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2011 iMac out for delivery. First things to do with a new iMac?

A

Amnesiac1

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 11, 2010
412
0
That's right, I have a few questions. Just in case it is useful, here are the specs for my machine:

3.4GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7
4GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB
2TB Serial ATA Drive+256GB SSD
AMD Radeon HD 6970M 2GB GDDR5
MAGIC TRACKPAD-AM

1. Is there anything essential I should do when I boot up my iMac for the first time?

2. Will the iMac come with the OS already installed on the SSD and the 2TBHD empty? So, all my applications will already be stored on the SSD?

3. What should I use the SSD for? What files should go in there besides the OS?
 
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1) kiss it and enjoy the setup of your new beauty

2) yes

3) other applications you may install. Use the Hdd for data and files.
 
First thing I do with a new Mac right out of the box is load a few custom made images I've made at the exact screen resolution native to the monitor size in solid colors of Black, Grey, Yellow, White, and Red to check for stuck and/or dead pixels.

Next thing is to insert the OS restore disk that comes with the Mac, boot from it, and wipe the internal drive using Disk Utility. I would not use a 7 or 35 pass erase, a single will do, as the others will take hours or even days. Then once the drive is wiped of the OS, reinstall it (you are still booted from the restore disk which is the only way to wipe the drive). Customize the install to take out all the nonsense you don't need, which for me includes support for booting into umpteen languages that I don't speak, read or write as well as not including all the additional language fonts, and the printer drivers. You don't need plug and play support for every printer made, just download and install the most current one(s) you will need for your printer(s) after setup. This will trim quite a bit of fat from the OS. You can also opt out of Rosetta support and if you don't develop, X11 as well. You will shave 3-6 GB off the OS space.

After the OS is reinstalled, run software update to get to 10.6.8 which just came out yesterday and won't be installed. You will also most likely need to install either from the restore disk or a 2ndary restore disk the iLife suite to get iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD etc, on there and can choose if you want all the iDVD themes and Garageband loops included. It will tell you the space all these items take.

I suggest not using the migration assistant and manually copying over data that you need as well as installing the latest versions of your apps from scratch with your license codes. This is your opportunity to clean up all your data rather than bringing it over in whatever mess it was in on your prior system.
 
roland.g said:
I would not use a 7 or 35 pass erase, a single will do, as the others will take hours or even days.
Click to expand...

So, which should I use, then? Won't the other kinds leave residual or latent information in my system (i.e., erased data that is still, technically, 'there') which will then clog up my system unnecessarily (the very thing you're trying to avoid by doing an erase first)?

SidewaysTakumi said:
3) other applications you may install. Use the Hdd for data and files.
Click to expand...

Applications I may install? You mean, I may install onto the SSD, right?

As for the HDD, what constitutes "data and files" for you?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Amnesiac1 said:
So, which should I use, then? Won't the other kinds leave residual or latent information in my system (i.e., erased data that is still, technically, 'there') which will then clog up my system unnecessarily (the very thing you're trying to avoid by doing an erase first)?
Click to expand...

Your drive is so new and only has the OS and iLife on it. An erase should be fine. It will write zeros to the entire drive. A 7 or 35 pass just does that 7x or 35x times. You aren't trying to cover any secret data. Just use the single pass. Just don't use the Quick erase option. That one doesn't zero anything out.
 
I just received my first Mac today too, 27" 3.4 i7 with SSD. I can't beleive how fast it is, and more impressive I can't beleive how silent it is. I can barely tell that it is on. I think the only thing I wish were different was the glossy display, I prefer matt. But this is easily the best computer I've ever had, soooooo fast!!!

Nice list, I wish I had done the reinstall thing, didn't think of that. Just did a dead pixel test on your recommendation, no dead pixels :D I also borrowed my friends spyder 3 pro colour calibration unit for today, its an awesome peice of kit for getting accurate colours. Although in all honesty the Mac display was not that far off perfect colour
 
roland.g said:
Your drive is so new and only has the OS and iLife on it. An erase should be fine. It will write zeros to the entire drive. A 7 or 35 pass just does that 7x or 35x times. You aren't trying to cover any secret data. Just use the single pass. Just don't use the Quick erase option. That one doesn't zero anything out.
Click to expand...

Right, but won't the information still technically exist on the HDD? Or will it eventually be overwritten completely?

I want to do this, but the thing about clean installs is that whatever was on there before is always technically still there, accessible, latent, etc. I don't want that to happen, or to affect performance.

So, I guess I have to consider carefully whether a clean install is worthwhile or not...
 
Last edited:
Amnesiac1 said:
Right, but won't the information still technically exist on the HDD? Or will it eventually be overwritten completely?

I want to do this, but the thing about clean installs is that whatever was on there before is always technically still there[/], accessible, latent, etc. I don't want that to happen, or to affect performance.

So, I guess I have to consider carefully whether a clean install is worthwhile or not...
Click to expand...


Considering you may or may not be upgrading to Lion shortly, as well as the fact that it is an SSD which a.) you probably won't be hurting for space on since at most you will keep your OS, Apps, and maybe home directory with things like iPhoto library, but not your iTunes library or anything else in the large data range, maybe it is not an issue, and b.) I am not sure how a zero pass of data, even just the original OS and preinstalled iLife Apps, on an SSD will affect the SSD performance and life. I've never had an SSD, so a wipe might be the best thing. But I would expect that they are not so frail as to be hurt by wiping the drive.
 
But won't I have the option of wiping the drive and starting anew once Lion arrives, anyway?
 
Amnesiac1 said:
But won't I have the option of wiping the drive and starting anew once Lion arrives, anyway?
Click to expand...

