Sorry if this is in the wrong place..?

I am going to buy my first Mac computer ever an Apple iMac and ive been told by the Apple reseller I can try out the machine
I am buying in the shop before taking it home.. so here’s my question , taking into consideration ive never had an Apple Mac Machine
before , can some one please tell me what to look for when the new iMac is set up and running in the shop , can you suggest a
list of things to check out on the machine , to hopefully spot any possible problems before the machine leaves the shop..?
I know that may be a problem could occur in the future when ive taken the new machine home , but with all ive read about some
of the current / fixed problems some Mac buyers have had , It would make me feel better if I could as least try out my new Mac
in the shop first.  I look forward to the advice that should make me feel a bit better about taking my
new Mac home for the first time.

thanks in Advance ...

siam - 22 November 2007 11:19 AM

...taking into consideration ive never had an Apple Mac Machine
before , can some one please tell me what to look for when the new iMac is set up and running in the shop , can you suggest a
list of things to check out on the machine , to hopefully spot any possible problems before the machine leaves the shop..?

For the most part, Macs either work or they don’t. You could ask the Apple rep to run the hardware diagnostics to see if there’s any hardware issues. Most problems with hardware show up within the warranty period or after years of use.

Just make sure you have a hard drive big enough to last a few years, and enough RAM to handle all the applications you’ll be using. In general, Mac users buy and use more productivity applications and utilities than Windows users, though Windows folk tend to buy more anti-virus, spyware, malware utilities.

If you’re coming from the Windows world just remember that there are many similarities between Mac OS X Leopard and Windows XP/Vista, but each OS takes a different approach for the user. That means it’ll take some time to learn how the Mac does what it does and why, so don’t get frustrated because you can’t figure out something.

I know that may be a problem could occur in the future when ive taken the new machine home , but with all ive read about someof the current / fixed problems some Mac buyers have had, It would make me feel better if I could as least try out my new Mac in the shop first.  I look forward to the advice that should make me feel a bit better about taking my
new Mac home for the first time.

Some new iMacs need to have a Firmware upgrade to overcome recent hardware glitches so make sure the Apple rep installs the latest firmware update for you.

Make sure you get a recent Intel Mac.  Then do not let them sell you Apple RAM (from the Apple Store) because Apple charges outrageously from RAM. Just order extra RAm from either Other World Computing or Crucial because they both actually guaranty their RAM.  Then buy the book Mac OS X Leopard: The Missing Manual because it will help you and David Pogue’s books are very easy to read but very informative.

Now some very informative web sites (besides Mac360):
1) VersionTracker.com - A good download & Mac software tracker.
2) MacOSXHints.com - A great OS X Hints site that is constantly updated.
3) Accelerate Your Macintosh - A great hardware replacements for Macintosh computers.
4) MacFixIt.com - A good reader support problem & fix site for OS X Macintosh computers (take this site reports with a grain of salt).
5) Bare Feats.com - Macintosh speed testing site.
6) MacWindows.com - A site that dedicates itself integrating Macs into Windows networks.

Also there is a web site that lists almost all Mac dedicated sites called MacPicks.com. You can use this site to find your favorites.

Plus never be afraid to ask any Mac user for help. The Mac community is famous for helping each other. Good Luck and welcome to the light side of the force.

Hi and thanks for the replys .. its very much appreciated by this Mac nubee , I know its going to be a bit strange at
first learning about my new iMac and Leopard ....so its great to know you guy’s are out there to help…

again many thanks for your advice and comments

siam

You may also want to run Disk Utility to make sure the HDD is ok, Occasionally you can get one that has problems.  Happened on a MacPro at work.

Make certain that the screen is is evenly lit.
Reboot the computer and watch the display carefully.
My G5 iMac has a problem that is really only visible when the affected area of the display is dark.
It is a single pixel that continuously glows blue...right in the center of the screen.
It is very easy to see during boot up.
Also watch to see that the edges and corners are evenly lit.
I was told the day after purchasing this machine brand new, that Apple only considers it defective if you have five or more stuck pixels.
I’ve been stuck with it for around a year and a half now. Wishing I had purchased the (then available for only$100 more) Single G5 Powermac.

siam - 22 November 2007 11:19 AM

I am going to buy my first Mac computer ever an Apple iMac and ive been told by the Apple reseller I can try out the machine I am buying in the shop before taking it home.. so here’s my question , taking into consideration ive never had an Apple Mac Machinebefore , can some one please tell me what to look for when the new iMac is set up and running in the shop , can you suggest a list of things to check out on the machine…

I have heard this about half a dozen times in the past few months. Friends, neighbors, co-workers-- all of them Windows users, and all of them switching to a Mac, so they want to know the basics.

I understand why a Mac is usually a better choice than a Windows PC, but I am curious as to why now, all within the last year or so, that Windows users are switching in droves to the Mac.

Has Windows become that bad? Or, is the Mac really that good?

I would bet it isa little from column a and little from column b, as well as the fact the the new macs can now run windows, allowing for an easy switch.

Art G. - 26 November 2007 11:04 AM

Make certain that the screen is is evenly lit.
Reboot the computer and watch the display carefully.
My G5 iMac has a problem that is really only visible when the affected area of the display is dark.
It is a single pixel that continuously glows blue...right in the center of the screen.
It is very easy to see during boot up.
Also watch to see that the edges and corners are evenly lit.
I was told the day after purchasing this machine brand new, that Apple only considers it defective if you have five or more stuck pixels.
I’ve been stuck with it for around a year and a half now. Wishing I had purchased the (then available for only$100 more) Single G5 Powermac.

I had a similar problem with an early model MacBook Pro. A couple of pixels were always ‘on’ and glowing blue. I read somewhere that some bad pixels turn good if your rub them slightly with your finger nail. I rubbed, lightly at first, then with a little more pressure. One of the blue glowing pixels disappeared for good. One still glows. YMMV, I guess.