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Setting up a PC and a Mac

For computer users, setting up the machine can be a bit daunting. We take a Mac and a PC out of the box and take you through the process

Box clever

Computer reviews rarely mention what it is like to unpack a new purchase and get it working. Well, it's time to redress that balance. We're going to walk through the process of unpacking and running two notebook computers 'an MSI Megabook 5262 and an Apple MacBook' which are roughly the same price at £799 and £749 respectively. We're not going to review them, however. Instead, we'll be showing what users of a brand new notebook PC can expect.

For years, owners of Windows-based PCs and Apple Macintoshes have enjoyed tossing verbal brickbats at each other. Mac fans criticised their Windows counterparts for being boring and nicking all Apple's ideas; they fired back that Macs were overpriced and that the people who used them were fashion victims. And on and on.

The fact is, both operating systems are pretty good. Both have strengths and shortcomings. Nowadays Apple and Microsoft are using the same Intel processors, so the hardware's pretty much the same - even if it looks different on the outside of the case, the guts of Macs and PCs are pretty similar.

Opening the box

Even before you see it, the Mac's legendary chic has got under your skin. The box is slimmer, taller, wider and there's a photo on the outside; by comparison, the Megabook's brown box looks more industrial. Whether this is a good thing or not is almost immaterial - you'll either love the functional nature of MSI's packaging, or drool over the shiny box the Mac comes in.

Both machines are securely packed - the MacBook in the centre of a polystyrene sandwich and the Megabook held firmly in a pair of cardboard bookends. The Megabook includes power and modem cables, a separately packed battery, recovery DVD, user guide, quick-start sheet, warranty information and a nice little screen wipe; it also has a free Targus case which makes up for the drab box.

The MacBook comes with a power supply and lead, remote control, two system discs, a user's guide and a little pile of licences, certificates and warranty stuff.

The screens and keyboards on both machines are protected by plastic and foam sheets which need to be removed before use, and it's good form to lay out the contents of each box and compare it with the list of what's supposed to be inside before proceeding.

Getting started

The MacBook's user guide explains how to plug the machine into the mains to start charging it - unwary users may jump when the connector is pulled magnetically into the chassis. You can then leave the computer to charge or switch it on. Old Mac notebooks used to 'hide' the power switch on the keyboard, but the MacBook's button is obvious enough for even inexperienced person to find.

First time out the MacBook displays a slick setup animation with voice help for those that need it, and instant instructions for transferring important settings from an old Mac to the new machine. Then, it automatically sniffs out any wireless networks in the area and displays them on the screen. After that, new users are invited to create an Apple ID, an electronic 'passport' for accessing various Apple online services, and to set up user accounts so different people can use the same machine. More on this later.

Once the process is complete, the MacBook connects to the internet, sets the clock, takes a mug shot of you with the built-in camera and assigns the photo to the main account. New owners can join .Mac on a 60-day free trial by typing in a few details. It's a kind of online club that provides an email address, online backup, photo sharing, video conferencing and web space for £70 a year.

Some notebooks, like the Megabook, come with the battery packaged separately, but the quick-start sheet explains how it snaps into place and explains where the connections go. Switch on the Megabook and the first thing on the screen is an unsettling 'media test failure, check cable' message. Nevertheless, Windows XP loads fine, is properly branded with the MSI logo and starts its natty music soundtrack, which kicks off the setup process. New users start by choosing their home country, preferred keyboard layout and time zone, before going on to read and accept the licence agreements, turn on Automatic Updates and give the computer a name and description.

Everything goes swimmingly until the Megabook tries to find an internet connection, but can't because one hasn't been set up; at this stage it doesn't seem to matter, but it will cause confusion later on. In the meantime, it's on with the registration and setting up a user name, before there's a quick plug for the XP product tour and setup is finished. Like the Mac, it takes about 10 minutes and, failed network connection aside, feels slick.

The next 20 minutes

Staying with the Megabook, the Start menu has already opened and the Tour Windows XP icon is visible. It's also loaded a Bluetooth application which says 'please insert a Bluetooth device'. This feels like you've made a mistake or as if there's something missing. Elsewhere there's a further red flag, or rather a series of red crosses in the System Tray which look like serious errors. This is typical Windows behaviour and indicates that various network connections are missing or not turned on yet - not something to worry about, but a possible concern for a user unfamiliar with Windows. Add these to the 'check cable' message, the failed internet connection and the mysterious Bluetooth device, and there's a general sense of confusion. Still, at least the XP tour is well presented and informative.

Back at the Desktop, there's been an unpleasant development - a message that reads 'Your computer might be at risk. Anti-virus software might not be installed. Click the balloon to fix this problem'. This is despite the fact that we can't connect to the internet yet. The Security Window offers some reassurance (a firewall and Automatic Updates are switched on) but there's no anti-virus software installed, which is clearly a bad thing. Clicking the Recommendations button suggests getting an anti-virus program, however, clicking the 'how?' link doesn't offer any immediate help but starts the New Connection Wizard.

