Making the switch to Mac from pc

Hey gang, I've had enough of microsoft and windows. It seems like everytime I get and install a windows update, my system gets worse. At this point it's very unstable and always crashing/rebooting. That, and viruses and maintaining all the various programs that go along with windows (ad-aware, spybot, norton anti virus) have forced me over the edge.
I figure most of my software won't work with the new window's vista, so it's time to move to Apple. I hope some of you can answer some questions for me.
1. I'm taking online college courses and it says that I can use Firefox for my browser, so I assume all should be well with my mac and the classes? I can't imagine it wouldn't.
2. I have to uses ms word, powerpoint and excel for school and work, so I will buy it for mac. If I create a document on the mac using ms word, excel or powerpoint, will I be able to access/modify it on a pc using the pc versions of these programs? I have to use a pc at work and the ability for these two systems using the same programs to be compatible is imperative.
3. Last but not least, I use a program that came with my camera, it's called Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0 It says its for windows or macintosh, but it's probably 5 years old. Do you think it would work with a new version of mac?
Thanks in advance, I'm a total knothead when it comes to computers and need all the help I can get.
Steve

My wife recently started taking on-line classes. She was a diehard Windows user for years, but she was tired of the maintenance, and wanted a machine just for school. She has run into only a few obstacles. Her institution uses Blackboard. Blackboard works fine with Safari, but does not provide the advanced editing tools that are available in Internet Explorer. The recent Firefox betas provide the advanced editing tools that her PC counterparts see, so the final version (due soon) should work even better.
With MS Office... She is using Office 2004, and it has worked OK. In the preferences, it is possible to set it so that it saves with the ".doc" extension by default. If you let it save in its normal format, it does not include the extension. If you upload the file for Windows users, they will complain that they can't open it. It is also possible to automatically save in older formats with an extension in Office 2008... Office 2007/2008 save in the DOCX format, which is not even remotely compatible with older versions.
As a "just in case"... She has a copy of Windows XP in Parallels with Office 2003. She has not had to use this, but it's there, just in case. We maxed out the RAM in her Macbook to 4GB ($100 from Crucial), and it is more than fast enough.
As a new Mac user, I would check out: NeoOffice, OpenOffice 3 (beta), VirtualBox...
My photos are my most important files, and I have been taking digital pictures since long before it was popular. My collection goes back to 1996, and I have about 20,000 pictures and short video clips- mostly of the kids. I presently use iPhoto for managing my archives, and for making minor adjustments. I would not use anything else... When I need to make major changes, I use the Gimp. It is not an Apple application, and I became familiar with it in my Linux days. Check it out- It may or may not work for your needs.
Steve

Similar Messages

I have made the switch to MAC from PC and I use Sony cameras/video recorders. I used the Sony PMB program to store all photos and videos. Now I need to transfer my photos and videos over to my MAC and I do not know how to do this as PMB is not supported

I need to transfer all my photos and videos from my old PC stored in the SONY PMB program to my new fabulous MAC desktop. I do not know how I can do this. Plus for future photos/videos, how can I upload them from Sony products ?
Please help me
PS I just purchased the computer yesterday so it has the most current operating system

The Apple Support Communities are an international user to user technical support forum. As a man from Mexico, Spanish is my native tongue. I do not speak English very well, however, I do write in English with the aid of the Mac OS X spelling and grammar checks. I also live in a culture perhaps very very different from your own. When offering advice in the ASC, my comments are not meant to be anything more than helpful and certainly not to be taken as insults.
Do you know where the actual photo files are located on your laptop? If so, you can transfer them to the Mac over a LAN or by saving them to an external HDD, thumb drive or burning them to a disk. Then you can import the photos to the iPhoto app that came on your new Mac.
It would be the same process for the videos, however, it would depend what type of video files they are, as to which Mac app might allow you to view them.
BTW, since your Mac is new you need to Accept the iLife apps; iPhoto, GarageBand and iMovie into your Mac App Store/iTunes account. Open the MAS, sign into you account, go to the Purchased pane and accept the apps.

