Hard drive access?

How do I find movies stored on the hard Drive from the previous owner?
I have the display hooked up from the mini display port to the vga cable.
Should I connect to my LCD TV with a mini dvi to hdmi cable or is their no advantage over the mini dvi to dvi hook-up?
I bought a used Mac Mini from march of 2009 with the following description:

"This Mac Mini has some great custom upgrades. While already equipped with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor for delivering a better computing experience, it also includes an upgraded 4 GB 1067 Mhz DDR3 RAM (upgradeable up to 8 GB). It was also upgraded to a 300 GB hard drive to allow this customized desktop to provide you with more than sufficient space for storing all your movies, music, and other digital content. Moreover, the GeForce 9400M video card in this Mac Mini customized desktop helps deliver surreal and razor-sharp video quality. Additionally, five USB ports allow you to easily transfer your files to and from the Apple Mac Mini desktop (March, 2009).The Mac also comes with some preinstalled extras: Microsoft Office 2008, Plex, Handbrake, MacTheRipper, Remote Desktop Connection. Throwing in an apple mouse and DisplayPort adapter. The Mac also comes with around 320 DVD quality Movies stored on the HD."


Thanks, I'm looking forward to learning more about my Mac.

You need to understand something about the Mini you purchased and the "so called" pre-installed movies and software:

Unless the previous owner included the original CD and registration serial numbers with Office 2008, it is not legally yours. And of course all those movies are not legally yours unless he either gave you the original DVDs, or transferred ownership of them to you - assuming he obtained them legally.

You didn't mention which version of OS X is on the Mini or if the original install recovery DVD was included. If it was included, we advise you to wipe the hard drive clean and reinstall the operating system. Then, you can purchase your own software, movies, and what not.

chscag et al - the original mac disc were included for the 10.5.8 OS
I have no office 2008 disc, The movies and office were not why I bought the Mac Mini. I don't plan on distributing or using either for profit or any other reason.
I would like an answer to my original questions on how to find stuff on the hard drive and which cables to use. Thanks for the education on what I own, have legally and how I should proceed.
chscag, I am not new to forums but, who is the "We" you speak of in your response? Or do you speak for the entire forum?
"we advise you to wipe the hard drive clean and reinstall the operating system."
I agree with the facts and legalities of your post however, thousands of post does not give you the credentials to talk down to a newbie or speak for the forum.

When I say "we", I'm speaking for the staff here. The decision is yours of course whether to wipe the drive or not. The advice to wipe the drive is sound as you have no idea what it contains, good or bad. And understand no one is talking down to you, but as moderators we remind individuals of their legal responsibilities. If you're not new to forums you should already know that.

I have the display hooked up from the mini display port to the vga cable. Should I connect to my LCD TV with a mini dvi to hdmi cable or is their no advantage over the mini dvi to dvi hook-up?

Click to expand...

You can attach your TV or external monitor either using VGA or better yet, DVI. VGA is analog while DVI is digital (better quality). If your TV has an HDMI input you can attach it via HDMI from the Mini. You'll also need cables for sound.

Also, since you only have Leopard (10.5.8) it might be a good idea to upgrade your Mini to Snow Leopard (10.6.8) so you'll have access to the Mac App Store and to further upgrade to Lion or Mountain Lion. Snow Leopard can be purchased direct from Apple for $19.99.

As far as finding the movies on your hard drive, you can use "Spotlight" (the small magnifying glass top right on the menu bar).