First time iMac user...im lost

Posted:
in Genius Bar edited January 2014
Hello, my names Nathan and I just bought an iMac 1ghz 768mb,80gb. The computer did not come with an OS. I have used Mac OS 10.2 and liked it so thats why I bought the iMac. When I turn it on it goes to what I think is a classic type thing, and shows a folder with the lil mac sign and a question mark. My freind let me borrow his discs to 10.4. After about an hour of trying to figure out how to get the cd drive open, I get a messege that says" Can not be installed" Is this because the discs came with an iBook? Do I need the full instlation discs? Im going to have to get some from ebay, I just need to know what Im looking for. Is there any way to get my iMac up and running quick? Ive been in x86 land for too long. All this stuff is foreign to me. Thanks.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 27
    cosmonutcosmonut Posts: 4,872member
    I take it from what you wrote that you got the CD into the drive. Now that that's done, boot up the iMac while holding down the C key. This will boot to the CD installer. You should be pretty smooth sailing from there.



    Does this work?
  • Reply 2 of 27
    I did that and the installer comes up, it just says Select Language, and then I do that and it says ALERT :This software can not be installed on this computer.



    Does it do this because the discs are from an iBook?



    I just bought 10.3 full version new in box on ebay for 40 dollars. Problem is, that wont get here until wednesday prolly. I got 2nd air UPS shipping. Any ideas? Thank you so much, I just want my mac to work.
  • Reply 3 of 27
    agnuke1707agnuke1707 Posts: 487member
    OS disks that come with another computer will not boot in your machine. That's why the 10.4 disks aren't working. Your iMac was sold off the retail shelf with some version of OS X on it,and apparently some guy wiped it before he sold it to you. You are going to have to find a copy of the OS X disks somewhere online or just buy 10.4 from Apple. Buying online can be kinda hairy so be careful. If it says anything other than being a full retail copy, I'd stay away from it ... good luck etting things started up. You can try doing what CosmoNut suggested and hold down C with the iBook disks in, but I'm pretty sure this won't work. Let us know if you need more help...



    EDIT: Dang ... you were quick ... yes, the 10.3 disks should work in your computer.
  • Reply 4 of 27
    Thanks for the replies. So with no OS, im seing the "Classic" Mac logo, and a question mark, i assume thats normal.



    Guess Ill just wait for panther to get here. Is there any sites that appleinsider reccomends to learn about mac osx 10.3?



    ps. The reason that I got 10.3 instead of 10.4 is

    A. Im Broke

    B. Isnt 10.5 comming out semi soon

    C. In 42 days I go back to Grand Valley, and im sure i can get it there/get educational discount, through Grand Valley .





    Thanks for all the help!!!
  • Reply 5 of 27
    agnuke1707agnuke1707 Posts: 487member
    Hereis a google seacrh for Panther ... try seeing if some of those sites help you out.



    Google: OS X Panther



    If you're a University student you can use your discount at any time, not just when school is in session. It's $79 + tax, so it would probably have been a better deal than paying the $40 for Panther. 10.5 is supposed to debut in August, but it probably won't hit shelves until late Spring or early summer 2007, so you have close to another year to wait.



    The classic mac logo or a folder with with a questionmark means it's trying to find a boot folder. If I remember correctly, that model of G4 was the last computer that was capable of booting into Mac OS 9. So yes, it means that the computer can't find a system folder to boot that is either OS X or OS 9.
  • Reply 6 of 27
    Read up on panther and it should be nice enough to learn on / use on a daily basis. Right now i think i can make it till 10.5, but ive not used 10.4 extensivly. Thanks for you your help, slowly im going to be come party of the mac community.
  • Reply 7 of 27
    cosmonutcosmonut Posts: 4,872member
    10.3.9 -- the last version of the 10.3.x series -- is really a good solid OS. Make sure the first thing you do after the disk install is run software update a couple times to make sure you get everything else. After each install phase, repair permissions (Applications>Utilities>Disk Utility) to make sure everything ends up smoothly.
  • Reply 8 of 27
    a_greera_greer Posts: 4,594member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by CosmoNut

    10.3.9 -- the last version of the 10.3.x series -- is really a good solid OS. Make sure the first thing you do after the disk install is run software update a couple times to make sure you get everything else. After each install phase, repair permissions (Applications>Utilities>Disk Utility) to make sure everything ends up smoothly.



