Setting up a new macbook pro for FCP

Hi All,

My venerable Powerbook G4 has served me well, but with a big XDCAM project coming up I decided it's time to update......

So I have ordered a new Macbook Pro (2.8ghz, 320 GB 7200rpm, 4GB ram)....

My Powerbook is fairly well set up and organised, but still running Tiger and FCP 5.1.4.

I will be upgrading to the latest FCS Studio software etc.....

Does anyone have any tips / suggestions on how they would set up and organise a brand new computer from scratch?

I plan to start afresh rather than try to import any settings etc from my Powerbook.

Any must have software or utilities? Plugins? Disk partitions? What user accounts would you recommend?

Bascially I want to set it up as well as possible at the beginning......

thanks in advance....

PW

No real need to over think this thing. Your macbook is not that fragile.

One thing you should do is immediately erase and reformat your Hard Drive and then reinstall your OS with the disk it came with. Do a custom install and don't install all the print drivers and languages you won't use in there.

After that, update your OS with software update to latest version.

Then install your apps from the original disks and upgrade them to latest version. If you lost the disks then use the migration assistant to get them over.

No need for a disk partition unless you want one. Some will argue for it but I see little need for it.

Are you only one using the MBP? If so that's it for user accounts.

If you are upgrading to FCS from FCP 5 simply install FCP from the old disc and then upgrade from there. Or there is this system ID thing you can do. Forget how to do that.

Plug-ins? Throw em all in there if thats what you like. Only a few times do plug-ins cause a problem and thats usually after an update. Takes awhile for FCP to boot up though if you have a gazillion of them.

Anyway after all is done, repair your permissions for the heck of it.

Michael Horton
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Michael's completely right, but I differ slightly when it comes to partitions. I've gotten into the habit of always keeping two system disks at all times, one for the version of Mac OS X and Final Cut I'm currently using, and one for the version I'm upgrading to between projects.

Laptop drives are pretty big nowadays; I think Apple ships 320 GB drives in all the MacBook Pros. If I were setting one up from scratch, I'd consider partitioning that drive in half. One one partition, I'd install 10.5.5 and 6.0.5 (or whatever the current versions are; it's early and my brain is foggy). The other partition I'd leave empty until 10.5.6 and 6.0.6 come out, or whatever. Then I'd install them on that partition from scratch, and run it while keeping my old partition around in case I run into problems. Sooner or later the 10.5.6 partition will be where I spend all my time, and then eventually 10.5.7 will come out. I'd erase the now-unnecessary 10.5.5 partition and use it for a fresh install of 10.5.7 and 6.0.7 or whatever, to try them out while keeping my 10.5.6 partition to fall back on. Sort of a revolving-door of system volumes.

That's how I arranged my Mac Pro, except with a 750 GB system disk partitioned down into quarters. Right now one has 10.5.5, one has 10.5.4 (from which I upgraded about a week and a half ago), and one has a cobwebby old 10.5.3 that I haven't booted in months and months. But if I ever need it, it's there.

What Mike said. No need to over think. Update ALL OS-related apps before installing FCS2. No partitions needed unless you have a situation like Jeff. I personally like one OS on one hard drive. My MBP with a second 24" monitor carries my editing / compositing load with no issues whatsoever. It's a monster. I hardly use my tower anymore.

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

I'm using a mac book pro with all the latest and it is great - Joe what is an MBP?

If you're the only one using the computer, but you'll also use it for personal stuff, make two accounts. One for personal stuff, where you can have all the cool things running in the background, and one where you only edit, and have nothing else running. It's good for having one place that runs a bit smoother and more simply, as well as encouraging you to focus on your work, instead of surfing the internet.

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www.JamesNWeber.com - Socially Aware Media

and introducing-
www.FCPTutorials.com - One source for all Final Cut Tutorials

uhhh... MBP = MacBook Pro

Oh Right... Cheers - with so much technical terminology and a plethora of product names made up of alphabetical and numerical combinations it is easy to confuse such information.

Quote

Joe what is an MBP?

It could stand for Meat Ball Parmesan...depending on if it's lunch or not

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.