New Mac User with Some Questions

[PerfectJudgment]

I'll be going off to college in a couple of weeks and decided now was the time to make the switch since I would be needing a new laptop. I received my new MacBook last week only two days after I had ordered it from the online Apple store!! I am loving the new operating system and can't wait to get this thing online and see everything it has to offer. (I swear, sometimes I feel like the only one that still has dial-up on their home computer.) Anyway, I had some questions about some weird files that I've found in my "iPhoto Library" folder. The files are:
iPhoto.ipspot
iPhotoLock.data
Library.data
Library.iPhoto
Library6.iPhoto
Thumb32Segment.data
Thumb64Segment.data
ThumbJPGSegment.data
Dir.data
AlbumData.xml

The two ".iPhoto" files open up iPhoto and a message pops up saying that the file is unreadable and could not be imported. The ".data" and ".ipspot" files have no default application specified to open the document. And finally the ".xml" file opens up as Big Bang 4-In-A-Row. What are all these files supposed to do and how did they get there? I currently have no photo in my iPhoto library, and the only ones I did have were imported from Photo Booth and subsequently deleted just so I could see what options the iPhoto program offered. Any help would be appreciated.

P.S.- I typed this message on my MacBook, transferred it to my internet-enabled PC via my brand new iPod nano, and posted it. Why? Because I can.

 

[CanadaRAM]

In general

Do not go poking around inside of folders, especially the Library and System folders

Do not rename or move any file or folder that the OS or an application creates automatically. Things will break, badly, if you do.

To open a program, just click its icon, or the icon in the dock, don't try to deduce the workings of the dozens and hundreds of support files, lobraries, resources, etc.

The above advice is for 98% of Mac users. If you are in the top 2% of geekdom and really want to learn about the Mac OSX and its Unix underpinnings, get some books, starting with one of David Pogue's "the missing manual" series, and go to it.

But don't be messing with those files until you understand them.

 

[skybolt]

I ablsolutely agree with CanadaRAM! Mucking about in the folders, etc is most assuredly the Windows way, and not the Mac way! You have made the switch, now let it be complete and start doing things the easy way. Let your apps take care of things for you, don't worry about what is "under the hood" so to speak. Forget those files are there!

Welcome to the wonderful world of Macs! Let us know how we can make your switch easier! I promise, macs are much easier to use than PC's, just don't micro-manage everything -- relax!

 

[M@lew]

Do not touch any funny sounding files. You do so, you will stuff your computer up. Also do not rename your User folder. Another heads up that will save you a lot of grief.

 

[hopejr]

I'll be going off to college in a couple of weeks and decided now was the time to make the switch since I would be needing a new laptop. I received my new MacBook last week only two days after I had ordered it from the online Apple store!! I am loving the new operating system and can't wait to get this thing online and see everything it has to offer. (I swear, sometimes I feel like the only one that still has dial-up on their home computer.) Anyway, I had some questions about some weird files that I've found in my "iPhoto Library" folder. The files are:
iPhoto.ipspot
iPhotoLock.data
Library.data
Library.iPhoto
Library6.iPhoto
Thumb32Segment.data
Thumb64Segment.data
ThumbJPGSegment.data
Dir.data
AlbumData.xml

The two ".iPhoto" files open up iPhoto and a message pops up saying that the file is unreadable and could not be imported. The ".data" and ".ipspot" files have no default application specified to open the document. And finally the ".xml" file opens up as Big Bang 4-In-A-Row. What are all these files supposed to do and how did they get there? I currently have no photo in my iPhoto library, and the only ones I did have were imported from Photo Booth and subsequently deleted just so I could see what options the iPhoto program offered. Any help would be appreciated.

P.S.- I typed this message on my MacBook, transferred it to my internet-enabled PC via my brand new iPod nano, and posted it. Why? Because I can.

I have those files too. They're normal and created by iPhoto.