install Java on a Mac

This article applies to:

• Platform(s): Macintosh OS X
• Java version(s): 7.0

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Mac OS X System Requirements for Oracle Java 7

• Intel-based Mac running Mac OS X version 10.7.3 and above
• Administrator privileges
• A 64-bit browser (examples; Safari, Firefox)
• 32-bit browsers such as Chrome do not support Java 7 on the Mac platform

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The screen shots and instructions below are for Java 7 Update 6 (7u6). If you are installing another version, make sure you change the version number appropriately.
Example: For Java version 7 update 7 (7u7) the file to download is jre-7u7-macosx-x64.dmg.

To install Java on Mac please follow these steps:

1. Download the jre-7u6-macosx-x64.dmg file.
   Review and agree to the terms of the license agreement before downloading the file.
2. Double-click the .dmg file to launch it
3. Double-click on the package icon to launch install Wizard

 4. The Install Wizard displays the Welcome to Java 7 installation screen. Click Continue

 5. On Standard Install on Macintosh HD, Click the Install button

 6. After the installation has completed, a confirmation screen appears. Click Close to finish the installation process. 

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Install Windows 7 On MacBook Pro

If you can bring yourself to look past the fact that you have just spent a whole heap of money on excellent Apple hardware to run OS X, then it actually makes sense to be able to install a version of Windows alongside the default operating system. This is especially true when we consider the new Retina MacBook Pro and those who want to use PC software or games in the full 2880 x 1800 resolution.
Follow the simple steps below to get up and running with installing Windows 7 alongside the native OS X installation on the MacBook Pro.

Step 1: Locate and run the built-in Boot Camp Assistant package that comes as part of OS X. Boot Camp Assistant can be invoked a number of different ways. Select Spotlight from the Finder bar at the top of the display and search for Boot Camp before selecting the required app. Alternatively, users can enter the Launchpad screen and search for Boot Camp Assistant manually that way.

Step 2: The Boot Camp Assistant interface provides the necessary steps that are involved in installing a fully functioning version of Windows 7 on the MacBook. Make sure all the relevant option boxes are ticked before selecting the Continue option on the bottom right of the display.

Step 3: The next stage of the process is to create a Windows ISO image of the installation DVD. An optical drive is a requirement for this process meaning that an external drive will need to be connected to the MacBook Pro. The simple Disk Utility application in Mac OS X allows a new disk image to be created from the inserted Windows DVD.
NOTE: If you don’t have access to an external drive that can be connected to the MacBook Pro, then it is possible to create an ISO disk image using one of many free of charge utilities directly from a Windows based PC. That ISO can then be moved across to the Retina MacBook Pro for use as part of this process.
Step 4: If you are creating the ISO image directly on the Mac using the Disk Utility process then the outputted file will need to be saved as .cdr file and then manually renamed to the extension .iso.
Step 5: After the ISO image has been created and manually renamed, the next stage is to copy the file onto a USB drive that is greater than 4GB in size. In the Boot Camp Manager interface, select the option to copy the file to the USB drive to create a bootable disk.
Step 6: Anyone who has installed Windows, or even used Windows, will know that a number of drivers are required to make sure all of the hardware is functioning correctly. This is particularly relevant in this instance to ensure that the full resolution of the Retina MacBook Pro is achieved in the installation. Download all of the drivers that Apple provide via the Boot Camp Manager and copy the single file to a secondary USB drive (at least 1GB needed).

Step 7: The installation of Windows 7 doesn’t place nice with competing operating systems, making it necessary to create a partition on the hard drive of the MacBook Pro. The Boot Camp Assistant will display the partition information and you will need to assign a portion of the drive to Windows. Bear in mind that the installation itself will require approximately 30GB so choose carefully as this cannot be altered later.

Step 8: Insert the original USB pen drive into the Mac with the bootable ISO image on it. The system will reboot after the partition step above, forcing the Windows 7 installation to begin. When asked where to install Windows 7, select the partition that was created in step 7 above. Select Drive Options before selecting Format and follow the on screen instructions.

Step 9: The final step in the process is to insert the secondary USB pen and install the drivers that Apple provides to make sure everything works correctly with the Windows 7 installation. Open the USB drive and run the installer that is on the drive. When the drivers are installed the system will restart, prompting the end of the process.

