Newbie Question

[Geekboy]

Believe it or not I'm about to buy an iMac this weekend and I'm upgrading from my current OS9 G4 667 mhz tower that I've had for over seven years!

I have a DSL modem and Belkins wireless router that connects my pathetic pc using daughters with their laptops and desktop computers and my pathetic laptop wifes Dell laptop computer.

How difficult is it going to be for me to connect to the internet and my email when I unplug his ancient Mac I've had and want to connect to the internet.

Will I be facing anything that might be strange and mysterious. I'm not that computer savy. Any suggestions and ideas will be greatly and eternally appreciated!

 

[gehrbox]

Knock knock...

If your wireless router is not using using WEP or WPA security your Mac should connect automatically. If you setup the wireless router security with WPA or WEP then you will need to choose your network and enter the security passcode/key for access to the router.

 

[richard.mac]

the iMacs are great all-in-one machines good choice!

if you want to connect to your router wirelessly via Airport just boot up the machine and after you enter all your registration info in Setup Assistant it will ask you for your wireless network password and then your ready to go!

but if you want to be wired to your router for more reliability and network speeds its even easier! just plug an ethernet cord from the router to your iMac and it should work instantly.

 

[Geekboy]

the iMacs are great all-in-one machines good choice!

if you want to connect to your router wirelessly via Airport just boot up the machine and after you enter all your registration info in Setup Assistant it will ask you for your wireless network password and then your ready to go!

but if you want to be wired to your router for more reliability and network speeds its even easier! just plug an ethernet cord from the router to your iMac and it should work instantly.

A little confused because I'm clueless. I intend to hook up my dsl modem and Belkins wireless router exactly how it's connected to my dinosaur G4 Mac to my new OSX iMac.

Will the new iMac recognize everything or will I have to enter certain information for it to work? Again.....I'm a newbie and don't understand much.

 

[richard.mac]

well youve got a wireless router and the iMac has an Airport card so you can either connect to your router wirelessly or have a wired connection with an ethernet cable.

to connect wirelessly either input your wireless password into the Setup Assistant when it asks or select your network from the Airport menu in the menu bar and then enter your password.

to have a wired connection just run a ethernet cable from the router to your iMac.

in both cases the router should automatically assign an IP address to your iMac and you should connect to the internet. easy!

and also just a few tips. if you are having trouble connecting to the internet click "Assist Me…" in Network preferences and then click "Diagnostics" it will tell you whats wrong with your connection and then report back.

also as soon as you are connected make sure you turn on the Firewall by selecting "Allow essential services" under the Firewall tab in Security preferences.