Over the past couple of years, OIT has streamlined the macOS setup process. In most cases, you can set up your new Mac by yourself! Here's how to do that.
The entire process takes about 15-30 minutes in total, depending on the speed of your internet connection. You'll need to make sure you meet these requirements:
- If you're setting up a laptop, plug in the power adapter.
- You'll need an available internet connection.
- If you're off-campus, you can use a wired or wireless connection.
- If you're on-campus, you'll need to use a wired connection. The sjuwireless and eduroam networks cannot be used to set up a new Mac.
First, boot up the Mac. You'll see an Apple logo and a progress bar.
You'll be prompted for your country. Click United States, then click Continue.
If prompted for your keyboard layout, choose U.S. and click Continue.
Next, you should be presented with the following Remote Management screen. Click Continue.
If this screen does not appear:
- Make sure you're connected to the internet.
- Click the Back button, then click Continue again. Sometimes, it can take a couple of tries for this screen to show.
- Shut down the computer by typing Command-Q and clicking Shut Down. Turn on the computer and try again.
If you're unable to get the Remote Management screen to appear, please reach out to IT for assistance. Without this screen, you will not be able to finish the setup process.
You'll be prompted for your SJU username and password. Enter those, then click Sign In (do not include the @sju.edu in your username).
You might be asked if you want to restore data from a Time Machine backup, a Windows PC, etc. Select Don't transfer any information now and click Continue.
Also, you might be prompted for your time zone. If so, please select a city in the Eastern time zone, such as Philadelphia or New York.
Finally, you should see a couple of screens that indicate that your Mac is being set up.
The screen might go dark for a few seconds - this is normal. Please don't touch the power button or close the laptop lid.
After a few moments, you should see this screen. Please enter your full SJU email address, and click Next. You'll be prompted for your password - enter that too, then click Sign in.
After logging in, you'll see a screen like this one. Please wait a few moments for this to complete.
Finally, you'll be brought to the desktop. You'll see a notification in the upper-right corner that your computer is finishing up, but you can use it in the meantime.
In your Applications folder, you can open Managed Software Center to track the progress of the remaining software that's being installed, including Microsoft Office and Google Chrome. You can also use Managed Software Center to install additional applications that you might need, such as Google Drive. For more information on Managed Software Center, please see this article.
If this is replacing an older computer, you'll want to restore your data using Code42.
Although it's not required, we recommend restarting your computer once everything has been installed.