So there we have it, a full installation of Windows 7 on  a Retina MacBook Pro. Deciding which operating system to boot into is as simple as holding down the Option button when the MacBook is booting up and selecting either Windows or OS X.

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Install Vista on a MacBook Pro

In the following simple solution, I cover the process of installing Windows Vista on a Macbook Pro. For many people, migrating from a Windows PC to a Mac is a tough transition. You can become quickly overwhelmed when trying to learn how to navigate and use the Mac OS X Leopard operating system. In many cases, a user will need to find equivalent software in order to establish the creature comforts they were accustomed to with Windows.

Sometimes, the same software that was used in Windows is not available for the Mac OS and the user will need to learn to use a new set of tools to accomplish the same task. This can be time consuming, especially if you depend on specific tools and applications in your daily routine. In which case, the best alternative may be to dual boot your Macbook Pro, so you can Have your Mac and Vista too!
Luckily, Apple thought ahead with their Hardware design and boot software. Newer Macbooks ship with Boot Camp, a software that works with EFI (Extensible Firmware Interface). EFI is designed to replace the BIOS and when used in conjunction with Bootcamp, allows it's user to easily select and boot from multiple operating systems.

How to run Vista on a Macbook Pro:

1. From the Menu bar, Navigate to Go > Utilities:

 2. Now, click Boot Camp Assistant from the Utilities Menu:

3. Next, if you have a printer, print the Installation and setup guide, then click Continue. Otherwise, simply press Continue:

4. Now to adjust the amount of space you wish to allocate to Vista, click and drag the divider between Mac OS X and Windows to the left to increase, then click Partition. I recommend allocating at least 20GB to Vista or you will quickly run out of headroom:

5. Now, Insert your Windows Vista DVD and click Start Installation:

6. After some time, you will end up at a screen asking where you want to install Windows. Select the BOOTCAMP partition then click Drive Options Advanced. Click Format. Once the partition has been formatted, click Next:

7. Windows Vista will take some time to install. Once it has finished and your up and running, eject the Windows Vista installation disk and insert your Mac OS X leopard Install Disk 1. Navigate to the BootCamp folder on the disk and run Setup.exe:

8. You should now be presented with the Boot Camp installer. Click Next and follow the onscreen instructions to install the Windows drivers for your Macbook Pro:

9. After the driver installation has finished, upon reboot, your sound, video, wireless card, bluetooth and keyboard shortcuts should function properly.

10. To switch between Windows Vista and Mac OS X, simply hold down the option key during system boot and you will be presented with a boot menu where you can select which OS to boot:

 

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Install Software on a Mac

will cover the entire process and trust me, it's so simple you wont need to take notes.

The Mac software installation process is composed of a maximum of three simple steps.
Step 1: Acquiring Mac Software
Step 2: Unpacking Mac Software
Step 3: Installing Mac Software

Installing Applications on a Mac:

1. Acquiring Mac Software: First you need to acquire the software either from CD, DVD or the internet. In many cases, software downloaded from the internet, will arrive compressed. Compressed formats include, .zip files, .sit or .sitx files, and .dmg files. If your installing files from a CD or DVD, you can skip the next step as these files are already uncompressed.
2. Unpacking Mac Software: You can simply double click the .dmg, .sit, sitx or .zip file and open or (if it is a disk image .dmg) mount the compressed file.
3. Installing Mac Software: There are two approaches to installing a software package.
A: If the software comes with it's own installer, it may look like this:


 Simply double click the package and you are presented with an automated software installer that may resemble something like this:

With this type of package, you simply follow the onscreen instructions and the application is automatically installed.
B. To manually install Mac software on packages that do not come with an installer, simply drag and drop the application into your applications folder. See the example below:

Cleaning up after a software install:
Once the software has been installed on your Mac, you can eject the mounted image by pressing control and clicking the mounted image, then select Eject. Then press control and click the file and select move it to trash.

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Install Fonts on a Mac

 

Font installation on a Mac is a simple drag and drop operation for OpenType (Mac OS X), TrueType, and PostScript Type 1 fonts.

