Newbie Mom to the Mac world!

Hello, I am a mom of teenagers and I have a few questions.
First let me explain.
We have always had PC's (2 to be exact), and as of late, have been having many, many problems with them. (OS files go missing and viruses etc.) It is to the point now, that one of them will no longer turn on and we have probably lost ALL the files on that harddrive.
So here is my questions to you, Mac users. For a family, who will be using the computer for just everyday things, What is the best mac for us to buy?
I have been reading through the posts and see that even macs are prone to problems, but they don't seem to be too terrible.
My kids have been talking to friends, and they agree that switching to a mac would be best. Can we still play online games like WOW or Everquest (yes I'm into those) Don't roll your eyes! LOL.
Basically I'm asking, can I use a Mac the same way as a PC?
Please, give me your opinions, and don't be shy about bragging about why you think a mac is best. I would like to hear everything!

I too, agree that your best choice is the iMac. As the other post pointed out, the best thing to do is check out the Apple website, www.apple.com. This will allow you to see all the iMac products currently offered. If you can operate a computer, you can operate a Mac. Once you start using one, you will wonder why you did not switch before. There is one thing I do want to point out. Software that is for the Mac platform is not on every street corner. Windows software sometimes can even be found at the food market. Not so with a Mac. The new iMac can run Windows software however, but not right out of the box. A copy of a Windows Operating System has to be loaded first. As pointed out in another post, Bootcamp, allows such a configuration. Once set-up, you can boot between Windows or Mac. While I would like to say you will never have a problem with a Mac, that is not possible, anything electronic can have issues, I can say that will be surprised just how easy things become with a Mac. Files can be found quickly using Spotlight. New hardware just plugs in and no loading of drivers for the most part. And you get to use the wonders of iPhoto, iTunes, iMovie, and Garage Band. All these iMac included programs call iLife are just great and work so much easier than anything you can get on a Windows machine. I'm sure others will chime in too. I bet you will be joining us on the Mac side very soon.

Similar Messages

  • Hello!  Newbie here to the Mac world :)

    So I just bought my Macbook today, and I am really excited. But, I have a question about the disc drive. Whenever I put a disc in the machine (apple wireless mighty mouse software disc, .mac software disc, etc.) it makes a funny clicky noise. Is this normal? I previously owned a PC and this has never happened. I just want to make sure that I'm not doing anything wrong, because I have to manually push the disc in, until the computer grabs the disc, and then it makes a funny noise when I put it in, and eject it. Does anyone know why?
    Thanks!
    -Colette

    Welcome to Apple Discussions!
    Some noises are normal. Note, the notebook is thinner, thus sounds from the drives are more likely to be audible. Mind you, if you start seeing errors on discs that should be readable, then I'd worry about it. Some tips to avoid bad discs:
    http://www.videohelp.com/dvdmedia/ lists good DVD media.
    Sony, Verbatim, Imation, and Kodak make the best CD-R media.
    Only buy media in jewelcases and not spindles.
    Only label the inner clear ring, and not write or label the label side of the disc. Don't even buy printable media.
    Use the jewelcase inserts to identify the contents of the disc.
    Note the type of media your disc is rated for, and burn at the next highest from the highest speed on your media (i.e. if your drive is rated for 16x, burn at 12x or less).
    And follow the tips on allowable media:
    http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=58641

  • I have a canon hf10 and need to be able to transfer my video from my camera to my computer so I can burn them to dvd is there a step by step process? i'm new 2 the mac world.  I tried downloading imovie 7.1.2 but it said, "An eligible iMovie application

    i have a canon hf10 and need to be able to transfer my video from my camera to my computer so I can burn them to dvd is there a step by step process? i'm new 2 the mac world.  I tried downloading imovie 7.1.2 but it said, "An eligible iMovie application was not found in the location /Applications." can anyone give me step by step instructions? i would hate to call the geek squad!!!LOL

    and what's a firewire port? how do i know if i have one?

