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justperry

macrumors G5
Aug 10, 2007
12,553
9,745
I'm a rolling stone.
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.

Oh common, mount and unmount stuff, If you have a window open all disks will show up in the SideBar, in windows it shows up in explorer, what is so different here.
Mac's File System confusing but you use Linux daily, hm

All your files are in the Home folder and it is again in the SideBar, Applications are in the Application folder and not the messy Programs folder Windows has, try to find an app there, some of those folders are huge and Applications are many times named different than the one as a shortcut in Start Menu or on the desktop.
Applications in the Applications folder are what they are, and (almost) always contain all the files within the App, Control clicking on it and selecting Show Package Contents will show the files within the App folder.
As for iPhoto, all files are in the ~Home/Pictures/iPhoto folder-ALL files.
Music is in Music folder
Movies in Movies
Documents in Documents
Downloads in Downloads
Desktop in Desktop
What is so hard to understand.

The mess in Windows is confusing
And then the mess with registry, if anything is wrong with it your lost, not so here.
OS X relies on .Plist files, preference files, if an app messes up, delete the .plist file and mostly you are good to go

That does not mean windows can't be good, Windows 7 is a very good OS but now MS messed up once more with W8.
Windows is confusing because they tend to change things too often, I like to see how many people have problems with the new OS W8 with its confusing Metro UI.
 

bobright

macrumors 601
Original poster
Jun 29, 2010
4,813
33
I'm still soaking everything up but the first thing I'm going to try and do is transfer my iTunes library over to the new Mac. Now, originally on my windows PC my music is in a seperate partition away from the "iTunes Music" folder and my operating system. When I move the music over to the Mac where would you guys recommend I place my music? It is a BIG library and I like to manage my music myself.
 

justperry

macrumors G5
Aug 10, 2007
12,553
9,745
I'm a rolling stone.
I'm still soaking everything up but the first thing I'm going to try and do is transfer my iTunes library over to the new Mac. Now, originally on my windows PC my music is in a seperate partition away from the "iTunes Music" folder and my operating system. When I move the music over to the Mac where would you guys recommend I place my music? It is a BIG library and I like to manage my music myself.

If it's a huge Library I guess you should do the same as on the Windows machine (On External Disk) and point to the path of the Library in iTunes Preferences.
Normally this is the path on a Mac: ~/Home/Music/iTunes/iTunes Media
In iTunes advanced Preferences tab you can point it to the other path.
 

bobright

macrumors 601
Original poster
Jun 29, 2010
4,813
33
If it's a huge Library I guess you should do the same as on the Windows machine (On External Disk) and point to the path of the Library in iTunes Preferences.
Normally this is the path on a Mac: ~/Home/Music/iTunes.
In iTunes advanced Preferences tab you can point it to the other path.

I know I'll need to point to this new directory on iTunes. The thing is though where should I point it, if not using the iTunes default music location where is a good place to put my music on the Mac?

On my windows the iTunes library and files are on my C:/ drive and then all my music is on a seperate partition in H:/ Bob's Music / Jazz / etc and so on for each genre
 

justperry

macrumors G5
Aug 10, 2007
12,553
9,745
I'm a rolling stone.
I know I'll need to point to this new directory on iTunes. The thing is though where should I point it, if not using the iTunes default music location where is a good place to put my music on the Mac?

On my windows the iTunes library and files are on my C:/ drive and then all my music is on a seperate partition in H:/ Bob's Music / Jazz / etc and so on for each genre

First make sure when opening iTunes on the Mac to uncheck boxes 1 and 2 in the Advanced Tab, see below, there are 4 boxes, the top 2 should be unchecked, they are checked by default.

Then change the iTunes Media folder Location and point it to Bob's Music folder.
But, I don't know where iTunes DataBase folder is Located on the Windows side, if this is not transferred all Information is "Lost", I am pretty confident that Migration Assistant moves this over.