    Wouldnt it be better to just go to the website and grab the .3.9 combo update?
  • Reply 9 of 27
    Could you explain what "repair permissions" means?



    And by software update, you mean going into system prefrences, and click the blue icon twards the bottom, let it download some HUGE file and install correct?



    Also since im using an out of date OS, will there be new software downloads every other day like windows?



    What is the difference between doing software update through prefrences, and going through the web site?



    Im so excited to get this thing up and running.



    Thanks so much everyone!
  • Reply 10 of 27
    mr. hmr. h Posts: 4,870member
    Hi Nathan,



    Welcome to Macintosh



    Quote:

    Originally posted by nascarnate326

    Could you explain what "repair permissions" means?



    As OS X is a UNIX-based operating system, all files on the hard drive have a set of "permissions", which let the operating system know which individual users, and groups of users, can do what (read, write etc.) with the file. With some system files, a file having the wrong permissions can cause things to go screwy. There are very few things that will cause permissions to be wrong, but it can be a good idea to make sure they are correct every so often.



    To repair permissions, you launch the "disk utility" program, which can be found in /applications/utilities/. In the window that opens, is a "source list" on the left, where you select your hard drive. When this is selected, an option to repair permissions will appear on the right. If you see any messages including "we are using special permissions...", don't worry, those are normal and will appear every time you run repair permissions. Those messages do not come up in 10.4.





    Quote:

    Originally posted by nascarnate326

    And by software update, you mean going into system prefrences, and click the blue icon twards the bottom, let it download some HUGE file and install correct?



    You can also access software update directly from the Apple menu. When you first install OS X 10.3, you should run software update, and don't do anything else whilst it is doing its stuff. When it is done and you have re-booted, you should run software update again.



    Quote:

    Originally posted by nascarnate326

    Also since im using an out of date OS, will there be new software downloads every other day like windows?



    No. There'll be a security update every couple of months, if that. Also, free Apple software such as iTunes and QuickTime get updated every so often.



    Quote:

    Originally posted by nascarnate326

    What is the difference between doing software update through prefrences, and going through the web site?



    Some people will tell you that downloading straight from the website is more reliable, but I don't find this to be true. I've never had any problems with software update.



    Quote:

    Originally posted by nascarnate326

    Im so excited to get this thing up and running.



    As you should! Hope 10.3 arrives soon.



    As for learning stuff about OS X, I recommend MacOSXHints. If you're interested in learning about the UNIX side of things, this should help.



    Additional advice, and this is crucial, is don't treat it like Windows (see here. Note: some items in the guide are 10.4 only). If you're having problems doing something, don't be afraid of looking in the "help" menu.
  • Reply 11 of 27
    Thank you for answering all my questions. Ill read up. This is the quickest, nicest forum site ive ever been on. Thanks.
  • Reply 12 of 27
    I got my Panther discs yesterday and im now on my mac! Thanks for the help everyone. Its installing updates right now, then ill do the disk paramaters thing. I have a few questions, Why does iTunes music store not work, it says the country im in iTunes music store isnt avaibale. I know i put america.

    Why do dvd movies look so blury and not full screen?

    Is there a setting to get rid of the "DUNG" noise when it turns on, or is that bios stuff? Thanks
  • Reply 13 of 27
    krispiekrispie Posts: 260member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by CosmoNut

    After each install phase, repair permissions (Applications>Utilities>Disk Utility) to make sure everything ends up smoothly.



    Aarrrgggh!



    Do NOT do this.



    FFS, why do people keep peddling this duff advice?
  • Reply 14 of 27
    mr. hmr. h Posts: 4,870member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by krispie

    Aarrrgggh!



    Do NOT do this.



    FFS, why do people keep peddling this duff advice?




