[cheekyage]

Hi all,

I just placed an Apple Store order for a new 24 inch iMac...WOO HOO!!!

I upgraded the HDD and graphics card so I am waiting patiently for the delivery which should be in the next couple of days.

Whilst I wait I thought I would see if there any hints and tips I should know about or is it simply plug & play?

Eg - settings changes, software updates, browser updates etc.

Any help or info would be great!

Cheers

[iJohn]

Um yeah basically plug in and play.

Connect your mouse/keyboard.

Turn it on it will run all the final set up and i think it check for any updates.

Enjoy it and congrats

[reemixx]

Is this your first Mac? If so, congrats! If not... well, congrats anyway. iMacs are beautiful things.

There's not a lot you have to set up on a Mac, other than tweaking the settings to your liking. Just do a software update when you get it. That will also include an update for the new version of Safari, and a bunch of other stuff like stability improvements, updates to iLife and other included Apple software, etc.

Also, google Flip4Mac and Perian and install both of those. They're quicktime components so you're able to view a bunch of different media formats (.wmv files are the bane of all existence, but unfortunately people still use them).

[cactus68]

make sure you check the screen for any brightness issues and dead or stuck pixels
and do it within a few days of getting it (don't leave it for any longer than the 14 days!)
any probs get back to apple ASAP.

[cheekyage]

Thanks for all your replies guys.

This will be my very first mac and I am very excited

[auscraig]

Hi Cheekyage,

I just got a new 24" iMac with the Radeon HD 4850 Graphics etc.. sounds like the same one you are getting.

You will LOVE it!

One thing however, is the screen is VERY bright. Especially if you are using the computer in a room with lower light.. even at minimum brightness setting the screen is still extremely bright.

I also have a new MacBook Pro and you can turn the brightness on that down to zero but on the iMac you don't have a lot of control over how dim the screen goes.

Just thought I'd mention a FREE application available on the net (Google it or I think it's also available from the Apple Downloads Page) called "Shades". It's a great little program that just resides in the System Preferences window and gives you full control over the brightness of your screen.

24" is a big screen and especially if you find it too bright using it at night etc...

That's my only advice....grab the little "Shades" application... apart from that... your new Mac will really run well.

I play a bit of WOW (World of Warcraft) which is a 3D online game and it handles the graphics on that no problems whatsoever with all settings up to maximum quality.

Enjoy your new iMac and I'd love to hear a review from you to all of us once you've had it for a week or two.

[leon]

First thing I do when I get a new computer from Apple is perform a clean installation of the OS.
I get rid of all the languages that I won't use as well as not install printer drivers. This saves at least 3GB of HDD space. I also find that the OS image Apple ships with the computer is never as stable as when I perform a clean install.

Second thing to do is run the Hardware Test from the supplied DVD. This will just make sure that everything is in order before you begin installing all your Applications.

[sighclops]

so jealous! make sure you run a few games and tell us how it goes!

enjoy mate!

[cheekyage]

Very excited and can't wait for the delivery!

I shall write a review once I'm all set up for sure.

Sorry to go off topic a little here but coming from a PC, is it worth getting VM Ware 2? Do I need to buy Windows to install it on the iMac or can I use my notebook Windows install cd's?

Thanks again for your feedback and info

[~Coxy]

Originally Posted by cheekyage

Very excited and can't wait for the delivery!

I shall write a review once I'm all set up for sure.

Sorry to go off topic a little here but coming from a PC, is it worth getting VM Ware 2? Do I need to buy Windows to install it on the iMac or can I use my notebook Windows install cd's?

Thanks again for your feedback and info

VMWare is great if you need to use Windows apps, but it is still not yet ready to play games in.

If you buy VMWare then you will also need a Windows CD to install it, or you could download the Windows 7 trial for free. Your notebook Windows installer will probably not work but it might.

[reemixx]

Originally Posted by cheekyage

Sorry to go off topic a little here but coming from a PC, is it worth getting VM Ware 2? Do I need to buy Windows to install it on the iMac or can I use my notebook Windows install cd's?

VirtualBox is a free alternative to VMware Fusion and Parallels. Might be worth trying that first, depending on what you're going to be using Windows for. Alternatively (and especially for gaming), you could just create a Windows partition via Bootcamp (which comes with Mac OS X).

[EMKarelia]

Congrats on your mac! Looks like are having everything you need. You'll be satisfied

[cheekyage]

Hey guys,

My iMac arrived with exceptional delivery standards.
From the tracking of delivery to the packaging, it was first class.
5 stars and 10 out of 10 to the Apple Store!!!

One quick question though, I did the quick plug and play setup and I have noticed the Apple Store configured the iMac as my full name where I just want my nickname or given name.

I managed to setup my home folder name with ease but would now like this to match the computer name.

Any ideas on how to change this?

Cheers

[~Coxy]

Sorry, do you want to change the Computer Name or your Login User Name?

The Computer Name is set under Sharing in Sys Prefs.
User details are set under Accounts, you have to right-click on the user and choose advanced options.

[redroses]

Thanks for your posts. They are really very cool, very wonderful
simulation credit immobilier

[iJordie]

Whenever I set-up macs, I always uncheck the languages and print drivers I won't be using. ALso 10.5.7 that baby, more often than not Macs don't ship with the latest available. Mine Didn't.
Apple----> About this mac.
Also I find that mighty mouse to be a PITA so I replaced mine with a el-cheepo logitech (20 bucks) one that works a treat.