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: 1-5 minutes to install a few fonts on a Mac

Here's How:

1. Close Open Programs. Before installing any new fonts on a Mac, close any applications you have open. Newly installed Mac fonts may not appear in your software font menus if the program is running during font installation.
2. Find the Fonts.
   Locate the fonts you want to install in the Finder and select each one. OpenType and TrueType fonts will have one file while PostScript Type 1 fonts for the Mac will have both a printer and screen font.
   • Macintosh TrueType file icon appears as a dog-eared page with three letter As in progressively larger sizes.
   • Macintosh OpenType file icon has the letter O.
   • Macintosh PostScript Type 1 fonts have a bitmap font icon that appears as a dog-eared page with the letter A. The outline file icon appears as a letter A front of horizontal lines.
3. Move the Fonts.
   • Mac OS 9.x or 8.x: Drag the fonts to the System Folder. Click OK when prompted.
   • Mac OS X: Drag and drop the fonts into the Fonts folder of the Library folder.
   • Classic Mode: For applications running under Classic mode you have to install Mac TrueType or Mac PostScript Type 1 fonts in the Fonts folder of the Classic System Folder.

Tips:

1. Restart Computer.
   If you have some programs running while installing fonts on a Mac, they may require that you exit the application and restart for the new fonts to be available.
2. View Fonts.
   Adobe Type Manager (ATM) and both the screen and printer fonts (2 files) for PostScript fonts are required in order to properly view and print if you are running anything prior to Mac OS X.
3. Use the Right Fonts for Mac.
   There are slight differences in the TrueType fonts designed for each OS therefore Mac and Windows users cannot share TrueType fonts. Due to differences in their structure, Mac and Windows PostScript Type 1 fonts are not cross-platform compatible. But, OpenType fonts are cross-platform, the same font file works under both Macintosh and Windows Operating systems.
4. Avoid Font Duplication.
   OpenType fonts install in the same manner as TrueType fonts and co-exist peacefully with TrueType and PostScript Type 1 fonts. However, it is wise not to have the same font installed in multiple formats. That is, don't install both Helvetica in TrueType format and Helvetica in Type 1 format at the same time. It could cause font conflicts when trying to use the fonts.

What You Need

• Macintosh TrueType or PostScript fonts or OpenType fonts
• Adobe Type Manager (ATM) for non-OS X Macs using PostScript fonts

 

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Install Firefox on Mac

1. Visit http://mozilla.org/firefox in any browser (for example, Apple Safari). It will automatically detect the platform and language on your computer and recommend the best edition(s) of Firefox for you.
2. Click the green download button to download Firefox.
3. Once the download has completed, the file (Firefox.dmg) should open by itself and pop open a Finder window containing the Firefox application. Drag the Firefox Icon on top of the Applications folder in order to copy it there.  

 

Note: If you do not see this window, click the Firefox.dmg file that you downloaded to open it.

4. After dragging Firefox to the Applications folder, hold down the control key while clicking in the window and select Eject "Firefox" from the menu.

5. You can add Firefox to your dock for easy access. Just open your Applications folder and drag Firefox to the dock.

Starting Firefox for the first time

When you first start up Firefox, you will be warned that you downloaded Firefox from the internet. Because you download Firefox from the official site, you can click Open.

Also, Firefox will not be your default browser and you'll be told about that. That means that when you open a link in your mail application, an Internet shortcut, or HTML document, it will not open in Firefox. If you want Firefox to do those things, click Yes to set it as your default browser. If not or you are just trying out Firefox, click No.

 

 

 

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What to do after having installed MOUNTAIN LION?

