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made the switch but cant install any programs

M

mtrtrbnic

macrumors newbie
Original poster
I made the switch and have bought a mac, but i am having trouble figuring some things out. How do you install and remove programs? I know it is not the same as on a pc but i cant figure it out. If someone could explain i would be very grateful.

thanks
 
mtrtrbnic said:
I made the switch and have bought a mac, but i am having trouble figuring some things out. How do you install and remove programs? I know it is not the same as on a pc but i cant figure it out. If someone could explain i would be very grateful.

thanks
Click to expand...

depends on the program, ever program is a little different. usually the programs you download come in a sit or dmg file. OS X will automatically decompresses and mount them. after just like on the directory or mounted image then you need the drag and drop the program where you want it. For example, Office 2004 all you have to do is drag the icon to application folder and it installs. To remove the program just drag the icon the the trash.

In reality, the icon is just a link to directory with the program inside.
 
Mac OS does not use arcane crap like the Windows Registry. Most applications (except ones that modify system resources), are basically drag-to-install, drag-to-trash to uninstall. No confusing files left laying around that bog down your system.

Welcome to the Mac world, enjoy!
 
Most are just drag to where you want it to be, and its installed. You can even move it and it wont have any problems. Others will have an installer, and will be kind of like a windows install, with steps to follow to install the program. If you have the option to open safe files under Safari, when you download a program, it should just open the package right up for you to drag and drop, or to double click an installer.

Games especially come with installers. You open up the cd, and double click on the installer and it runs you though the installation.
 
stoid said:
drag-to-trash to uninstall. No confusing files left laying around that bog down your system.
Click to expand...
You forgot about the preferences files.

The easiest way to uninstall all files from a program is to do a Find to dig up every file associated with the program. You don't wanna left stuff behind, and Mac programs will do that too.
 
FuzzyBallz said:
You forgot about the preferences files.

The easiest way to uninstall all files from a program is to do a Find to dig up every file associated with the program. You don't wanna left stuff behind, and Mac programs will do that too.
Click to expand...

Important distinction though. If you don't take care of Windows programs through the shaky, poorly designed, and often corrupted registry system, you WILL be leaving crap behind that will slow down and f-up your system. Leaving around a couple of stray preferences files will not slow down your system. Also, doing a search for the apps name will generally give you all files associated with that app on the Mac, while on Windows, it generally doesn't.
 
stoid said:
Mac OS does not use arcane crap like the Windows Registry. Most applications (except ones that modify system resources), are basically drag-to-install, drag-to-trash to uninstall. No confusing files left laying around that bog down your system.

Welcome to the Mac world, enjoy!
Click to expand...
I am thinkin about gettin a mac and you have made a great point, my pc is always soo messy with files, with mac, once you get rid of the program its gone for ever until you install it again, but with windows, you uninstall something and there are always some files hanging around in c drive
 
There are a seires of books called "Missing Manual" that were very helpful to me in the early days after leaving "the dark side" and switching to Mac.

Congratulations on your new Mac - you're gonna love it.
 
Congratulations on your new Mac. I think you will enjoy it. I'm an IT Professional and forced to use PCs at work all day. This was one of the main motivations for me to get a Mac - something different at home!

You can find many good books, including the one mentioned above, at Borders or Barnes and Nobles - just look at them and find the one which is best for you. I forget the title now, but there is one that compares and contrasts what you used to do in Windows to what you need to do in OS X.
 
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