This article consistes of the Read Me file for the iMac (Slot Loading).

Important Information About Your iMac

This document contains important late-breaking information about your iMac. For additional information, refer to the printed documentation that came with your computer, the online help for your iMac (Mac Help), and information located in the Help menu of most applications. Apple also provides substantial information on the Internet. If you have access to the Internet, you can find the latest information about iMac in the support area at www.apple.com/support/imac

The following topics are covered in this document:

Using your iMac
About the Apple DVD Player
Playing and recording from audio CDs
Adjusting and testing external USB (Universal Serial Bus) speakers
Connecting to a 10/100Base-T network
Connecting your computer directly to an Ethernet switch
Ethernet performance
Formatting external USB hard disk drives
Improving startup time
Setting the resolution when using an external monitor for video mirroring
Using additional alert sounds
Copying and pasting alert sounds
Using your computer with a NetBoot server

Third-party software
Using the internal modem with third-party software
Preserving Bookmarks and Favorites files when reinstalling Internet Explorer and Netscape Communicator
Setting up AOL when the Palm Desktop Software 2.5 is installed
Using EdViewInternet Safety Kit

Hardware compatibility
Using a digital video (DV) camcorder
Using USB devices with software applications
Connecting and disconnecting USB devices while the computer is asleep
Mounting and disconnecting USB storage devices
Using ADB copy-protection dongles
Using USB-to-serial converters

Documentation changes
Mac Help instructions for modifying a remote access configuration
References to Monitors & Sound Control Panel in Mac Help

Using your iMac

About Apple DVD Player
Apple included a preview version of Apple DVD Player software on iMacs that include a built-in DVD-ROM drive. This software ships as part of the Mac OS 8.6 version included with your iMac computer and is not compatible with the DVD hardware found in the Power Macintosh G3, PowerBook G3, and Power Mac G4 (PCI graphics) series computers. Apple expects to make an updated version available soon. For the latest information about the Apple DVD Player software and answers to support questions, go to Apple's Support Web site at www.apple.com/support

Playing and recording from audio CDs
Audio CD playback is now digital for increased fidelity and use with digital audio peripheral devices. When you play audio CDs, you no longer need to select "Internal CD" in the Input section of the Sound control panel or the Sound section of the Control Strip. However, to record from an audio CD, you may still need to select "Internal CD" in the Input section of the Sound control panel or the Sound section of the Control Strip.

Adjusting and testing external USB (Universal Serial Bus) speakers
The Speaker Setup section of the Sound control panel allows you to select and change the settings of the USB speakers connected to your computer. Use the Speaker Setup panel to select which speakers you want to use and to adjust the relative volume for each speaker. For example, if you have a subwoofer connected to your computer and want to adjust the volume for the subwoofer only, use the slider underneath the subwoofer to change the volume.

You can also test the speakers connected to your computer by clicking Start Test in the Speaker Setup section. The computer plays a "white noise" test tone on each speaker, allowing you to adjust the relative volume of that speaker. The "white noise" test tone contains sound for all frequencies and sounds like static. You may want to reduce the overall sound volume for your computer using the Output section of the Sound control panel before testing your speakers, as the test tone can be quite loud on some speakers.

Connecting to a 10/100Base-T network
When you connect your iMac to an Ethernet network, the computer automatically senses whether it is connected to a 10Base-T network or to a 100Base-T network. Some (possibly all) ports on some network hubs/switches support both speeds. If you're using this type of hub/switch, there may be a delay in establishing a network link. The delay may last for several seconds after you start or restart the iMac and a message may appear saying the network is not available or that the network has only just become available. If you don't want a delay, connect your computer to an Ethernet network port that is not auto-sensing (10 or 100 megabits per second (Mbps) only). For more information, contact the manufacturer of the Ethernet hub/switch or your network administrator.

Connecting your computer directly to an Ethernet switch
If you connect your iMac directly to an Ethernet switch, you must disable spanning tree on that port. Otherwise your computer could duplicate the AppleTalk address of another computer on the same network and both network connections would become unreliable.