Now that you are in MOUNTAIN LION, I invite you to make some operations to tweak your system, clean and set according to your convenience.
a) Java is not installed by default by the installer MOUNTAIN LION. Maybe you will not ever need elsewhere, but if according to your Internet surfing you come across a site that requires Java, so MOUNTAIN LION will automatically offer to download and install the latest version of JAVA (This is ORACLE JAVA now distributes for OS X).
b) The inverted mouse or trackpad scroll you take your head? Go to "System Preferences" and then "Mouse" and / or "Trackpad" to solve this problem.
c) Check the non-compatible third-party applications. Perform updates or uninstall temporarily.
d) Are you a fan of extensions in your browser? Be sure to check the compatibility and proceed again to updates or uninstalls. If "Safari" plant is an extension or plug-in Safari is no longer compatible and crashes the browser.
e) You will find that the "Library" folder of your Maisonette is gone. It is actually invisible by default MOUNTAIN LION. Not very convenient when you need to go there, especially to do some cleaning. You can access it by going to the "Go" menu in the Finder while holding down the "alt" key. To make it permanently visible, just use "Onyx" which provides a function to make it visible (see "Maintenance") or "Mountain Tweaks" that you can download for free (you can still make a donation to the author ) HERE.
"Mountain Tweaks" is a small piece of software to enable / disable certain features present in LION MOUNTAIN LION. To make the library user again visible in the Finder, simply click the "Yes" button next to the line "Show the user Library folder."

f) Your Mac in MOUNTAIN LION speaks French ... but still need to download and install these voices. To do this, go to "System Preferences" / "Dictation and Word" and the "Speech" tab. From the drop "Voice System" menu, select the "Customize" menu, then select the French voice not yet installed. The download and installation is automatic.

g) Go to the different modules in order to tweak the settings to suit your "System Preferences." New settings, not present in LEO are indeed available in MOUNTAIN LION.

h) Run the "Update Software" menu to perform the probable updates that will be offered (including updates of printer drivers, voice etc ...)

Once all this is done, I suggest you start "Onyx" (Automation) to clean all this and calibrate the system.How much RAM does it take?
That is the eternal question, and it seems clear that 2GB is really the means of subsistence. In my opinion this is still very low, because it does not use OS X MOUNTAIN LION in good conditions. So take all the necessary arrangements, and especially as the RAM has become very cheap these days. So I advise you to inflate the RAM for your favorite computer is equipped with at least 4 GB or more if you can.
The figure of 4 GB is really the bare minimum, in my opinion, for the vast majority of Mac users, who have main activities as surfing the Internet, email, word processing, audio and treatments basic video and photo files, or use of Photoshop filters very punctual, engraving, scanning etc ...
But if you can / want, inflate your Mac to 8 GB of RAM or more (depending on the model of machines), do not hesitate .... This is not the lost investment. I think to be really comfortable, it takes at least 8 GB of RAM.
Check the firmware!
The firmware is a small internal program to each computer. It should be updated when necessary.
When you buy a computer, it is equipped with an updated version of the firmware, but if you later install the up-to-day operating system, or even new systems (such as OS X MOUNTAIN LION for example), it may be that your firmware is no longer suitable and requires up-to-date in order to receive the new operating system and make it work in good conditions.
If OS X will not install or run properly on your computer, it may be that it is precisely the firmware on your Mac that is obsolete! In some cases, installing Mac OS X on a computer, the firmware is not updated, can even lead to a completely black screen at startup or serious malfunctioning.
To know what firmware version you currently have, just read in the "Hardware" / "material information" (see above), the line "version of the boot ROM." You will find on the Apple website the latest firmware versions for different models of Mac market. Most of the time, these updates are also available in the dashboard "Software Update." I advise you to make these updates.
 Dock and Launchpad: you can easily launch its applications
While the Dock is for early versions of Mac OS X Lion now offers a new feature to manage and launch applications. This is Launchpad. Directly inspired by iOS, Launchpad does not compete with the dock, it complements it. While you will put in the dock applications you use most (you can not objectively put all the applications in the Dock), Launchpad allows easy access to ALL installed on your 
Launchpad

Launchpad in the Dock, but it can also be accessed by an active area (must be set in "System Preferences" / "Mission Control" / assets "Coins).

If you have an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad, you will not be disoriented by this integrated function MOUNTAIN LION know immediately use.

Launchpad looks like an array of launch in full screen. All installed on your Mac applications are present in this table. More applications you have, the table will be more "pages" (pages are represented by small translucent dots at the bottom of the table - see below the red arrow indicating these points). To move from one page to another, click on these items, or you use the two arrows (left / right) on your keyboard, or even the mouse wheel. You can rearrange the storage of applications in different pages of the table by drag / drop.

