Advise for a new Mac user

Well, I've taken the plunge & decided to buy a new iMac 17" for our study at home. I'm a PC user at work but this will be our first home computer (I know, I'm living in the stone ages).
We want to use it for the normal things; some photo editing, Emailing, internet use, kids homework, storing/playing/streaming music etc.
I'm looking for some advise on a few things:
Do I need to buy any virus protection etc software for a Mac (I've been told not)? If yes, any recommendations?
Any recommendations for a reasonably priced all in one printer/scanner (I'm expecting very light use - I've heard Epsom are good)?
Are the built in speakers on the iMac any good or should I buy some separate multi-media speakers? I was thinking of either JBL Creatures or Creative iTrigue 3400 - Any thoughts/suggestions?
Any recommendations for a wireless router (I've heard Netgear are good)?
Anything else you'd recommend?
Thanks & sorry for the length of the message.

Here's my tuppeny worth (I seem to be dominating the front page of this forum at the moment - I guess the US hasn't woken up yet
> Well, I've taken the plunge & decided to buy a new
iMac 17" for our study at home. I'm a PC user at work
but this will be our first home computer (I know, I'm
living in the stone ages).
Fine choice of first home computer, sir! Mine was a ZX Spectrum 128+. It came with a tape recorder and everything!
> We want to use it for the normal things; some photo
editing, Emailing, internet use, kids homework,
storing/playing/streaming music etc.
It will be brilliant for all that - and more!
> Do I need to buy any virus protection etc software
for a Mac (I've been told not)? If yes, any
recommendations?
Not really required, but all that might cvhange as Apples market share grows. There was a low-level OS X worm virus in the news recently - an occurence so rare that it actually warranted a news story! However, for your peace of mind, you might want to think about creating a general day to day user account that dos not have admin rights. No need to log in and out when setting up software or making system wide changes - it just asks for the admins user name and password.
> Any recommendations for a reasonably priced all in
one printer/scanner (I'm expecting very light use -
I've heard Epsom are good)?
It depends on software compatibility - some manufacturers havent yet sorted out their Universal Binary drivers and software whereas others already have their drivers included in OS X. I've got a Lexmark X5150 all-in-one - everything worked on the Mac mini I had, yet on my new Intel iMac it runs slower under Rosetta and I can't change some settings like output quality. Still waiting on Lexmark to get back to me about updated drivers.
> Are the built in speakers on the iMac any good or
should I buy some separate multi-media speakers? I
was thinking of either JBL Creatures or Creative
iTrigue 3400 - Any thoughts/suggestions?
The inbuilt speakers are alright, but a bit lacking in power and bass. I've got a nice pair of colour matched iTrigue 3400s and they are pretty good speakers for the price - quite bright, punchy and bassy. Good for music, DVDs and games. The wired control unit is great too - has a headphone socket and a line-in you can plug your iPod or other audio device into.
> Any recommendations for a wireless router (I've heard
Netgear are good)?
I'm running a Belkin but it doesn't seem too brilliant - though I've noticed the connection with the iMac is worse than with the Mac mini so it might not be the routers fault.
By the way, commenting on that other posters points - I'm forced to go wireless as there is not a network point or even a phone line up to my bedroom/study. I'd prefer to be wired but my housemate has the broadband connection going into his office.
> Anything else you'd recommend?
Check out Boot Camp if you want a bit of Windows action on your iMac, and go listen to the #1 podcasts in the world by Ricky Gervais and his mates - they are hilarious!