  • I'm new to the Mac world. I installed my Epson printer on my IMAC and it worked fine. Then I installed Windows7 through Bootcamp and I think it reconfigured a port and now I get a communication error and it won't print. Any help on how do to fix this?

    Sorry, I'm new to the Mac world. I recently got a new IMAC and installed my Epson CX5800F printer and it worked fine. Then a few weeks later I installed Windows7 through Bootcamp and I think it reconfigured a port or something and now I get a communication error and it won't print. Can anyone help me with this problem, and/or help me get the port back the way it was? Thanks, Barry

    While looking through profile first aid, I came across this that might help explain my problem.
    Searching for profiles...
    Checking 20 profiles...
    /Library/Printers/EPSON/InkjetPrinter2/ICCProfiles/Standard.profiles/Contents/Re sources/Epson IJ Printer.icc
       Tag 'desc': Tag size is not correct.
       Tag 'dmdd': Tag size is not correct.
       Tag 'desc': Description tag has a bad Macintosh string.
       Tag 'dmdd': Description tag has a bad Macintosh string.
       The file is locked. Could not be fixed.
    Repair done - 0 out of 1 profiles fixed.

  • New to the MAC world - can you suggest a new drive for my G4?

    Hi, I'm a newcomer to the MAC world after using Windows for years. I'd long wanted to make the switch and now my chance has come I'm absolutely delighted.
    At the moment I'm still finding my way around but I already have an idea about upgrade choices and the first is to replace the Hitachi GD-7000 DVD-ROM drive. It appears to be unable to read at least one commercial DVD and has problems with some data CDR/RW's from my collection (the same discs work fine in numerous standalone players and other DVD drives).
    Although I live in a "region 2 zone", I buy lots of region 1 films via Amazon and out of 7 discs tried using VLC only one worked (they all work on my PC's) - is this because of regional coding issues such as RCE or rather the Hitachi's age?
    I realise that ultimately the drive will have to be replaced and I would appreciate it if you could please offer suggestions on suitable drives.
    Thanks,
    Jay
    PowerMac AGP Sawtooth   Mac OS X (10.3.9)   512MB RAM Dell 17" Monitor
    PowerMac AGP Sawtooth   Mac OS X (10.3.9)   512MB RAM Dell 17" Monitor

    Thanks a lot for all the feedback, I've visited the links that you posted for me to check out and tomorrow I'm going to buy the Pioneer DVR-110D. As Malcolm stated, it can be picked up very cheaply (£23!)
    http://www.yoyotech.co.uk/productinfo.php?cPath=10_34&productsid=567&osCsid=5032a3a66dd48b74203e6699d03a3fbd
    Thanks again,
    Jay

  • I'm new to the MAC world. I turned my computer on from 'sleep' mode, and a window was up stating that the IOS disk was full; asked me to force quit, then it just froze. It's been 2 hours. Help! I'm worried about losing photos/videos of my children. Thx!

    I'm new to the MAC world. I turned my computer on from 'sleep' mode, and a window was up stating that the IOS disk was full; asked me to force quit, then it just froze. It's been 2 hours. Help! I'm worried about losing photos/videos of my children. Im not sure if there's something special I need to do once I turn it back on; in the meantime, its still on... which I'm afraid the picture on the screen will burn into the screen. Does that happen on iMac's? Thx!

    Try a hard reset. ( holding Power til it restarts)
    Once to your desktop. Click the Apple icon >> About this mac >> More info>> Storage
    Once you see what you have the most of. Try to see what you can delete.
    Open up any folder>>all files>> or buy an external to store more data.
    Once deleting make sure you empty your trash.
    If you are new and its a new computer, you might need to bring it to a store for further assistence.
    Coast Guard Mechanic w/ an Apple Problem