MOUNTAIN LION in, you have the top of the window of a search field that lets you quickly find the application or applications you want. Start typing the name of the application you want to search and display the Launchpad As the results matching this search.

To avoid having too many pages, you can even store the applications into folders. Simply drag / drop an application or multiple applications on another. Then give a name to the created folder (in my example below, I named it "Maintenance" folder).

ll click on an application to launch.

You can even uninstall an application through Launchpad. To do this, hold a mouse click and hold the application icon to uninstall. All icons begin to wiggle and then a cross appears on the authorized be uninstalled applications (not all, far from it. Only applications that have been purchased on APP STORE offer this feature in Launchpad). Click on the cross, and the application will be uninstalled.

Finally, it is possible to drag / drop an application Launchpad to the Dock.

We just regret that Apple does not offer parallel, a simple and effective solution to manage the display and sorting applications in Launchpad, just as it is possible to do it in iTunes for "launchpad" for iOS.
 

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My preferred method: Clean install MOUNTAIN LION from a clone with prior initialization of the main hard disk and data recovery and settings with "Migration Wizard"

If you are an avid reader of OS X Easy, you already know that I highly recommend to create a clone on an external hard drive (see page dedicated to "Backup and clone OS X"). This clone allows you to start a completely identical backup your hard drive / master volume. This is an excellent insurance when your main OS X volume is broken and no longer want to start, and / or if your primary hard drive had to give up the ghost.
But the clone has other virtues. Due to the disappearance of the installation DVD, why would not use the clone as MOUNTAIN LION media to install on the hard disk / volume dedicated? Rather than annoy to go through a USB or a DVD? I see at least four reasons to use this simple, reliable and practical method to install MOUNTAIN LION:
- It's easier and faster to boot from an external hard drive on a USB drive and a DVD.
- This avoids complicating their lives if necessary to re-install MOUNTAIN LION. The installer MOUNTAIN LION being "warm" in the "Applications" folder on the clone, just start on the clone and run the installer to reinstall MOUNTAIN LION on its hard drive / master volume. No need to download again MOUNTAIN LION on APP STORE, and no need to make a bootable USB drive or an installation DVD.
- This eliminates the need for the Recovery HD partition (see "Recovery HD") which is, in my opinion, a wheel ultimate fallback, nothing else.
- You can make this method a "clean install" (clean install) with ease.
How to proceed? It must of course have a bootable clone on another hard drive.
a) Purchase and download MOUNTAIN LION on APP STORE.
b) Once the download is complete, the installer is in your "Applications" folder.
c) Update your clone, so that the installer is also present in the "Applications" folder on the clone.
d) Start the clone.
e) Launch "Disk Utility" and proceed with the hard disk initialization / main volume, where you will install MOUNTAIN LION (see tip "Initialize, format and partition the disk" for more information on this operation). If you have the interest, you can also make a partition on your main hard drive and dedicate a partition to MOUNTAIN LION (see above section on partitioning).
f) Once your hard drive / master volume completely erased, run the installation from the MOUNTAIN LION downloaded installer (which is therefore now well into the "Applications" folder on the clone).
g) Follow the installation procedure by selecting well your main drive (or partition dedicated) disk, where the MOUNTAIN LION to be installed, then click "Install."

h) The installation starts. Your Mac will re-start by itself, do not interrupt the process and let it go until the end. Once MOUNTAIN LION, you need to set (as always) some windows:

i) "Migration Assistant" then launches AUTOMATICALLY. You will therefore be able to get on all your data, applications and settings. Select "From another disk" in the first window that will appear on the screen, then select (in the window that follows) your clone (this is where all the data is to be transferred), then make sure that all boxes are ticked in the window that then opens. Click on each small arrow to the right to move to the next step.
NB: It is also possible to select the disk dedicated to "TimeMachine".

j) The data transfer can be longer or shorter depending on the individual configurations. Do not interrupt the process.

k) Once the transfer is complete, it is you are under MOUNTAIN LION. Set the latest windows as you like: you can enable or disable location services (personally I activated because it allows some applications require to determine your location, run), and choose to set the time zone automatically.

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