I'm leaving Windows...

[wildchild]

I've been using Windows for almost 19 years and have decided over the past several months that it is time to make a permanent switch to Macintosh. The final straw happened when my hp pavilion developed some sort of motherboard issue that wouldn't let it connect to wireless networks .... 7 hours and 5 disconnected calls with some technicians in India and I decided I will switch over to the Mac - my limited usage with them in cyber cafe's or friend's homes convinced me that it is a superior machine ...

I will be purchasing a MacBook Pro. I figure I could do fine with a MacBook, but the more power in the Pro (and the silver!) makes it seem like the perfect choice.

I've been doing tons of investigating and Google research trying to "delve" into the world of Apple/Macintosh. I've learned a lot of things. I was originally planning to wait till around September to purchase the laptop, but I discovered a site called mactactic.com that said the time to buy a MacBook is now and there is no point in waiting ...

I saw that Leopard was being released then so I figured a new MacBook would accompany it. But this brings me to another question something I realized last night ...

is Leopard a new OS? or simply an upgrade to OSX Tiger - meaning will I have to purchase Leopard or will it be a free update for OS that will come on the MacBook Pro I purchase?

I have full confidence that switching to Macintosh is the right decision. If anyone has any other advice they can offer me, I'm a sponge and more than willing to listen. Thanks.

 

[Eraserhead]

Leopard is a new OS, it will cost $129 to existing users, though installing it is as difficult as installing MS Office (though it takes a bit longer) unlike Windows where an Erase and Install is required.

 

[dingdongbubble]

NO WAY!

I would y that Leopard would be easier to install! I wouldnt recommend waiting. I mean I guess the time you have with the MBP till Leopard comes out will be worth the $129. You could also buy a family pack for $199 I think and get 5 user licenses!

 

[wildchild]

Thanks for the advice. I'm currently in the process of backing up some of the files on my PC // Firefox PWs & Bookmarks, movie files etc. . . will .wmv's play fine on Macs?

I'm sure there is a whole HOST of topics on making a seamless switch from PC to Mac - - - I'll continue on my research on that, but if anyone wants to share some advice now I'm more than willing to take it.

The one thing I discovered is that do files I burn (.ISOs for example not play on Macs?) I'm hoping that I can just drag my Firefox Profile folder into the correct folder on the MBP and have it work ...

I think I'm going to get rid of this laptop before I purchase the MBP - I don't know how much harder that will make transitioning - but I do have another desktop PC and an external drive if I do need - - - I'm hoping the MBP will read the External Drive just like windows does ... or are there separate "formats" for windows / apple drives?

I'm going to continue researching but I don't have much I need to back up - just my browsing preferences, some documents, and some videos

 

[wngraham]

You'll need Filp4Mac, a free Quick Time plugin that allows WMV files to play on a Mac.

ISOs will definitely open on a mac.

Thanks for the advice. I'm currently in the process of backing up some of the files on my PC // Firefox PWs & Bookmarks, movie files etc. . . will .wmv's play fine on Macs?

I'm sure there is a whole HOST of topics on making a seamless switch from PC to Mac - - - I'll continue on my research on that, but if anyone wants to share some advice now I'm more than willing to take it.

The one thing I discovered is that do files I burn (.ISOs for example not play on Macs?) I'm hoping that I can just drag my Firefox Profile folder into the correct folder on the MBP and have it work ...

I think I'm going to get rid of this laptop before I purchase the MBP - I don't know how much harder that will make transitioning - but I do have another desktop PC and an external drive if I do need - - - I'm hoping the MBP will read the External Drive just like windows does ... or are there separate "formats" for windows / apple drives?

I'm going to continue researching but I don't have much I need to back up - just my browsing preferences, some documents, and some videos

 

[killerrobot]

Yes, .wmv will play on mac but you need a plug-in for quicktime called flip4mac. I also think VLC will play them as well.

You can just drop the Firefox profile into the correct folder.

Mac's can read NTFS, but not write to it. It can read and right Fat32, but I doubt your external is formatted that way and that you only have 32 gigs of info. You can copy it all over to your MBP, format the external for mac or partition it or whatever you want and then copy it all back over to the external.

Good luck with your mac order, but don't get into the mind set that mac's are infallible, they do have their unique "flukes".

 

[mduser63]

Thanks for the advice. I'm currently in the process of backing up some of the files on my PC // Firefox PWs & Bookmarks, movie files etc. . . will .wmv's play fine on Macs?

Yes, WMV files play fine, but you'll need to download and install a WMV plugin for QuickTime: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/player/wmcomponents.mspx

I'm sure there is a whole HOST of topics on making a seamless switch from PC to Mac - - - I'll continue on my research on that, but if anyone wants to share some advice now I'm more than willing to take it.

The one thing I discovered is that do files I burn (.ISOs for example not play on Macs?) I'm hoping that I can just drag my Firefox Profile folder into the correct folder on the MBP and have it work ...

Macs can deal with .iso files out of the box, no additional software required. Not sure about the Firefox profile folder thing as I use Safari.

