[TribeLeader]

I just ordered a PB (my first Mac) a couple days ago. In the recent months that I have been considering the purchase of a Mac, I've been reading as much as I can on the forums here, but to make sure I don't miss anything I thought I'd try to put together a checklist of the things I need to do when I get my PB, especially since this will be my first Mac.

Peripherals:
� AirPort Extreme Base Station
� Scanner (Epson Perfection 1200U)
� Printer (HP DeskJet 5150)

Software:
� Office X
� PocketMac 3.0 (to sync PocketPC)

Other:
� I don't plan to transferring many files (most stuff is on disks/CDs).
� Based on recommednations here, I am planning on picking up a copy of the Missing Manual.

So, what do I need to be aware of, and what do I need to do when I first get my PB? And in what order, if it's important? Thanks in advance!

[Tomster]

A really good case. Think of it as daily insurance for your investment. There is a sticky post on the top of the page which thoroughly covers the various brands.

[KP*]

Congrats on your purchase. Off the top of my head, a few things come to mind...

1. Don't forget to make sure you'll have cables for your scanner and printer. Some manufacturers include them, some don't. It sucks to get everything unpacked and then have to wait to get a simple USB cable.

2. If you don't like trackpads or the whole one-button-mouse thing, you may want to buy a third-party mouse. If you like trackpads, you should know about a free app called "SideTrack" that puts vertical and horizontal scroll areas on the trackpad like many PC notebooks have. You can find it on VersionTracker.

3. If you plan to travel internationally you may want the power adapter set that allows you to change the plug part of the AC adapter to various other standards.

I am a fairly new PB owner and love my Al15" (mild white spots and all). Most of the accessories I can think of as being necessary for a laptop come right in the box or built in the the 'book (built-in keyboard light, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, a great collapsible/cord-winding AC adapter, etc.).

I hope you enjoy yours, and your switching experience. And if you're getting an Al15" I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!

[romeosc]

Get Safeware.com insurance better safe than sorry.



If you get whitespots you might get mad and throw the PB out the window and then the insurance would pay to have it replaced!

[spatterson]

Originally posted by TribeLeader:
Based on recommednations here, I am planning on picking up a copy of the Missing Manual.

Third edition (panther) comes out on 1 Dec...

http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/macxm...er/?CMP=IL7015

[spatterson]

Originally posted by romeosc:
Get Safeware.com insurance better safe than sorry.

You can also check with your homeowners/renters policy providers and see if they have a add-on called a "computer endorsement". It may be much cheaper than Safeware... If I was to add this endorsement to my renters policy then it would cost me $44.00 a year.

[TribeLeader]

Thanks everyone! Great advice.

Just talked to my insurance agent yesterday. Turns out I can add an "all risk" benefit to my policy for around $21/year (each laptop), so we'll go that route. Also, my credit card doubles my manufacturer's warranty.

Thanks for the heads-up on the new edition of the Missing Manual as well as the mention of cables. I'll have to check in the HP 5150 includes a cable or not. I had forgotten about that!

I've looked most of the bags on the sticky thread. At the moment, I'm leaning toward the BooqSleeve, but I'll probably look at many of them again before I make a final decision.

Thanks again!

[Macrat]

Another thing I always do when I get a new computer is make sure everything works. Test every feature that you can, make sure every port works now instead of finding out later at an inopportune time.

[terrancew_hod]

I would get some type of pad to help with cooling your laptop. Especially if you plan to put the laptop on your lap (Hate to see you say "Hmmm something's cooking...It's ME!!!)

I bought a Antec pad with fans built in. It helps to keep the bottom cool. I also got a laptop screen protector from macsales.com to put on my keyboard when I go from place to place.

Also I would get a copy of Diskwarrior to help with the preventative maintenance and carbon copy cloner for your backups.

Terrance

[TribeLeader]

Thanks again. I'm looking forward to getting started on my new PB once it arrives in a couple weeks, hopefully!

[ASIMO]

Be careful about the home insurance. Claiming for your lost/damaged powerbook will irk them, and you will feel repercussions. Oh, trust me. You will.

