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What to do when my iMac 24" arrives?

D

digarcia

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 7, 2006
3
0
So i am new to the Mac, well i have been away for about 12 years. Big difference in HW from back in the day.

So i ordered:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
2GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM - 2x1GB
NVIDIA GEFORCE 7600 GT w/256
500GB Serial ATA Drive
SuperDrive 8X (DVDR-DL/CD-RW)
Aperture
WL kybd, Mse & Mac OS X
Country Kit
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. Do i need to update sw, version, patches. YES YES YES YES, i know its not a windows machine, but that was my world last 12 years. I'll break the habit soon enough.

2. The keyboard. Is there an ergonomic version?

3. I'll take any advice at this point.
 
Yes, you should do upates. Luckily, OS X makes it very easy. You also don't have to worry about it messing your machine up (except in some firemware updates). Ergonomic keyboard? Not made by Apple.
 
Congratulation on your first Mac order. The iMac 24 is a great Machine.

1.) After you received your iMac you need to do Firmware update and SMT update. It's very easy on a Mac, just go to the Apple Menu and choose About this mac, and click on Software Update. Follow all the instruction and you are all set to go.

2.) As far as Apple Keyboard, there is only a wire one which is the Pro Keyboard or the bluetooth one which is run wirelessly but that one you will have to buy seperately if you decided to go wireless.

3.) I would say the first thing to do is make sure you upgrade all the importent upgrade like firmware and smt. Also since you use Windows before, you can partition your hard drive into 2 hard drive to install Windows using Apple Bootcamp so you can now use Mac OS X or Windows.


Have fun with your new toys!
 
I would personally stop short of installing either iTunes 7.1.3 or iTunes 7, both of which are problematic in my experience. And get some decent speakers, like a pair of HK Soundsticks. The built-in ones are crap.
 
I would recommend the Harmon Soundstick II speaker. I own one of this and love it! Very nice sound qaulity, and everyone who own one love em. The touch sensitive volume is a big plus for me.
 
I know that getting your new system is exciting, but I would run your new system totally " AS SHIPPED " for at least 24 hours without installing anything, just to make sure everything is working O.K. from the factory. THEN go to Apple.com/ support and download the latest Intel Combo Update which should still be 10.4.8 for Intel

In general, Combo updates cause fewer problems than installing individual .pkgs

A working .pkg copy of each software update you download can be found
in your " Packages " Folder if you don't save a copy to your desktop.

I would make a habit of burning extra copies to CD, just in case you
need to rebuild your system later.

Once you've installed the Combo Update and re-booted, then go to Applications/Utilities and open Disk Utility and Repair Permissions.

Always repair permissions each time you install any application.

Then, you can connect to Software Update to see if you missed anything.

Once you know all your basic software is current, then open System Preferences/Accounts and uncheck the Auto Login feature and set for Password Login.

For the best security, you should set up your primary administrative account strictly for installs and maintenance
and a Secondary Super User Account
for all your normal daily operations without administrative privileges.

If your system will be shared, set up another limited guest account using the Parental Controls you desire.

Every Application on your system can be shared by all users or limited only
to certain qualified users.

I strongly recommend going to VersionTracker.com or MacUpdate.com
and downloading the latest versions of "Main Menu.app" (FREE)
and the personal firewall "Little Snitch" ( shareware)

Hope this helps you get up and running.
 
Things I would do:

1) Check for dead pixels and count them.

2) Install BootCamp and install Windows XP then run CPU-Z and check out what week of the CPU production is it, and check the brand and timings of the RAM chips.

3) Use Ultimate Boot CD to run MemTest86+ (never tried this yet on the iMac), and test the memory for errors continuously.

4) Stress test the system in windows and use a temperature monitoring program to make sure the system will be stable under 100% loads..

Can't think of anything else.... maybe a LCD colour profile ?
 
I wouldn't install Windows anything until you get more familiar with what your system can do on it's own.


Something about changing everything before you know what you've got
can lead to lots of avoidable headaches.
 
Thanks

didn't think i'd get these many responses the 1st day. Thanks to all, any other suggestions are welcomed.
 
Once you learn where everything is supposed to go, it all comes together
quickly.

If you double click the Hard Drive icon on your desktop you'll see your primary master folders.

Applications
System
Library
Users

You'll also see the Finder menu
with your personal Home Folder.
( The one with your registered administrative name )

DO NOT CHANGE THE NAME OF YOUR HOME FOLDER!!!!

Open your Home folder to see where all your personal stuff belongs
for that account.

Pictures, Documents, Photos, Music, Web sites and your Home Library or other new folders you create as needed.

Open each folder and see what's there, so you'll have a better idea
of how to keep things organized.

It's best to keep it simple so you can find anything.

If you can't find something, that's where Spotlight comes in handy.

Click the blue Spotlight icon in the top right corner of your desktop menu and enter what you're looking for.
You'll get a list with every possible related item and be able to locate it
clicking on the information icon to the right.