I just made the switch to mac. I am have installed all the new PS6 CC and bridge and I am now trying to add some presets to my ACR but when I search for the folder to place them it is not there. From what I researched it says it should be under camera l

I just made the switch to mac. I am have installed all the new PS6 CC and bridge and I am now trying to add some presets to my ACR but when I search for the folder to place them it is not there. From what I researched it says it should be under camera library/application support/adobe/camera raw/settings but I can only get to library/application support/adobe/ and then there are two different camera raw options I have checked both and there are not settings folder. If anyone can help me please thanks

Apple most likely has the same poor taste that Microsoft does when it come to defaults. Microsoft likes to hide things like settings, preset, folders etc from normal users think the dumb or something else. If Apple also hide things you will have to make some system setting changes that will allow Finder to do it job and find it for you.

Switching to mac from pc itunes question.

I have an @#$load of movies, songs etc from itunes on my pc. I was thinking of finally making the switch to a Mac. Will I be able to copy my itunes files over? If so what would be the easiest way to do it? If I copied everything to an external drive will that work from pc to Mac?
Thanks for any help.

Is your " @#$load of movies, songs etc " all in the same folder, with iTunes default preferences?

Making the switch - any suggestions?

So, I did it. I finally ordered a Mac (Mini) and am making the switch from MS/Intel to Apple. My Mini isn't even here yet (due next week), but I have been browsing the forums here to get an idea of any pitfalls I need to avoid, suggestions that look like a good idea, etc...
So, I ask the forum -- what do you suggest? I am fairly computer-literate (built my last PC from pieces), but have absolutely no experience with Apple/Mac/OS X...
Any books to learn the new lingo? Any apps that will make the transition a little smoother? While I am excited in the switch, there is some trepidation in learning a new language...
Thanks in advance...
mac mini, 1.66 Core 2 Duo, 2 Gb RAM Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Blankmange, welcome! And congrats on your choice to switch.
We can probably give tips that are better directed if you tell us a bit about how you used your PC, what programs and tasks you did with it, etc. And what you want to do with your new Mac.
Some tips up front:
1) The Mac equivalent of CTL-ALT-DEL to get the attention of a non-responsive program is Apple-Option-ESC. Or WinKey-Alt-ESC, if you are using Windows keyboard. The "Apple" key is also referred to as the "Cmd" or "Command" key. Or the "squiggle" key.
2) Don't rename your home folder, ie the one with the House icon.
3) Stay out of the iPhoto Library folder. It's contents are best used via the iPhoto program.
A thread on how to be a smart Mac user here:
http://discussions.apple.com/click.jspa?searchID=-1&messageID=4086431
4) 512 Meg RAM on an Intel Mac is not a good match for MS Office. Need 1 Gig for decent performance. With 2 Gig, the Mini really shows its stuff when running multiple apps.
5) The equivalent of the Windows Control Panel is Apple Menu > System Preferences.
6) Unless you have more than 512 Meg RAM memory, don't get carried away with running "Dashboard Widgets". They can consume a fair amount of memory, and slow down your system.
7) You can use a two-button mouse with scroll wheel. The right mouse button will supply "context-sensitive" menus, which can be a real time saver.
8) The equivalent of "Properties" is "Get Info".
9) The equivalent of "Shortcut" is "Make Alias". Aliases have a little arrow in the bottom left corner of their icons. Be sure to note this, so that you can tell the difference between an alias and the original. Copying an alias will not make a copy of the original, only a copy of the alias. Deleting an alias will leave the original intact. Deleting the original, deletes your data.
10) The Mac has a very efficient virtual memory system and file system, and you usually don't need to concern yourself with either. Just make sure you leave 10% or more of your hard disk free, so that the OS has elbow room. The OS will even keep your disk defragmented automatically if you give it enough room to work.
11) If you buy external storage, firewire is much preferred to usb. Will be substantially faster. A dual-interface (Firewire+USB) will give maximum flexibility for devices that need to be used with PCs and Macs.
12) My personal opinion is that Norton Anti-virus is not a good choice for OSX. It hooks deep into the OS, and appears to be correlated with a number of mysterious problems reported here. Clam-AV would be a safer choice -- though most Mac users don't run any anti-virus, including yours truly. I would recommend that you turn on the Apple firewall and/or use a router with firewall protection.
13) Have a look at the free NeoOffice suite, if you'd like to keep some money in your pocket instead of giving it to Bill Gates: http://neooffice.org Reads and writes MS formats. Produces great PDFs, too. I exchange documents with many organizations using NeoOffice; never had a bit of problem.

