First start up question

[robbie693]

Hello,

I have just bought a 2.8ghz 24" imac for my partner. It's a birthday present which is in August.

I was going to just leave it in the box until then but have been told by the supplier that I have a 14 day period to check if it's DOA and that I need to check it out before then.

I wanted to leave it new and unmolested for my partner to set it up as she chooses but I understand that when first starting up I need to create a administrator account in the set up assistant.

My question is, is there any way I can check it's operation without entering the set up procedure or quit out of it before it gets personalised without causing problems later on?

Any advice would be greatfully received,

Thanks

Robbie

 

[slpdLoad]

Go ahead and set it up with a test account to make sure it's good to go, and then wipe and restore it with the supplied media when you're done.

After the reinstall just shut it down when it asks for the new setup information.

 

[miles01110]

Why don't you just return it and buy another closer to the date?

 

[macJC50640]

Go ahead and set it up with a test account to make sure it's good to go, and then wipe and restore it with the supplied media when you're done.

After the reinstall just shut it down when it asks for the new setup information.

Yes this is certainly a good idea but don't you think his partner might find out if there's a big 24 inch iMac in the building?

Why don't you just return it and buy another closer to the date?

Sounds like a good idea to me.

Not that I'm an expert or anything. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Makosuke]

This article, while somewhat technical, explains how to do exactly what you want (better, actually, since it will also let you install all the software updates, then return it to a "clean" state ready to be configured by the first user):

http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20071030151739791

...or, as another alternative to the run/wipe/reinstall procedure suggested by slpdLoad, you could boot from the Hardware Test disc that came with the computer and run an extended test; this should tell you if there's anything physically wrong without needing to boot from the internal hard drive at all.

 

[robbie693]

Thanks very much for the replies,

slpdLoad - I should have pointed out that I am a mac dunce and have never installed system software on a mac before, let alone wiped it

miles01110 - I got a good deal from a 3rd party seller with limited stock (this is a 2008 model) so I'd probably have to pay more if I returned it and bought one later.

Makosuke - that article sound scary! I like the idea of the hardware test disc the best (seems straight forward enough for my meagre abilities!). How do I get it to boot from that disc and will the system ask me to log in before I shut down?

Thanks again

 

[Makosuke]

I like the idea of the hardware test disc the best (seems straight forward enough for my meagre abilities!). How do I get it to boot from that disc and will the system ask me to log in before I shut down?

Apple's instructions:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1509

...basically figure out which of the discs that came with it has the hardware test on it (probably Disc 2 in your case--should say on the disc itself), turn on the computer while holding down the "D" key on the keyboard and immediately insert the disc. Should boot into the hardware test at that point, and you just shut down when you're done. This completely bypasses the internal drive, so you don't need any sort of login information.

If you mess up and it starts from the hard drive instead of the disc, you should probably be able to shut down/restart without running through the Setup Assistant so it'll still be "fresh" when you turn it on next time.

 

[robbie693]

Fantastic - thankyou, just what I need to know.

One last (dumb) question if I may, can I eject the hardware test disc before shutting down? Or will it spit it out as I do?

 

[Makosuke]

Actually, I don't remember, but I expect it will eject automatically. At worst, if it doesn't, boot holding down the option key; you should get an "OS Select" screen from which you can eject the disc (with the eject key), and then just turn the computer off.

 

[robbie693]

Great Makosuke, thanks for all your help, much appreciated.

Cheers

Robbie