Chapter 2

Life! Give My iMac Life!

In This Chapter

Turning on your iMac

Checking your iMac for proper operation

Setting up OS X Mavericks

Registering your iMac

Using Migration Assistant

Copying information from a Windows PC

If you’ve already been through Chapter 1, you got as far as unpacking your iMac and connecting at least one cable to it. And unless you bought this computer solely as a work of modern art, it’s time to actually turn on your iMac and begin living The Good iLife. (Plus you still get to admire that Apple design whilst using iTunes.) After you get your new beauty powered on, I help you here with an initial checkup on your iMac’s health.

I also familiarize you with the initial chores that you need to complete — such as using OS X Setup as well as moving the data and settings from your existing computer to your iMac — before you settle in with your favorite applications.

In this chapter, I assume that OS X Mavericks (version 10.9) was preinstalled on your iMac or that you just completed an upgrade to Mavericks. (If you’re upgrading, your iMac is already turned on — and you can skip the next section!)

Throwing the Big Leaf Switch

Your iMac’s power switch is located on the back of the computer, at the lower-left corner of the case (as you look at the screen). Press it now to turn on your iMac, and you hear the pleasant startup tone that’s been a hallmark of Apple computers for many years now. Don’t be alarmed if you don’t immediately see anything onscreen because it takes a few seconds for the initial Apple logo to appear.

In my experience, a simple, quick press of the power button on some iMacs sometimes just doesn’t do it. Instead, you actually have to hold down the button for a count of two or so before the computer turns on.

While the Apple logo appears, you see a twirling, circular high-tech progress indicator appear that looks like something from a Star Wars movie. That’s the sign that your iMac is loading Mavericks. Sometimes the twirling circle can take a bit longer to disappear. As long as it’s twirling, though, something good is happening — after all, Mavericks has to load file sharing, networking, and printing components (and such).

At last, your patience of a whole 10 to 15 seconds is rewarded, and after a short (but neat) video, you see the Mavericks Setup Assistant appear.

Mark’s Favorite Signs of a Healthy iMac

Before you jump into the fun stuff, don’t forget an important step — a quick preliminary check to make sure that your iMac survived shipment intact and happy. Although the shipping box that Apple uses for the iMac series is one of the best I’ve ever encountered in 30 years of swapping computer hardware, your computer could still have met with foul play from its shipping travels.

If you can answer Yes to each of these questions, your iMac likely made the trip without serious damage:

1. Does the computer’s chassis appear undamaged?

   It’s pretty easy to spot damage to your iMac’s svelte metal and glass design. Look for scratches, puncture damage, and misalignment of the screen.

2. Does the LED screen work, and is it undamaged?

   I’m talking about obvious scratches or puncture damage to your screen. Additionally, you should also check whether any individual dots (or pixels) on your LED monitor are obviously malfunctioning. Bad pixels either appear black or in a different color from everything surrounding them.

   Techs call these irritating anarchists dead pixels. Unfortunately, many new LED screens include one or two. After all, a 21.5" iMac screen sports literally more than 1 million pixels.

3. Can you feel a flow of air from the vent on top?

   Your iMac’s Intel processor, hard drive, and power supply generate quite a bit of heat, so the fan system never turns off completely. If you don’t feel warm air from the fan system after your iMac has been on for a minute or two, you might have a problem.

4. Do the keyboard and mouse work?

   Check your iMac’s Bluetooth connection by moving the mouse or running your finger across the trackpad; the cursor should move on your screen. To check the keyboard, press the Caps Lock key and observe whether the green Caps Lock light turns on and off. (Don’t forget to check for good batteries in all your wireless input devices and make sure they’re turned on.)

If you do notice a problem with your iMac (and you can still use your Safari browser and reach the web), you can make the connection to an Apple support technician at www.apple.com. If your iMac is lying on its back with its foot in the air and you can’t get to the Internet, you can check your phone book for a local Apple service center, or call the AppleCare toll-free number at 1-800-275-2273. Chapter 22 also offers troubleshooting information.

Harriet, It’s Already Asking Me Questions!

After your iMac is running and you’ve given it the once-over for obvious shipping damage, your next chore is to set up your iMac. Unlike other tasks in this book, I don’t cover the setup process step by step. Apple “tweaks” the questions that you see during setup on a regular basis, and the questions are really very easy to answer. Everything is explained onscreen, complete with onscreen Help if you need it.

