Advice about a Mac on a windows network...

[munnyinc]

I'm hoping some one could offer me some advice. I have recently taken a job with a company as their all round creative. After using windows for around a week I have lost a bit of my soul, I am genuinely struggling and they have said they will consider a mac for me.

I will be using it to produce all their marketing material in CS I will also be making videos, managing social networks etc and other creative bits. The only concern is putting the machine on a Windows network. Is it possible and if so how much of a headache.

Or would it be better to have it as a stand alone using time machine to make backups.

Any help is appreciated.... also if you have any other solutions let me know...

Munnyinc

 

[Matty-p]

I'm hoping some one could offer me some advice. I have recently taken a job with a company as their all round creative. After using windows for around a week I have lost a bit of my soul, I am genuinely struggling and they have said they will consider a mac for me.

I will be using it to produce all their marketing material in CS I will also be making videos, managing social networks etc and other creative bits. The only concern is putting the machine on a Windows network. Is it possible and if so how much of a headache.

Or would it be better to have it as a stand alone using time machine to make backups.

Any help is appreciated.... also if you have any other solutions let me know...

Munnyinc

A mac will not work on a windows network full stop (or period as you like to call it across the pond). If it was a lunix or unix based server then with a lot of tweaking the mac might recognise It but the chances are slim . So the mac will have to be a stand alone . back up wise I Would get two 1tb external USB HD can be brought for next to nothing then do a super duper! Onece a week on a Friday afternoon take it home that afternoon stick it somewhere safe at home then the Friday next week take the drive in and do anouther super duper! Bootable image leaving last weka on there ( I'm working of te assumption there will be no more than 500gb on your computer if there is buy a bigger drive) then Use the outher drive plugged in all the time at work and at the end of the day put it in a safe place at work ( the it guys (or finance?)may have a fireproof safe ask them ) in the morning plug it in again ect that is the absoulout minimum for backup prefurqbly you would have online back up to a server in a secure enviroment some where else in the country and 2/3 ofsite regular back ups and a old back up Ect (http://www.taobackup.com/coverage.html but that Is a cheap £100 souloition that dosent rely on one place at any one time and if any of the drives fails then there are two back ups (outher ext HD and disk in comp) so three drives would have to fail At the SAME time to lose data .

Outer soloutions Are if your win computers fast then a vm with osx on all that costs is £20 for sl disk and a hour of your time ( http://www.redmondpie.com/how-to-install-os-x-snow-leopard-in-vmware-windows-7-9140301/) this way all would be backed up via windows network and no need for company to buy new machine .

Last alternative is to get a them for windows to make It look an feel more like osx (install a dock , a window maneger and change the window to the osx trafic light and Grey suround window , install top bar , change wallpaper and screensaver use expose' in win 7 ect

 

[doctoree]

According to http://www.apple.com/macosx/compatibility/

"Connect to PCs over a network.

The Finder not only lets you browse files on your Mac, it also makes it easy to find files on other computers — both Mac and PC — on your home network. Computers that allow file sharing automatically show up in the Shared section of the Finder sidebar, allowing you to browse files and folders you have permission to view."

So it should work...

 

[Badger^2]

As long as the Windows server is configured correctly the server will show up in your sidebar.

Doesnt take anything special.

Command + K, connect to server.

Why do you even need to connect to the Windows server?

A nice 27" i5 with 8 gigs ram and a simple 1TB or 2TB backup drive would be an excellent workstation. Under $2000.