Completing the Installation

When the Mac OS X Installer has finished, the bulk of the installation process is complete; but you should perform a few recommended steps to ensure an optimal user experience with the new operating system.

Configuring with Setup Assistant

When the installation is complete, the Installer restarts the computer and Setup Assistant opens to gather information necessary to register Mac OS X and create a new user account. If Mac OS X was installed previously, Setup Assistant will not run automatically because the user accounts and configurations are kept from the original installation.

For the purpose of following the exercises in this book, you should make the selections explained on these pages. However, if you are comfortable with the installation process and know what you are doing, feel free to configure Mac OS X differently.

1.	At the "Welcome" screen, select United States, then click Continue.
2.	Select "Do not transfer my information," then click Continue. If you want to transfer information from another computer, see the "Transferring Information with Migration Assistant" section later in this lesson.
3.	Select the appropriate keyboard layout, then click Continue.
4.	Select the wireless network you wish to join, then click Continue. This step appears only if your computer has an AirPort Card or AirPort Extreme Card installed.
5.	If the networking settings aren't supplied automatically by DHCP, enter the information necessary to establish an Internet connection, then click Continue. This information is usually provided by your ISP or network administrator.
6.	When asked for your Apple ID, click Continue. If you already have an Apple ID or create a new one, the system will be configured to use your Apple ID for tasks such as buying songs from the iTunes Music Store. For purposes of this book, it's not necessary to enter an Apple ID.
7.	In registration, press Command-Q, then click Skip when prompted to skip the remaining registration and setup process. There's no need to register Mac OS X for purposes of following the exercises in this book; but if you fill out this screen, your information is sent to Apple along with some basic system configuration details to be used for statistical purposes. You can read more about Apple's privacy policy by visiting www.apple.com/legal/privacy.
8.	At the "Create Your Account" screen, enter the following information: Name: Apple Admin Short Name: apple Password: apple NOTE The passwords used in this book are not good examples of secure passwords. They are used only for simplicity's sake. Use a more secure password if your computer contains sensitive information. [View full size image] If you are on a network that uses NetInfo directory services, you are prompted to use your account information from a server or to create a new local account. If your network does not use NetInfo, you are prompted to create a local account. The initial local account is an administrator account that allows you to change settings in System Preferences, install applications, and use certain utilities. For purposes of following along with the examples in this book, use Apple Admin as the name of your new administrator account. NOTE Information about creating and managing additional user accounts is presented in Lesson 3, "User Accounts." When you create a local account, a short name is derived from the account name you entered. You can change the short name now if you like; however, once you create the account, the short name is permanent and you cannot change it without resorting to a third-party utility such as ChangeShortName. The short name is commonly used for command-line login, File Transfer Protocol (FTP) or ssh login, and email accounts. The short name is typically eight lowercase characters. However, with Mac OS X 10.3 and higher, the short name can be up to 255 bytes in length. (The number of characters can vary depending upon the language used, but using two bytes per character is a safe rule of thumb.) The short name cannot contain spaces or special characters (< > '"* { } [] () ^! # | & $? ~). You can use either the user name or the short name to log in to Mac OS X.
9.	Click Continue.
10.	Select your time zone, and click Continue.
11.	If prompted, set the time and date. Click Continue.
12.	Click Done, and the Finder appears. Welcome to Mac OS X! You can now eject the Mac OS X Install DVD.

You can quit the Setup Assistant after you have created the first user account, but you will need to complete the Mac OS X configuration, including network settings, using other utilities.

Transferring Information with Migration Assistant

Mac OS X 10.4 includes the Migration Assistant, which automates the migration of user information from any Mac OS X volume or partition, whether in another Macintosh or on an external drive.

To transfer information from a Macintosh computer running Mac OS X version 10.1 or later, first start your older computer and press the T key until the FireWire logo appears on screen, indicating the computer is in Target Disk Mode. Using a standard FireWire cable, connect the older computer to the newer computer. Launch Migration Assistant (/Applications/Utilities) on the newer computer and follow the onscreen prompts to transfer your home folder data, applications, user accounts, and most preferences from the older computer to the newer one. For more information, refer to Knowledge Base document 25773, "Mac OS X 10.3: Transferring data with Setup Assistant frequently asked questions (FAQ)."

Configuring System Preferences

After you have used Setup Assistant to complete the initial configuration of Mac OS X, you can further configure the operating system using System Preferences. System Preferences is located in the main Applications folder, but it can also be opened by choosing it from the Apple menu or by clicking its icon in the Dock.

System Preferences displays a collection of icons, each representing a collection of settings that can be configured. By default, the icons are grouped into four categories: Personal, Hardware, Internet & Network, and System. If you prefer, you can change System Preferences to display the icons in alphabetical order by choosing View > Organize Alphabetically. The View menu also provides a complete list of the panes, allowing you to go directly from one System Preferences pane to another. Be aware that the System Preferences window may look different from the following screenshot if the user has added third-party preference items.

When you make changes in System Preferences, Mac OS X stores your settings in individual .plist files. If a System Preferences pane displays an icon of a lock in the lower-left corner, it means that particular preference affects all users. As such, to make changes to that setting, you must first authenticate as an administrator. Systemwide preference files are stored in /Library/Preferences. Conversely, panes without the lock icon control settings specific to the currently logged-in user, and changes are stored in ~/Library/Preferences.

