Moving to iMac from WinXP

baxlobs said:

Hi,

I am a Mac forum newbie looking for some advice. I have a dying PC running WinXP, and am going to get an iMac as soon as they are available.

I hope I can migrate my data etc. across using the Migration utility, although what might happen if the PC crashes in the middle I don't know, but I am unsure about peripheral compatibility.

I have 2 printers, Canon PIXMA IP 4600 and HP Laserjet 1022. Will the iMac have drivers for these or will I need to download them?

I also have an Epson 2400Photo scanner, same question.

Most of my data files are Word or Excel, which Office for Mac will be able to read I gather, but I also have a few Access databases, is there a Mac program that could deal with these?

Look forward to your advice.

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The HP LaserJet 1022 works on OS X via USB no problem. Not sure about the the Canon, but I'd be amazed if it didn't work.

The migration utility won't hurt your machine if your old XP machine breaks while you are using it, but it might be easier to just manually copy over what you want to keep.

The Epson scanner might also work just fine - I don't know exactly. If there is no Mac driver then you can use a program called VueScan (which costs about $50 last time I checked) that will definitely make it work - it works with scanners from the dark ages of computing long after the original maker has abandoned them, but for that money it's almost worth replacing the scanner!

Your Word, Excel and Powerpoint documents will work right away on the Mac version of Office. Microsoft sells a home+student edition of Office with three serial numbers so you can install on up to three machines. Your Access files are a no go though I'm afraid - there is no non-Windows software that will open them. If you *really* need to stick to Access format then you can run the windows version of Office inside a virtual machine using Parallels or VMware Fusion (you'll need a copy of windows too). MS Access and MS Publisher are the two formats that just completely dead end when you go away from Windows. There are plenty of database apps for the Mac though, although I know starting again is a pain in the backside.

joe-h2o said:

Your Access files are a no go though I'm afraid - there is no non-Windows software that will open them. If you *really* need to stick to Access format then you can run the windows version of Office inside a virtual machine using Parallels or VMware Fusion (you'll need a copy of windows too). MS Access and MS Publisher are the two formats that just completely dead end when you go away from Windows. There are plenty of database apps for the Mac though, although I know starting again is a pain in the backside.

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Well actually he can get FileMaker Pro which will work just fine and should import the data. Here is a link that should get him started:

http://help.filemaker.com/app/answe...ing microsoft access to filemaker/suggested/1

For the Epson 2400:

http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/...id=14587&infoType=Downloads&platform=OSF_M_X8

(actually, I have an Epson 4800 scanner, which might be a step up, looking for a good home if ever you're in the Richmond area...)

I used a Canon Pixma ip4300 printer for many years with my 2008 iMac (Leopard & Snow Leopard), and I'm pretty sure I didn't download or install anything special. Your IP 4600 should be fine.

Supported printers: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3669

I've got on quite well so far moving from Windows XP and Windows 7 to Mac OS X, waiting for the iMac to take the next step.

I use Parallels Desktop to run a couple of Windows apps in Mac OS windows where there's currently no direct replacement.

skunk said:

For the Epson 2400:

http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/...id=14587&infoType=Downloads&platform=OSF_M_X8

(actually, I have an Epson 4800 scanner, which might be a step up, looking for a good home if ever you're in the Richmond area...)

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for the canon
http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/suppo...xma_ip_series/pixma_ip4600#DriversAndSoftware

the HP drivers are probably built-into Mountain Lion... but always check the vendor for the latest drivers and software updates on software bundled with the printer (if you use any of it)