Question about resetting MacBook

[iHackedit]

So I'm planing on buying a MacBook in a year or two and I'm getting a refurbished one because they're cheaper because I'm fourteen and don't get money via a job. I am able to get a job at the start of two thousand and twelve. But my question is how do you completely reset it like so it has all of the files needed to run and that's all (buy a new comp and you turn it on and it guides you through setup) I want to know this because it will
Already be used and I want that "new laptop experience"

[bicostp]

Format the entire hard drive and reinstall Snow Leopard off the install media. That's all Macs usually come from the factory with.

If you buy a refurb from Apple's website they should have already done this for you.

[iHackedit]

Oh.
Okay thats simple enough.
When you turn on a Mac computer/laptop for the first time does it say hello or welcome in every language?

[jdmlight]

Oh.
Okay thats simple enough.
When you turn on a Mac computer/laptop for the first time does it say hello or welcome in every language?

If you get it refurbished or new from Apple, yes.

[iHackedit]

Same packaging and manuals and reset disc/usb as brand new?
And thanks a lot guys

[Haunted360]

Chuck OS X Leopard in, and then select Disc Utilities on the main bar at the top. Format, and create a new partition called Mac OS or whatever you want. Then, continue installing. Once done, download ALL the updates you can for it...

[bicostp]

Oh.
Okay thats simple enough.
When you turn on a Mac computer/laptop for the first time does it say hello or welcome in every language?

Yes, that's what reinstalling off the disc will accomplish. Same as reinstalling Windows off the disc, it loads the out-of-box experience introductory blah blah blah on the first boot.

[jdmlight]

Same packaging and manuals and reset disc/usb as brand new?
And thanks a lot guys

No, refurbished comes in a plain cardboard box with custom-cut foam packing (not the box that says "Macbook" with the picture on the outside). You get everything else it originally came with though (reset DVDs, power cord, etc).

However for the difference in price (and the non-difference in ... well everything else) between refurbished and new, you'll be fine without the pretty box.

[iHackedit]

Great, I'm set Thanks everyone but this is my last question; what should I get?
I mean the Macbook Air and the original Macbook cost the same but that just makes me more confused.
Original Macbook has a speedy 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo and a 250 GB HD
But the Macbook Air has 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor but has 64 GB Flash Storage which I'm being told makes it fast.
Please help me I'm super confused D:

[bicostp]

You can always put a SATA SSD into a regular MacBook. There's no way simply adding an SSD makes the Air as fast as the MacBook, which is 1000 mhz faster. Plus, in a couple years SSDs will come down further in price.

The Air costs more for less capable hardware because it's shiny.

Honestly if you're looking at secondhand Macbook Airs you might as well just get a ThinkPad x120e and Hackintosh it. [/lenovofanboy]

[vskid]

Or you could get a real laptop with 2 hard drive bays like mine and have a HDD and SSD for the best of both worlds. (I don't have an SSD, or anything, in the second bay, though...)

Unless you really need a laptop as thin as the Air (does anyone?), I would get the regular Macbook. The SSD will help stuff load fast, but the CPU will choke it when it actually has to do something, especially in comparison to the Macbook's CPU.

[iHackedit]

Yeah and I was looking and the air is so small it can't fit much ports on it's side. Macbook it is then
Edit: I also want to dual boot windows and mac, should I still get the SATA SSD for windows or not?

[bicostp]

An SSD will work just like any other hard drive, the OS running on it won't know the difference.

It will definitely work, but you might run into space issues. High capacity SSDs are expensive, and looking at smaller ones you might as well just get a good 7200 RPM hard drive like a Western Digital Scorpio. (A 320 gig laptop drive should cost around $50, 500 gigs for around $70.)

[Harlequin]

I would think twice before getting anything labeled Mac.

Macbooks are notorious for the "black screen of death" and unless you want to occasionally strip down your Macbook and blast it with a heat gun on the 50/50 chance that it will either kill it or fix it, you might want to consider something else.

I have one in my closet right now waiting for the heat gun

Alternatively, if you really really want a Mac, save up the money, get a new one, buy the extended warranty to the max that they allow and breath easy. Most fail after about 2 years and then require you to buy a new one (sounds kind of like iPods) but if you have 3 years of warranty, you get a refurb or new one that will last you another 1-2 years when it dies just outside of your extended warranty.

[jdmlight]

I would think twice before getting anything labeled Mac.

Macbooks are notorious for the "black screen of death" and unless you want to occasionally strip down your Macbook and blast it with a heat gun on the 50/50 chance that it will either kill it or fix it, you might want to consider something else.

I have one in my closet right now waiting for the heat gun

Alternatively, if you really really want a Mac, save up the money, get a new one, buy the extended warranty to the max that they allow and breath easy. Most fail after about 2 years and then require you to buy a new one (sounds kind of like iPods) but if you have 3 years of warranty, you get a refurb or new one that will last you another 1-2 years when it dies just outside of your extended warranty.

Um wat? Macs certainly don't all fail within 2 years. I have many, many old ones that are still happily chugging along, including an iBook G3 from 2001 that works great (aside from being slow compared to modern standards), a Powermac G4 from 2001 that is happily being a NAS running 24/7, an iMac G3 from 1999 for forum browsing on my workbench, and a Macintosh LC III from 1993 which is nice for playing awesome old games.

In fact, aside from really cheap hardware from brands like Gateway, any modern computer will last a long time if you treat it well.

I would never recommend an extended warranty unless you're really paranoid. They're just a way for retailers to pad sales and increase profits. I work at Target and even though our extended warranties are not terribly expensive, they're still a waste of money. My managers know this and have explicitly told me this, and explained to me this is why they love them so much, as they're almost pure profit. I have heard of only one or two customers using them. As an example, my parents insisted on getting the 3-year extended warranty on my Macbook Pro, and it was quite a waste of money. Literally nothing has gone wrong in the three years I've owned it.

But anyway, back on topic.

Great, I'm set Thanks everyone but this is my last question; what should I get?
I mean the Macbook Air and the original Macbook cost the same but that just makes me more confused.
Original Macbook has a speedy 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo and a 250 GB HD
But the Macbook Air has 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor but has 64 GB Flash Storage which I'm being told makes it fast.
Please help me I'm super confused D:

If you don't need the super-portability of the 11" Air, just get the 13" Macbook for the faster processor, bigger hard drive, and optical drive. (not to mention user-upgradeable RAM)