EDIT: Forgot to attach Screenshot
 

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bobright

macrumors 601
Original poster
Jun 29, 2010
4,813
33
First make sure when opening iTunes on the Mac to uncheck boxes 1 and 2 in the Advanced Tab, see below, there are 4 boxes, the top 2 should be unchecked, they are checked by default.

Then change the iTunes Media folder Location and point it to Bob's Music folder.
But, I don't know where iTunes DataBase folder is Located on the Windows side, if this is not transferred all Information is "Lost", I am pretty confident that Migration Assistant moves this over.

That's helpful in transporting the library over and keeping everything intact definitely noted thanks. I am probably not clear but the thing I'm asking is--where in the iMac would you recommend I place the main music folder? As in "Bob's Music" folder in what directory on the Mac do you recommend dumping it?

Like I said on my windows machine I had all my music on a seperate partition as I manage it myself....not sure where I should place it on the new iMac
 

justperry

macrumors G5
Aug 10, 2007
12,553
9,745
I'm a rolling stone.
That's helpful in transporting the library over and keeping everything intact definitely noted thanks. I am probably not clear but the thing I'm asking is--where in the iMac would you recommend I place the main music folder? As in "Bob's Music" folder in what directory on the Mac do you recommend dumping it?

Like I said on my windows machine I had all my music on a seperate partition as I manage it myself....not sure where I should place it on the new iMac

Normally in the Music folder in the Home folder.

I forgot to attach Screenshot in last post, updated it.
 

bobright

macrumors 601
Original poster
Jun 29, 2010
4,813
33
First make sure when opening iTunes on the Mac to uncheck boxes 1 and 2 in the Advanced Tab, see below, there are 4 boxes, the top 2 should be unchecked, they are checked by default.

Then change the iTunes Media folder Location and point it to Bob's Music folder.
But, I don't know where iTunes DataBase folder is Located on the Windows side, if this is not transferred all Information is "Lost", I am pretty confident that Migration Assistant moves this over.

EDIT: Forgot to attach Screenshot
Now makes more sense ok yea don't want iTunes to rename folders and do what it does when I add to my library, also don't want it to copy to the default location. I like to place my albums in a preferred location and then just drag and drop to iTunes.

Normally in the Music folder in the Home folder.

I forgot to attach Screenshot in last post, updated it.
Awesome it should be easier once I actually get the iMac but put it somewhere along the lines of Home / Music / Bob's Music / whatever genre etc ?

Got it hopefully if not I'll come back here if any problems arise thx perry :)
 

brock2621

macrumors 65816
Jun 8, 2007
1,015
539
Kentucky
Get ready to empty your wallet...j/k. No seriously, once to buy Apple products, it's hard to switch to any other ecosystem.

And you'll find yourself not really wanting to...

As much crap Apple gets wrong, it's not near in proportion to the things it gets right. Some simple, and others complex; it's not near perfect, but it's the best...
 

justperry

macrumors G5
Aug 10, 2007
12,553
9,745
I'm a rolling stone.
Now makes more sense ok yea don't want iTunes to rename folders and do what it does when I add to my library, also don't want it to copy to the default location. I like to place my albums in a preferred location and then just drag and drop to iTunes.


Awesome it should be easier once I actually get the iMac but put it somewhere along the lines of Home / Music / Bob's Music / whatever genre etc ?

Got it hopefully if not I'll come back here if any problems arise thx perry :)

No worries, if you have problems here Quote me so I see if someone replied to me or PM me.
 

supermariofan25

macrumors regular
Feb 7, 2011
139
14
f
Interesting.

Just tried to do that from my user folder. It would not drag to the dock.

What am I doing wrong?

You must drag the folder to the right side next to the trash can, basically on the right side of the divider (the faint line on the right side of the dock

EDIT: there should already be two folders there already for your Documents and Downloads

EDIT II: I added a picture here
Folders on Dock.jpg
in this image you can see a shortcut to a file and three folders
 
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supermariofan25

macrumors regular
Feb 7, 2011
139
14
That's helpful in transporting the library over and keeping everything intact definitely noted thanks. I am probably not clear but the thing I'm asking is--where in the iMac would you recommend I place the main music folder? As in "Bob's Music" folder in what directory on the Mac do you recommend dumping it?