[Sarc]

I posted it originally on this thread

Originally posted by Sarc:
asoares, first, welcome ! I hope your experiences get other ppl. to switch as well.
now, about your questions:


depends on what you do for a living, Office maybe ? PhotoShop ? coming from Linux though, you probably use open-source apps. If so, look at 2.

for the mac stuff: use VersionTracker or MacUpdate for all your basic software needs (Utilities, etc. Here you can find many UNIX apps. that have been ported and added a Mac GUI)
and a personal fav. for multi-service IM (ICQ, MSN/AIM, etc), use Proteus
for multi-network file sharing (KaZaA, OpenNap, Gnutella, etc), there's Poisoned and the Mac OS X client for BitTorrent.
for viewing almost any media file (DivX specially) there's MPlayer OS X 2 (port from the Linux app. with a Mac GUI, my personal choice) and VLC, where one fails, the other picks up, btw. VLC is pretty good for DVD's since it bypasses encryption by itself, allowing you to view the DVD without changing zones.
You might also want to check the OmniGroup's apps. they have some very useful productivity apps. and some good. utilities (specially DiskSweeper).
Although you can burn CD's from the Finder, I recommend getting additional software. Roxio's Toast Titanium 6 is the best out there, but it goes with a price tag. Disc Blaze 2 is a cheaper alternative, good for data. For audio I highly recommend iTunes' built-in burning capabilities (comes with Mac OS X, supports CD-DA, MP3 CD and Data CD formats for burning you music)

you should install Apple's implementation of X11 (comes in Panther CD #3), then you should install Fink (a nice package manager for Open Source Linux apps. that have been ported to Mac OS X ... very useful)

don't buy Apple RAM, it's generally cheap RAM at premium prices. Crucial RAM is a good choice IMHO, anyone else care to recommend ?

the above is, of course, if you are a switcher, else, disregard.

[Minty Fresh]

Originally posted by KP*:
...you should know about a free app called "SideTrack" that puts vertical and horizontal scroll areas on the trackpad like many PC notebooks have. You can find it on VersionTracker.

OMG...thanks very much for bringing that up. Have had my PB for about 3 months...and this is exactly what I've been wanting! I have my left click tap, w/ drag...button set to ctrl "right click"...and the vertical and horizontal scrolls! Man...this just made my day!!!!!!


Yes...I do excite very easily! LOL

[TribeLeader]

Found a similar thread: New PB user, what should I do?

As I stated in another forum, my PB, and my wife's PB, both shipped today � 13 days early, and they're both, separate educational orders!

So, I'll be reading through all of these suggestions again in the next few days!

[TribeLeader]

Thanks again, everyone. I believe I have most everything I need to get started. Hopefully, my PB will be here this week (before Thanksgiving).

My Checklist (which I've assmebled with your help):
1. Check to make sure everything works.
2. Connect peripherals: AirPort Extreme Base Station; Printer (HP DeskJet 5150), Scanner (Epson Perfection 1200U), and eventually my PDA (PocketPC using PocketMac software).
3. Install Office X
4. Connect to internet (run software updater)
5. Discharge the battery; do a full recharge.

Again, am I missing anything? Is the order okay? Anything else I should consider? Thanks!

[Blackstealth]

Depending on how often you're moving your AlBook about I'd recommend a second power adapter - it's saved me a lot of hassle. One at home, one in my Brenthaven bag.

[kanker]

One of the first things to do is to go into your Applications/Utilities folder (that's the utilities folder in your applications folder). Grab the disk utility and place it in your Dock. Do the same with the Print Center (also in utilities). Disk Utility is one of the most important things for your computer. You need to run it at least monthly and after any major installations, like after step #4 on your list. In OSX, files are given access permissions. Disk Utility will allow you to REPAIR PERMISSIONS (as they will inevitably become damaged, and capitals added for emphasis) which helps keep your machine running fast by making sure your files can be accessed (it's not a familiar concept to Mac people either, and I'm sure I'm not explaining it correctly or fully).

Print center is where you select your printer. This was one of the other changes from previous Mac OS's that initially seemed counterintuitive (where it could be found). If there are problems processing a printing job, print center will open and let you know, and you can either stop, restart, or delete a job as need be. There may be other utilities you'll want to drop in the dock just to have quick access. It certainly helps to put frequently accessed utilities and apps there- use it

[anaphora68]

Don't forget to have fun with your new powerbook!

Also, a nice laptop bag/case would help.

[TribeLeader]

Thanks again, everyone.

Here's my update checklist with one addition:
1. Check to make sure everything works.
2. Connect peripherals: AirPort Extreme Base Station; Printer (HP DeskJet 5150), Scanner (Epson Perfection 1200U), and eventually my PDA (PocketPC using PocketMac software).
3. Uninstall Office Test Drive (I read that somewhere on the forum).
4. Install Office X
5. Connect to internet (run software updater)
6. Discharge the battery; do a full recharge.

Let me know if there's anything esle?

BTW, I will definately have fun � if it ever leaves Taiwan (where it's been for 4 days)!