Teacher switching to Mac from PC--but worried about difficulty transferring Microsoft Office files?

Hey everyone,
I'm a high school English teacher, and recently my PC at home died after only two years. I'm really wanting to switch over to Apple products, but I'm not sure about the combination of machines to buy and I'm concerned about how easily my 3,000+ Microsoft Office-based files I use every day at work will be transferred to a Mac. I'd really appreciate any advice you may have about your experience using both types of machines!
Issue #1: The first thing I'm unsure about is what combination of machines to buy from Apple. I absolutely am getting an iPad, for the portability and because I love my Iphone but want a larger interface on which to use my educational apps. However, I'm really torn between getting a Mac Pro desktop or the much smaller, much more expensive, but much more portable Macbook Pro laptop. My husband is a gamer (he loves Starcraft!) and his only criteria for our new machine is that it will play his games. Both the Mac Pro and Macbook Pro have the capabilities to play the graphics-heavy game, but I don't know if I want to go back to a desktop computer after having the easy of a laptop at home for two years. Any profession swear one way or the other? Please give me your reasons for your preference! I'd love to hear.
Issue #2: The other thing I'm nervous about is transferring all of the 3,000+ files from my school PC to a Macbook or Mac so I can work on them at home and not have to haul the PC to and from school. I've transferred what I could to Google Drive, but I'm not keen on switch over to Drive completely because it doesn't give me the flexibility that working with Word does. I'd like to know how the transition from PC to Mac is when it comes to Word, PowerPoint, Publisher, and Excel files, since I'll be creating them on the PC at school and continuing work on the Macbook or Mac Pro at home. Is it difficult transition? Please let me know...again, I appreciate your responses.
Thanks very much,
Mrs. Tripp

I think you should purchase the MacBook Pro, because as you stated you are accustomed to using a laptop, or if you would like a desk-top consider the iMac over the Mac Pro (To much for your needs). Both computers can handle your requirements regarding the MS Office files you would need to purchase the Mac version of MS Office.
Starcraft will work on a Mac, another option you have with a Mac, it is possible to run Windows via BootCamp or a software solution like Parallels Desktop and VMWare.
This link will help you with the switch to Mac, http://www.apple.com/support/macbasics/
PS. Welcome to the club!

Switched to MAC from Windows

Help. I switched to MAC from Windows XP. I understand that you have to restore the settings so IPOD nano however by doing this it appears that I lose everything. How can I save all music that is saved to my NANO so I do not lose it?

If you moved all your data from your PC to your Mac, especially the music library for iTunes, then all you need to do is load your music into the Mac version of iTunes, re-create your playlists, and then connect the nano. The fact that the nano will be erased when you re-format it for Mac isn't a problem, providing you've already loaded your music into the Mac's iTunes. Once you reformat, you just sync with iTunes and all the music is put back on the nano.
Doc