I think I'm going to get rid of this laptop before I purchase the MBP - I don't know how much harder that will make transitioning - but I do have another desktop PC and an external drive if I do need - - - I'm hoping the MBP will read the External Drive just like windows does ... or are there separate "formats" for windows / apple drives?

There are separate formats for Macs and Windows. I'll try to summarize the three major formats:

NTFS - This is the default for newer Windows machines (NT, XP, and Vista)
FAT32 - This is for older Windows machines (Windows 95, 98, ME)
HFS+ - This is what Macs use.

NTFS = Full read/write support on Windows XP, Vista. Read-only on a Mac out of the box, although there are some third-party solutions for write support.
FAT32 = Full read/write support on both Windows and Macs.
HFS+ = Full read/write support on Macs. No support at all on Windows out of the box, but there are some third-party solutions for read/write support.

In short, if you want to use an external drive with both Windows PCs and Macs, your best bet is to use FAT32. If you're only going to read/copy PC files onto the Mac, NTFS should work OK.

If you have an iPod that you use with your Windows machine, it's already formatted in FAT32 and you can use it to transfer files over. See here: http://www.apple.com/getamac/movetomac/ipod.html

Hope this helps.

I'm going to continue researching but I don't have much I need to back up - just my browsing preferences, some documents, and some videos

 

[emptyCup]

if anyone wants to share some advice now I'm more than willing to take it.

David Pogue's Switching to the Mac: Tiger Edition will make the transition easier and give you something to do if you decide to wait until October to save the $129.

There is also a wealth of information online, including Apple's Switch 101

 

[Eraserhead]

Thanks for the advice. I'm currently in the process of backing up some of the files on my PC // Firefox PWs & Bookmarks, movie files etc. . . will .wmv's play fine on Macs?

Not if they are DRM'd or some other .wmv's, though most do play with Flip4Mac, though support for DRM'd .wmv's will (hopefully) come in Silverlight 1.1

 

[GimmeSlack12]

Leopard is a new OS, it will cost $129 to existing users, though installing it is as difficult as installing MS Office (though it takes a bit longer) unlike Windows where an Erase and Install is required.

This really isn't the case. I think maybe you had a few typos in here Eraserhead.

Leopard is a new OS. Yes.
Installing it is difficult. No.
It takes a long time. No.

You put the install disc in, you hit return a few times and it takes care of it for you. No serial numbers or activation or any of that crap. And it all happens pretty quickly for a major OS update (about 30 min.).

EDIT: I guess Eraserhead might have been referring to MS Office as being an easy install.

 

[mduser63]

EDIT: I guess Eraserhead might have been referring to MS Office as being an easy install.

It is, especially on a Mac (drag and drop on a Mac).

 

[Frisco]

Not if they are DRM'd or some other .wmv's, though most do play with Flip4Mac, though support for DRM'd .wmv's will (hopefully) come in Slightlight 1.1

What is Slightlight?

 

[Genghis Khan]

some advice for wildchild

hang out around the mac basics and help sub-forum here...there are such numerous easy to use features of mac osx that you cannot begin to imagine, and you'll find them alot quicker watching others make the mistakes for you

 

[motulist]

I've decided to switch to Macintosh. The final straw happened when my hp pavilion developed some sort of motherboard issue that wouldn't let it connect to wireless networks

I don't want you to be under the impression that Apple products are significantly less prone to manufacturing defects or eventual hardware problems such as hard drive or logic board failures than other manufacturers.

7 hours and 5 disconnected calls with some technicians in India and I decided I will switch over to the Mac

Apple's free Genius Bar is a great service, but although I've never used Apple's phone support I imagine that you wouldn't have too different an experience than you had with HP's phone support.

my limited usage with [Macs] in cyber cafe's or friend's homes convinced me that it is a superior machine.

This is the one and only reason to really switch to Mac, because you've tried using it and you find it a much better experience. So it sounds like you would definitely benefit by switching to Mac, but I want to make sure you go into it with your eyes opened and not clouded by any illusions.

 

[Eraserhead]

EDIT: I guess Eraserhead might have been referring to MS Office as being an easy install.

Yes exactly .

What is Slightlight?

I meant silverlight .

I think maybe you had a few typos in here Eraserhead.

Exactly .

 

[mduser63]

Apple's free Genius Bar is a great service, but although I've never used Apple's phone support I imagine that you wouldn't have too different an experience than you had with HP's phone support.

The (admittedly few) times I've called Apple, I have always gotten Americans (or perhaps Canadians?, native English speakers anyway) and they have been very helpful with a minimum amount of runaround. The Genius Bar has always been good to me as well. I really do think Apple has great service.

 

[dannewell15]

I have recently switched and I haven't looked back. I love OSX and my Macbook. Congrats!

 

[Frisco]

The (admittedly few) times I've called Apple, I have always gotten Americans (or perhaps Canadians?, native English speakers anyway) and they have been very helpful with a minimum amount of runaround. The Genius Bar has always been good to me as well. I really do think Apple has great service.

Yeah Apple has great phone support. I have only gotten people whom speak great English as well. Hopefully Apple keeps it this way. Almost every year Apple ranks #1 in Customer Support.