As with most computers, the Mac can often become slower to start up once you have been using it a while. One of the most common things to slow computer start times are those programs that open upon boot. It’s good to look every once in a while to see what programs open upon boot up and evaluate if you still need them to do so.

To see what programs start at boot up, we just need a quick visit to System Preferences. Open System Preferences -> Accounts -> Your User Account -> Login Items.

If you see applications that you no longer need to open at boot, just highlight the application and click the minus button. You can also add applications by clicking the add button and browsing to the application and choosing it.

Want to read other articles for Mac Beginners? Just visit the Beginner Mac section here at Apple Mac HQ.

I’ve been using the Mac for just about two years now. For the longest time I missed my Windows delete key function. You know, the delete key by the insert, end, and home keys.

I finally decided I needed to find out if such a keystroke was possible. A quick Google search later and I found my answer. For those of you wishing to have a Windows like delete key on your Mac, use the following keys: fn + delete. So very simple. I’m mad that I didn’t look this up sooner!

If you’re reading this blog, chances are pretty good that you have installed more than one web browser on your Mac. I personally have four web browsers installed, Safari, Camino, Firefox, and Shiira. Using these browsers is easy, but how do you set or reset the default browser? The first place a beginner would logically look is System Preferences. You won’t find an option to set the default browser in System Preferences though.

To set the default browser you actually have to open Safari. Open Safari and click on Safari and then Preferences. Once you are in preferences, click on the General button. The first option you see should look like the below. Choose your browser from the list or click Select if the browser you want isn’t listed. Now that you know how to select your default browser, go out and try a new one.

One of the very first things I looked up when I first got my Macbook was how to install applications on OS X. Installing applications is incredibly easy for most users, but for new users it can sometimes be confusing. There are several different ways that applications on the Mac can be installed. We’ll discuss the main methods below.

Most Mac applications are downloaded as a .dmg file. The .dmg file is a disk image that contains the compressed application files. After downloading the dmg file, Safari will automatically open and mount the file in the finder and on your desktop unless you have changed the default preferences. If you are using another browser, just double click the file and the disk image will mount on your system.

From this point, application installation can vary a little. Some applications, like Adium, provide you with a pointer (alias) to the applications folder in the installation window. Just drag the application icon and drop it on the applications folder alias. The application will now be installed to your applications folder.

Other applications, like Camino, provide you with a windows and the application icon. To install applications like this, just drag the application icon from the window to your local applications folder.

Some larger applications, like Boot Camp, are installed via an installer. Much like setup.exe on windows, the installer provides you with a few options and after clicking a few buttons here and there, the application gets installed. While the application is still installed in your applications folder, it will often install additional files on your system. For example, the Microsoft Office 2004 installer will install additional fonts on your system.

There are a few other ways applications can be installed, but they are mainly variants of the first method. Some developers package their applications in a zip file, and then after uncompressing the application you just drag it to the applications folder. Others package the disk image in a zip file and after uncompressing the disk image you just install it like you would a regular disk image.

That should cover the vast majority of ways to install applications on OS X. If you know of any other ways applications are installed, drop it in the comments below.