It's just more typical Windows behaviour. Because there's no anti-virus software on the PC, Windows is trying to be helpful by connecting to the internet to find some; unfortunately, we haven't yet established a connection, so first it has to try and set one up. We want to connect using our existing wireless network, but clicking the 'view wireless network' link just brings up a message saying that Windows can't configure the wireless connection. It does suggest that if another program has been enabled to manage the connection, we should use that.

Rummaging through the Start menu and System Tray reveals an icon that, when the mouse is hovered over it, says 'Wireless is turned off'. Clicking it once displays a menu with a 'turn wireless on' option. Selecting that throws up yet another message, 'The Intel Wireless Connection is still disabled. Use your hardware switch to enable it'. The manual eventually coughs up the answer - one of the five unlabelled buttons along the top of the keyboard turns on the wireless features. Then it's back to the System Tray icon, where a quick double-click is supposed to scan for available networks. Even though the Megabook is two feet away from our wireless router, it can't find it. Restarting the machine solves the problem and establishes the connection, but the whole experience has been a tangled mess - and it still hasn't solved the lack of anti-virus software. For that you have to go back into the Security Center and go online where you'll find a selection of useful free trials provided by Microsoft's partners.

Later it turns out that the Megabook does include Norton Internet Security 2005 and a 90-day trial subscription - it's just not mentioned anywhere.

Finally, there's another message - system updates are ready to be downloaded; fortunately, this takes less than 20 minutes all told.

With the MacBook it's a rather different story. The Desktop appears with the dock in place and a single window that's got a bunch of folders in it. There's nothing to tell us what to do next, but because we're already connected wirelessly, a Software Update window appears inviting us to download a selection of updates that have been made available since our Mac was shipped. On broadband this is a relatively trivial chore, but it's utterly hopeless for modem users since the updates are huge - over half a gigabyte - and according to Apple, can't be ordered on CD so there's no alternative. Even on the fastest broadband connections, downloading 500MB of files is going to take a while.

There's no equivalent of the Windows XP tour, but the MacBook does include a decent help file which lays out the main features in chapter form. It is easy to understand and navigate. There's also help on the Apple site but you have to look for it.

Internet and email

Having negotiated the wireless network setup, there's no appreciable difference between the Megabook and the MacBook and their respective web browsers, Internet Explorer and Safari. Mac users who set up a .Mac account will find that their new email address works straight away, but those with existing accounts will have to set up their email programs by typing in the relevant information. Although this requires a fair amount of SMTP-style gobbledegook, it's all stuff readily available from your internet provider. It's the same for both machines.

Software and drives

In terms of software, the Megabook adds Cyberlink's DVD player, Intel's wireless networking and some Bluetooth software to the standard Windows programs. That means out of the box it's fine for web browsing and emails, editing simple movies with Movie Maker, writing CDs with Media Player, managing photos and creating simple documents. The MacBookÕs equivalent creative applications - iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD - are more sophisticated, and you also get iWeb for creating websites and GarageBand for producing original music, home movie soundtracks, podcasts and so on. Elsewhere, Apple offers a 30-day trial of iWork, the combined name for a presentation program (Keynote) and Pages, a cross between a desktop publishing program and a word processor. In neither case is the manufacturer keen to load you up with free software beyond what's included in the operating system.

Both machines are equiped with DVD drives, and Apple's built-in player software turns the Macbook into a better-than-average portable DVD player. The Windows machine suffers from Windows Media Player's intention to become the default player for of every piece of media it can find.

Both computers love USB memory sticks and digital cameras. They recognised them instantly, loaded the appropriate software and made it simple to transfer pictures on and off the hard disk.

Don't worry about a thing

Although we experienced some obvious Windows-related hiccups with the Megabook, there's nothing here to frighten off a new user who reads the instructions, sets aside enough time to follow them, and is able to work out problems calmly and logically (or has the phone number of someone who can). The MacBook is almost graceful - not something you can often say about a computer - and by providing the hardware, the operating system and all the programs that it runs, Apple is able to deliver a much more joined-up first-time experience. This comes at a price though - if we were comparing £500 notebooks there would just be a Mac-shaped hole. We have plenty more to say about how both operating systems work.

The one lesson to take away from all of this is that setting up a new notebook computer shouldn't be a terrifying experience. Both machines are well packaged, and by working through the process calmly and slowly, you will get there in the end. As with many tasks like this, one of the best tactics is to have the kettle on standby - most things seem more straightforward after a cuppa.

Written by Rob Beattie for Computeactive magazine

This article was created: 28 November 2006.
This article was last edited: 4 January 2007.

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