Making the switch finally

Hi everyone. After almost a decade of designing my websites
in Front Page my employees have finally convinced me to make the
switch to Dreamweaver. We will be upgrading to CS4 Design Premium
at the beginning of the year, and to say I'm a bit "worried" would
be an understatement.
I have built over 400 websites, and we currently
host/maintain almost 200 sites for our 140+ clients. My staff is
trained in Dreamweaver so they are very excited about finally
making the switch. I myself am self-taught and can build a FP site
in my sleep. I have taught FP, trained staff and colleagues, etc. I
am VERY comfortable in FP, and have won over 30 awards for my
designs in FP (thank goodness and can read/write some code in code
view). So to toot my own horn, I am very comfortable/confident in
FP and have always been a fan of the software. I have always told
people that it is not the software that builds the site, but the
designer and the software is just a tool to get it done.
But after much debating, thinking, researching, etc... we are
finally ready to take the plunge. I am obviously nervous leaning
new software, and being able to keep up with our steady work
(exisiting and new clients) and really cannot afford to have much
downtime in the way of a learning curve.
I have started the Lynda.com training, and that is making me
sleepy. As great as I'm sure the training is, I feel like I'll be
listening to that forever. I have DW already on my computer and
thought I'd just jump right in, but find the UI so different that
I'm a bit overwhelmed.
So I thought I'd come join the forum, as hearing from others
is often such a better learning method for me. I will continue my
training at lynda.com as well as a few other tutorials I've seen
around the way... but wanted to ask a few quesitons to the experts
here...
1. What software/training program would you guys recommend
for learning DW for someone already very familiar with building
websites (I'm finding that the Lynda.com training is geared to
beginners and I'm forced to re-learn things I already know)?
2. What is the best method for changing from FP to DW?
Meaning, is there software or a plug-in available that I can
import/transition my exisiting FP sites to DW? With so many sites,
just this task alone seems almost impossible.
3. Currently we use Xara Webstyle for our drop down menus. I
have been using this program for years and years, and it
quickly/easily creates javascript drop down menus for our sites.
Easy to use, easy to edit, inexpensive and works in FP almost
seamlessly. When we switch over to DW I'd like to use something
more search engine friendly - do you guys have anything you
recommend?
4. For once we are up and running on DW, what else do you
guys recommend?
TIA for your help!

