Stupid Mac question

So. One fires up a Mac Book. It wants to do software updates. It gets to iTunes. A pop-up appears saying exit iTunes so it can update. One exits iTunes and clicks "Continue". Same message. No matter how loud one screams, it won't believe you when you tell iTunes is not running. One cannot abort this update. It continues to spin in circles, never moving from the iTunes morass. You can't click on the red button to stop the update.

Should I take the battery out? Perhaps throw it against the wall?

does force quite application help? Apple+option + esc

Reboot, then update?

Yes, with a Mac, when in doubt, always restart. It's also a good idea to try the force quit. It should show you if you have an unresponsive program.

With those two methods I taught my 83 year old mother to operate and debug a Mac I gave her.

If you still have problems hold down the power button until the Mac turns off. You don't have to pull the cord or battery out.

Check to make sure you don't have multiple user accounts logged in. The holding down the power button and rebooting is a good idea too.

personally i like the throw against wall option..

Thanks all, forced close worked. It showed every app that had been opened, like closing a program didn't really end the program.

With those two methods I taught my 83 year old mother to operate and debug a Mac I gave her.

Is she available for consultation? This thing is for my mate. Today I will go golfing while she installs Final Cut. She's going to shoot video and edit on a Mac. She's on her own.

On a Mac, closing a window doesn't quit the program. It's different than it is on Windows. You probably just never quit iTunes in the first place.

apple + Q will quit the program that is running in front, the name of the program is next to the apple in top right.

apple + tab (+tab, tab etc) will allow you to move through the icons for each of the programs you have open.

... and when you're tabbing through apps, you can (with Command held down), hit CMD-Q on the currently selected app to quit it without giving it focus.

This works even for apps that don't support the keyboard shortcut CMD-Q.

personally i like the throw against wall option..

 

Mikey I'm there with you mate.... Took me 3 hrs to work out how to capture/log footage on my MBP... its a fookin nightmare... I nearly stuck it on ebay and went back to PC.. but I'm gettin there.

Wheres the bleeding delete key.. My PC has 'delete' written on the button... Arse

Dive safe

Dean(new to MAC)B

Im going through the pains of trying to get used to apple myself. I still dont get the 1 mouse button thing. Every mouse that even apple sells has 2+ buttons, but they insist on selling the laptops with only one. It's like they dont want to admit they were wrong all along. All their apps really need 2 mouse buttons, and the double tap-mouse is getting old

Cor

i just had to buy a new laptop myself.. bought an Acer not a mac..

i can actually buy 4 for the price of one MBP haha

I'm with you Mike.

That silly Powerbook G4 we have has been in the cupboard for over two years, I just can not work with it.

personally i like the throw against wall option..

 

I only had 1 problem with my Mac in 5 months and I forget what it was and what I did about it. LOL

But I do think it might have had something to do with it freezing up and doing the Mac version of Ctl Alt Delete

Argh! Why is it that macs, with their supposed superior, intuitive, mouse-driven interfaces, so frequently revert to keyboard shortcuts to get things done?

Non-mac users may not realize that closing an app window on a mac generally does NOT exit the program. On other platforms it consistently does, but on macs it almost always does not. Sadly, it sometimes does exit an app on a mac which makes it all the more infuriating. It is something you will adjust to. This problem may be as simple as not realizing that macs like to keep programs running (because OS X is slow at starting apps up).

Cor, I agree that Apple hates to admit it was wrong on the mouse button thing. That's why they make the "mighty mouse" look and work like it still has only one button (and in so doing make it the worst mouse on the market). It's also why they refuse to put the second button on the notebooks. There is a workaround, though. In system preferences under keyboard and mouse, you can set the trackpad to enable right-clicking using simultaneous trackpad touching. It takes a bit of adjustment but is ultimately a satisfactory alternative. I find the Apple trackpads to be far better than I've used on other notebooks. I love them.

Speaking of right clicks and program exiting, one of Apple's most kludgy and inconsistent hacks is the click-and-hold feature of the dock. Doing this brings up a context menu where you can directly exit a program (among other things). Thing is, click-and-hold only works there. Bravo, Apple, your usability "experts" must be glowing with pride on that one.

On the subject of keyboard and mouse options for switchers, under "keyboard shortcuts" at the bottom there is an option to fix the mac's default, broken behavior regarding the tab key in dialogs. Setting the option to "All controls" will reduce annoyances IMO. I can't stand that tabbing skips over list boxes by default.

P.S. I don't mean to imply that George simply wasn't doing it right. Maybe that's the case, but I have gotten iTunes stuck and had to power-cycle the machine. JVMs on the mac are notorious for that as well and you can't force-quit them.

Cor, I agree that Apple hates to admit it was wrong on the mouse button thing. That's why they make the "mighty mouse" look and work like it still has only one button (and in so doing make it the worst mouse on the market).

Ah, I thought it was me. I tried using the Mighty Mouse for a few days but i couldnt get used to it. It's not ergonomic at all, and gave me pains in my fingers. The right mouse button gives me trouble all the time, and the scroll ball is awful. I just put my old trusty mouse back. Pain gone within a few hours.

There is a workaround, though. In system preferences under keyboard and mouse, you can set the trackpad to enable right-clicking using simultaneous trackpad touching.

When I said 'it's getting old', thats what I meant. Ive been using that 'trick' but i find it kind of annoying they resort to a 'trick' just to avoid facing up to the fact that OSX needs a right mouse button. Almost every app, function, whatever, has a right mouse context menu with useful functionality. Just bite the bullet, and admit you're wrong.

Dont get me wrong, im not a fanboy of anything. I have windows, Linux and mac computers at home. I use whatever works. They all have their quirks, including OSX. It's just a computer and an OS, like anything else. Nothing more, nothing less.

Cor

I thought holding down <control> and then clicking on the macbook was the alternative to right clicking? It works for spellcheck anyway.

I thought holding down <control> and then clicking on the macbook was the alternative to right clicking? It works for spellcheck anyway.

It is, the trackpad option is simply another way and one that many like.

I completely agree, Cor. Context menus themselves were a Microsoft "invention" that Apple trash-talked for a long time. I believe that Apple's reluctance to openly embrace the multi-button mouse and add the second button on its notebooks causes it and its software vendors to implement application features more sparingly. Even though Apple has quietly supported these mice for a long time, its context menu support is not as good as Windows. If right mouse buttons were truly first class hardware citizens I doubt that would be true. I don't like switching between mouse and keyboard so I'm not a big keyboard accelerator fan. I know people who are and I know how effective it is, but I like the mouse and context menus are a great way to get stuff done.

Funny thing about the Mighty Mouse. I have a mac mini as a media PC attached to my HDTV and I use a mac keyboard and mighty mouse. Many of my friends complimented me when I switched to the "superior" mighty mouse and then proceeded to complain about how awful it was ergonomically. All your complaints about the mighty mouse I agree with. Thankfully, we don't have to use them although good bluetooth mac mice aren't that plentiful.

Don't get me wrong, though. I switched to OS X and I'm very happy about it.

Finding a good bluetooth mouse (the sole reason i got the mighty mouse) isnt easy. Looks like logitech only has 1.

Cor