Similar Messages

Help needed for a new Mac user with his photo and video librarys

after swopping my Ericson for an iphone a year ago. then taking delivery of an iPad on launch day. I have finally taken the plunge and swopped my windows pc for a lovely 27" iMac... what have I been doing all these years using windows? using the Mac is a joy.
As I get more involved with their products I am constantly fascinated (and frustrated) by Apples way of doing things. this situation is no exception and I need Apple people with Apple experience to help me make a decision.　
I am looking at software to organise my photos and videos. I have approximately 7000 photos residing on a windows home server. in addition to that there are some 200 or so HD videos taken with either my Sanyo Xacti camcorder or Sony DSC W300 camera. both cameras I think produce MPEG format
my first experience was iPhoto. great for the `price' but not very flexible. single libraries, poor editing facilities. and because I have files referenced and not copied to my iPhoto library, if I deleted from the library its not deleted from the server (and vice versa). this leads to images being displayed in the library that don't exist etc.
then I downloaded the Aperture 3 trial. great until I came across the `Unsupported file format' situation with the MPEG videos that strangely enough, iPhoto will recognise and play (the Apple way of doing things).
1. should I put the photos on the Mac instead of the server?
2. Is there a better way of managing the images for deletions etc
3. should I stick with Aperture because of the editing
4. is there a better software or way of managing the videos
sorry for the ramble but its all new to me

had a good session on all three of the recommended programs and now have a better understanding of the excellent advice I have been given.
iPhoto
great `free' program that is easy to use but somewhat limited on features. think I would always be looking to upgrade from here (feels a bit boring)
Aperture
really enjoyed using this but at £170! a hefty price tag considering its limited file support. fortunately its only my camera video clips (MPEG) that it wont view. my camcorder files (MP4) are fine so this is looking better as a one stop solution.
Elements
much more than just a image touch up. considering what it can do.. very good value at around £60. teamed with iPhoto it becomes even more attractive.
My issue still remains with the masters file location.
I would prefer to keep all my media on the external server to ensure I have a fail safe recovery option. its a 4TB 5 disk affair which contains all the family music, video images and DVD's etc (likely to change to a Mac server in the future!)
one feature that I cant find, (even in Aperture which surprises me), is the ability to automatically manage deletions from referenced locations? i.e. delete a file from the server and when aperture opens up the thumbnails are updated. or, delete a referenced master in Aperture and an option comes up to delete the referenced file on the external drive.
how would a professional photographer or studio using Aperture manage this process (or would they use something else?)
forgot to mention that through our student facilities i can get a discounted copy of Photoshop CS5 for around £175 which is close to Aperture. is this a worthwhile option or overkill
Message was edited by: buttons129

Help for a new MAC user

I just made the move from PC to MAC. I have and need to use my Office 2003. Can someone help a newbie to install it on my new Imac?

If that Office 2003 is for Windows, it will not install on OS X. The only way to get a Windows application on a Mac is using something like Boot Camp (Parallels, VMWare Fusion) and then a Windows system as well.

Tips for a NEW mac user

So this is my new thread that started at
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=8165450#8165450
I just learned that I can use most any mouse that has right click on my newish iMac G4. It also helps to know that I can control click / control space for the same operation.
Just hooked up different mouse. It is nice to have the scroll wheel again also.
Any other advice...
Thanks

Hiya, and welcome to macintosh!
I converted from PC's 5 years ago and have not looked back. Apart from computer games, software for macs is generally nicer looking, more "malleable" (you can make more adjustments than on PC's) and OS X is a very stable Operating system indeed.
Tips? Well, I think, just explore! A good idea maybe a comprehensive book. I bought "Mac OS X Leopard in depth" which explores many aspects of Leopard, including what is "hiding underneath the nice interface".
Generally, don't be afraid to experiment on OS X. It is difficult to break. A great idea is to password your machine, as well as turning on the file vault:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=mac/10.5/en/8736.html
This will increase security. Also, with a passworded account, you think twice if a window pops up and asks you for your password (e.g. software installation). That way, you think before installing and corruption of the system is less likely.
Maybe THE most important step to remember is "good housekeeping", such as
1) run "disk utility" immediately prior to ANY software update (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1782)
2) If you are updating apple software, and it tells you "+you are not connected to an AC power source+" DO plug in your AC adapter (otherwise there are problems!)
3) To maximise you battery life look at the following: http://www.apple.com/batteries/notebooks.html
4) Apart from that, ENJOY!

Basic Guidance for a new Mac User

How do I delete an entire application that was downloaded and then installed via the downloaded installer...just move to the trash and empty? I'm talking about the downloaded file as well as the application in its entirety.
If I installed Windows 7 via Boot Camp...can I restore my OS X back to factory specs without affecting the 7 side?

