Mac OS Utilities

The Utilities folder inside the Applications folder (Figure 1) includes a number of utility applications you can use to work with your computer and its files.

Figure 1. The Utilities folder contains a bunch of utility applications for working with your computer and files.

This chapter covers the following utilities:

• Activity Monitor displays information about your computer CPU's workload.

• Audio MIDI Setup enables you to set options for audio and MIDI devices connected to your Macintosh.

• ColorSync Utility enables you to check and repair ColorSync profiles and to assign profiles to hardware devices.

• Console displays technical messages from the system software and applications.

• Digital Color Meter enables you to measure and translate colors on your display.

• Disk Utility allows you to check, format, partition, and get information about disks, as well as create and open disk image files.

• Grab enables you to capture screen images and save them as image files.

• Grapher lets you create static or animated graphs of formulas.

• Installer enables you to install software.

• Migration Assistant enables you to transfer data from another Mac.

• System Profiler provides information about your Mac's installed software and hardware.

• VoiceOver Utility enables you to configure the new VoiceOver feature of Mac OS X.

This chapter also explores one of the seldom used features of Mac OS X: application services.

Tips

• This chapter does not cover the following utilities, which are discussed elsewhere in this book:

  • Printer Setup Utility, in Chapter 12.

  • Airport Admin Utility, Airport Setup Assistant, Bluetooth File Exchange, and Network Utility, in Chapter 16.

  • Keychain Access, in Chapter 17.

  • Terminal, in Chapter 19.

• Coverage of Directory Access, Java, Net Info Manager, and ODBC Administrator is beyond the scope of this book.