Macintosh operating system
OS 9 alert sounds
Application switcher
OS 9 hotkeys
OS 8 hidden feature in "Find"
Easter eggs
Switch volumes in OS 8
Corrupted Finder preferences
See the doctor
Sick of that "beep" alert sound? Mac OS 9 comes with a new Sound control panel, which includes several new alert sounds, such as "laugh" and "uh oh".
You can, of course, add your own by simply copying sound files to your "System" file in your System Folder.
Since version 8, the Mac OS has used a Windows-like method of switching applications by using a shortcut of command-tab. This can interfere with the shortcuts in applications that use the same keystroke, such as QuarkXpress.
To turn off this feature, or modify the keystroke, launch the Mac Help feature of the finder (shortcut: hit the help key while in the finder) and type in "application switcher" in the search field. In the results, click the link that says "Switching between open programs" (should be the first one). Scroll down and click the link that says "Help me modify the keyboard shortcuts", which will launch a script that will do the work for you.
Mac OS 9 introduces its own version of hotkeys... it's found in the keyboard control panel. It allows you to use the function keys on your keyboard to launch anything you want. Be warned however that this may interfere with function key mapping in applications that use the same keystrokes, such as QuarkXpress.
System 8's Find File program has a hidden feature: If you hold down the option key before selecting the drop down menu called "name", you will find some new items at the bottom. Mac OS 9 now includes these and other options in the custom edit menu of Sherlock, and are no longer hidden.
A couple of easter eggs in the finder: Hold down option
as you select "about this computer" under the apple menu. Also,
hold down option + control + command as you do the
same (disabled in OS 9.2). In Mac OS 9, hold down all four modifier keys
(control + option + command + shift) (disabled
in OS 9.2).
Note however that Apple is now in the process of removing all easter
eggs from their software.
Pressing command-left arrow or command-right arrow while in save and open dialog boxes will switch volumes. (Not applicable to OS 9.)
If you find that you are having problems with the finder, a quick
way to possibly fix it is to delete the "finder preferences"
(system folder > preferences). Note: You will obviously have to reset
some preferences (such as view options) after restarting.
Also, it's always a good idea to rebuild your desktop regularly
(I suggest once a week to once a month). You do this by restarting and
holding down the command and option keys, until you see
a dialog box that says "do you want to rebuild your desktop?".
The desktop database keeps track of where your files are, and can sometimes
get corrupted.
Advanced users should delete the Desktop DB and DF files and let the Finder create a fresh new desktop file: I recommend free software that does it automatically for you, such as Total Desktop Rebuild, Trash Desktop, or Techtool.
You should run Norton Utilities (specifically, Disk Doctor and Speed Disk) on your mac at least once a month.
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