Just Got It

[Paul G]

Hello there,

Over the last month or so I've been dropping the odd thread in here but now I will be dropping a lot more in! I collected my very first Apple Mac last night. I got G5 1.8GHz/160GB HD Single Processor 512 RAM. I've got a 20" Cinema Display TFT Monitor on order but am using an old PC CRT until it arrives. Haven't slept much because I'm so excited!! However I'm writing this on my PC because I haven't installed my ADSL software onto my Mac as yet. I bought the G5 from a guy on eBay, I done thorough checks on him, he's a power seller and sells computer equipment all the time. The Mac is exactly how it said it would be on his eBay advert. I took along a friend who has been using Macs for a couple of years now to check it out too. I paid the guy cash. There are three questions I want to ask here if I may?

1) The guy I bought it from didn't know if there was any warranty left on it which I found a bit strange, he said the seller was out and he was selling it for him. Is there anyway I can find that out and is it advisable to get Apple Care if I can?

2) As I am not the first owner is it ok for me to register the computer in my name and address with Apple? What if it was stolen ( ) and I registered it all. I just read that terrible thread about the person who got theirs stollen .

3) How do I delete the previous owners Administrator Account status? I have emailed him for his passwords. Whilst I was there he did change the password and I thought I'd dealt with it but I can't add any software without using a password. When I got it home I change his password to mine but it isn't accepted when I try to add new software!? The seller has supplied me with all the disks that the computer came with. I did read in the Power Mac G5 Set Up Guide that says to use the software installer disc to reset the password. I tried this but it again asked me for a password, hmm. I'm a bit confused and I basically want to set it all up properly from the start.

This is quite a long thread and I'm very grateful to you guys for taking the time to help a newcomer!

Regards,

 

[Cloudane]

Any particular reason to register your name/address with them? Normally it just gets you lots of adverts

I'd say a G5 is a lot less likely to get lifted than a little powerbook, but hey... find out what locks are available and buy one. It won't stop someone coming back with huge cable cutters, but it'd stop the casual opportunist. It's not like you can tuck a G5 under your arm or shirt and walk off, though

 

[schweb]

Congrats Paul...a G5 for your first Mac makes me jealous lol. As for Apple Care, I'm pretty sure if you call up Apple, give them the serial number of the machine, they'll be able to tell you if you can still purchase Apple Care. As long as it's less than a year old, you should be able to. As it's your first Mac, I'd recommend it for the phone support alone.

As for the Admin password, my suggestion would be to just wipe the whole machine clean and reinstall OS X. That way the machine is all yours right from the start.

 

[hype.it]

Not sure will Apple do it to be honest, but one can try.. hehe

Good luck.

 

[Avalon]

I would suggest you to erase your disk and reinstall everything, as schweb said. As you have all the disks, that shouldn't be a big issue. And at least you will be sure that the harddisk doesn't contain any old rubbish from the previous owner.
It is normal on Mac OS X that for most installs or some system changes you have to type an Administrator password...remember, this is Mac OS X, where security is built inside, unlike Windows.

 

[Paul G]

Thanks guys, well I didn't realise that passwords were case sensitive on here and now I'm in and have installed my ADSL software so I'm up and running on the internet and email now.

Out of curiosity, how does one go about erasing everything then re-installing?

Regards.
Paul G