You can drag an app to the trash to delete it. It may have created some pref files also. These will need to be manually located and deleted (unless the software comes with an uninstall option).
Using the bootcamp assistant, you can easily remove the bootcamp partition and restore the hard drive back to normal without affecting the mac installation.
Glor

How do I get my old TM to a new mac user

ok, to keep things short, my old mac user became corrupt using my mobileme and the quickest and easiest way seemed to be that I backed up everything, created a new user and put everything into that.
That was the easy part, I didn't use TM, instead using an external hard drive to drag and drop my personal files i needed and itunes etc etc. I then deleted the old mac user.
I forgot about some photos and after having done everything a week ago and the new mac user working perfectly, I need a photo. When I opened TM the backups from a month are there but greyed out and I can't access them.
what do I need to do for my new mac user to see the old mac users backups ?

You might be able to re-create the old user account (exactly the same, of course) and use that account to restore the photos to that account.

New mac user have a few questions

Hi everyone i made the switch to mac today and i have a few questions
1. How easy is it for me to update the Nvidia graphics drivers when Nvidia releases them ?
2. Should i bother with Antivirus software ?
3. what are some good sites for wallpapers and stuff - (wants to make his make look good)
4. Any tips for a new mac user please feel free
thank you for your time and help
mike

Hi mike and welcome to Discussions and the world of Apple,
4) have a read/look at the following for a better feeling for your Mac
http://www.apple.com/support/mac101/
http://www.apple.com/support/switch101/
http://www.apple.com/findouthow/mac/
Was a 'switcher' myself 4 years back and learned alot from them.
Regards
Stefan

I am a new mac user and I switch to mac due to the graphics that it brings. I do website in pc and I heard iweb is the best.NOW i heard that iweb will be discontinue. so what is the best application there for website using MAC OSX lion?

I am a new mac user and I switch to mac due to the graphics that it brings. I do website in pc and I heard iweb is the best.NOW i heard that iweb will be discontinue. so what is the best application there for website using MAC OSX lion?

It is now confirmed that iWeb, and iDVD, has been discontinued by Apple. This is evidenced by the fact that new Macs are shipping with iLife 11 installed but without iWeb and iDVD.
On June 30, 2012 MobileMe will be shutdown. However, iWeb will still continue to work but without the following:
Features No Longer Available Once MobileMe is Discontinued:
◼ Password protection
◼ Blog and photo comments
◼ Blog search
◼ Hit counter
◼ MobileMe Gallery
All of these features can be replaced with 3rd party options.
I found that if I published my site to a folder on my hard drive and then uploaded with a 3rd party FTP client subscriptions to slideshows and the RSS feed were broken. If I published directly from iWeb to the FPT server those two features continued to work correctly.
There's another problem and that's with iWeb's popup slideshows. Once the MMe servers are no longer online the popup slideshow buttons will not display their images.
Click to view full size
However, Roddy McKay and I have figured out a way to modify existing sites with those slideshows and iWeb itself so that those images will display as expected once MobileMe servers are gone. How to is described in this tutorial: #26 - How to Modify iWeb So Popup Slideshows Will Work After MobileMe is Discontinued.
It now appears that the iLife suite of applications offered on disc is now a discontinued product and the remaining supported iApps will only be available thru the App Store from now on. However, the iLife 11 boxed version that is still available at the online Apple Store (Store button at the top of the page) and those still on the shelves of retailers will include iWeb and iDVD. Those two apps were listed in small, gray text on the iLife 11 box that I bought.
Personally, if I didn't already have a copy I would purchase one to have it for reinstallation purposes if ever needed.
This might be of some interest to you at this time: Life After MobileMe.
OT

I am a new mac user and have a 15 macbook pro (non retina display). I am having an issue with safari "freezing" ...it will work fine for a while and then I will open a new tab and attempt a website that won't load and after that it seems no website will.

