ok, since i didn't see "Batch" in any of the drop down windows , i went back to the help window. there is a users guide and a manual. i looked at the manual before posting the original question but it was incomplete and the part about "Batch" was beyond where it stopped so i figured that since this wasn't a registered copy, that was all the info i could access. however, i opened the users guide (which i didn't do yesterday figuring that the manual would contain all the detailed instruction and the user guide only a general outline) and did a batch search which led me to the process. i'll detail it here for anyone coming across this thread wanting the same information but with an aversion to sifting through manuals.
1.)
first, click "file" in the drop down window, select "convert & modify" which is towards the bottom.
2.)
the "convert & modify" window will open, at the top of the window is a drop down window marked
"function", if it does not already say "convert", click it and select "convert" which is the first option
at the top.
3.)
below this are two windows.
if you have not already done so, create a folder with the pictures you want to convert and a folder
for the converted files to go in to. it is easiest to place these on the desktop where they will show
up immediately rather than having to sift through the sub windows to find your pictures.
next, in the window on the left, double click the folder your pictures are in. all of your pictures
should be listed. in the window on the right, double click the folder you want the pictures to go in
to.
4.)
underneath these two windows are two drop down windows, on the left, "filter", on the right "dest.
format". the filter window says "all available" but if you open that drop down window, there are a
zillion options so i just left it as "all available". this didn't seem to interfere with the end result. (if
anyone wants to expound on any of the various options, i'm sure many of us would find it helpful.)
in the "dest. format" drop down window, select "tiff" (again, there are many options under this
window but this is for jpg to tiff conversion only). this is where i stopped. there are buttons under
the drop down windows but i did not do anything with any of them.
5.)
go back to the top of the window and next to the "function" drop down window that you have set
to "convert", is a button marked "go". click this and presto, your jpg files have been converted and
duplicated in to the new folder.
as one of the responders to this question stated, it would be best to set up a test run with duplicates of a few of the files you want to convert just to be sure that you have the process understood.
thanks mrmacfixit for pointing me in the right direction and thanks jonah jones for the suggestion but as respondents have said, this is the Mac applications & utilities forum and your software doesn't apply.
hope this is useful to someone who is, like me, very ignorant of this sofware. - brian