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New Macbook Pro Guide - What to do when you get your new MBP
- Thread starter demonsavatar
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Why would you bother reinstalling Mac OS X on a new machine that hasn't even been used yet? I could see that with a used computer with applications and other associated cruft left by the previous owner, but not a new one. (A lot of the suggestions in the list, like Onyx, are pretty good. I would avoid Monolingual, though, as I've heard that it breaks some Mac OS X installations.)
I can't really figure out what to do with it actually, same situation as you lol.
In other news: I added in step 0, checking for manufacturing defects, and advice on getting insurance and applecare.
I also added BetterTouchTool to the optional apps list. This program is great, got the Windows 7 window snapping functionality back, the only thing I really miss from Windows
There are paid programs that do this for Mac OSX too (like Cinch), but this one is FREE.Also I did my screen calibration (step 4) and it is way better! When switching between the default and new calibrations, I can tell the default setting on my screen was a bit heavy on the red. Screen kicks ass compared to the other laptops in my house now (I have more than 4 to compare to) and is better than most of the full LCDs we use also.
+1 This needs to be a sticky. It will help many people. Good job supplying such a detailed guide, demonsavatar!
Discovered MenuMeters, a free replacement for iStat Menus!
iStat menus looked a bit better by fitting in with the color scheme, but can't beat free here.
Widget wise however, iStat Nano and iStat Pro are both free.
iStat menus looked a bit better by fitting in with the color scheme, but can't beat free here.
Widget wise however, iStat Nano and iStat Pro are both free.
In my opinion, unless you're doing a drive swap, I find these steps to be a bit much.
- Make sure there aren't any dents or blemishes or damage.
- Power on and go through set up.
- Check for and download updates.
- Calibrate battery.
That's it.
Why one would waste time reinstalling the OS when it comes freshly installed is beyond me - again, unless they're swapping drives.
Onyx is a solid app. It caught an issue with my drive before Snow Leopard did and told me exactly how to fix it (boot from CD --> Disk Utility). It also allows you to schedule basic tasks and fix permissions. Highly recommended...but yes, it can be dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. It's generally safe though, just make sure you read up on how to use it properly.
Great post.
Well, this thread made me feel like I'm such a lazy stupid. I've never calibrated my battery or monitor. Checking for manufacturing defects? I've done none of them. I did reinstall OS X though because I installed an SDD. But all the languages and printer drivers are still right there in the tiny space... Oh, well.
Well, this thread made me feel like I'm such a lazy stupid. I've never calibrated my battery or monitor. Checking for manufacturing defects? I've done none of them. I did reinstall OS X though because I installed an SDD. But all the languages and printer drivers are still right there in the tiny space... Oh, well.
hey thanks for this list. I am about to get my 15'' soon, and i was wondering if you'd mind posting up some of the benchmarks that we could do for battery, CPU, GPU, hard drive ect. Ive just been reading a lot of threads which claim sluggish performance so I want to make sure all my components are working right, no faulty battery, processor, video card ect!
Well the steps you listed are most of my non-optional steps
. I would highly recommend CALIBRATING THE DISPLAY though, after I did the screen looked way better. It only takes ~6-7 minutes. Also added a comment to the main post that it's not worth re-installing OSX for most people. I did a HD swap to an SSD so I went through it anyway...Good idea, I'll try to get these up in a few days.
Yeah you're right, I split them into a "performance monitoring application" catagory
I wouldn't really bother with it unless you are really freaking out about space or have a small SSD.
Well the steps you listed are most of my non-optional steps
Dunno. The "Color LCD" profile is the most acceptable for my eyes. My gauge is all of the high resolution wallpapers I have of various nature scenes where I know what the true color is. I tried different calibrations and they all look okay at max brightness, but terrible at lower brightness, where Color LCD looks good no matter how bright or dim the display is. That's what I wanted.