Yes, that is my point. If a SSD might potentially suffer from too much writing and certainly a zero write erase could contribute to that since it is essentially blanking the drive by making every bit and byte zero (nil value), then you might want to limit the frequency of that. Do it for Lion, but leave it untouched for Snow Leopard given the short time frame it will be on the drive before you upgrade.
 
roland.g said:
Yes, that is my point. If a SSD might potentially suffer from too much writing and certainly a zero write erase could contribute to that since it is essentially blanking the drive by making every bit and byte zero (nil value), then you might want to limit the frequency of that. Do it for Lion, but leave it untouched for Snow Leopard given the short time frame it will be on the drive before you upgrade.
Click to expand...

Will LION allow me to do that, though? I thought Apple was forcing everyone to d/l it from the App Store, therefore preventing us from being able to do clean installs....
 
Amnesiac1 said:
Will LION allow me to do that, though? I thought Apple was forcing everyone to d/l it from the App Store, therefore preventing us from being able to do clean installs....
Click to expand...

So far it's known you can burn lion to a DVD for reinstalls. However I would skip the reinstall every time you write to an SSD it shortens it's life. That's a lot of writing to save 10 GB at most when you have a 2TB drive and can add external thunderbolt drives in the future for under $100.
Also upgrade the ram to 12gb it's an $90 at most upgrade well worth it! ( apple 2x2=4 2x4=8 =12)
 
Amnesiac1 said:
Will LION allow me to do that, though? I thought Apple was forcing everyone to d/l it from the App Store, therefore preventing us from being able to do clean installs....
Click to expand...

The general understanding as of now, and this may change once we get our hands on it, is that Lion will create a boot partition on your drive, a small 4-5 GB (though I have also heard 1-2GB) hidden partition on your primary drive and boot from that. This in essence becomes the restore or install DVD. You can then erase, wipe, etc. the remaining partition that SL is on. The boot partition acts like booting from a DVD in the optical drive or a USB in the case of a MBA. This partition will remain on the drive for restore and other needs (i.e. boot from restore or install disk for things like a safe mode or whatever that you might need to troubleshoot your main drive while not running the OS from it - and if your computer is stolen, I believe it may boot from this as well with only Safari running so the thief can access the internet and you can track the machine's location). But as I understand it the Lion install/boot/restore partition will not normally mount on your desktop or in the finder like an additional internal drive or partition or an external, it will remain hidden except under disk utility.
 
Amnesiac1 said:
So, which should I use, then? Won't the other kinds leave residual or latent information in my system (i.e., erased data that is still, technically, 'there') which will then clog up my system unnecessarily (the very thing you're trying to avoid by doing an erase first)?
Click to expand...

This really irritated me when I saw this, no offense. But YOU HAVE NOTHING ON THE COMPUTER! common sense buddy. Just wipe it. And use the SSD for apps and for OS. The HDD for data (documents-music.. videos... etc.)..
 
Amnesiac1 said:
That's right, I have a few questions. Just in case it is useful, here are the specs for my machine:

3.4GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7
4GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB
2TB Serial ATA Drive+256GB SSD
AMD Radeon HD 6970M 2GB GDDR5
MAGIC TRACKPAD-AM

1. Is there anything essential I should do when I boot up my iMac for the first time?

2. Will the iMac come with the OS already installed on the SSD and the 2TBHD empty? So, all my applications will already be stored on the SSD?

3. What should I use the SSD for? What files should go in there besides the OS?
Click to expand...

You asked questions 2 and 3 before, and they were answered.

See this thread - https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1170529/
 
Unlike Windows PCs which (with few exceptions) come loaded with crapware, a Mac comes clean these days. I've purchased a dozen Macs since Panther was the OS and never did an OS install other than Panther>Tiger>Leopard>Snow Leopard upgrades. Never had a bit of trouble with the OS. And leaving off the extras will save less than 1% of the disk capacity and might cause problems later if you find you really need something.
 
Gee what ever happened to just 'relax and enjoy your new iMac'.

So glad no one told me to do all that when I bought my first Mac, I never would have bought it. It seems like a lot of work to save a couple of gig.
 
Amnesiac1 said:
Okay, but I have another question.

If I download an application like STEAM, will it automatically go onto my SSD? Is my Applications folder on my SSD and will all downloaded files like STEAM install onto the SSD?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Not if you change you download directory in Firefox (or Safari).

Listen, reading through this thread you are sounding a little paranoid about a lot of nothing. The only reason to do a wipe and clean install on a new machine is to free up some space, which isn't a worry for you since you have a 2 Terabyte drive on it. You don't have to do anything when you get the machine except start using it.

And as for the residual data and latent stuff and clogging your system??? You sound a little off your rocker. None of that stuff applies to a brand new computer.

The only thing you should worry about is making sure you have enough RAM available throughout your days of use, and even then all you have to do is take a look at Activity Monitor and close out some apps. Relax

EDIT: Since you're getting the Magic Trackpad I do highly recommend BetterTouchTool!
 
Amnesiac1 said:
Okay, but I have another question.

If I download an application like STEAM, will it automatically go onto my SSD? Is my Applications folder on my SSD and will all downloaded files like STEAM install onto the SSD?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Could someone please answer this question for me?
 
As usual, this OP need instant answer or 3 or 4 same answer before he get convinced with us. And be patient man! Wait for answer, this is forum, not customer support. Why dont u contact apple phone support if u want some insta-lightning-quick answer?!

And some habit to make multiple thread at a time, with small and light questions for another thread, rather than thinking of put it on one organized thread, titled like: "my iMac arrived, please help me with couple of questions?"
 
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