Like I said on my windows machine I had all my music on a seperate partition as I manage it myself....not sure where I should place it on the new iMac

If you want you Music in a separate partition than just add one in Disk Utility

small tutorial will be in my next post
 

lexvo

macrumors 65816
Nov 11, 2009
1,467
551
The Netherlands
When I switched a few years ago, I decided to do everything the Apple way, so no Bootcamp and stuff. I even bought Numbers and Pages. I'm totally in to OS-X now and haven't missed Windows so far (apart from some small things, which are solved in Lion and Mountain Lion).

My father switched one year ago at the age of 78. And he also quickly got used to the iMac and OS-X.
 

supermariofan25

macrumors regular
Feb 7, 2011
139
14
How to add a new Partition

In this small tutorial I will show you how to add another partition to your internal HDD (NOTE: this will work for any other internal HDD's or external media eg usb HDD's ect)

Step #1: Press Both Command and the Space Bar to open Spotlight and type "Disk Utility", press enter or click on Disk Utility

Search in Spotlight.jpg
Searching for Disk Utility
In Disk Utility.jpg
Inside Disk Utility

Step #2: Select you HDD and select the partitions tab, under the list of partitions click the + button one or twice, depending on how many partitions you want to add and name and change the size for each of the new partitions that you wish to add. After that click apply and then confirm your decision by clicking Partition.

Changing the name and size.jpg
Changing the name and size (xxx represents the size that you input)

Confirming the Partition.jpg
Confirming the partition

Step #3: Once Partitioning is complete you can use your new partitions

Your New Partition.jpg
Your new partition(s)

Enjoy

EDIT: For those who are wondering BOOTCAMP is the partition that is created when installing Microsoft Windows with the application Boot Camp Assistant that comes on every new Mac

EDITII: for those who want to be able to access your new partition from BootCamp set the Partition Format to MS-DOS FAT
 
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DeafRaiders

macrumors regular
Disk Management

Personally iTunes Question. I've used Mac Mini's at work for a few months now just learning a bit week by week. I have my iTunes folder on my Netgear ReadyNAS Duo v1, my iTunes folder is network mapped drive as M:\iTunes

So the will the iTunes library will detect it automatically? or will i have to go to Go Connected Server in the iMac?
 

bobright

macrumors 601
Original poster
Jun 29, 2010
4,813
33
In this small tutorial I will show you how to add another partition to your internal HDD (NOTE: this will work for any other internal HDD's or external media eg usb HDD's ect)

Step #1: Press Both Command and the Space Bar to open Spotlight and type "Disk Utility", press enter or click on Disk Utility

View attachment 381647
Searching for Disk Utility
View attachment 381648
Inside Disk Utility

Step #2: Select you HDD and select the partitions tab, under the list of partitions click the + button one or twice, depending on how many partitions you want to add and name and change the size for each of the new partitions that you wish to add. After that click apply and then confirm your decision by clicking Partition.

View attachment 381649
Changing the name and size (xxx represents the size that you input)

View attachment 381650
Confirming the partition

Step #3: Once Partitioning is complete you can use your new partitions

View attachment 381651
Your new partition(s)

Enjoy

EDIT: For those who are wondering BOOTCAMP is the partition that is created when installing Microsoft Windows with the application Boot Camp Assistant that comes on every new Mac

I appreciate the breakdown here and tutorial this is good to know thanks. I am curious though do you use a partition with your iTunes library and is it recommended? On windows it was a must in fear of the OS partition going south my music would be safe in its own partition...not sure if I have to worry about that with OSX though.
 

justperry

macrumors G5
Aug 10, 2007
12,553
9,745
I'm a rolling stone.
I appreciate the breakdown here and tutorial this is good to know. I am curious though do you use a partition with your iTunes library and is it recommended? On windows it was a must in fear of the OS partition going south my music would be safe in its own partition...not sure if I have to worry about that with OSX though.