> 1. What software/training program would you guys
recommend for learning DW
> for
> someone already very familiar with building websites
(I'm finding that the
> Lynda.com training is geared to beginners and I'm forced
to re-learn
> things I
> already know)?
Discard this idea completely. Learn HTML and CSS. That's
really a key to
the effective use of DW. Forget the tool. Learn the
technology.
> 2. What is the best method for changing from FP to DW?
Meaning, is there
> software or a plug-in available that I can
import/transition my exisiting
> FP
> sites to DW? With so many sites, just this task alone
seems almost
> impossible.
Before doing anything else, take a couple of weeks to
gothrough the DW
tutorials, and also to study HTML and CSS. The more you know
about those,
the easier your transition will be. DW expects alot more from
you than FP
did, and as a result, you may find it much more frustrating
to have the raw
reality of web development staring you in the face rather
than the wizards
of FP.
> Is there a way to convert a Frontpage site into a
> Dreamweaver site
1. I'd define a Dreamweaver site that points to a location on
your hard
drive for the local site's root, and to the current FP site
on the web as
the remote site
2. I'd use Dreamweaver (if your host supports FTP
connections) to download
the remote site to the root of the site you just defined on
the hard drive.
This will pick up all the pages *after* webbot action so that
shared borders
and all are already present in the page HTML. This will also
pick up all of
the server scripting. Note - in the event that you are not
able to connect
using FTP since some FP hosts block that protocol, you will
have to use a
third party 'site copier' like Black Widow, QuadSucker, or
WebCopier, (or
even the DW extension called SiteAssist from WebAssist) to
connect and
download using http protocols. Doing it this way will *not*
retrieve any of
your server-script code, if any (unless you have used the
WebAssist
extension).
3. I'd create a DW template for the pages, that captures the
"shared
border"
effect you had in FP.
4. I'd copy and paste content from each FP pages to a new
template child
page and then save the new child page with an easily
identifiable
nomenclature that is distinct from what was used on the FP
site (since you
are saving the new child pages into the same local site as
the FP pages).
5. When the basic site is completed, I'd upload the new DW
pages to some
staging area/webspace, and by using the browser, I'd verify
that the site
(as it now exists remotely) is complete.
6. Then I'd create a *new* DW site in a new location on the
hard drive, and
connect to and download all the files from the staging site.
7. You can now delete the original FP site from your local
system if you
want.
You now have a complete site (minus any of the FP extension
server-side
code) that has no FP footprint.
If you have used any FP server extension functions on the
original FP site
(form processing, guestbooks, tables of contents, etc.), you
will have to
recreate those functions in DW using 3rd party scripts, or
scripts that you
write yourself.
> 3. Currently we use Xara Webstyle for our drop down
menus. I have been
> using
> this program for years and years, and it quickly/easily
creates javascript
> drop
> down menus for our sites. Easy to use, easy to edit,
inexpensive and
> works in
> FP almost seamlessly. When we switch over to DW I'd like
to use something
> more
> search engine friendly - do you guys have anything you
recommend?
I would not touch Xara with a ten foot pole, or any menu
system that writes
all-javascript menus. There are many reasons for this, but
accessability is
right at the top of the list.
Anyhow - check the uberlink and MacFly tutorials at PVII -
http://www.projectseven.com/
and the Navbar tutorial/articles at Thierry's place
http://tjkdesign.com/articles/dropdown/
Or this one (more recent article):
http://tjkdesign.com/articles/Pure_CSS_Dropdown_Menus.asp
Or to get it done fast, go here -
http://www.projectseven.com/tutorials/navigation/auto_hide/index.htm
> 4. For once we are up and running on DW, what else do
you guys recommend?
Keep coming here. 8)
Murray --- ICQ 71997575
Adobe Community Expert
(If you *MUST* email me, don't LAUGH when you do so!)
==================
http://www.projectseven.com/go
- DW FAQs, Tutorials & Resources
http://www.dwfaq.com - DW FAQs,
Tutorials & Resources
==================
"onelily" <[email protected]> wrote in
message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi everyone. After almost a decade of designing my
websites in Front Page
> my
> employees have finally convinced me to make the switch
to Dreamweaver. We
> will
> be upgrading to CS4 Design Premium at the beginning of
the year, and to
> say I'm
> a bit "worried" would be an understatement.
>
> I have built over 400 websites, and we currently
host/maintain almost 200
> sites for our 140+ clients. My staff is trained in
Dreamweaver so they
> are
> very excited about finally making the switch. I myself
am self-taught and
> can
> build a FP site in my sleep. I have taught FP, trained
staff and
> colleagues,
> etc. I am VERY comfortable in FP, and have won over 30
awards for my
> designs in
> FP (thank goodness and can read/write some code in code
view). So to toot
> my
> own horn, I am very comfortable/confident in FP and have
always been a fan
> of
> the software. I have always told people that it is not
the software that
> builds
> the site, but the designer and the software is just a
tool to get it done.
>
> But after much debating, thinking, researching, etc...
we are finally
> ready to
> take the plunge. I am obviously nervous leaning new
software, and being
> able
> to keep up with our steady work (exisiting and new
clients) and really
> cannot
> afford to have much downtime in the way of a learning
curve.
>
> I have started the Lynda.com training, and that is
making me sleepy. As
> great
> as I'm sure the training is, I feel like I'll be
listening to that
> forever. I
> have DW already on my computer and thought I'd just jump
right in, but
> find the
> UI so different that I'm a bit overwhelmed.
>
> So I thought I'd come join the forum, as hearing from
others is often such
> a
> better learning method for me. I will continue my
training at lynda.com as
> well
> as a few other tutorials I've seen around the way... but
wanted to ask a
> few
> quesitons to the experts here...
>
> 1. What software/training program would you guys
recommend for learning DW
> for
> someone already very familiar with building websites
(I'm finding that the
> Lynda.com training is geared to beginners and I'm forced
to re-learn
> things I
> already know)?
>
> 2. What is the best method for changing from FP to DW?
Meaning, is there
> software or a plug-in available that I can
import/transition my exisiting
> FP
> sites to DW? With so many sites, just this task alone
seems almost
> impossible.
>
>
> 3. Currently we use Xara Webstyle for our drop down
menus. I have been
> using
> this program for years and years, and it quickly/easily
creates javascript
> drop
> down menus for our sites. Easy to use, easy to edit,
inexpensive and
> works in
> FP almost seamlessly. When we switch over to DW I'd like
to use something
> more
> search engine friendly - do you guys have anything you
recommend?
>
> 4. For once we are up and running on DW, what else do
you guys recommend?
>
> TIA for your help!
>

I am using duel thunderbolt displays with a MacBook Pro. I only have the option to have sound come from one or the other. Has anyone thought of making the left channel come from both speakers on the left Monitor and the same of the right? If yes, how is t

I am using duel thunderbolt displays with a MacBook Pro. I only have the option to have sound come from one or the other. Has anyone thought of making the left channel come from both speakers on the left Monitor and the same of the right? If yes, how is that done? The MacBook Pro could even be a center channel if configured in that order.