So yes like mentioned above...i am a new mac user...have only had it about four days and have had a windows based system always before this. The issue I am having is that I will be in safari and it will work perfect for a while and then i will open a new tab and attempt another website and it will either be extremely slow or will give the error that it cannot connect to the server, however, when i run diagnostics my internet is fine. The only solution i have found is to reboot and geeksquad has been unable to replicate the problem while connected to my computer to try to do so. Does anyone have any suggestions or anyone else with this problem? If you have a "fix" please try layman's terms because again I have no idea about macs haha. Thanks,

So yes like mentioned above...i am a new mac user...have only had it about four days and have had a windows based system always before this. The issue I am having is that I will be in safari and it will work perfect for a while and then i will open a new tab and attempt another website and it will either be extremely slow or will give the error that it cannot connect to the server, however, when i run diagnostics my internet is fine. The only solution i have found is to reboot and geeksquad has been unable to replicate the problem while connected to my computer to try to do so. Does anyone have any suggestions or anyone else with this problem? If you have a "fix" please try layman's terms because again I have no idea about macs haha. Thanks,

I'm a brand new Mac user. I want to send photos from Iphoto to my local store for printing, like I can do in Picasa. I can't find that option in Iphoto.

I'm a brand new Mac user. I want to send photos from Iphoto to my local store for printing, like I can do in Picasa. I can't find that option in Iphoto. I do not want to order them through Itunes.

I have not idea how you do it with Picasa but with iPhoto you either export the photos to a desktop folder and upload from there or burns that folder to CD - or from the upload window use the media browser in the lower left hand corner of the upload windows - media ==> photos ==> iPhoto
For pictures see - https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3547767?tstart=0
LN

G4 won't boot up for new Mac user

Hi guys. Brand new to Apple computers as I got a "defective" G4 from my neighbor. He was going to throw it away but I told him I would try to fix it first.
When I power it up, it makes a musical "greeting" power up sound and the monitor goes from dark black (as in "off") to a lighter gray, and then a folder appears in the middle of the screen alternating between a face and a question mark.
Does anyone know what is wrong with this computer so that I can repair it for future use? I am guessing a hard drive malfunction, but do not know for sure. And is it worth fixing? FYI - I do not have any software for this system.
Thanks for any help you can provide!
-Mark

A 160g hard drive would run you about $70, while OS X would run about $120.
It would be great to borrow a copy of the os installation disk and boot from it to see if the computer has further problems. Do you know any other mac users? It would also allow you to see how much ram is in the machine (OS X likes ram) and that may be a further expense if you need more.
What are you going to use the machine for? That's the main question as to how much you should spend to fix the machine up. I don't know if it would be fast enough for you as an everyday computer, but internet use, word processing, ITunes, IPhoto would all work just fine. You won't be doing any gaming or heavy duty video processing.
I'd talk to them at the Apple Store, explain the situation, maybe they might be able to help given the situation. They've got a chance here to nab a new mac user, I'd think that may help your case.

Snow Leopard or Lion for new Mac User?

Hi everyone: I purchased my first Mac (a MacBook Pro) about a month back and shortly thereafter upgraded to Lion for free through the apps store. Since then, using/navigating the new Mac has been somewhat challenging for me and I'm not yet comfortable with using it for all of my computing needs. (I have an old Toshiba that is still my go-to computer--for the moment.) I suspect that part of my challenges stem from being a new Mac user (irrespective of the particular OS) after years of using PCs, but I do wonder if they may also relate to OS Lion, which seems to have complicated the user experience. I was hoping that using a Mac would be more intuitive and simple than it seems to have been thus far.
With that in mind, might there be some utility in me reinstalling Snow Leopard (and if so how?) in order to become more used to the new Mac experience before permanently switching to Lion? If I do, would I be able to, down the road, resintall Lion for free?
I recognize that this suggestion would involve some learning curve redundancy (learning the Mac on Snow Leopard and eventually re-learning it with Lion). However, I have a sense that reverting back to Snow Leopard might ease my transition into the new Mac experience. Either way, I'm looking forward to eventually tossing out that Toshiba!
Thanks for any/all thoughts. Best, DC

