New iMac To Do List

[N33t]

I am returning to iMac (and therefore OSX) following a 10 year hiatus in the land of Windows.

Are there any "to do" items I should be thinking about when I first fire up the system? For example, with a Windows system I would normally (i) install some open source antivirus software, (ii) remove bloatware, (iii) install some basic system diagnostic tools, (iv) change certain auto settings etc.

Similarly, are there any "to do" items I should be thinking about for long term maintenance? For example, with a Windows system I would normally (i) defragment discs, (ii) repair HD, (iii) physically clean the system etc.

Anything tips gratefully received.

[MonkeySee....]

If you use iOS etc i'd say set up iCloud etc.

[pukingpixels]

That's the beauty of the Mac. You don't do s h i t - it just works out of the box.

Amazing, right?

[N33t]

Browsing around I found this:

First thing I do when I set up a new Mac is use the default account (ie, the admin account created the first time Mac runs) to create a NON-ADMINISTRATOR account. Then I use the non-admin account for my day to day work.

Most of the exploits that could attack a Mac are enabled by running as an admin user. And since Mac OS prompts you (or provides a lock icon/button) for privilege escalation whenever needed, there's no downside.

and this

I ALWAYS create a second account, immediately, with admin privileges. This enables me to log on and fix the machine if my main user account gets fried by a cosmic ray event...

Sound advice?

[MonkeySee....]

Originally Posted by N33t

Browsing around I found this:


and this



Sound advice?

GG has a good practice guide for protecting your mac. I can't think of the link but if I say "Virus" in this thread it may trigger his spidey sences and will come to provide advice

[12dylan34]

1. Migrate your data.

That's pretty much it. Also the user account thing if you feel so inclined.

Also, you mentioned "physically clean the system." Some people put a vacuum cleaner to the vents on the back to suck out dust periodically. It also doesn't hurt to have an air purifier in the room to keep the dust down in the machine.

[GGJstudios]

Originally Posted by N33t

Are there any "to do" items I should be thinking about when I first fire up the system? For example, with a Windows system I would normally (i) install some open source antivirus software,

You don't need any 3rd party antivirus app to keep a Mac malware-free, as long as you practice safe computing, as described in the following link. Read the What security steps should I take? section of the Mac Virus/Malware FAQ for tips on practicing safe computing.

Originally Posted by N33t

(ii) remove bloatware,

There isn't any on Mac OS X.

Originally Posted by N33t

(iii) install some basic system diagnostic tools,

Mac OS X has those built in. You don't need to "manage" or "maintain" OS X, as it takes care of itself. Use iStat Pro (free) or iStat Menus ($16) to get accurate readings of your battery, temps, fan speeds and much more.

Originally Posted by N33t

For example, with a Windows system I would normally (i) defragment discs, (ii) repair HD, (iii) physically clean the system etc.

You don't need "cleaner" or "maintenance" apps to keep your Mac running well, and some of these apps can do more harm than good. Some can even degrade, rather than improve system performance.

Some remove files/folders or unused languages or architectures, which does nothing more than free up some drive space, with the risk of deleting something important in the process. These apps will not make your Mac run faster or more efficiently, since having stuff stored on a drive does not impact performance, unless you're running out of drive space.

Some of these apps delete caches, which can hurt performance, rather than help it, since more system resources are used and performance suffers while each cache is being rebuilt. Caches exist to improve performance, so deleting them isn't advisable in most cases.

Many of the tasks performed by these apps should only be done selectively to troubleshoot specific problems, not en masse as routine maintenance.

Mac OS X does a good job of taking care of itself, without the need for 3rd party software. Among other things, it has its own maintenance scripts that run silently in the background on a daily, weekly and monthly basis, without user intervention.

With very few exceptions, you don't need to defrag on Mac OS X, except possibly when partitioning a drive.

About disk optimization with Mac OS X

You probably won't need to optimize at all if you use Mac OS X.

Five Mac maintenance myths

Originally Posted by N33t

Browsing around I found this:
Sound advice?

There is no advantage to running a non-admin account in OS X. The default account is an admin account. Unless you are sharing a Mac with another user, there is no need to create another user account.

This may be useful:

Helpful Information for Any Mac User
iMac Fast Start: The new user's guide to iMac

[N33t]

This is extremely helpful. Thank you very much indeed!