Also, I noticed in the Applications folder (and actually other places) that it won't let you cut files, just copy them. So when I have to move them, I copy and paste them, and then I have to go back to delete the original ones I copied, and it's just a big pain.

eeeaa · Jun 3, 2006, 06:33 PM

Originally Posted by mascarafiend

Ooooh okay. That makes sense.

I didn't realize that was my problem. Why does it make you do that every time you download a new application?

Also, I noticed in the Applications folder (and actually other places) that it won't let you cut files, just copy them. So when I have to move them, I copy and paste them, and then I have to go back to delete the original ones I copied, and it's just a big pain.

Yeah, it's annoying that there is no cut command for the Finder in OS X. It's at the top of my wish list.

Apfhex · Jun 3, 2006, 06:46 PM

Originally Posted by mascarafiend

Ooooh okay. That makes sense.

I didn't realize that was my problem. Why does it make you do that every time you download a new application?

It works this way because that's how a lot of developers package their software for online distribution. DMG is a convenient format for a variety of reasons but it can be confusing and leads to extra steps in installing software.

Also, I noticed in the Applications folder (and actually other places) that it won't let you cut files, just copy them. So when I have to move them, I copy and paste them, and then I have to go back to delete the original ones I copied, and it's just a big pain.

You can't Cut files in OS X, the reasoning has been discussed to death, there are some threads on it if you're interested. BTW you don't have to Copy/Paste, you can just drag and drop the file(s). If you keep your Applications folder in the Finder's sidebar, you can perform the operation from one window: drag the file to the Applications folder, eject the disk from the eject icon in the sidebar, then toss the DMG file in the Trash.