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twoodcc

macrumors P6
Original poster
Feb 3, 2005
15,307
26
Right side of wrong
just letting ya'll know that i got it. i just got the standard, and i'll upgrade the ram later. any advice on what i should do with it now? anything to look for?
 
thanks. it's not my first mac, i have a mini.

i have a question: i just turned the screen all the way down, and now i cant get it back on. what do i do?
 
mad jew said:
On my iBook, I hit F2 for a while. :)

And if that doesn't work (but it really should), you could press and hold the on/off button until the computer turns off completely and once you turn it on it should be back to a standard light setting.
 
thanks, i got it back up. i was pretty much hitting everything.

it seemed very slow. i connected to my network, and transferring files was terribbly slow. the whole computer was slow. i ended up holding the power button until it cut off, and then i turned it back on, and it seems to be running fine now.

what all should i do besides calibrate the battery and repair permissions? anything i need to look out for?
 
twoodcc said:
just letting ya'll know that i got it. i just got the standard, and i'll upgrade the ram later. any advice on what i should do with it now? anything to look for?


Give it to me:p :)
 
twoodcc said:
what all should i do besides calibrate the battery and repair permissions? anything i need to look out for?
I generally do a complete system re-install and upgrade to get rid of localizations I don't need, etc.

Calibrating the battery is very important and shouldn't be overlooked - glad to see you've got that on your list already.

Otherwise, there isn't a lot to worry about. These things just work. Or, at least, I hope they do. I'm supposed to be getting a replacement for my work TiBook soon (put in the paperwork today).
 
Nah, don't bother with a hardware test. Just stash the disk for when you may need it because the computer isn't behaving properly (hopefully never). For what it's worth, the Hardware Test CD rarely comes up with anything useful anyway. :eek:
 
Just enjoy it! ;)

The only thing you might want, is something to clean the screen and casing with as it can get a bit grubby with finger marks etc. I recommend Windex wipes but many other people here swear by iKlear.

Other than that, just customize OSX to suit your needs.....dock size, magnification, trackpad options etc.
 
Before you begin to install any software or configure your personal information you might want to run a fresh custom OS install to delete
all the un-needed language files and printer drivers you won't be using.

You can also delete the demo versions of Office, MS Internet Exploder,
and so on if you so please.

This should free up about 4 GB of disk space

If you get stuck for any reason we'll humor you with kindness. ;)

Newegg is selling fully compatible Crucial RAM at some fantastic prices.

Enjoy your new machine!
 
I've been very happy about some of the choices I've made re. extras I've bought. E.g. I'm LOVING this:

http://www.laptopdesk.net/laptopdesk2f.php

I'm typing on it right now at my desk and I love how it's raised up and it's closer to eye level and feels good on my hands/wrists and is very stable (stuck there, cause it has rubber on both sides). I haven't used it yet on my couch as a lap desk but that's the main reason I bought it. It won't slip off my lap cause of that good "sticky" rubber. I also like the mouse pad attachment mine came with. If you like it you might want to compare prices cause I found the cheapest one I could find on the internet though I don't remember what co. I bought it from off hand.

I also am so glad I bought my extra gig of ram from www.datamem.com. Someone on here (the Canada guy - can't remember his exact screen name) recommended them and linked me to the exact stick I needed for the new PB's. It costs only $104.00 and shipping from NH to here (Oregon) was $7.00. They guarantee their memory will fit, and they guarantee their product (lifetime for exchange and 30 days money back for any reason). Ever since I put that extra gig in things seem to be even smoother and faster than before. I'm loving it - there have been no problems whatsoever - knock on wood.

You also might be interested in getting a lock and of course laptop bag to carry it in - be sure to get the kind that comes with a sleeve or else buy your own to put in the bag. Some people think the locks are a waste of money cause they can be broken, but I've heard they're good as a deterrant (sp?) and it will be harder to walk off without being spotted by other people watching. I wish I'd had mine locked up the other day when I was at a cafe and wanted to go up and order another latte. This guy kept staring at my laptop and he never took his coat off and when I got up to go to the counter, he stood up and started walking toward the door (toward me). I'm so paranoid cause I love this laptop so much that I went right back to my seat and waited for him to walk out the door and out of sight! :rolleyes: I'm sure he was just admiring my BEAUTY. :p

Sorry this was so long.
 