However, I do want you to know what to expect as well as what information you need to have at hand. I also want you to know about support opportunities, such as the AppleCare Protection Plan and Apple’s iCloud Internet services — hence, this section. Consider it a study guide for whatever your iMac’s setup procedure has to throw at you.

Setting up OS X Mavericks

After you start your iMac for the first time — or if you just upgraded from an earlier version of OS X — your iMac will likely automatically launch the Mavericks setup procedure. (Note that some custom install options, like the Archive and Install option, might not launch the Setup procedure.) The setup process takes care of a number of different tasks:

• Setup provides Mavericks with your personal information.

  As I mention in Chapter 1, your iMac ships with a bathtub full of applications, and many of those use your personal data (like your address and telephone number) to automatically fill out your documents.

  If that personal stored information starts you worrying about identity theft, I congratulate you. If you’re using your common sense, it should. However, Apple doesn’t disseminate this information anywhere else, and the applications that use your personal data won’t send it anywhere, either. And the Safari web browser fills out forms on a web page automatically only if you give your permission.

• Setup configures your language and keyboard choices.

  OS X Mavericks is a truly international operating system, so Setup offers you a chance to configure your iMac to use a specific language and keyboard layout.

• Setup configures your e-mail accounts within Apple Mail.

  If you already have an e-mail account set up with your Internet service provider (ISP), keep that e-mail account information handy to answer these questions. (The list should include the incoming POP3/IMAP and outgoing SMTP mail servers you’ll be using, your e-mail address, and your login name and password. Don’t worry about those crazy acronyms, though, because your ISP will know exactly what you mean when you ask for this information.) Mavericks can even automatically configure many e-mail accounts for you — including web-based services such as Google Mail, Yahoo! Mail, and AOL Mail — if you supply your account ID and password. Sweet.

• Setup allows you to sign up for an Apple ID and Apple’s iCloud service.

  iCloud makes it easy to share data automatically between your iMac and iOS 5 (or later) devices (like an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch), along with Apple e-mail accounts (through both web mail and the Apple Mail application). I go into all these in detail in Chapter 9. For now, just create your Apple ID, sign up for iCloud, and take the opportunity to feel smug about owning an Apple computer.

• Setup sends your registration information to Apple.

  As a proud owner of an iMac, take advantage of the year of hardware warranty support and the free 90 days of telephone support. You have to register to use ’em, but rest assured that all this info is confidential.

• Setup launches Migration Assistant.

  This assistant guides you through the process of migrating (an engineer’s term for copying) your existing user data from your old Mac or PC to your new iMac. Naturally, if your iMac is your first computer, you can skip this step with a song in your heart! (Read more on Migration Assistant in the section “Importing Documents and Data from Your Old Mac.”)

Registering your iMac

I’ll be honest here: I know that many of us (myself included) don’t register every piece of computer hardware we buy. However, your iMac is a different kettle of fish altogether, and I strongly recommend that you register your purchase with Apple during the setup process. You spent a fair amount of moolah on your computer, and it’s an investment with a significant number of moving parts.

Even the hardiest of techno-wizards would agree with this important Mark’s Maxim:

If you don’t register your iMac, you can’t receive support.

Rest assured that Apple is not one of those companies that constantly pesters you with e-mail advertisements and near-spam. I’ve registered every Apple computer I’ve owned, and I’ve never felt pestered. (And I have an extremely low tolerance for pester.) However, just in case your tolerance is even lower than mine, Apple’s registration process allows you to disable this e-mail communication.

Importing Documents and Data from Your Old Mac

If you’re upgrading from an older Mac computer running OS X to your new iMac, I have great news for you: Apple includes the Migration Assistant utility application that can help you copy (whoops, I mean, migrate) all sorts of data from your old Mac to your new machine. The list of stuff that gets copied over includes

• User accounts: If you set up multiple user accounts (so that more than one person can share the computer), the utility ports them all to your new iMac.
• Network settings: Boy, howdy, this is a real treat for those with manual network settings provided by an ISP or network administrator! Migration Assistant can re-create the entire network environment of your old Mac on your new iMac.
• System Preferences settings: If you’re a fan of tweaking and customizing OS X to fit you like a glove, rejoice. Migration Assistant actually copies over all the changes that you’ve made within System Preferences on your old Mac! (Insert sound of angelic chorus of cherubim and seraphim: Hallelujah!)
• Documents: The files in your Documents folder(s) are copied to your new iMac.
• Applications: Migration Assistant tries its best to copy over the third-party applications that you’ve installed in your Applications folder on the older Mac. I say tries its best because you might have to reinstall some applications, anyway. Some developers create applications that spread out all sorts of files across your hard drive, and Migration Assistant just can’t keep track of those nomadic files. Too, some other applications make the trek just fine, but you might have to re-enter their serial numbers.