No, if the HD fails everything is gone, if the system is corrupt but not the HDD you can still recover the Home folder with its contents.
If this is the case you need to start up from a bootable disk and recover them, preferable a copy on an external disk, but you could also have a second OS on a second partition on the internal and recover from there.
Most of the time the System can be fixed.
 

GermanyChris

macrumors 601
Jul 3, 2011
4,185
5
Here
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 :eek::p

I were you I wouldn't come over to the Mac side..and this is why.
 

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bobright

macrumors 601
Original poster
Jun 29, 2010
4,813
33
No, if the HD fails everything is gone, if the system is corrupt but not the HDD you can still recover the Home folder with its contents.
If this is the case you need to start up from a bootable disk and recover them, preferable a copy on an external disk, but you could also have a second OS on a second partition on the internal and recover from there.
Most of the time the System can be fixed.

I see ya know I forgot the main reason I partitioned my music was so I could restore windows if things got sluggish, I'd be able to restore without wiping and then having to transfer my music back over again. It'd be untouched on H:/ drive or whatever. It looks like its not really needed on OSX though since it probably won't get bogged down like a windows machine. And like you say if the HDD isn't failed and just the system is corrupt I can still boot from something else and recover the music (even though it isn't partitioned)?

I do plan to do backups but prob only periodically like once a month or two
 

supermariofan25

macrumors regular
Feb 7, 2011
139
14
I do plan to do backups but prob only periodically like once a month or two

If you plan to use the Time Machine application there may be a slight problem as when Time Machine is set to automatic backup its backs up every hour so you may need to do it manually, that isn't too much of a problem through as Time Machine makes one full backup and then for the rest of the backups it only backs up the changes to the space needed isn't that big, Time Machine may make other full backups periodically to refresh the reliability of a backup.
 

supermariofan25

macrumors regular
Feb 7, 2011
139
14
Why do that when you have Launchpad?

I personally find having the folder in the dock is convenient and I dont use the Launchpad to often as I cant bother :p

----------

I were you I wouldn't come over to the Mac side..and this is why.

so, whats the problem with that? Its a security measure to make shore that unsigned code cant automatically start its self on you computer not that there is many "viruses" anyway
 

HenryDJP

Suspended
Nov 25, 2012
5,084
843
United States
I personally find having the folder in the dock is convenient and I dont use the Launchpad to often as I cant bother :p

To each his own which is why we have options but would you care to explain how placing the Applications folder in the Dock is better, easier and more convenient than using LaunchPad and how is it a "bother"? The icons are much larger and easier to view, the folders allow you to see what's inside of them and you can swipe back and forth to different screens so each screen can be organized with what you want on it because let's face it, when you have a lot of icons in the Applications or any folder, Stacks gets too cluttered. For other folders I can see the benefit such as Documents, Downloads and Pictures which is what I use it for but I can't see any benefit of using Stacks for the Applications folder.
 

tshrimp

macrumors 6502
Mar 30, 2012
412
3,434
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 :eek::p

You have had you Mac now for over a month, and am guessing you like it more then Windows. So you can now breath easy about spending that extra money.

Here are a few things to keep in mind.

1) There is no true "delete" key. "delete" actually acts as a "back space", and to get the "delete" key to act as a delete key hold down "shift" and select "delete".

2) Some will argue this, but there is malware on the Mac, so I would recommend installing an antivirus program. I personally like Avast and Sophos and they are both free.

3) Time Machine. This is one of the best features, and make sure you take advantage.

4) If you have not already learned the gestures for the trackpad, take the time to do so. I till make your computer a pleasure to use. And BTW....best track pad ever.

5) Learn the shortcuts. Some are similar to the PC, but the "command" key acts more like the "ctrl" key if you are use to Windows.

Those are just a few things I could think of. Enjoy your Mac...
 
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