Ethernet performance
Your computer performs best when the Ethernet port is set to auto-negotiate. If you experience performance problems on your Ethernet network, check with your network administrator.

IMPORTANT The duplex mode of an Ethernet link to a switch is not detected if the port is not auto-negotiating. In this case, your computer will detect the appropriate speed but will default to half-duplex. If the port at the other end of the link is configured for full-duplex, a large number of late events can occur on the link. Set the switch's port to auto-negotiate where possible. If this isn't possible, then set the switch's port to half-duplex. For more information, see the documentation that came with the Ethernet switch.

Formatting external USB hard disk drives
Many USB hard disk drives are preformatted for use with DOS. You can use DOS-formatted USB hard drives with your computer, but you can get better performance if the USB hard drive is reformatted using Mac OS Extended or Mac OS Standard formatting.

Improving startup time
For best performance, make sure that a valid startup disk is selected in the Startup Disk control panel. If an invalid startup disk is selected (one your computer cannot start up from), your computer could take as long as two minutes to locate a valid startup disk and properly start up. PC card devices and RAM disks are examples of invalid startup devices, even though their icons may appear in the Startup Disk control panel.

If you have selected a CD as the startup disk in the Startup Disk control panel, and you start up your computer without a CD, or with a CD other than the software install or software restore CD that came with your computer, a single folder with a reappearing question mark appears on the screen. The computer will search for a System Folder and start up. If no System Folder is available, you must insert the software install or software restore CD that came with your computer and restart your computer. If you don't want to start up from a CD, make sure you choose another disk, such as the hard disk, as the startup disk in the Startup Disk control panel.

Selecting the Network Disk icon in the Startup control panel without having a Netboot server properly set up will also significantly delay the time it takes your iMac to start up.

Setting the resolution when using an external monitor for video mirroring
When you connect an external monitor to your computer for video mirroring, the external monitor uses the same resolution and timing as your computer. In order to properly view what's on the computer's screen on the external monitor, you must use one of the following resolutions:
Mode/Vertical refresh rate
- 640 x 480, 117 Hertz (Hz)
- 800 x 600, 95 Hz
- 1024 x 768, 75 Hz

To change the resolution:
1. Open the Apple menu, select Control Panels, then choose Monitors.
The Monitors control panel opens.
2. If necessary, click the Monitors button.
3. Click the desired resolution on the right, then click the close box to close the control panel.
Your computer and the external monitor are set to the desired resolution.

Note: If the external monitor isn't working, try changing the resolution to 1024 x 768, 75 Hz.

Using additional alert sounds
Your iMac includes resampled sounds which take advantage of the high-quality speakers in your computer. These sounds are located in the Additional Alert Sounds folder within both the Apple Extras folder on the hard drive and the CD Extras folder on the iMac software install CD. To install the alert sounds, quit all applications, and drag the desired files from the Additional Alert Sounds folder, onto the System Folder on your hard disk. The files will automatically be installed into the System file and available for use by all applications.

Copying and pasting alert sounds
Long alert sounds require large amounts of memory. If you have difficulty copying and pasting long alert sounds into the Sound control panel, you may need to adjust memory requirements for the control panel. To do this, open the Control Panels folder within the System Folder. Select the Sound control panel, choose Get Info from the File menu, and then choose Memory in the Show pop-up list. Increase the preferred memory size, close the Get Info window, and try again until the preferred memory setting allows you to copy and paste the long alert sound.

Using your computer with a NetBoot server
If you want to use your iMac as a NetBoot client, you will need to update the system on the NetBoot server. For more information and instructions, go to the Mac OS X Server Web site at www.apple.com/macosx/server or the Apple Support Web site at www.apple.com/support.

Third-party software

Using the internal modem with third-party software
Some third-party software, such as FaxSTF or Total Access, have different modem selections than the ones found in the Modem control panel. Using these selections can slow down your connection speed. To use these programs with your computer's internal modem at its highest speed, make sure you select Apple Internal 56K Modem (V.90) in the Modem control panel.

