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Coming from Windows over to a new iMac, what should I know?
- Thread starter bobright
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This is a good example of how different Mac OS and Windows are. You'll find if you keep clicking in a frozen application on Windows you'll completely kill it, if you do it on OSX it remembers what you've clicked on so when it starts working again it'll do whatever you told it to do in the mean time.
The lack of a Start button is a big deal for newbies, just try and forget about it and eventually you'll realise it wasnt all that great anyway
for those who like the start button for easy access to apps just drag the Applications folder to your dock, when its there it opens like a menu
Bootcamp
One thing new mac users should know is that if you still need windows for certain applications that you like to use then you can use a built in software called Bootcamp for easy installation of windows for dual booting, all drivers are provided by apple upon installing but only work with windows 7, just remember to copy the drivers to usb and run the executable once installed. The drivers should be located in /Macintosh HD/Users/username/ in a folder called Windows Support, just copy that entire folder and you good to go. (Just remember the username folder represents the name of you account for example /Macintosh HD/Users/John/, also Macintosh HD represents the name of your internal HDD and is not a folder if you are confused)
good luck with your new iMacs and I hope you enjoy them
One thing new mac users should know is that if you still need windows for certain applications that you like to use then you can use a built in software called Bootcamp for easy installation of windows for dual booting, all drivers are provided by apple upon installing but only work with windows 7, just remember to copy the drivers to usb and run the executable once installed. The drivers should be located in /Macintosh HD/Users/username/ in a folder called Windows Support, just copy that entire folder and you good to go. (Just remember the username folder represents the name of you account for example /Macintosh HD/Users/John/, also Macintosh HD represents the name of your internal HDD and is not a folder if you are confused)
good luck with your new iMacs and I hope you enjoy them
No worries.
You can put anything in a .DMG, for instance, open Disk Utility, under file new in Menu Bar there is for instance a way to create a DMG from a folder (See below), or create an empty one.
Attachments
You dropped it in the wrong place, drop it on the far right next to the trash or if your dock is on the left or right on the bottom next to the trash.
You can also do that with HDD/SSD disks(Volumes)(they are folder alike), try it and if you click and hold it a menu will appear.
I wouldn't recommend this. The best thing to do is learn to use it as OS X like it's meant to be, not use it as Windows. Don't try to make it like Windows so that it's familiar, but use it like OS X and you'll probably start wondering why Windows does some things the way it does!
I switched 10 1/2 years ago and it only took a month to get over using ctrl and using command instead.
I do agree that the file system was tough at first, but I love it so much more, and using it, especially through terminal, has taught me how to use the basics of Linux as well.
yea I agree with the above, if your committed to the move then just go all in, after a week it will feel natural.
Apple has a lot of stuff on the web to help folks new to Mac, or moving from Windows to Mac...
http://www.apple.com/why-mac/faq/
http://www.apple.com/findouthow/mac/
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2477
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2512
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2518
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2514
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2470
There's a whole series of articles you can find by searching for "mac basics".
http://www.apple.com/why-mac/faq/
http://www.apple.com/findouthow/mac/
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2477
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2512
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2518
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2514
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2470
There's a whole series of articles you can find by searching for "mac basics".
If anybody has any tips do this or don't do that etc feel free to drop them here
I am a Mac virgin and am a little nervous
This may be useful:
Go to macrumors beginners guide! Helped me a lot. And try to waste some time learning the new shortcuts (keyboard and mouse). One that was very useful was close tabs (command W) and close window (command Q).
Command-tab closes tabs and windows. Command-Q is used to quit an app. See the keyboard shortcuts link in the Helpful Information for Any Mac User that I linked in my last post.
I know when coming from Windows you are used to have things on the Desktop. Instead of putting the user folder in the dock I would recommend using the combination "command+shift+h".
Once you get used to the common shortcuts it makes things so much easier!
A lot depends on your use and or application for a computer.
The iMac is generally a lot more expensive since it caters to a particular type of user.
Additionally, the OS used on the mac is more proprietary and streamlined to operate more efficiently than Windows.
Truthfully, from the very beginning Apple always displayed an edge concerning the brilliance of the graphics, the latter does not mean it processed video faster although the eye view has always been more definitive.
The above is great for picture publishing along with the majority of video editing, artists practically always lean toward using a mac over a conventional PC.
However, it is important to realize that not everyone has an interest in an off-the-shelf computer (base model).
Actually, the latter is why Apple has a few optional configuration which are a welcome but they tend to go a little overboard with the price...
However, for the dedicated gamer that is pushing the envelope concerning extreme frame rates along with extended resolution a user built PC will always outperform the Apple.
Remember, the above is a little risky since the user is buying individual computer components and performing the integration.
