Mac OS X 10.4 - System Preferences

The System Preferences application in Mac OS X replaces the functionality of "control panels" from earlier versions of the Macintosh OS. The various modules in System Preferences are called "preference panes" and are divided into categories: Personal, Hardware, Internet & Network, System and Other. The System Preferences can be accessed under the Apple menu, via an icon in the dock or directly using the System Preferences application located in the Utilities folder under Applications.

Title & Searching

The System Preferences title bar has been revised to include a "Show All" button to get you back to the full listing of preference panes. If you're unsure which preference pane you should access to find a particular setting, you can use the search box in the upper right corner of the window. After you have typed a topic, System Preferences will hilite the panes that may be of interest and list the settings it found; you can use the arrow keys to select different matches and the "spotlight" will move to hilite the relevant preference pane.

Personal

• Appearance - general appearance settings, including menu item highlight color, placement of scroll arrows, behavior of the scroll bar, number of recent items to remember and font smoothing settings
• Dashboard & Exposé - set active screen corners and keyboard/mouse shortcuts to activate the screensaver, Exposé and Dashboard. Exposé allows you to temporarily view all your windows at once or expose your desktop
• Desktop & Screensaver - select a screensaver and control how fast it kicks in, as well as set your desktop wallpaper picture
• Dock - control the size, magnification, location and hiding characteristics of the Dock
• International - controls how the operating system displays dates, times and numbers. Also contains settings for using your computer in a foreign language and easy access to the character palette and keyboard layouts.
• Security - control file encryption, automatically lock or log out of the computer as well as other security-related settings
• Spotlight - control which files are searched when searching for files as well as the order they appear in the match list

Hardware

• CDs & DVDs - what your computer should do when you insert various types of media (including blank CDs and DVDs)
• Displays - monitor resolution and color settings, screen arrangement/mirroring for those with multiple screens or a projector hookup, settings for ColorSync profiles (Apple's color management software)
• Energy Saver - power saving features
• Keyboard & Mouse - key repeat settings and "full keyboard access" settings (allowing you to navigate and control your computer using only your keyboard); mouse tracking and clicking, as well as scrolling for mice with scroll wheels
• Print & Fax - select whether to always default to the same printer (or last used); fax settings
• Sound - sound volume and which alert sound to use, input and output devices as well as sound effects

Network & Internet

• Internet - central repository for Internet settings such as name, email account information and preferred homepage
• Network - settings for network connections, including dialup settings and the built-in firewall
• QuickTime - settings for the Quicktime media software, including connection speed and registration
• Sharing - file sharing and remote login settings

System

• Accounts - create, delete and modify workstation login accounts
• Classic - settings, information and maintenance tasks for the MacOS 9 environment
• Date & Time - set the date and time, as well as synchronize time with a network time server
• Software Update - a part of the operating system that will check for system updates (by default checks once a week)
• Speech - text-to-speech and speech recognition settings
• Startup Disk - select which system software folder to boot your Mac from
• Universal Access - screen magnification, keyboard mouse control

Other

• Any non-Apple preference panes are listed under this category (for example, software for 3rd party mice)

System Preferences for MacOS X 10.2

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