Setting Up Your New Apple Computer

Replacing an Old Mac

If you are replacing an old Mac computer with a newer model - then Apple has created a great little application to help you move all of your data from your old machine to your new one.

It is called Migration Assistant.

Once you start up your new machine for the first time - it asks you if you want to run Migration Assistant. If you haven't decided - don't worry - you can always run it at a later time.

Switching from PC

If you are switching from Windows to a Mac - then you will need to find your way around.

One of the things that frustrates Windows users the most is the right click button on the mouse. By default this is turned off on the Mac. Just head over to System Preferences to turn this on and your experience will become much more enjoyable.

If you use Firefox as a browser on Windows - then you will be happy to know that there is also a version for Mac. Just download it from the Mozilla website and you will be good to go.

Another thing you might want to do right away is transfer your iTunes library and other important files from your Windows computer. This article on the Apple website explains how to get the job done. I have found that file sharing over a home network connection is probably the simplest way to go about this task.

Finally, if several people in your family will be using your new Mac computer, then you will want to take advantage of the ability set up different user accounts. This way everyone can keep their information separate. Believe it or not - this small feature helps to keep the peace in large families!

Where Is Everything?

Once you are all set up - it is time to start computing.

Everything you need to get started is in your Home folder. Here you will find the Applications folder - which contains all of your programs. You will also find folders for Documents, Downloads, Music, Movies, Pictures - and a few other items that you will use on a regular basis.

This, of course, is just a starting point. You can add and rename folders to your heart's content.

At first using a Mac may be a little frustrating if you are used to a PC environment. But the more you use it - the more you will love it.

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