A savy computer tech is willing to take a risk although the latter can become frustrating when things don't always work out as planned; one has to be careful in the selection of components.
In the past one could build a very inexpensive fast PC for gaming but today once you total all the high end PC hardware the cost is also high.
Final note: Concerning aesthetics - the mac has and will probably always depict a more finished and polished overall look compared to the square box - archaic pc footprint.
"I looked behind my PC to see if a tail was still attached"
The iMac is generally a lot more expensive since it caters to a particular type of user.
Additionally, the OS used on the mac is more proprietary and streamlined to operate more efficiently than Windows.
Truthfully, from the very beginning Apple always displayed an edge concerning the brilliance of the graphics, the latter does not mean it processed video faster although the eye view has always been more definitive.
The above is great for picture publishing along with the majority of video editing, artists practically always lean toward using a mac over a conventional PC.
However, it is important to realize that not everyone has an interest in an off-the-shelf computer (base model).
Actually, the latter is why Apple has a few optional configuration which are a welcome but they tend to go a little overboard with the price...
However, for the dedicated gamer that is pushing the envelope concerning extreme frame rates along with extended resolution a user built PC will always outperform the Apple.
Remember, the above is a little risky since the user is buying individual computer components and performing the integration.
A savy computer tech is willing to take a risk although the latter can become frustrating when things don't always work out as planned; one has to be careful in the selection of components.
In the past one could build a very inexpensive fast PC for gaming but today once you total all the high end PC hardware the cost is also high.
Final note: Concerning aesthetics - the mac has and will probably always depict a more finished and polished overall look compared to the square box - archaic pc footprint.
"I looked behind my PC to see if a tail was still attached"
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I am a Mac virgin and am a little nervous
It's always scary the first time (some say it might even hurt a little).
But if you keep at it and enjoy the expericence of learning something new, you will get better at it and it will start to feel really good and eventually it will be the only thing you want to do. Using the Mac that is.
I am new to Mac also!
plan to use Monolingual but have one question about it:
Beside deleting other languages which I dont need, what else can I benefit from this software?
plan to use Monolingual but have one question about it:
Beside deleting other languages which I dont need, what else can I benefit from this software?
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I recommend caution in using such apps, as removing the wrong thing can cause problems. The only benefit is saving a bit of drive space, by removing unneeded languages and architectures.
Freeing up drive space in Mac OS X
Same here, i dont mind the visual differences or button changes, but mac's file system is a giant exercise of frustration for newbies used to windows including myself.
In windows, it's straight forward you have physical hdd/partitions mapped to drives mapped to folders and you move files to them. In mac it's a gigantic confusing mess to me, where you mount unmount stuff? i still have no idea where my files are located or installed or how to find them, making it even more confusing are iphoto, when i modified a photo it started creating random copies vs original etc..all over the filesystem. I ended up with multiple copies of the same photo and have no idea where they actually reside or what is what.
That was my first experience with osx on macbook pro, i purchased it to develop iphone apps (that part is fine, xcode is great and objective-c isnt too bad coming from java), but the osx file system itself is still a big mystery to me. After i got done with the iphone app i pretty much gave up and sold my macbook pro because of the confusing filesystem.
Now with imac i am determined to try it again and understand it...it's especially ironic since the core kernal is suppose to be based off linux, which i use at work daily. But just cant figure out logic and order how the osx file system works.
When you see something interesting in the Finder (like a file, folder, or disk icon), click it to select it, then File -> Get Info (or Cmd-I). The Info window gives you lots of details about the item; for files and folder it shows you the path.
For disks, you can get detailed info using Disk Utility (an application located in /Applications/Utilities).
Those two things should get you started with the Windows/unixy way of looking at files.
I too switched about a yr and a half ago. I currently have an ipad 2 , mac mini, a 2011 11" air and I am typing this on my 7 yr old ibook g4, bought it used for a short term need at my work. To the OP, best thing you can do is sign up for the apple one to one program, it costs 99.00 and you can go as long as you like, for a yr. Assuming you got your imac from apple.
I have gone 5 times and plan on many more, its a great value.
I have gone 5 times and plan on many more, its a great value.
I'm waiting for my first iMac to be delivered and as well as the useful guides on here and apples support site, I also found youtube to be a source of information. Rather than just read guides you can watch people go through the processes. A word of caution though. Youtube is full of the good, the bad and the down right ugly! it's useful as an overview but I think a lot of the people posting on there are not to be trusted completely for advice. If in doubt ask an expert on here!
When I first made the jump to a Mac in 2006, this site was a huge help for me.
http://www.apple.com/support/mac101/
http://www.apple.com/support/mac101/