See the following thread on the same topic:
2 Thunderbolt displays MBP = sound coming from both displays?

Making the switch from PC to Mac.

I am a dedicated Apple fan, to say the least. Like, I need a t-shirt and a tattoo. I have an iPod and iPhone currently and I've played a bit with the iPad but that's not what I'm asking.
My whole life I've had a PC. I hate Windows and PCs have always seem to fail me. I'm an extremely heavy computer user.
In school, I use Macs. I'm in Graphic Design. I also am a musician. I've been begging for one for a super long time. Now that I'm getting ready for college - a Mac could very well be my Christmas present.
In the past five years I've went through quite a few laptops due to Windows failing and what not, just dumb things that could happen I suppose. Being an Apple lover, I've heard that Macs are very could quality laptops, it's harder for them to get viruses, ect. Is it true?
Would it be worth it to make the switch?
What tips can you give?
& what antivirus software should be used for a Mac?
Previously, I used Norton and I haven't had too good of an experience.

Whereas no Windows computer would last very long without products like Norton, a Mac already includes all the protection it needs against viruses and malware. Norton a/k/a Symantec functions well on Windows PCs but it will cause no end of problems on a Mac.
A Mac is far removed from a Windows PC. It has always been so. Evolution of the two systems has been completely separate from the beginning, and have followed very different philosophies. Whereas OS X draws its roots from mainframe OS with multiple user accounts that must be separated from one another and the system that runs them, Windows took a very open approach from the beginning. It got much worse with Explorer and Active Destkop. Microsoft has been trying to shut the door on that Pandora's box of viruses and malware ever since.
Norton and its many Mac variants are one of the worst pieces of trash you can install on a Mac. All commercial Mac anti-virus software is superfluous and some of it is harmful. Apple Support Communities is full of horror stories describing the effects of installing such junk.
OS X already includes everything it needs to protect itself from viruses and malware. You don't need to buy anything else.
This is an interesting thread you might enjoy: Virus count?

Making the switch from Word to Pages

I'm trying to make the switch from Microsoft Word to Apple Pages. For my job, I push Word to the point of not working anymore with large, 150+page reports, that have many figures (images), tables and cross-references. I am trying to see if Apple pages will handle these documents any better than Word.
My problems are many, and any help would be very much appreciated.
I need to learn how to use the styles the right way,to set up my main report like so:
1. Heading Primary
     1.1 Heading Secondary
          Bodytextbodytextbodytext
     1.2 Heading Secondary
          Bodytextbodytextbodytext
          1.1.1 Heading 3rd
and so on. This can easily be done with the default heading tool and a simple press of the tab button-but I need to be able to change the font size on the different level headings, and the only way I can manage this is when I define each sub-heading as a different paragraph style (like 1.Heading 1 and 1.Heading 2), but it seems whenever I do this the table of contents has a hard time indenting the right topics.
Also, I'm not fully sure how to add captions to pictures and tables, and then how to below the table of contents make a list of figures and a list of tables, respectively. In word, it is as simple as inserting a caption and defining it as a figure or table.
Like I said, any help would be appreciated-I can't seem to pick these things up from tutorial videos or the user manual, so I've turned to the trusty Apple Support Community.
Thanks,
     -Skyler

Table of Contents doesn't adapt to the automatic lists numbering, sad to say. The TOC has it own Styles you can set.
For caption use a text box that you group with the image, table or any other object.
To make a list of images and tables you have to do them manually.
Pages doesn't have all the feature Word has.
Have you downloaded the Pages User Guide from your Pages Help menu?
There is a rather good boo you can get "The missing manual for iWork".

Maybe making the switch from AVID to FCP, would like some input please.

