Getting Mac Mini - total Mac noob

[Moria]

I'm getting a Mac Mini very soon and have some questions about Mac's in general...

What actually comes in the Mini box?
Does it come with a OSX installation DVD/CD? I know I'll screw something up sooner or later...

What do I do when I first turn it on? I've heard you need to register the Mac or something, is there a way of doing this later, I'll need to get my wireless network set up with my Mac to access the internet...

How do I actually set up the network? I've put all the stuff in (IP, DNS, Subnet and Gateway) manually on my Windows PC and laptop, is it just as easy on the Mac?

I've downloaded some programs (free trials, I will be buying them later on), but they all come in dmg format. What do I do with them? The same goes with .sit

Is 512mb RAM enough? Or is it worth it to upgrade to 1gb?

Does it come with a program to write DVD's or do I have to find my own program?

What's the manual for it like? Should I get the "Missing Manual"?

Thanks in advance for answering these, I'm sure I'll be able to think of some more later on

 

[grapes911]

Wow. This is a big one to tackle.

What actually comes in the Mini box?

No keyboard or mouse if that is what you mean.

Does it come with a OSX installation DVD/CD? I know I'll screw something up sooner or later...

It comes with a restore disk to make it factory fresh.

What do I do when I first turn it on? I've heard you need to register the Mac or something, is there a way of doing this later, I'll need to get my wireless network set up with my Mac to access the internet...

You don't have to register it, but you can register it anytime.

How do I actually set up the network? I've put all the stuff in (IP, DNS, Subnet and Gateway) manually on my Windows PC and laptop, is it just as easy on the Mac?

Its pretty much the same way. Very easy.

I've downloaded some programs (free trials, I will be buying them later on), but they all come in dmg format. What do I do with them?

Open them on up. You'll get a virtual hard drive. Drag the App from that to you Applications folder. Unmount the Virtual HD (drag to trash). Delete the .dmg (drag to trash)

The same goes with .sit

There are like .zip files (same idea, different way to compress the file). Open them up and you'll get an app to put in your app folder. Delete the .sit.

Is 512mb RAM enough? Or is it worth it to upgrade to 1gb?

Yes. You can purchase ram from other places an install it your self if you want. It will be cheaper.

Does it come with a program to write DVD's or do I have to find my own program?

You can write data DVDs with with the os.

What's the manual for it like? Should I get the "Missing Manual"?

Being that you know nothing about Mac: yes, you should.


Search the forum. Many of your questions were already answered in more detail.

 

[admanimal]

Does it come with a program to write DVD's or do I have to find my own program?

Like the previous post said, the OS includes support for writing data DVDs. However, in order to create DVDs, you will need to get a SuperDrive rather than the standard Combo Drive, which only lets you read DVDs/CDs and create CDs.

 

[Moria]

Wow. This is a big one to tackle.

No keyboard or mouse if that is what you mean.

Sorry, I meant like a manual, install guide, startup disk and things like that.

Thanks for your help guys!

 

[zyuzin4]

you'll get the Mac mini users guide includes setup and troubleshooting information

you will also get the OSX instal discs (but the system is already pre-installed

apple stickers
proof of purchase
software agreement
limited warranty information

 

[mduser63]

Other posters have done a good job of answering your questions, but I'd just like to add that you don't need to worry about it. Macs are different than Windows and take a little getting used to if you switch, but most people here would agree that in general, they're much simpler to use and understand than PCs. When you get your mini you'll see that everything pretty much "just works."

 

[e²Studios]

Is 512mb RAM enough? Or is it worth it to upgrade to 1gb?

I have a 1.25 mini with 512mb and ive found it runs fine. Now mind you with 22 apps open im down to umm 29mb free but unlike windows i really dont see any performance degradation even with that much turned on. I love the mini, it fits my desk/life perfectly. When the price of 1GB sticks drop i may invest in one but to be honest i dont think its needed. I do work in CS, Macromedia Studio, and have used iMovie HD and iDVD without any memory related issues. VPC 6.1.1 worked good under it too before Tiger broke the virtual switch (i wonder when MS will fix this).

Ed

 

[IJ Reilly]

Yes. You can purchase ram from other places an install it your self if you want. It will be cheaper.

Sure in theory, but if was new to the Mac, I'd let Apple do the RAM upgrade. Just one man's opinion.

 

[jsw]

I have a 1.25 mini with 512mb and ive found it runs fine. Now mind you with 22 apps open im down to umm 29mb free...

Just one minor point: the amount of RAM you need is determined by the number and type of apps you leave open and want to switch between dynamically. An app being "open" just means it's either in RAM or in the swap space on your hard drive. The more RAM you have and the fewer/smaller apps you have, the more likely it is that the app is all or mostly in RAM (which is vastly faster than having to pull it off of the swap space on the disk).

So, if you're cool with waiting a bit to switch between a bunch of smaller apps (or to use really memory-hungry apps), less RAM is OK - the computer will just spend more time swapping what's in RAM with what's on your disk. If you tend to have lots of apps open at once and switch between all of them, or if you use memory-hungry apps, more RAM is better.

 

[jsw]

you'll get the Mac mini users guide includes setup and troubleshooting information

you will also get the OSX instal discs (but the system is already pre-installed

apple stickers
proof of purchase
software agreement
limited warranty information

You also get a DVI->VGA adapter so you could plug a VGA monitor into the mini.

Along with, of course, the mini and its power supply.

 

[e²Studios]

Just one minor point: the amount of RAM you need is determined by the number and type of apps you leave open and want to switch between dynamically. An app being "open" just means it's either in RAM or in the swap space on your hard drive. The more RAM you have and the fewer/smaller apps you have, the more likely it is that the app is all or mostly in RAM (which is vastly faster than having to pull it off of the swap space on the disk).

So, if you're cool with waiting a bit to switch between a bunch of smaller apps (or to use really memory-hungry apps), less RAM is OK - the computer will just spend more time swapping what's in RAM with what's on your disk. If you tend to have lots of apps open at once and switch between all of them, or if you use memory-hungry apps, more RAM is better.

I have no lag switching between my apps that i have open Im quite happy with 512mb, hell WoW plays pretty damn good too

Ed and his wine from Chile..

 

[Moria]

How hard is it to open the Mini up? I've built my own PC before so I know how to put the components in. RAM is pretty straight forward (just shove it in the slot the only way it'll go). £170 or whatever it is for 1GB seems very extravagant, I can get them for under £100 on other places on the internet...

Will any DDR333 RAM work with it?

 

[Balin64]

How hard is it to open the Mini up? I've built my own PC before so I know how to put the components in. RAM is pretty straight forward (just shove it in the slot the only way it'll go). £170 or whatever it is for 1GB seems very extravagant, I can get them for under £100 on other places on the internet...

Will any DDR333 RAM work with it?

Opening the Mini can be a little daunting, but it is not difficult: you will need a painter's spatula and a little care, that's all. Search Google, the archives and forums on this site and you will get a clearer picture.

By the way, Welcome!