macbook!

[baremission]

help ive just got a macbook laptop and ive never used one before. I feel like a complete dunce.
Im trying to connect to my AirPort wireless home connection run by Netgear but i can't remember my password so it won't let me connect to the internet.
any way i can find out my netgear password?

also in mac is there any way of maximising a frame like you can on windows, its never fully maximised?

[fo3nix]

Don't worry. There is a learning curve, like the first time you used a windows computer. For a few weeks you'll be trying to do things the windows way, when a faster and neater way is often available. It will happen, but eventually you'll get the hand of it all.

Firstly -- the router password. I assume you've clicked the wireless icon in the menu bar at the top, and clicked on your network's name? If so, and if you need a password, it'll ask you for it -- this is where I assume you've got it. If so, then you do need the router password. If you don't know it, you'll have to reset the router. You can turn the router upside down and find a small recessed button that you'll need a pencil or similar to press, to reset. This restores the router to factory settings, so you can enable wireless and security again, and choose a strong password which you should write down and keep somewhere safe. Then try connecting with your other computer, or your macbook.

As for the maximising thing -- it doesn't work quite the same way as windows, and this at times can be annoying, but usually it's fine. Top-left are three little 'traffic light' buttons. Red closes the window, amber will minimise it to the dock, and green maximises it. Maximise here though means 'make the window as large as you need to', and not 'use all the screen'. You can always resize with the bottom-right corner of the window.

[fo3nix]

A few more tips:

when you close a window, it often doesn't close the program (or application as it's called usually).

this is the same as windows often is, but it can be confusing sometimes. if you're working in Word or similar on windows, you'll see two x's top-right of the window -- one that closes Word itself, and one that closes just the document you're working on. On a mac, the close window button (red button top-left) just closes the document usually, and the program will be left often.

In the dock (bottom of the screen), you have a load of application icons there. If you want to customise this, then drag them out of the dock, and they'll vanish with a puff of smoke. To add more, click the finder icon (the smiley mac two-tone face in the dock), which is like my computer on windows. Then click 'applications' on the left pane. Drag any app icons you want to the dock from there, and shortcuts will be made for you.

In the dock, some programs will have a black triangle underneath them -- this means that they're running at the moment. To properly quit them, click them so that the app's name appears in the menu bar, then click its name and choose the Quit item.

[fo3nix]

Also, a thing you should do now and every few weeks is run software update. To do this (if it isn't already set to do it automatically sparodically, I can't remember what the defaults are), click the Apple icon top-left, and choose the software update item.

This is the place that will let you easily download and update the system itself, as well as Apple software running on the system. Useful for security updates, and things like that.

[baremission]

another question, can i use the built in cam for webcam on msn?
thank you so mcuh for all the advice so far!
xx

[fo3nix]

Yes, but it may be hard.

The default IM program, iChat, only does the Jabber and AIM networks. It doesn't do MSN by default.

To get MSN, you have a variety of apps to use. Microsoft do their own, but it's terrible. The best overall is free, and called adium. It also supports pretty much every other chat network system too, and works excellently. The bad side is that it doesn't support webcams yet.

A MSN client that does support webcams (and I've got my internal iSight working -- I have a MacBook Pro) is called amsn. However, I'm not so sure how great the webcam support it, but it may suffice (I've never actually chatted with anyone using it, just verified that the webcam feature seems to work).

http://www.adiumx.com
http://www.amsn-project.net/