Finding System Information

You can choose Apple > About This Mac to find basic system information such as the operating system version, amount of memory installed, and the processor type and speed. Click the version number to display the Apple engineering build number; click it again to display the computer's serial number.

Click the More Info button to launch System Profiler, which provides detailed system information.

Updating System Software

After you install Mac OS X, Software Update will run automatically, if you have a working Internet connection. (If Software Update does not run automatically, choose Apple > Software Update.) This process checks Apple's software download site for the latest updates for Mac OS X and lists available updates. When you select an update from the list, Software Update displays information about the update. Usually the information includes a URL you can click to see additional details.

Software Update provides options for how you want to process an update. If you don't want to install a specific update (if, for instance, you don't have an iPod and don't need iPod updates), you can select the update in the list and then choose Update > Ignore Update. In the future, Software Update will not display that update. However, when a later version of that update is posted, it will be added to the updates to install. If you need to update multiple computers running Mac OS X, you may want to download the update by choosing Update > Download Only. Then, instead of installing, the update package will be downloaded to /Library/Packages. You can copy downloaded packages from this location to other computers as needed, where they can be opened and installed manually.

To verify whether a software update was installed successfully, look for its receipt in the folder /Library/Receipts. The Installed Updates pane of Software Updates preferences also lists the updates that have been installed. Clicking "Open as a Log File" displays the installer log file in the Console utility, which lists installed updates and any errors encountered.

Checking Console Logs

The Console utility lets you see technical messages from the Mac OS X system software and Mac OS X applications. Processes that do not have a graphical interface will output messages to Console as well as to the system log. Most of the information sent to Console is captured in the system log. Opening the Console utility while you are troubleshooting will give you a better sense of what is happening on Mac OS X, because the Console utility displays information and errors from processes you may not know are running.

Lines displayed in Console are usually made up of a date stamp, the name of the process, and the message. For instance:

Feb 28 18:45:08 localhost SystemStarter: Startup complete.

This message is simply informational. It shows that this computer completed startup at 6:45 P.M. on February 28, 2005.

Using Console to View Installation Log

During installation, any errors and informational messages are stored in a log file. After installing, or if you are experiencing problems that you think may be related to installation, check the installation log to see if any errors occurred.

1.	Open Console (/Applications/Utilities). [View full size image]
2.	If the list of available log files is not listed on the left side of the Console window, choose View > Show Log List.
3.	Click the disclosure triangle next to /var/log to see the list of log files in that folder. NOTE In general, UNIX tools store their logs in /var/logs, whereas Apple utilities and third-party applications store their logs in ~/Library/Logs or /Library/Logs.
4.	Select install.log. This is the log file created during installation. [View full size image] Look for any errors that may have occurred during installation. You can use the Filter field at the top right to truncate the log display. For example, if you type error in that field, you will only see log entries that include that word. Try a few different terms, such as error and finish.
5.	Quit Console.

Troubleshooting Mac OS X Installation

If your computer meets the Mac OS X system requirements but you're unable to complete the installation, you can troubleshoot the problem using the knowledge, tools, and processes you've learned in this lesson.

As you've learned, installing Mac OS X is a process that involves transferring the packages of system software from the Mac OS X Install DVD to the hard disk of your computer. Very generally speaking, this process has three phases. These phases represent potential points of failure:

• Reading packages from the Mac OS X Install DVD

• Processing the packages in RAM using the CPU

• Writing the packages to the destination volume

Problems with the Mac OS X Install DVD

During the installation process, the Installer attempts to verify the integrity of the DVD. If you are certain your disc is clean and has no smudges or scratches, you can skip this verification step. If the Installer indicates that there's a problem with the DVD, try using the disc on another computer. If you experience the same symptom on two computers, the disc could be the problem. If your Mac OS X Install DVD is unusable, call Apple for replacement. If the disc works on another computer, the problem could be with your computer's optical drive.

Problems Processing the Packages

The CPU is very unlikely to be the source of an installation problem, especially if the computer starts up successfully. However, marginal-quality third-party memory can contribute to installation issues, issues that might not otherwise be apparent in day-to-day computer tasks. You might need to remove third-party RAM from your computer.

Problems Writing the Packages

To test for problems with the hard disk drive to which you are installing, start the computer with the Mac OS X Install DVD, choose Utilities > Disk Utility, click First Aid, then click Verify Disk. After verification or any necessary repair, try the installation again.

Other Troubleshooting Tips

If you encounter problems during the installation of Mac OS X or any software updates, there are a few simple things you can try that will help you resolve or gain more information:

• Make sure your computer meets the minimum requirements for Mac OS X 10.4, including the correct version of firmware.

• Check the installation log in the Installer by choosing File > Show Log, or use Console to view /var/log/install.log. Error messages listed there can help you troubleshoot the problem.

• Turn off the Screen Saver and Energy Saver in System Preferences so they do not activate while you are downloading or installing.

• If you are installing Mac OS X on a portable computer, make sure that it is plugged in to AC power while you are installing Mac OS X or downloading updates.

• Try restarting the computer and installing the update again. Since some installation issues are not reproducible, you may succeed the second time.

• If the issue persists, disconnect any other devices you may have connected to your computer and retry the installation. Other devices could affect your installation. Disconnect or remove anything that did not come with your computer. If removing all nonApple memory leaves you with insufficient memory to install Mac OS X, then remove everything but the memory. If your problem persists, you may have an issue with your nonApple memory.

For more tips, refer to Knowledge Base document 106692, "Mac OS X: Troubleshooting installation and software updates."