Chapter 3. Keeping Things Organized

IN THIS CHAPTER:

12 Find an Item

13 Create a New Folder

14 Create a Smart Folder That Contains Certain Types of Items

15 Rename a Folder or Document

16 Make an Alias (Shortcut)

17 Change an Icon

18 Set a Color Label

19 Move, Copy, or Delete a Document or Folder

20 Burn a CD/DVD

21 Add a Newly Installed Hard Disk to the System

22 Partition a Hard Disk

23 Assign a Folder Action

24 Add a Second Display

25 Set the Time and Date

26 Enable Automatic Time Synchronization (NTP)

Mac OS X, like all operating systems, is designed to help you organize data. This data is represented using the industry-standard "desktop" metaphor, originally pioneered by the first Macintosh and its precursors. In the desktop metaphor, any meaningful grouping of data under a single namea picture, an audio recording, a shopping listis represented by a document (also known as a file , a term that will be used interchangeably with document in this book). Documents can be sorted into folders , which are simply containers for documents. Folders can contain other folders as well as documents, and thus you can organize all your information into a hierarchy that resembles a large, ungainly filing cabinet.

Mac OS X gives you the ability to manage these documents and folders, to move them around, change their names , create new ones, and get rid of the ones you don't need anymore. In the context of modern computing hardware, this means that Mac OS X must enable you to manipulate diskshard disks, CD-ROMs, DVDs, and other such devices that store your documents. In this chapter, you will see how to use the tools that Mac OS X gives you to accomplish these tasks .

Furthermore, as your computing needs grow, so does the need for Mac OS X to adapt to them. Over time, you will probably feel the need to add memory, new hard disks, and even second displays in order to keep up with the pace of the technology you interact with at home and at work. This chapter discusses how to add a new hard disk to your system and configure it to hold your expanding data; it also covers how to add a second display and configure it to your liking. Finally, because keeping your Mac's internal clock accurate is so crucial to the internal system functions as well as to applications such as iCal that keep track of your schedule for you, this chapter discusses how to set the time and date, and how to set up your computer to configure them automatically.