    See this thread, page 2 (link should take you straight to page 2) from Solsun's post near the bottom onwards for a discussion about this issue.



    Repairing permissions will not do any harm. The only "bad" thing that could happen is that you've wasted 30 seconds of your time.



    In response to nascarnate326:



    iTunes: In the message that says the Store is not accessible in your country, you should have the option of continuing in order to browse. If you do this, you should find an option to switch country. Also, you may want to check in the "date and time" preference pane of system preferences that you've got the right time zone selected.



    DVDs: I've never had a problem with "blurry" DVDs. You can play DVDs in full screen by choosing "enter full screen" from the "video" menu.



    The "Dung" noise is called the startup chime. If your mac is "muted" when it shuts down, the chime should not sound. Alternatively, if you plug in earphones, the chime should play through the earphones instead of the speakers. Those are the only ways that I know of to eliminate it; the sound is stored in a ROM chip and therefore you can't delete it or anything like that.



    You can use this prefpane (PPC macs only) to automatically set the system volume that will apply the next startup time. The volume setting is then returned to your normal preference once the machine is fully booted.
  • Reply 15 of 27
    krispiekrispie Posts: 260member
    Read MDJ for a proper knowledgable analysis of the Repair Permissions thing.



    It should only be used when there's a specific problem that you think it can address.



    Even Apple have removed the advice to run it routinely. Take the hint!
  • Reply 16 of 27
    midwintermidwinter Posts: 10,060member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by nascarnate326

    I got my Panther discs yesterday and im now on my mac! Thanks for the help everyone. Its installing updates right now, then ill do the disk paramaters thing.



    I wouldn't bother.



    Quote:

    I have a few questions, Why does iTunes music store not work, it says the country im in iTunes music store isnt avaibale. I know i put america.



    I'm not sure, but did you sign up for a .Mac account with a credit card from another country? You might try trashing the preferences for iTunes. Here's how you do it:



    .5) Make sure iTunes isn't running.



    1) click once on your desktop picture. Anywhere. Just make sure that in the upper left-hand corner it says "Finder."



    2) click "go" at the top menu. Then "Home."



    3) In the window that opens up, select "library" then "preferences."



    4) Find "com.apple.iTunes.plist" and drag it to the trash.



    5) empty the trash.



    This will reset iTunes to its default state.



    Quote:

    Why do dvd movies look so blury and not full screen?



    No idea. They look fine to me on my Macs. You could try downloading VLC and playing them in it to see if they look better. This will let you know if something's wrong.



    To make them play full-screen automatically, crank up the DVD player and do the following:



    1) click on the "DVD Player" menu item in the upper left-hand corner of the screen



    2) Select preferences



    3) Make sure that "When DVD player opens: Enter full screen mode" is selected. If you don't have this option, you can make the DVD play full screen by pressing apple/command+0 (zero).



    Quote:

    Is there a setting to get rid of the "DUNG" noise when it turns on, or is that bios stuff?



    That's the happy mac sound! Actually, you want that. If something goes wrong, it'll make a different sound.



    Welcome to the cult!
  • Reply 17 of 27
    midwintermidwinter Posts: 10,060member
    To which I should add:



    1) click on the apple menu in the upper-left



    2) select system preferences



    3) select .Mac



    4) make sure that the account information is correct
  • Reply 18 of 27
    I updated my iPod software and it let me right into my account. Werid.

    Is there a way that I can download again, the songs I already paid for?
  • Reply 19 of 27
    mr. hmr. h Posts: 4,870member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by nascarnate326

    I updated my iPod software and it let me right into my account. Werid.



    Er... What?



    Quote:

    Originally posted by nascarnate326

    Is there a way that I can download again, the songs I already paid for?



    Not normally. If you phone them up and ask very nicely you might be able to get them to let you do it. It is your responsibility to back up your music.
  • Reply 20 of 27
    When I did software update it had some iPod mini update thing for my iPod. I let it do it and now I can log in and the music store is normal. Werid.



    Figured my musics gone. My backup DVD burn didnt work, should have checked before I formated my pc. O well. Thanks.
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