Happy T-Day to all. Would really appreciate any thoughts on this. I have many questions and need some answers from folks who are not always pushing AVID ( my vendor) I am a one man shop and use all Apple apps (LiveType, Motion, etc.) but have always stayed in my comfort zone with AVID Xpro and MOJO. Am thinking of going to Media Composer but after a few days of consideration and a trip to an Apple store, I may do a complete turn around and commot to FCP. Recently made the move to HD with the Sony XDCAM HD system. Here are my questions...plese be patient, this is a major move for me.
1. If I purchase a new Intel G-5, will the internal SATA drives be OK for 35MPS HD?
2. What AJA card or product should I buy so I can view HD SDI on a client monitor and output HD to a Sony XDCAM HD F-70 Deck?
3. What graphics card should I order on the new machine?
4. Can I use the FAM ( File Access Mode) to tranfer content?
5. Any other considerations when ordering the new Intel machine?
I know I have many questions, but I really believe it is time for me to make the move. Any help would be really appreciated. Thanks again.
Tdub

1. Yes, but just. You'd only get 1 stream. Faster drives would allow you to do more than one layer of real time playback. You could stripe more than one internal sata and get the job done that way.
2. Kona LHe will do this, however you'd gain the ability to upconvert and cross convert the video to just about any format with the Kona 3.
3.The X1900. Motion and some effects in FCP will take advantage of it... down the line FCP is likely to rely more on the GPU is an educated guess of mine. the top of the line card is faster, but not enough to substaniate the price if you're working in Video. If you were working in 3D CAD environments, then the top of the liner would be the best choice.
4.I don't use XDCAM here, so I'm presuming that you're talking about a transfer mode with that. I'm pretty sure FCP 5.1.2 added this capability. Might search the COW on this term in the FCP forum there. http://www.creativecow..net.
5.Working with HD and MPEG streams would leave me wanting the fastest of the three machines. You'll want 4 gigs of RAM, but it's less expensive from other than Apple. I know just how scary it can be to move to a new platform, and did exactly as you are contemplating when FCP 2 arrived. I've never looked back. Hang here once you get started, and we'll help you with the transition. There is a book out there in the pro training series from Apple/Peachpit on ediiting on FCP if you're coming from Avid. I'd recommend you get that book. Will ease the transition no doubt.
Hope you make the jump!
Jerry

Making the switch - but to where, and when?

Hi All
I'm a graphic designer who's been PC based for many years and am now ready to make the switch to a Mac. Almost 100% of my work is done with Adobe products and i'm looking at getting my new computer around the same time as when CS3 comes on the market. I do have a couple of questions that I'm hoping someone on here can help me out with...
My current machine has an AMD Athlon 64 processor, 2.40 GHz with 2GB Ram. I have an 80GB & 120GB harddrive with an increasingly unpredictable Windows XP. My graphics card is an NVIDIA GeForce4 MX4000.
I work with Photoshop and Illustrator for the majority of my work and providing i'm not doing anything too radical I get good performance out of both. I also work with After Effects 7, Premiere Pro 2.0 and Cinema 4D 10 and get satisfactory performance from these programs.
As my work is taking me further into the motion graphics and video side of things, I'm wanting my new machine to be optimized for these programs.
My main question is - will I achieve better results and faster rendering time with an iMac or will I need to go up to a MacPro to really see a difference?
I'm also wondering when is the best time to buy? The CS3 Master collection ships from June 1st - but I understand that Apple is coming out with its new operating system later this year. Should I hold out for this? Will there be new machines?
Ultimately I want to get everything ASAP but I also don't want to make such a large purchase only to have a better or more suitable model released soon after.
Would greatly appreciate any help/guidance in making this decision!
Cheers, Heath K.

Hi, if you look on page 5 you will see pretty much the questions you asked & the replies. In addition you will get answers from our tekky savvy mac users.
Mac's have a learning curve, not steep but definately there, the nuances of the OS are easily learnable just takes a little time. I am a professional photographer and switched to macs 2 years ago, no regrets. Buy Applecare, it's the best deal since sliced bread..I also keep my PC (Prostar) updated and ready to use as back-up...L

Switching To Mac From Windows?

