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While this is a mix of both a hardware and software post, it's mostly to do with software, so I'm posting it here. It's my experience of upgrading from a 1.25ghz G4 Mac mini to a Core 2 Duo iMac.
While a lot of valuable information is shared on this site by veteran users with switchers, some of us are 'inbetweenies': I switched about 18 months ago and so have accumulated a fair bit of knowledge, but there are still things I'm not sure about, or which fill me with concern thanks to years of using Windows. This would include buying a new machine and getting information on to it from the old one. As a result I thought I'd write this, in case it might help someone thinking of making a similar upgrade.
I read up on Migration Assistant in preparation for the move. Some people seemed to have problems, while others didn't. Having asked advice herein (thanks, folks), I decided to transfer all my files and settings using Migration Assistant, but not the applications: although most of my third-party apps are Universal, all my Apple apps would obviously be PPC – this includes the widgets. I didn't want to have to go poking around deleting stuff I didn't want on the new machine, and wanted the process to be as painless as possible.
In the end it was completely painless. I fully expected to have to dig around on my mini to find something that hadn't moved across, but this was not the case. Everything's worked perfectly. Even my customised Word toolbar, menu, autocorrect abbreviations and macros are all in tact and operational, as were my TextExpander snippets, bookmarks and all the other stuff. Even my trusty Samsung ML-1210 prints perfectly.
The only problem I did have was that the iMac didn't seem to want to connect to the internet. I faffed around for half an hour or so tutting and mumbling and searching for settings on the mini that should have bloomin' well been transferred across, shouldn't they?
Then I remembered that I needed to reset the cable modem. This involves unplugging it for a few seconds and turning it back on again. This I did, and hey presto – I was connected! (I smiled wryly to myself as I remembered doing the same thing when I bought my mini. It also reminded me of the time I spent four hours trying to install Windows on my Thinkpad when, almost in tears by this time, I realised that I hadn't pushed the CD quite far enough on to the platter! Anyway, I digress...)
I had heard that Office doesn't work too well under Rosetta, and was somewhat concerned about that. I'm delighted to say, however, that I find Office quicker on this machine than on my lowly mini – although I did buy 2gb RAM, just in case.
I found I needed to reset my scheduled Chronosync backups (I backup my Documents folder once a day to a pen drive that I keep with me at all times), and I also established a new weekly full hard drive backup in SuperDuper! (I can only assume this was something to do with the Macintosh HD being different, although I may be wrong.)
My overall impressions are that the iMac is a stunning machine, particularly the display – few surprises there, I hear you veterans cry – but I just want to emphasise how excellent it is. I used a Cinema Display with my mini (now going to TV/DVD duties in the living room along with the mini itself) and the iMac display possesses even greater clarity than that.
While the internal speakers on the 20-inch iMac are sufficient, they do lack bass, and thus I've bought a pair of JBL Creature 2s for the study, and a pair of Klipsch ProMedia 2.0s to go with the mini downstairs. (The Klipsch sound great even without a subwoofer, and I went for the JBLs for the study because of the colour, as well as the great reviews!)
Anyway, I think that's about it. Hopefully if someone else is considering upgrading their Mac and is uncertain about the process, this will help.
While a lot of valuable information is shared on this site by veteran users with switchers, some of us are 'inbetweenies': I switched about 18 months ago and so have accumulated a fair bit of knowledge, but there are still things I'm not sure about, or which fill me with concern thanks to years of using Windows. This would include buying a new machine and getting information on to it from the old one. As a result I thought I'd write this, in case it might help someone thinking of making a similar upgrade.
I read up on Migration Assistant in preparation for the move. Some people seemed to have problems, while others didn't. Having asked advice herein (thanks, folks), I decided to transfer all my files and settings using Migration Assistant, but not the applications: although most of my third-party apps are Universal, all my Apple apps would obviously be PPC – this includes the widgets. I didn't want to have to go poking around deleting stuff I didn't want on the new machine, and wanted the process to be as painless as possible.
In the end it was completely painless. I fully expected to have to dig around on my mini to find something that hadn't moved across, but this was not the case. Everything's worked perfectly. Even my customised Word toolbar, menu, autocorrect abbreviations and macros are all in tact and operational, as were my TextExpander snippets, bookmarks and all the other stuff. Even my trusty Samsung ML-1210 prints perfectly.
The only problem I did have was that the iMac didn't seem to want to connect to the internet. I faffed around for half an hour or so tutting and mumbling and searching for settings on the mini that should have bloomin' well been transferred across, shouldn't they?
Then I remembered that I needed to reset the cable modem. This involves unplugging it for a few seconds and turning it back on again. This I did, and hey presto – I was connected! (I smiled wryly to myself as I remembered doing the same thing when I bought my mini. It also reminded me of the time I spent four hours trying to install Windows on my Thinkpad when, almost in tears by this time, I realised that I hadn't pushed the CD quite far enough on to the platter! Anyway, I digress...)
I had heard that Office doesn't work too well under Rosetta, and was somewhat concerned about that. I'm delighted to say, however, that I find Office quicker on this machine than on my lowly mini – although I did buy 2gb RAM, just in case.
I found I needed to reset my scheduled Chronosync backups (I backup my Documents folder once a day to a pen drive that I keep with me at all times), and I also established a new weekly full hard drive backup in SuperDuper! (I can only assume this was something to do with the Macintosh HD being different, although I may be wrong.)
My overall impressions are that the iMac is a stunning machine, particularly the display – few surprises there, I hear you veterans cry – but I just want to emphasise how excellent it is. I used a Cinema Display with my mini (now going to TV/DVD duties in the living room along with the mini itself) and the iMac display possesses even greater clarity than that.
While the internal speakers on the 20-inch iMac are sufficient, they do lack bass, and thus I've bought a pair of JBL Creature 2s for the study, and a pair of Klipsch ProMedia 2.0s to go with the mini downstairs. (The Klipsch sound great even without a subwoofer, and I went for the JBLs for the study because of the colour, as well as the great reviews!)
Anyway, I think that's about it. Hopefully if someone else is considering upgrading their Mac and is uncertain about the process, this will help.
Very useful. I'm about to make a similar transition myself.