Preserving Bookmarks and Favorites files when reinstalling Internet Explorer and Netscape Communicator
If you inadvertently delete the Internet Explorer or Netscape Communicator applications, you can reinstall the applications using the software install CD that came with your computer. Apple recommends that you move the file that contains your Internet sites list to a different location, such as the desktop, so that you can restore it after reinstalling the software. For Internet Explorer, this file is Favorites.html; for Netscape Communicator, the file is Bookmarks.html. When you reinstall Internet Explorer or Netscape Communicator, the program overwrites the sites list file; any locations or bookmarks that you added or that were preinstalled will be lost.

Setting up AOL when the Palm Desktop Software 2.5 is installed
If you installed the Palm Desktop Software 2.5 on your computer and you attempt to setup AOL, there is a conflict and a message may appear saying you have a "port in use" error. You need to disable HotSync so you can properly set up AOL. To do this, open HotSync Manager (click the icon next to the Applications menu, choose HotSync, and in the pop-up menu, select Setup). If necessary, click the HotSync Controls tab. In the HotSync section, click the button next to Disabled. AOL is aware of this issue and expects to make an update available soon. For the latest information about AOL updates, log into AOL and enter the keyword UPDATE.

Using EdView Internet Safety Kit
The version of EdView Internet Safety Kit that comes with your iMac is not compatible with the current version of Sherlock. Using Sherlock with EdView may cause a system freeze that will require you to force restart your iMac. To force your iMac to restart, simultaneously hold down the Control and Command keys, then press the Power button on the front of the computer.

Hardware compatibility

Using a digital video (DV) camcorder
Some DV camcorders may not be recognized immediately when you connect them to one of your iMac's FireWire ports. If your computer does not recognize your DV camcorder, try turning the camcorder off and then on again to establish a connection. If you continue to have problems, contact the manufacturer of the DV camcorder.

Using USB devices with software applications
Some applications don't recognize a USB device if the device is plugged in while the application is already running. To use the USB device with that application, quit the application, make sure the device is properly plugged in, then start the application again.

Connecting and disconnecting USB devices while the computer is asleep
When you connect and disconnect a USB device to and from your computer while the computer is in sleep mode, your computer automatically wakes up.

Mounting and disconnecting USB storage devices
To mount or remount a USB storage volume on the desktop, disconnect and then reconnect the device that contains the volume to a USB port on the computer, or to a USB hub attached to your computer. The volume should appear on the desktop in a few seconds. If the device uses removable media, the volume will not appear until the removable media is reinserted into the USB storage device.

Before you disconnect a USB storage device from your computer, close all open windows and quit all running applications that are stored on the USB storage device. If the device has a manual eject drive (you eject the removable media from the device yourself), make sure you eject the removable media first. Do not disconnect the device from your computer until a message appears saying it is safe to do so. Drag the device's icon to the Trash on the Desktop, then disconnect the device from your computer.

Using ADB copy-protection dongles
Some applications require the use of a ADB (Apple Desktop Bus) adapter for security purposes to prevent software piracy. The iMac uses Universal Serial Bus (USB) technology. You may be able to use a USB-to-ADB adapter with these applications in order to use an ADB copy-protection dongle. For more information, contact the software manufacturer.

Using USB-to-serial converters
You may be able to use some serial devices such as modems, printers, and digital camcorders with your iMac using a third-party USB-to-serial converter adapter. However, not all serial devices may be compatible with such an adapter. For more information, contact the adapter manufacturer.

Documentation changes

Mac Help instructions for modifying a remote access configuration
The instructions for editing Remote Access settings provided in Mac Help are incorrect. When you are asked to choose Automatic, you must select PPP or ARAP, because there is no longer an Automatic setting.

References to Monitors & Sound Control Panel in Mac Help
There are several references to the Monitors & Sound control panel in the online help (Mac Help). In the current version of Mac OS installed on your computer, the Monitors & Sound control panel has been divided into two separate control panels-a Monitors control panel and a Sound control panel. For specific help, click the question mark button in either control panel.