Determining Which Mac OS Versions Are Installed


In order to know which installation and configuration steps you need to perform, you must first learn which versions of Mac OS are installed. There are several ways to do this; the easiest is to consult the Startup Disk control panel (on Mac OS 9.2.2 or earlier) or the Startup Disk pane of System Preferences (on Mac OS X or later).

Tips

  • If your computer is brand new and you haven't started it yet, chances are you have Mac OS X 10.4 installed. When you start your computer, it'll display the Mac OS Setup assistant. Skip ahead to the section titled "Configuring Mac OS X 10.4" later in this chapter.

  • A quick way to tell whether your computer is currently running Mac OS 9.2 or earlier or Mac OS X or later is to consult the Apple menu icon on the far left end of the menu bar. A six-color apple appears on Mac OS 9.2 or earlier; a blue apple appears on Mac OS X or later.


To check the Startup Disk control panel on Mac OS 9.2 or earlier

1.

Choose Apple > Control Panels > Startup Disk (Figure 1) to display the Startup Disk control panel.

Figure 1. On Mac OS 9.2 or earlier, choose Startup Disk from the Control Panels submenu under the Apple menu.


2.

If necessary, click the triangle beside the name of your hard disk to display the System folders installed on your computer (Figures 2 and 3). The Version column indicates which versions of Mac OS are installed.

Figure 2. Here's what the Startup Disk control panel might look like with Mac OS 9.1 and Mac OS X installed…


Figure 3. …and here's what the Startup Disk control panel might look like with Mac OS 9.2.2 and Mac OS X 10.3.8 installed.


3.

Click the Startup Disk control panel's close box to dismiss it.

To check the Startup Disk preferences pane on Mac OS X or later

1.

Choose Apple > System Preferences (Figure 4) to display the System Preferences window (Figures 5 and 6).

Figure 4. Choose System Preferences from the Apple menu to display System Preferences.


Figure 5. The System Preferences window looks like this in Mac OS X 10.0.x…


Figure 6. …and like this in Mac OS X 10.2.8.


2.

Click the Startup Disk icon to display the Startup Disk preferences pane (Figures 7 and 8). The installed versions of Mac OS appear beneath each System folder icon.

Figure 7. Here's what the Startup Disk pane might look like with Mac OS 9.1 and Mac OS X 10.0 installed…


Figure 8. …and here's what it might look like with Mac OS 9.2.2 and Mac OS X 10.3.8 installed.


3.

Choose System Preferences > Quit System Preferences (Figure 9), or press to dismiss System Preferences.

Figure 9. Choose Quit System Preferences from the System Preferences menu to dismiss System Preferences.




Visual QuickStart Guide. Mac OS X 10. 4 Tiger
Mac Os X 10.4 Tiger (Visual Quickstart Guides)
ISBN: 0321423372
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 301
Authors: Maria Langer

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