There's a wealth of information in the MacRumors guides.

http://guides.macrumors.com/Category:Guides
 
I am also ordering the 24" imac and I was wondering what the best Antivirus software was?
 
amd4me said:
I am also ordering the 24" imac and I was wondering what the best Antivirus software was?
Click to expand...

Hi,
I would recommend Norton Anti-Virus V10 for Mac.
As soon as you install the software, check for updates.

Mac users don't have as big a choice as Windows users, but then we don't need it as much.

Dave :)
 
Irish Dave said:
Hi,
I would recommend Norton Anti-Virus V10 for Mac.
As soon as you install the software, check for updates.

Mac users don't have as big a choice as Windows users, but then we don't need it as much.

Dave :)
Click to expand...


Never install Norton Anti Virus on a Mac, it will slow down your Computer a lot and will very well messup your computer.
 
Neonguy said:
Never install Norton Anti Virus on a Mac, it will slow down your Computer a lot and will very well messup your computer.
Click to expand...

I'm running Norton on my G5 and Mac Mini and have not noticed any slow down in performance. Am I just lucky?

I agree that running Norton Anti-Virus on a Windows PC is not a very clever thing to do because it does slow thing down quite a bit, but I have not found that to be the case with my Mac's

Dave :)
 
Congratulation on a great machine. I´ve got the same one myself. I have never run anti-virus programs on any of my Macs, and I have never had a problem (fingers crossed).

My suggestion: just play around for a few days, get used to it.

After a while it might be a good idea to repair disk permissions, found under Utillities; Disk Utillity. Specialy after innstaling new software.

Have fun
 
I have used a Macbook for half a year now and have never repaired a permission, and have no problem anywhere. Have used Linux for 3 years, never repaired a permission. I am the only user on this machine, why would a file get any other permission than for me to use it?
On a multi user machine I understand permission trouble, but for a home user?

And for the new Mac user: don't worry about viruses and spyware. Those news articles about Mac viruses are from the AV companies themselves trying to convince you to buy their crap. There are no widespread viruses for OS X.
 
And for the new Mac user: don't worry about viruses and spyware. Those news articles about Mac viruses are from the AV companies themselves trying to convince you to buy their crap. There are no widespread viruses for OS X.[/QUOTE]

NOT YET PERHAPS ........ BUT !!!!!

Dave :mad:
 
erikamsterdam said:
I have used a Macbook for half a year now and have never repaired a permission, and have no problem anywhere. Have used Linux for 3 years, never repaired a permission. I am the only user on this machine, why would a file get any other permission than for me to use it?
On a multi user machine I understand permission trouble, but for a home user?

And for the new Mac user: don't worry about viruses and spyware. Those news articles about Mac viruses are from the AV companies themselves trying to convince you to buy their crap. There are no widespread viruses for OS X.
Click to expand...

I don´t know. I was just told by people here. It seems to help if I have some problems with apps or the iMac. I do it mybe once a month (not regularly though)
 
Virusbarrier is the best antivirus for MAC. it is very light and works without decreasing the performance. Higly recommended.

Just stay away from crap software like Norton...
 
Irish Dave said:
And for the new Mac user: don't worry about viruses and spyware. Those news articles about Mac viruses are from the AV companies themselves trying to convince you to buy their crap. There are no widespread viruses for OS X.
Click to expand...

NOT YET PERHAPS ........ BUT !!!!!

Dave :mad:[/QUOTE]

But? Not yet. Exactly. So no Anti-Virus needed.
Do you wear an umbrella when it's not raining? :D
Just keep checking the forecast.
 
Irish Dave said:
NOT YET PERHAPS ........ BUT !!!!!

Dave :mad:
Click to expand...

If you're running in a mixed environment, then having anti-virus is a good idea just so you're not a carrier to the PCs around. I'd vote against Norton though - seems to cause more trouble than it stops from all reports on most people's machines.

If you're running in a Mac-only network (and not receiving external Office documents which might have infected macros), then given that any company would have to update their definitions in order to protect you from a future virus, it's not going to offer any protection until after the fact. So you're as well saving your cash until you need to pay it... ClamXAV will let you see for free if you're harbouring anything - it just can't 'fix' it.
 
Applespider said:
If you're running in a mixed environment, then having anti-virus is a good idea just so you're not a carrier to the PCs around. I'd vote against Norton though - seems to cause more trouble than it stops from all reports on most people's machines.

If you're running in a Mac-only network (and not receiving external Office documents which might have infected macros), then given that any company would have to update their definitions in order to protect you from a future virus, it's not going to offer any protection until after the fact. So you're as well saving your cash until you need to pay it... ClamXAV will let you see for free if you're harbouring anything - it just can't 'fix' it.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately I am using both PC's and Mac's at college. Using Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Photoshop, Illustrator and FileMaker pro on both platforms so Anti-Virus essential. Thankfully I have had no problems with Norton, I can't detect any slow-down on either my 2 Ghz Power Mac G5 or My Intel Core Duo Mac Mini. As I said before "Perhaps I'm just lucky"

Regards
Dave :)
 
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