  • Trying to understand the Mac world

    I've had my IMac for nearly 2 years now but have struggled all the way to migrate from a Windows environment. There seem to be so many hurdles to overcome, not least due to the horribly closed Mac universe which has made accessing things like music files, and sharing documents, incredibly difficult.
    I've tried the One to One service, and asked questions at the Genius bar and via the Helpline, but rarely get a useful answer. Nice people sure, but I feel I'm dealing with staff that have been weaned on Apple (through Ipods etc) - they know a fair bit about Macs, but seemingly very little about Windows and therefore of limited help in getting from one to another. Try asking someone about FLAC audio files for example . . .
    Some of the sort of issues I'm struggling to sort out include;
    1) In Windows I can use the F4 key to 'repeat last action'. An incredibly useful feature when formatting a number of separate cells in a spreadsheet for example. Yet I can find no equivalent in the Mac world - I can't even see how I might configure my keyboard accordingly.
    2) Having more than one application open on the desktop at a time. For example I open Word (MS Office for Mac), I then open Excel so I can cut and paste a few bits and pieces. As soon as I open Excel, Word minimises and zooms down to the Dock.
    3) Screen sizes. Why oh why does my Mac insist on opening applications in a window it determines the size of ? For instance I open Numbers - on my 27" IMac it opens a window at best about 6" square, complete with tiny, almost unreadable fonts. Is there no way to get applications to open full screen, and in a set font size, by default ?
    4) Screen resizing - I guess this is a feature of the OS (Snow Leopard 10.6) - only available in the bottom right ahnd corner. Just means more shuffling of windows about to use it effectively. Why can't screen resizing be done from any side as in Windows ?
    And don't get me started on hardware - why does a 27" IMac get shipped with a tiny wireless keyboard ? Wireless is good for sure, but surely a desktop computer isn't trying to save space to the extent that ones loses the numeric keypad, and worst of all, the DELETE key (aaagagahgha). I've had to buy a wired version to get the functionality I need (along with some accesible USB sockets). And then there is the card reader that can only cope with SD, the USB sockets helpfully out of easy reach round the back (makes using a datastick a real pain) . . . .
    Perhaps I shouldn't have gone down the Mac route (but now I've got an IPad too so heaven help me) . . . .

    A couple of answers:
    1. Microsoft Mac Office apps use command-Y for repeat last action, but that appeard to be missing from Apple's own apps, so it might be a Microsoft-specific thing.
    2. The "open Excel and Word minimizes" issue is one I have not seen in something like 14 years of using them on Mac OSes on a few dozen Macs. Sorry. I honestly don't know how to do that, but it's worth asking Microsoft Support about it.
    3. Traditionally, Mac apps open windows in the sizes you left them in; that is, the size at which you last saved the document. I can't think of a better convention. The exception is the new full-screen view added in OS X 10.7 (Lion); you appear to have to enable that each time you use the doc. Consider this dueling conventions: For years, I hates using Windows machines precisely because it insisted on obscuring all the other open windows with the current document, which I found terribly unhelpful, in my case based on experience from older windowing environments.
    4. Lion changes resizing as well: you can now resize from any boundary of a window. Don't know, considering your antipathy to the Mac experience, if it's worth spending whatever Apple charges for Lion in your country for these last two features alone.
        If my memory serves, Apple's original wireless keyboard was a full one (home &c. keys, numeric keypad), and the delete with a right arrow key was near th ehome key, as on the wired keyboard. I'm guessing Apple's marketing and focus groups found most people who wanted wireless keyboard didn't care about the extra keys, ("I want to be able to stick this in my backpack") and vice versa for the size of the wired ones, but that is, again, just a guess. There are lots of third-0party Bluetooth wireless keybaord that work with the Mac --- and probably cheaper than Apple's (in every sense of the word "cheaper").
        You don't say which card formats other than SD you want to use, but the last micro-SD card I bought came with an SD-sized adapter, for what it's worth.
        I have to agree with the inconvenience of using USB (and FireWire, and now Thunderbolt) ports on the back of the iMac, but (a) Jonny Ives like "clean" design (sorry, bad attempt at blaming the issue on a Brit), and (b) brlieve it or not, you get used to roatating the iMac 90 degrees, craning your neck around, and inserting your bit of kit. And if you have an Apple wired keyboard, you can stick USB thumb drives into the ports at either end.
        I think most people who've used both Macs and Windows machines for a while agree that the first reaction to the "other" platform is irritation: "Why does this thing not do things the way I'm used to?" Just as I learned not to expect Windows to do things in a Mac OS-like way, I don't expect Macs to do things in a Windows-like manner. Not a great answer, but it's the way it is.
        Can't imagine this helped at all, but hope it at least cleared a few things up.