[jamester]

Thank you for this list - this will come in handy when I get my PB! =) Apple just announced a rebate on Epson printers too - the C84 purchased with a Mac from 11/25 through 12/27 gets you a $99 rebate, making the printer free

[ginoledesma]

Get AppleCare if you haven't done so already.

[nagromme]

Put the Dock on the left away from scrollbars

[TribeLeader]

Questions about the checklist. I realize these questions may be pretty basic, but being new to Mac, I'm wanting to hit the ground running. It *may* be here as early as tomorrow!

Check to make sure everything works
Never having used a Mac, I assume this just means to check everything out, and play with everything. Anything I especially need to check?

Connect AirPort Extreme Base Station
Is the documentation pretty well explained? If not, I'd appreciate any input. Also, to run the software updater, once we connect to the internet, is it okay to do that through the Base Station? (BTW, we're stuck with dial-up for the time being.)

Connect Printer (HP DeskJet 5150)
I found this statement on Apple.com: "Now you don�t have to manually set up your printer. If you�ve plugged in a supported USB printer, Mac OS X preconfigures the device and automatically selects it when you print." That makes it sound pretty easy. Does it work the same way if I connect the printer to the Base Station?

Connect Scanner (Epson Perfection 1200U)
IIRC, I saw a list of scanners which Panther included drivers for, and my scanner was included on the list. Anything I need to be aware of here to make it work well, in terms of installation and/or software?

Connect PocketPC PDA (Toshiba e310) using PocketMac software)
Anyone connect a PocketPC device to their Mac? Any advice?

Uninstall Office Test Drive
How do you "uninstall" software in OSX?

[TribeLeader]

Originally posted by TribeLeader:

Uninstall Office Test Drive
How do you "uninstall" software in OSX?[/B]

Found the answer here.

[TribeLeader]

Now that I've had my PB a couple weeks now, I just wanted to report on my experience. Overall, everything went very well.

Connect AirPort Extreme Base Station
Very smooth. No problems. We're enjoying both being able to surf the web wirelessly even on a dial-up connection. Funny, our browsing is a bit faster than it was on our PC. Not sure why, but we're happy about that!

Connect Printer (HP DeskJet 5150), Scanner (Epson Perfection 1200U), and eventually my PDA (PocketPC using PocketMac software)
Scanner connected well. Panther includes built-in support already so just had to plug it in.

Setting up the printer on my PB was easy, setting it up on my wife's PB was harder because we had to download a new driver over a dial-up which took 4+ hours. We loaded it on my wife's through the wireless network. We finally got it, but it was a learning experience!

Haven't setup the PDA yet. Waiting till January to purchase PocketMac.

Install Office X
No problem installing this or any other software (we've also installed Toast 6).

Connect to internet (run software updater)
No problems here.

Discharge the battery; do a full recharge.
No problems here -- the battery lasted 2.75, IIRC.

With all of the research I did, the one thing that I missed was the fact that the Mac basically can't (easily) re-write to CDs, which is the reason we bought Toast. Haven't used it enough to report on it, though.

Thanks again!

[hodaddy]

5. Discharge the battery; do a full recharge.

not necessary. in fact repeated deep discharges of a LiIon battery will decrease its overall capacity. remember, these are not NiCad or NiMH cells that most people remember cycling to improve or prolong battery performance/life. LiIons do not suffer the 'memory effect' and actually prefer repeated shallow partial discharges to repeated deep discharging.

for a good read on battery technology, check out this site

[KraziKid]

Originally posted by hodaddy:
not necessary. in fact repeated deep discharges of a LiIon battery will decrease its overall capacity. remember, these are not NiCad or NiMH cells that most people remember cycling to improve or prolong battery performance/life. LiIons do not suffer the 'memory effect' and actually prefer repeated shallow partial discharges to repeated deep discharging.

for a good read on battery technology, check out this site

These batteries have built in microprocessors that need recalibration. By discharging and fully recharghing the battery, you are recalibrating the micrprocessor allowing a more accurate read of battery level. Also, if I remember correctly, these are Lithium Ion Polymer batteries, not standard Li-Ion.

[CrackedButter]

Another useful thing to try and get is an iskin cover for the keyboard. Protects from grime and dirt.

iSkin.com

[sktrdie]

cool

[adamw]

Also, if I remember correctly, these are Lithium Ion Polymer batteries, not standard Li-Ion

Probably not...based on this article - http://www.buchmann.ca/Article6-Page1.asp

...and the apple specs page: http://www.apple.com/powerbook/specs.html