Datasheet

Part I: Introducing OS X Lion: The Basics

If your computer is under warranty, dial 1-800-SOS-APPL, and a cus-

tomer-service person can tell you what to do. Before you do anything,

though, skip ahead to Chapter 20. It’s entirely possible that one of the

suggestions there can get you back on track without your having to

spend even a moment on hold.

✓ Prohibitory sign (formerly known as the flashing-question-mark disk):

Most users eventually encounter the prohibitory sign shown in the left

margin (which replaced the flashing question-mark-on-a-disk icon and

flashing folder icon back in Mac OS X Jaguar). This icon means that your

Mac can’t find a startup disk, hard drive, network server, or DVD-ROM

containing a valid Macintosh operating system. See Chapter 20 for ways

to ease your Mac’s ills.

✓ Kernel panic: You shouldn’t see this very often, but you might occasion-

ally see a block of text in four languages, including English, as shown in

Figure 1-3. This means that your Mac has experienced a kernel panic, the

most severe type of system crash. If you restart your Mac and see this

message again, look in Chapter 20 for a myriad of possible cures for all

kinds of ailments, including this one.

Figure 1-3: If this is what you’re seeing,

things are definitely not fine and dandy.

How do you know which version of the Mac OS your computer has? Simple:

1. Choose About This Mac from the Ú menu (the menu with the Ú

symbol in the top-left corner of the menu bar).

The About This Mac window pops up on your screen, as shown in Figure

1-4. The version you’re running appears just below Mac OS X in the

center of the window. Version 10.7 is the release we know as Lion.

If you’re curious or just want to impress your friends, Mac OS X version

10.6 was called Snow Leopard; 10.5 was known as Leopard; 10.4 as Tiger;

10.3 as Panther; 10.2 as Jaguar; 10.1 as Puma; and 10.0 as Cheetah.

2. Click the More Info button to launch the System Profiler application.

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