  • I am new to the MAC world but I am very familiar with Lightroom on a PC. This weekend I was weeding out the pics I do not want on my MAC and now I have a ? by all my folders.  How do I recover/get back to where I was 2 days ago?

    I am new to the MAC world but I am very familiar with Lightroom on a PC. This weekend I was weeding out the pics I do not want on my MAC and now I have a ? by all my folders.  How do I recover/get back to where I was 2 days ago?

    These instructions will help you fix the problem: Adobe Lightroom - Find moved or missing files and folders

  • IT Guy wants to jump in to the Mac world

    I have been in the IT field for over ten years now and currently hold the position of Network Manager at the company where I work.  Although I have had five iPods and three iPhones over the course of my life, I have never owned or used a Mac computer, not because I have anything against them, just that I've always used and supported PCs. I recently saw and fell in love with the new retina display Mac Books and thought that maybe now was a good time to jump in to the Mac world.  Since funds are limited at home I thought I'd see about replacing my PC at work with a new Mac. My main concern besides having to get used to a new OS is that I won't be able to use the necessary tools to do my job in the Windows world where I work. We are in a Windows 2008 R2 domain and use Exchange Server 2010 for e-mail and I have to manage and administer this environment on a daily basis. I have read that going with either Parallels Desktop or VMware Fusion was the way to go if you want to just virtualize Windows 7 on your Mac but I am wondering if that's the only way to use the domain admin tools that I require. Are there any such tools available for the Mac or am I just going to have to run everything in the VM?  I am also wondering if there are any other hurdles that I should be aware of when using a Mac in a Windows environment.
    Thanks in advance for your input.
    -Chris

    If they will let you, sure, go for it.  But it just seems to me there is a big difference between an end user using an Apple device on a Windows-based network domain, and an admin having to administer that network/domains windows hardware.
    One thing you can do, if funds allow, is set up a second monitor with your Mac.  You can keep the Windows VM running in one and have the other as your OS X desktop, instead of switching back and forth between them.  I used to do that with my Mac Pro at my previous job (I only needed windows to occasionally trouble shoot a user's issue with Windows-only software applications, or to test open source apps to write documentation for them).
    Also, if going the VM route, do not skimp on RAM.  OS X 10.8 is okay with 4GB (but for many uses, more would be better), plus you will have the overhead of the VM, and then Windows itself will need RAM for itself.  These days, I would say if running both systems all the time, 8GB would be the minimum I'd want, and I would prefer 12-16GB (but that is based on the kind of use I see - bioinformatics and data analyses), so I could have a 6-8GB Windows 64-bit installation.
    A 16GB iMac with an external monitor would make a good such machine at a reasonable price point, to my mind - add another 25-27" monitor and you would have a nice dual mode setup.
    However, at my current place of employment, I don't get the option of picking my own hardware - I miss that freedom.

  • I have adobe cc on pc but i have now joined the mac world but not sure how i change my pc software to mac please help

    i have adobe cc on pc but i have now joined the mac world but not sure how i change my pc software to mac please help

    Your Photoshop CC can be installed on a Mac or PC. Just install the Mac CC Desktop app and install Photoshop CC from there. It will be in your Application folder.

  • There ' is a panel that sayscopy' preparing to duplicate to "desktop". I clicked stop three days and it still trying to stop. Tried to 'force quit' does not show up, looked in activity monitor but i am not sure how it is listed. I am new to the mac world.

    there is panel in the upper right corner of my screen that says 'copy' preparing to duplicate to "desktop". I clicked stop three days ago and it is still trying to stop. Tried to 'force quit' does not show up in finder, looked in activity monitor but i am not sure how it is listed. I am new to the mac world.

