New System Setup

Okay, by popular demand (meaning I had one request), I’m going to create my log for setting up my new system.  This is really going to be step by step.  Part for your reference, part for mine.

Editor’s Note: While all steps are performed I am listening to Ramsey Lewis, Dexter Gordon, and other great jazz on the turntable.  I think it helps.

Here goes:

1. Unbox the beast
2. Connect Monitors
3. Fire it up
4. Go through the OS X setup screens, get on the network
5. Install ALL software updates (including 10.6.3)
6. Shut down
7. Add 3 1TB hard drives from newegg.com
8. Boot up, one drive is bad
9. Shut down, remove all 3 drives, add 1
10. Repeat step 9 to isolate bad drive
11. Format the 2 good drives (wait to RAID until the bad one has been replaced)
12. Shut down
13. Install 2 el cheapo Firewire cards from newegg.com with no problems
14. Install drivers & software for M-Audio Project Mix I/O
15. Shut down, connect & power on Project Mix I/O
16. Restart MacPro, configure audio in system settings & M-Audio control panel (no problems)
17. Install Final Cut Studio 3, which is going MUCH faster from the discs than it did on my office Quad-Core late ’08 Mac Pro

I also rearranged my desk a bit while updates were downloading in step 5.  I’ll post pics tomorrow (don’t want to hook up my iPhone to this computer

- keeping it production only!).  Reconfigured my piles of decks.  I need to get a nice equipment rack.  Been watching craigslist, let a couple go by that I should have jumped on.  Oh well.

That’s where I’m at tonight, going to get FCS finished up and updating before I go to bed.  I’ll pick up tomorrow night with the installation of Aperture 3, Shake 4.1, Logic Studio, and the Adobe stuff.  All told, I’m extremely happy thus far, I’ve had no issues at all yet except for the DOA HDD. Honestly, I was nervous about the M-Audio stuff.  My G5 didn’t like it at all.  Happy camper.