Will XP run very fast like it does on a native PC system?
Yes, because it
is a native system, with the same CPU type and hardware.
Will I will be able to print from the Mac and Windows side on the same printer?
...
I have a Brother HL-1240, it's a workhorse, and probably at least six years old.
Yes
Can someone verify the OS number, of Leopard, is it 10.6?
Leopard is the previous version and is 10.5. Snow Leopard is the current version and is 10.6.
Very important to me, Will I will be able to use a document feeder on my printer to scan documents into Adobe Acrobat, version 6 -- and still e-mail them from the PC side?
Yes, it will work exactly the same in Windows and you can continue to use Acrobat 6 in Windows. Since Mac OS X has native PDF support system wide, it has several apps that will allow you to scan using your document feeder* to PDF without Acrobat.
*Depending on your scanner make & model, again we need to know to make sure yours is compatible.
Can i bring documents back and forth between both sides -- Mac and PC?
Yes. The easiest way would be to just leave a USB drive (flash, hard disk, whatever) attached to your system and copy files to it.
Boot Camp will allow Windows to read any files from your Mac OS X partition, but not write. Mac OS X will be able to read any files from your Windows partition, but only write files to it if your Windows partition is FAT32. The simple solution is to just setup Windows on a FAT32 partition and be done with it, and you can buy MacDrive to allow Windows to write files to the Mac OS X partition.
This is a big plunge for me, and I wonder if I should just get a PC, which would be considerably cheaper, but there is a part of me that misses the Mac world....
If you want to make the transition from Windows XP to Mac OS X or from Windows XP to Windows 7 then you will love a new iMac. If you just want a new Windows XP computer then buy that - Windows XP isn't going to take advantage of the iMac's new hardware (since it is 10 years old after all) so you'd just be burning money.
My hesitancy comes from owning a Mac with a PC card years ago which was a total bust from APPLE !!
The Mac is nothing like what you experienced over 13 years ago. Apple is nothing like what it was over 13 years ago.
So, I have to install the program twice.....
Not if you're actually making a transition. Like I said, if you just want a new Windows XP computer then buy that - Windows XP isn't going to take advantage of the iMac's new hardware (since it is 10 years old after all) so you'd just be burning money.
How does one determine if they should install Windows 7 at 32 bit, or 64 bit?
Because you're dealing with a 6 year old printer you'd most likely have to use the 32-bit edition. Although with 64-bit the processor can do math faster, you wouldn't really benefit from the 64-bit edition because of your older software.
Is there a big difference in buying your new Mac from a local Mac store vs. Online? The online store has a lot more printers to choose from -- that being said I wonder though if I want to build a relationship with my local Mac store, and the local Mac store will throw in the extended keyboard for free......
Thoughts? Many thanks.....
Apple doesn't "throw in" free accessories like keyboards, they're just going to replace the wireless keyboard with a wired one - you won't get both. You don't really need to build a relationship with your Apple Retail Store, they're not going to give you preferential treatment just because you show up often.
In my opinion, the best place to buy is Amazon since they have lower prices, free shipping, and there is no sales tax. Amazon has a huge selection of printers and a great return policy if you are unhappy with your purchase.
The Apple web site will give you free shipping and a $100 rebate on a new printer though, so you might take that $100 in to consideration depending on your sales tax. Don't scoff at the rebate process either; Apple rebates are far more streamlined than anyone else's and you'll have a check within a week of your submission.
B:
I don't have a "physical" Xp disk......all I have is back-up software for my e-machine which installs a whole bunch of stuff specific to my e-machine along with Windows XP.
The eMachines restore disc will not work with your iMac. Period.
I was going to borrow a copy of Windows XP, but I would have to enter the serial number, and that would only allow that CD to be re-installed a fewer amount of times, without getting a new code number from Microsoft. I have had that happen to me before.
Pro tip: Microsoft disregards Windows XP activations after 180 days.
I want the PC side, because work uses PC apps, primarily Microsoft Office, and I don't want to buy the Mac version of Office, and I really like Office XP --- I also have a lot of software programs that are PC version only, i.e. Adobe Acrobat, and don't have the money to buy Mac versions right now. Granted, these are programs that are several years old, and older versions, but they still work just fine.
Thanks for any input you can provide.
I say use them! But if you're actually going to start a transition try to use them in Parallels or VMware Fusion.
Depending on how you use Acrobat you may be able to get away without ever buying the Mac version, as many features are built-in to Mac OS X already. Seriously, it's the most PDF-friendly OS on the planet!
balamw said:
Have you considered just using your current XP in a Virtual Machine along with all its apps. VMWare and Parallels offer tools to take a working PC and convert it into a VM.
This is greek to me. I thought you could run VM on your Mac if you didn't want to run bootcamp -- I don't think I want an emulator. <?>
Thanks.
Parallels and VMware will automatically clone your PC to your Mac and you can run everything as-is on your Mac while simultaneously running Mac OS X. They do not emulate anything, they just create a virtual container for your old PC on your new iMac. It will actually probably give you slightly better performance than your PC, but not much.