    Force quit/Restart the Finder.
    Then for safety...
    Bootup holding CMD+r, or the Option/alt key to boot from the Restore partition & use Disk Utility from there to Repair the Disk, then Repair Permissions.

  • EAP-TLS in the MAC world

    Hello,
    The challenge is to take the existing wireless infrastructure using PSK and upgrade to EAP-TLS. I have had the opportunity to configure using the AD world with CA servers, Wireless Group Policies etc prior to this. But could use some insight in getting this
    This is a controller based environment.
    Clients MAC OS vary from the most recent to maybe 4 versions back
    ACS aapliance and an LDAP server.
    Active Directory - box with rules. Easier distribution, policies, set a rule apply to many
    MAC - autonomous
    Any assistance would be most helpful, any articles, discussions etc that could shed some light on this.
    Thanks,
    Erik

    Are you able to push group policies using AD to your Mac clients? Or is that where the trouble is?

  • Help!! New to the mac world!!

    Received a macbook pro and im trying to log onto my wireless network and it just ain't happening. the mac is for the missus for xmas day and im setting it up while she is away, however i cant connect to my home wireless network which is WEP encrypted 128-bit. It has originally been configured on a PC (I know boo hiss!). I'm putting all the correct info in and im proper scratching me head now. Any help would be greatly appreciated on this. Many thanks in advance.
    Stu
    PS My wireless router is a Sitecom Broadband 2.4GHz, 140g. The mac can find the network on the scan and displays it but other than that, no go. Boo Hoo:(

    i haven't tried it with the Ethernet cable as yet but im sure the wep key is ok, ive looked up my settings to confirm it is wep. I can connect other devices to the network no problem such as my Nintendo DS and PSP, Laptop PC etc, just not the mac.
    Its back in its box now so ill have to wait to xmas day when the mrs opens it, its hers ya see and today was the only opportunity i had to get connected and play about with it!!! So ill try again on xmas day!!!
    Merry Xmas!
    Stuart
    PS The Mac was a joy to play about on though, absolutely fantastic piece of equipment.

  • Newb to the Mac World

    I'm trying to print to my HP printer on my windows network. All it does it spew out blank pages. Any suggestions??

    Hi gwolverine,
    Welcome to the forum.
    iFelix, a regular contributor and fellow L4 user, has put together a number of step by step instructions on printing to printers connected to a PC from a Mac. They may be of assistance:
    1. Printing to a printer on a Windows XP PC from a Mac running 10.4.x
    http://www.ifelix.co.uk/tech/3015.html
    2. Potential solution if you are having issues printing to a printer on a XP PC from a Mac
    http://www.ifelix.co.uk/tech/3002.html
    Good luck.

  • Complete newbie questions: need the Mac interface explained!

    Warning: this post conains some sper dumb questions
    I've got a Macbook - old, but seems super fast
    I'm a newbie to Mac
    I'm really confused!!
    What's the bottom line with the icons for?
    Doh! Sounds like a dumb question!
    Is it meant to be my most commonly used programs??
    Should I start adding and removing?
    Where are my apps?? I open something and minimise it
    How am I supposed to get back to it??
    I can alt tab to it - but really annoying if I have looads of apps opened as I have to cycle through all windows
    Where is it minmised to??
    Answer: to the bottom line. Where is it? I get really confused about this - is it on the far right hand side?
    What if I have several browser windows open? How do I browse between the windows?
    I press X on the top left, but this doesnt close the application, it just seems to be minimised??
    I've discovered that if I hit 'Apple Key + Q' that closes properly - is there no way to close via the mouse?
    Thanks  
    Omar

    Mac 101: Desktop
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3737   <<< click here.
    The Grand Tour: Introduction
    http://www.apple.com/support/mac101/tour/   <<, click here.
    http://www.apple.com/support/mac101/   <<< click here.

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