Setup launches Migration Assistant automatically if you indicate that you need to transfer stuff during the setup process, but you can also launch Migration Assistant manually at any time. Click the Launchpad icon on the Dock (which bears a rocket ship icon); then click the Utilities icon (which, depending on your installation, can also be called Other). Click the Migration Assistant icon to launch the application.

To use Migration Assistant to copy your system from your older Mac, you need one of the following:

• FireWire cable (compatible with most Macs made within the last five years or so): If you don’t already have one, you can pick up a standard FireWire cable at your local Maze o’ Wires electronics store or at your computer store. Current iMac models do not have FireWire ports, so if you have the latest model — and you’re connecting to an older Mac with FireWire ports — you’ll need to use another method in this list or buy an Apple Thunderbolt to FireWire adapter for $30 at the Apple Store (http://store.apple.com).

  Some recent iMac models included only a FireWire 800 port. If you’re upgrading from an older Mac that has only FireWire 400 ports to a more recent iMac with a FireWire 800 port, you’ll need a FireWire cable and a 400-to-800 adapter, which you can typically get at any large computer store (or through Amazon or eBay).

• Thunderbolt cable (compatible with the most recent iMac, Mac mini, and MacBook laptops): A Thunderbolt connection will transfer your data between the two computers at lightning speed! (Bad pun intended.) Apple sells a Thunderbolt cable that’s perfect for the job for $49 at the Apple Store.
• Wired or wireless network connection between the computers: If you’ve already hooked up your new iMac to your wired or wireless Ethernet network while using Setup Assistant, eschew cables completely and click Use Network instead! (Note, however, that a Wi-Fi migration will be much slower than migrating with either a direct cable connection or a wired network connection.)
• Time Machine external drive or an AirPort Time Capsule backup unit: If you’re using Time Machine on the older Mac with an external drive, you can migrate directly from your most recent backup. The same option applies if you’ve invested in Apple’s AirPort Time Capsule wireless backup device.

If you’ll be using a FireWire or Thunderbolt cable, make sure that the two machines are connected with the cable first. If you’re using a network connection, both computers should be connected to the network. Typically, you’ll also have to load Migration Assistant on the source Mac (or a free Windows program downloaded from www.apple.com, if the source computer is a PC.)

After the two computers are connected, simply follow the onscreen instructions displayed within the Migration Assistant window. The application will lead you through the process step by step. If you need to return to the previous step at any time, click the Back button that appears at the bottom of the screen.

Manually Importing Documents and Data from Windows

If you’re a classic Windows-to-Mac Switcher, you made a wise choice, especially if you’re interested in the creative applications within the iLife suite! Although you can choose to start your Apple computing life anew, you probably want to migrate some of your existing documents and files from that tired PC to your bright, shiny new iMac.

If you’re switching from a PC to a Mac, you can use the Windows Migration Assistant on your PC (available from Apple’s website) to automatically handle most of your migration tasks for you, and you should witness the miracle of your PC’s photos, video, music, and documents suddenly appearing on your iMac. Unfortunately, you’ll have some exceptions. Some stuff won’t make the move because the Windows Migration Assistant simply can’t recognize and transfer files and folders from some nonstandard locations. For example, folders you created yourself at the root of your PC’s hard drive likely won’t be recognized.

Here’s the good news, though: You can easily copy those files that weren’t transferred! Moving items manually from a USB flash drive or over a network is easy. (If the target iMac is an older model with a SuperDrive, you can also move items by using DVDs.)

The OS X Help system contains an entire subsection on specific tricks that you can use when switching from Windows to Mac, including how to connect to a Windows network and how to directly connect the two computers.

In general, you can move documents, movies, photos, and music without a problem. Table 2-1 illustrates what can be moved between Windows and OS X as well as the application that you use in Mavericks to open those files and documents.