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filmfann's avatar

Any tips for a new iMac user?

Asked by filmfann (52486points) November 21st, 2020

I am a longtime Windows user.
My wife has an iMac, which I occasionally use, but I don’t pretend to understand it.
We just bought a new iMac as a gift to each other for Christmas.
I have struggled to get it set-up, and this far.
For example, I was sure the mouse was faulty, because it didn’t have a visible red light. Finally realized it normally doesn’t.
Any tips?

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10 Answers

SQUEEKY2's avatar

iMac is that the tablet?
I have a Mac mini and a Mac Book air and wouldn’t go back to windows for anything,but I have zero experience with the Mac Tablet,I just have an inexpensive Android Tablet and it does the job just fine.
Bot my Macs set up pretty easy ,but note if it’s brand new you should be able to phone Mac help with no cost while it’s on warranty.

Demosthenes's avatar

@SQUEEKY2 iMac is the all-in-one desktop.

Do you have files to copy over from your PC? That can cause difficulties because of different formatting types for hard disks or flash drives.

(I don’t have an iMac, but I’m familiar with them and I use a MacBook Pro in addition to a Windows 10 gaming PC that I built myself).

Zaku's avatar

Random tips:

* There are quite a few settings you can change in the Apple-Logo/System Preferences section, especially the Trackpad section, to learn and/or modify WTF it does when you touch it in various ways in various places with different numbers of fingers and so on.

* Even so, I find that newer trackpad behavior is horribly unintuitive for me coming from Linux and Windows, much of which is greatly helped by plugging in a $10 wired USB mouse with at least two mouse buttons and a mouse-wheel.

* The Finder is a fundamental tool for finding stuff on your Mac, kind of like File Explorer on Windows, but different.

* Installing software is often done by dragging its icon into the Applications folder.

* Newer versions of MacOS like to prevent you from editing some parts of your own hard drive.

* Your computer login and password is different from your Apple ID and password. Different roadblock dialogs asking for permission may be asking you for one or the other without being clear which they mean.

* If you still have a Windows computer on your local network, you can nicely connect to it and use its desktop, if you get the Microsoft Remote Desktop program and give it permission on Windows. You can also set up to enable file transfers over wifi that way.

* Recent versions of MacOS have some atrocious behavior around programs downloaded from the Internet, where the OS may lie to you that it’s corrupted or crashing, when really it is secretly intentionally “protecting” you from running them.

Response moderated
Call_Me_Jay's avatar

If you still have a Windows computer on your local network, you can nicely connect to it and use its desktop, if you get the Microsoft Remote Desktop

That requires Windows Pro on the PC (Windows Home does not include the host function). Even if you have Pro, I recommend Teamviewer instead. I use both but Teamviewer is easier to set up.

elbanditoroso's avatar

Repent and go back to Windows.

Seriously, I have used both Macs and Linux machines of various flavors. What I have experienced is that while the UI and such are close to Windows, there enough tiny differences in mouse movement, file management, and a host of other areas, that it will be annoying.

Either you’ll get tired of having to remember multiple ways of accomplishing the same thing, or over time you’ll get used to the Mac and simply never use Windows again.

Call_Me_Jay's avatar

or over time you’ll get used to the Mac and simply never use Windows again.

Nothing wrong with that.

Zaku's avatar

@Call_Me_Jay Ah, good point about needing more than Windows Home. Would one install Teamviewer on both the Mac and the PC to use it?

Call_Me_Jay's avatar

Yes, TeamViewer goes on both machines.

Kropotkin's avatar

Have you got the receipt for a refund?

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