sorry for being a total novice to mac

deano72deano72
Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
hi, I am interested in converting from M$ to MAC and was just had a simple newbie question that i don't want to offend anyone's eyes, etc....so don't flame me please...........



When powered on, can i turn off the screen on an imac when I want to walk away with it still on (like a monitor)?

Regards,

Deano72

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 19
    guybrush threepwoodguybrush threepwood Posts: 1,109member
    Yes. The iMac's have a Sleep Mode.



    Or you can dim the screen all the way down to nearly off...
  • Reply 2 of 19
    deano72deano72 Posts: 15member
    thanks.

    Just a bit nervous about taking the plunge to mac from windows..lol
  • Reply 3 of 19
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by deano72 View Post


    thanks.

    Just a bit nervous about taking the plunge to mac from windows..lol



    You'll like it, once you get past the initial shock.



    BTW, sleep mode is found under the upper-left blue Apple logo, below "Force Quit"...
  • Reply 4 of 19
    deano72deano72 Posts: 15member
    ta.

    my criteria for using a computer are simple. lol.

    1.) surfing

    2.) downloading some things via newsgroups

    3.) photo editing

    4.) cd/dvd burning

    5.) music/video (avi, etc)

    6.) mame!!!



    I don't play many games, but i guess with bootcamp/parallels, i could run some pc apps/games?
  • Reply 5 of 19
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by deano72 View Post


    ta.

    my criteria for using a computer are simple. lol.

    1.) surfing

    2.) downloading some things via newsgroups

    3.) photo editing

    4.) cd/dvd burning

    5.) music/video (avi, etc)

    6.) mame!!!



    I don't play many games, but i guess with bootcamp/parallels, i could run some pc apps/games?



    Yes, Boot Camp will allow you to continue to subject yourself to Windows, including the joy of Windows virii.
  • Reply 6 of 19
    deano72deano72 Posts: 15member
    lol.

    will parallels allow me to run some apps that i use currently, like vso x2dvd (avi to dvd convertor prog)?
  • Reply 7 of 19
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by deano72 View Post


    lol.

    will parallels allow me to run some apps that i use currently, like vso x2dvd (avi to dvd convertor prog)?



    Sorry, that's outside my area of expertise.
  • Reply 8 of 19
    deano72deano72 Posts: 15member
    no worries, many thanks for replying
  • Reply 9 of 19
    bacillusbacillus Posts: 313member
    As others have said, yes you can go to sleep. However, there is an app I use aptly called "SleepDisplay" that will just turn off your monitor (s) w/o going through all the maturations of going into sleep mode.



    http://lifehacker.com/software/displ...mac-254533.php
  • Reply 10 of 19
    deano72deano72 Posts: 15member
    one more query.

    Can i use vnc or pcanywhere to connect to my home imac (when i get it) from my windows work machine?



    Cheers,

    Dean
  • Reply 11 of 19
    jabohnjabohn Posts: 582member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by deano72 View Post


    Can i use vnc or pcanywhere to connect to my home imac (when i get it) from my windows work machine?



    Mac OS 10.4 has a built-in VNC client, found in the System Preferences Sharing pane. Enable "Apple Remote Desktop" then click Access Privileges and enable "VNC Viewers may control screen with password".



    There are also free third-party alternatives, some of which are more fully featured. Check www.versiontracker.com and do a search for VNC.



    The upcoming Mac OS upgrade, 10.5, has more screen sharing features built right into the Finder but it might not be VNC.
  • Reply 12 of 19
    jabohnjabohn Posts: 582member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by deano72 View Post


    will parallels allow me to run some apps that i use currently, like vso x2dvd (avi to dvd convertor prog)?



    I'm pretty sure there are Mac alternatives to what you want to achieve here, so you don't need to run a Windows program.



    I know Roxio Toast can convert DivX (AVI) files to a DVD and there are most likely other alternatives that could be cheaper or even free.



    Do either a Google or Versiontracker search.
  • Reply 13 of 19
    mr. hmr. h Posts: 4,870member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by deano72 View Post


    I am interested in converting from M$ to MAC



    Please don't take this as an attack. I have a genuine question that I've wanted to ask many times but never have for some reason:



    Why to you refer to a Mac as a MAC? Many "PC" people do this, and I've never been able to figure out why. Perhaps you can provide some insight.
  • Reply 14 of 19
    mr. hmr. h Posts: 4,870member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by deano72 View Post


    lol.

    will parallels allow me to run some apps that i use currently, like vso x2dvd (avi to dvd convertor prog)?



    No need to do that.



    When you get your Mac, get yourself:
    • Perian (a QuickTime plugin that allows playback of many different codecs)

    • Flip4Mac (a QuickTime plugin for WMA and WMV playback)

    • MPEG streamclip (a useful editor that has most of the features of QuickTime pro, and some other features besides, but is free)

    • FFmpegX (installation is a bit involved make sure you read the "read me", but is worth it - it's a GUI front-end to several different command-line video-editing utilities and can, amongst a plethora of other things, convert from DivX AVIs to DVD.)

    • VLC media player.

  • Reply 15 of 19
    deano72deano72 Posts: 15member
    The reason why i typed MAC was that after typing M$ i had the shift key held down by accident.
  • Reply 16 of 19
    mr. hmr. h Posts: 4,870member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by deano72 View Post


    The reason why i typed MAC was that after typing M$ i had the shift key held down by accident.



    Except you managed to type a lower-case "to" between "M$" and "MAC"?



    Anyway, just a heads-up that it's usually only trolls who refer to Macs as MACs. MAC stands for (amongst other less common things) Media Access Control.
  • Reply 17 of 19
    deano72deano72 Posts: 15member
    thanks.



    On ffmpegx, can i create a menu of sorts?
  • Reply 18 of 19
    mr. hmr. h Posts: 4,870member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by deano72 View Post


    thanks.



    On ffmpegx, can i create a menu of sorts?



    I'm not sure. You might be able to get a combination of FFmpegX and iDVD to do what you want. Or there may be some other suitable third-party software, like Toast.
  • Reply 19 of 19
    gwoodpeckergwoodpecker Posts: 367member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by deano72 View Post


    hi, I am interested in converting from M$ to MAC and was just had a simple newbie question that i don't want to offend anyone's eyes, etc....so don't flame me please...........



    When powered on, can i turn off the screen on an imac when I want to walk away with it still on (like a monitor)?

    Regards,

    Deano72



    Just use the energy saver settings and let the display turn itself off after, say, 15-30 minutes. Then you can walk away from your computer.



    OR you set a screen saver and lock it with a password if you want to prevent people from seeing the things on your display while you're away.
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