If you want to downgrade to Snow Leopard then do the following:
Downgrade Lion to Snow Leopard
1. Boot from your Snow Leopard Installer Disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu.
2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Note the SMART status of the drive in DU's status area. If it does not say "Verified" then the drive is failing or has failed and will need replacing. SMART info will not be reported on external drives. Otherwise, click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed.
4. Quit DU and return to the installer. Install Snow Leopard.
This will erase the whole drive so be sure to backup your files if you don't have a backup already. If you have performed a TM backup using Lion be aware that you cannot restore from that backup in Snow Leopard (see below.) I suggest you make a separate backup using Carbon Copy Cloner 3.4.1.
If you have Snow Leopard Time Machine backups, do a full system restore per #14 in Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions. If you have subsequent backups from Lion, you can restore newer items selectively, via the "Star Wars" display, per #15 there, but be careful; some Snow Leopard apps may not work with the Lion files.
However, there isn't that much difference between Snow Leopard and Lion that using Snow Leopard would prove easier to learn. There are lots of tutorials available at the Apple website to help you learn how to use a Mac. You might start with Apple - Support - Mac 101 and Apple - Support - Switch 101. And, for Lion see About MacOS X.

Printing help for new MAC user

I am a new MAC user trying convince myself this is better than a PC. I have been trying to 3 hours to figure out how to print in color with a document I've created in Pages. I am connected to a HP Photosmart wireless printer. Can someone help me?

jersey45 wrote:
I am a new MAC user trying convince myself this is better than a PC. I have been trying to 3 hours to figure out how to print in color with a document I've created in Pages. I am connected to a HP Photosmart wireless printer. Can someone help me?
Hi jersey,
Welcome to Apple Discussions and the Pages '09 forum.
Is this strictly a Pages/HP Photosmart issue, or do other applications share this inability to print in colour to this printer?
About the only advice I can offer is to:
1.
Check the HP site for any updated drivers for your printer. Download and install if any are found.
2.
Check the printer's settings in the Print dialogue. Your printer may offer the choice, here or in it's utility application, to print using only the black toner cartridge.
3.
Try opening Pages from a different user account, and printing a new document from there. Success would indicate the issue lies in your user account, probably in a corrupted Pages preference (.plist) file.Go back to your usual account, locate the file and drag it to the trash. Try printing again from your usual account.
If these don't help, I'd suggest reposting your question in the Printing, Faxing and Scanning forum in the Mac OS X v10.6 (Snow Leopard) section of Discussions.
Regards,
Barry

Stacks and other simple issues..... for new Mac user

My first computer was a commodore 64 with DOS commands and I've been a PC user ever since. You guessed it, Friday I went to the Apple store and bought an iMac! I was up and using it in minutes so I am impressed. However there are a million little things I just can't figure out or that take hours, for example at the Apple store the docking bar when you ran your mouse over the icons they jumped up. Well after a few hours I figured out how to make mine do that! (so cool).
At the store they showed me "stacks" where i put my mouse on something and I could see, pix or documents or e-mail I had somehow saved there, very handy but if my Mac can do that I sure don't see how.
Here are my two questions:
1) how do i make stacks work (is it some program i don't have?)
2) is there a web site or book or something with all the easy stuff (tips and tricks) in it a brand new Mac user should know? (i hate to keep bothering you all with simple questions)
Thanks, Susa

Welcome to Mac.
1) Just drag any folder to the right hand side of the dotted line (the Trash side) of Dock. Then click. Or click and hold on the stack and choose how your stack displays.
2) take a look at Mac 101 and Switch 101. There's a wealth of info there.
Books? "The Missing Manual Leopard Edition" (coming soon) by David Pogue.
-mj
[email protected]

HTML in EBAY for NEW MAC USER! Please Help!

Hi, I am a brand new MAC user. Just bought a MACBOOK last week. Here is my HTML prob. I sell on ebay. I called apple support and they were not able to help me. When I list my item on eBay, HTML comes up in the description area. On my older PC it was regular readable english and NOT html gobble de gook. Anyone know how to switch over from the HTML junk so I can see the regular english and write about my product? thanks so much. Sorry, I am not a computer guru. I only know how to read email and sell on ebay

Welcome to Apple Discussions!
Sounds like they are using non-standard HTML. Try using a different web browser*:
http://www.macmaps.com/browser.html
Also verify it isn't your e-mail program that is open when you are viewing the file. Anything via e-mail which can't be converted by an e-mail program will display as just plain HTML. Look to the right of the Apple logo on your top left corner to see which program is active.
- * Links to my pages may give me compensation.

Advise for a new Mac user

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