if you just upgraded from an earlier version of macOS — your iMac will likely automatically launch the Monterey setup procedure. The setup process takes care of several tasks:
Setup provides Monterey your personal information.As I mention in Chapter 1, your iMac ships with a bathtub full of applications, and many of those use your personal data (like your address and telephone number) to automatically fill out your documents. Apple has recently strengthened its efforts to guard your privacy online. If personal stored information starts you worrying about identity theft, I congratulate you. If you’re using your common sense, it should. However, Apple doesn’t disseminate this information anywhere else, and the applications that use your personal data won’t send it anywhere, either. And the Safari web browser fills out forms on a web page automatically only if you give your permission — and security-conscious iMac owners like me prefer to enter things manually. I applaud Apple’s decades-long commitment to privacy and security, and I trust them with my personal data.
Setup configures your language and keyboard choices.macOS Monterey is a truly international operating system, so Setup offers you a chance to configure your iMac to use a specific language and keyboard layout.
Setup configures your email accounts within Apple Mail.If you already have an email account set up with your Internet service provider (ISP), keep that email account information handy to answer these questions. (The list should include the incoming POP3/IMAP and outgoing SMTP mail servers you’ll be using, your email address, and your login name and password. Don’t worry about those crazy acronyms, though, because your ISP will know exactly what you mean when you ask for this information.) Monterey can even automatically configure many email accounts for you — including web-based services such as Google Mail, Yahoo! Mail, and AOL Mail — if you supply your account ID and password. Sweet.
Setup allows you to sign up for an iCloud ID and Apple’s iCloud service.iCloud makes it easy to share data automatically between your iMac and devices like an iPhone or iPad, along with Apple email accounts (through both web mail and the Apple Mail application). I go into all these in more detail in Chapter 9. For now, just create your iCloud ID (also often called an Apple ID), sign up for iCloud, and take the opportunity to feel smug about owning an Apple computer.
Setup sends your registration information to Apple.As a proud owner of an iMac, take advantage of the year of hardware warranty support and the free 90 days of telephone support. You have to register to use ’em, but rest assured that all this info is confidential.
Setup launches Migration Assistant.This assistant guides you through the process of migrating (an engineer’s term for copying) your existing user data from your old Mac or PC to your new iMac. Naturally, if your iMac is your first computer, you can skip this step with a song in your heart! (Read more on Migration Assistant in the section “Importing Documents and Data from Your Old Mac.”)
Registering your iMac
I’ll be honest here: I know that many of us (myself included) don’t register every piece of computer hardware we buy. However, your iMac is a different kettle of fish, and I strongly recommend that you register your purchase with Apple during the setup process. You spent a fair amount of moolah on your computer, and it’s an investment with a significant number of moving parts.
Even the hardiest of techno-wizards would agree with this important Mark’s Maxim:
Rest assured that Apple is not one of those companies that constantly pesters you with email advertisements and near-spam. I’ve registered every Apple computer I’ve owned, and I’ve never felt pestered. (And I have an extremely low tolerance for pester.) However, just in case your tolerance is even lower than mine, Apple’s registration process allows you to disable this email communication.
Importing Documents and Data from Your Old Mac
If you’re upgrading from an older Mac computer running a previous version of macOS to your new iMac, I have great news for you: Apple includes the Migration Assistant utility application that can help you move (whoops, I mean, migrate) all sorts of data from your old Mac to your new machine. The list of stuff that gets copied over includes:
User accounts: If you set up multiple user accounts (so that more than one person can share the computer), the utility ports them all to your new iMac.
Network settings: Boy howdy, this is a real treat for those with manual network settings provided by an ISP or network administrator! Migration Assistant can re-create the entire network environment of your old Mac on your new iMac.
System Preferences settings: If you’re a fan of tweaking and customizing macOS to fit you like a glove, rejoice. Migration Assistant actually copies over all the changes that you’ve made within System Preferences on your old Mac! (Insert sound of angelic chorus of cherubim and seraphim: Hallelujah!)
Documents: The files in your Documents folder(s) are copied to your new iMac.
Applications: Migration Assistant tries its best to copy over the third-party applications that you’ve installed in your Applications folder on the older Mac. I say tries its best because you might have to reinstall some applications, anyway. Some developers create applications that spread out all sorts of files across your hard drive, and Migration Assistant just can’t keep track of those nomadic files. Also, some other applications make the trek just fine, but you might have to re-enter their serial numbers.
To use Migration Assistant to copy your system from your older Mac, you need one of the following:
Wired or wireless network connection between the computers: If you’ve already hooked up your new iMac to your wired or wireless Ethernet network while using Setup Assistant, eschew cables completely and click Use Network instead. (Note, however, that a Wi-Fi migration will be much slower than migrating with either a direct cable connection or a wired network connection.)
Thunderbolt cable (compatible with all recent iMac, Mac mini, Mac Pro and MacBook models): A Thunderbolt connection will transfer your data between