thanks for the replies guys. i guess i won't bother with the hardware test.

i already have a laptop bookbag, that holds up to 15" laptop. i'm sure it will fit. but do i need a laptop sleeve also? seems a little too much for me, but i do want to baby this thing.

so far i'm loving it. if there's anything else i should know, just let me know.

i already transferred a lot of my files, so no reinstalling for me. i'm down to only 51 GB left on my harddrive, so i'll need ram and an external eventually.

i'll wait the 14 days at least before i buy ram for it, just in case. i can tell already that i need more ram though.

thanks
 
twoodcc said:
thanks for the replies guys. i guess i won't bother with the hardware test.

i already have a laptop bookbag, that holds up to 15" laptop. i'm sure it will fit. but do i need a laptop sleeve also? seems a little too much for me, but i do want to baby this thing.

so far i'm loving it. if there's anything else i should know, just let me know.

i already transferred a lot of my files, so no reinstalling for me. i'm down to only 51 GB left on my harddrive, so i'll need ram and an external eventually.

i'll wait the 14 days at least before i buy ram for it, just in case. i can tell already that i need more ram though.

thanks

You didn't get the hdd bto?
 
Greenone said:
You didn't get the hdd bto?
no, i couldn't afford it. and it creates more heat, takes more battery, i probably wouldn't notice a difference....i'm happy with the current one.

no what about the lines i'm supposed to be looking for in the screen?
 
CmdrLaForge said:
And how do you get all your files and settings on it?
Well, when I said "generally" that refers to the 3 times I've actually purchased a system with OS X :p

But the way I've done it is that I have a complete backup of my files (bookmarks, etc.) that I move over. Sure, I know you can setup using Target mode and it moves everything over, but with many settings I prefer to start from scratch. Bookmarks, mail, etc., I want to keep, but that's easy to do via backups.

I guess I'll be able to answer for certain if my idea is a good one in a few weeks when I receive my new 15" PB at work. :D
 
Congrats, you made an awesome decision. I too have a newer 15" and loooooove it! My roomates are all stuck with crappy PC laptops and don't understand why mine doesn't sound like a jet engine (fan noise), battery lasts more than 45min, and is so cool! lol

Anyway, about a month after I got mine I threw in a 1GB stick of ram bringing it to 1.5gb ram. This mad a huge performance increase, and was definately worth it. OS X needs a lot of ram. Now I feel there isn't much this can't do.

Also, I would invest in one of these: http://www.radtech.us/Products/NotebookScreensavRz.aspx
My Powerbook was starting to get marks on the screen from the keyboard, plus it was just filthy all the time. The Radtech cloth is perfect for cleaning the screen initially and keeping the screen clean. Just remember to lay it on the keyboard everytime you close it, and your screen won't get keyboard marks. Also can use it with water to clean the rest of the powerbook, and to just wipe dust off the screen. My screen is always clean now, and I'm loving that. They get dirty and dusty so easily!

Have fun, explore all that you can do.
 
I have one of those Radtech cloths too and love it. I actually use it WITH one of those clear gummy keyboard protectors:

http://www.iskin.com/protouch_PB1.html

I just hope having both under there when I close the lid isn't too much stuff under there. So far it seems fine. It's great timing too cause I just discovered this morning that I have Pinkeye (!) which I got from my 3-year-old who had it a week or so ago. So now I can wash this sucker (iskin) and not worry about contaminating the keys. ;) I'll probably have to use something on the scroll pad and on/off button though - maybe also the latch. Any suggestions of what to use to disinfect, that won't get these parts all wet?
 
twoodcc said:
i already have a laptop bookbag, that holds up to 15" laptop. i'm sure it will fit. but do i need a laptop sleeve also? seems a little too much for me, but i do want to baby this thing.

I'd say get one. I've had a Crumpler Gimp for mine since I bought it but the Incase sleeve or the Tucano Second Skin look okay too. It just means that you can zip the laptop up and avoid any grit or dust you might have in the laptop case getting onto the Powerbook.

It also means that you can sling the Powerbook in another bag if you want and still have a bit of protection.
 
Hee hee. My new PowerBook was just approved! Of course, now I have to rely on IT to purchase it for me - I just hope I get the one I ordered (with the 100GB 7200rpm drive); they're not particularly Mac-savvy.
 
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