First post here, so I'd firstly like to say Hello to everyone and wish them a happy new year
Basically, I'm curious to know if any of you have switched to a MAC from a Windows based machine, and if you found the transition easy and "complete" in the sense of not having to make many sacrifices.
Would also like to hear how someone with experience of both thinks they compare against one another?
Pros/Cons?
For someone that has been using Windows since Windows 3.1, I'm considering switching it up and getting a Mac Pro and ended up going for the 13 inch model with 2.6GHZ i5 and Iris 5100 Graphics + 512GB SSD. I remember a couple years ago at uni where I had to use a Mac a few times, and it drove me insane because I had no clue what was going on. I'm sure if I gave it some time I would have adjusted, but the initial "change" was unpleasant and I felt lost in comparison to how I know my way around Windows.
As a side note, the phones I was using were initially Windows Mobile based, then Android, but I have also owned a couple iPhones and Windows Phones. In my mind I likened a Mac to iPhone vs Android + (old) Windows Mobile, where the iPhone is more fluid and simple but with more of a lack of options and customization, whereas the Android OS and especially the old Windows Mobile were more clunky but you could more or less do anything you wanted on them.
I suppose I'm worried about having to give up some applications I've become accustomed to in windows and finding out that there are some things which just aren't possible, even though it's much prettier and more fluid.
Any personal experiences with this will be greatly appreciated I realise I'll probably get more biased answers depending on which forum I post this on, but I'm curous nonetheless!
Thanks
As a sidenote, I ended up buying it for £1250 (250 quid cheaper) new and sealed off a seller on ebay with great feedback and who sells other equipment too. I'm guessing this will be eligible for the 1yr Apple warranty once I have registered it?
Cheers

Christos P wrote:
Pros/Cons?
I had to use a Mac a few times, and it drove me insane because I had no clue what was going on. I'm sure if I gave it some time I would have adjusted, but the initial "change" was unpleasant and I felt lost in comparison to how I know my way around Windows.
Use Mac for couple of days and as interface becomes familiar, you will never regret it.
These resource material may make transition a bit pleasant.
http://www.apple.com/support/macbasics/tour/
I suppose I'm worried about having to give up some applications I've become accustomed to in windows and finding out that there are some things which just aren't possible, even though it's much prettier and more fluid.
True.
Launch App store and you may find many applications that may suit your need.
As a sidenote, I ended up buying it for £1250 (250 quid cheaper) new and sealed off a seller on ebay with great feedback and who sells other equipment too. I'm guessing this will be eligible for the 1yr Apple warranty once I have registered it?
Correct.
Inspect it thoroughly
Enjoy the new Mac.

Switching to MAC from Windows: How to open files in Office 2007 VMFusion?

Dear all,
Intro:
I switched to MAC and now cannot find the solution to a simple problem.
First: I need an Office 2007 PowerPoint FULLY compatible solution.
What did not work: IWork, NeoOffice, Office 2008 (this is not fully compatible with Office 2007 Files)
I also had problems with: Parallels (not stable, too many hangups), codeweaver crossover (office files do not even open sometimes, good idea but not suitable for serious office jobs)
Now I have VMWare Fusion with WinXP and Office 2007 as this seems to be the only truly stable and best solution to run Office 2007 on Mac
Question:
How to open files in Office 2007 on MAC VMWare Fusion easily?
It would be nice to spotlight the file and click and it opens in powerpoint or excel or word 2007 in Virtual Machine.
The only known solution to me is to use the Windows explorer to navigate to the file and then open it from Fusion WinXP. This is very cumbersome and honestly makes me think of getting back to a windows machine as I work with office frequently.
Thank you for your help.

Thank you for the quick reply.
Yes, I have Office 2007 installed. The problem is that to open files in Fusion virtual machine I have to use the windows explorer and navigate to the file to open it. Now that I have the mac I want to use the good feature of spotlight. So when I search and find the file I want to open I cannot click on it on the mac (or in finder) but I have to switch back to the virtual machine, locate the file again and open it from windows.
You might think - ok, why not skip the first step of using spotlight, and look up the file in windows explorer before anything else?
Correct, but I know from parallels that there is a file association possible to directly access the file in office 2007.
This does not seem possible in Fusion - So the question is whether there is a possibility on the mac to associate the file and to click on it in finder/spotlight and the office 2007 application in fusion opens the file. So far I could not find anything.
Thanks

Making the switch to Mac from pc

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