What does F7 key actually do?

If you have two monitors connected, it will switch between monitor mirroring and spanning. Mirroring is displaying the same externally as internally. Spanning is using both monitors as one big workspace.

If F10 controls keyboard lights, then you need to hold down 'fn' while pressing it to use Exposé (you can swap it so it's the other way round - you press 'fn' to change keyboard backlight - under System Preferences - Keyboard - 'Use F1-F12 keys to control software features'). F9 shows all windows; F10 shows all windows in current application; F11 shows desktop (get all windows out of the way) and F12 shows the Dashboard. Hold down 'fn' while pressing these if you have to.

You can actually modify the Expose and Dashboard keys by going to System Preferences and selecting the Expose and Dashboard icon under Personal. Hope that helps configuring your keys. An additional help maybe a mouse with many buttons is very convenient, yet is too luxurious in terms of ultimate portability.

hope that helps!!

cheers!

iBook G3 900MHz Mac OS X (10.4.5)

Splendid 🙂

If you're an XP user at work/home/elsewhere and you miss Exposé, you can install Microsoft's Virtual Desktop Manager (part of their XP PowerToys, which lets you run four virtual desktops off the taskbar and has Exposé-style switching. Not the same, I know, but it makes me feel slightly more at home 🙂

F10, F11, 12 are what you want for that.