I'm buying my first iMac, I need to ask you everything

[Mad Mel]

The performance thing makes me laugh. 90% of users don't do anything more strenuous than launch a web browser. But they sure love to brag about how top-end their machine is! Holy crap, did you see how fast Firefox started?!!!?!

[3 Justin 3]

Originally Posted by RyZ

Bring a lot of money. If you are used to working/playing around PC's the Apple line is going to kick your wallets ass to get the same performance that you are used to.

Originally Posted by 3 Justin 3

*Inserts obligitory "iMacs are overpriced" comment*

^^

[Barnes]

The biggest thing that you need to know is that poor people like to tell you, you spent too much.

[FanIn80]

Mac haters remind me of ugly people.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by corporatejay

copying my old data over? Is it more complicated than

1. plug in removable HDD to pc
2. copy data to HDD
3. unplug
4. plug into mac
3. copy data.

I'm not 100% on this (maybe a Mac user can confirm), but you also need to format your drive FAT32 instead of NTFS if you're doing it this way. Make sure you get any data you need off it before you reformat.

What do Mac users do for files larger than 4 GB (e.g. disc ISOs)? I know you can install NTFS support but I'm assume there's a better way.

[silentsim]

Well, if you don't need Windows support you can use the HFS Partition. That is what I do on my network drive, and share it through my iMac so windows users can access it over SMB.

[McG]

a little bit off topic but it would be important to me...

how easy is it to do boot camp and basically run windows etc on the one side for the things that we need to do in the microsoft world, and have snow leopard with the apple stuff on the other? is it as easy to install as putting the disk in and letting windows install?

i'm sure it isn't that easy but just wondering because ultimately this is something that i would consider myself. Thanks!

[silentsim]

Originally Posted by McG

a little bit off topic but it would be important to me...

how easy is it to do boot camp and basically run windows etc on the one side for the things that we need to do in the microsoft world, and have snow leopard with the apple stuff on the other? is it as easy to install as putting the disk in and letting windows install?

i'm sure it isn't that easy but just wondering because ultimately this is something that i would consider myself. Thanks!

yes, boot camp is very easy to install. run boot camp assistant, choose a partition size, it will then partition the HD (non-destructive) then it commands you to insert the windows disk and reboot. install windows (format it to ntfs during the install) then when windows is installed pop in your snow leopard disk as it has boot camp drivers. the drivers will install everything then.

And why not use Microsoft word etc in OS X? 2011 is coming very soon, and it's apparently very nice. 2008 is out at the moment.

[Barnes]

Originally Posted by SebC

I'm not 100% on this (maybe a Mac user can confirm), but you also need to format your drive FAT32 instead of NTFS if you're doing it this way. Make sure you get any data you need off it before you reformat.

What do Mac users do for files larger than 4 GB (e.g. disc ISOs)? I know you can install NTFS support but I'm assume there's a better way.

Macs can read NTFS natively.

Don't understand your question though. Are you thinking that the FS of OS X is FAT? It's HFS+ and supports files bigger than 4 GB. 8 exabytes to be exact whatever that is...

[FanIn80]

Macs can read NTFS file systems right out of the box.

He's doing the right thing. Just copy everything to the external drive, and then copy it to the Mac. Once that's done, just change the file system of the external drive to HFS+ and then use it as a Time Machine backup device.

As for the "larger than 4GBs on a Mac" thing... Apple added support for large file sizes back in 1999, so I think he should be ok.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by Barnes

Macs can read NTFS natively.

Well then I have no idea why every USB storage device I've ever purchased comes preformatted FAT32 "for compatibility with Mac".

Sorry guys, I obviously don't know enough to even try to help.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by silentsim

And why not use Microsoft word etc in OS X? 2011 is coming very soon, and it's apparently very nice. 2008 is out at the moment.

The OP said "World", not "Word".

I'm running parallels right now, but I'd recommend Boot Camp and will be switching over soon. Parallels has poor USB support (although the newer versions may be better).

I've got a USB/OBDII that I'm trying to get working and the software is only in the Microsoft World.

[Barnes]

Originally Posted by SebC

Well then I have no idea why every USB storage device I've ever purchased comes preformatted FAT32 "for compatibility with Mac".

Sorry guys, I obviously don't know enough to even try to help.

It's because of no write support. To be honest, I've never actually reformatted from FAT 32 to HFS+.

[McG]

Originally Posted by silentsim

yes, boot camp is very easy to install. run boot camp assistant, choose a partition size, it will then partition the HD (non-destructive) then it commands you to insert the windows disk and reboot. install windows (format it to ntfs during the install) then when windows is installed pop in your snow leopard disk as it has boot camp drivers. the drivers will install everything then.

And why not use Microsoft word etc in OS X? 2011 is coming very soon, and it's apparently very nice. 2008 is out at the moment.

thank you silentsim. sounds easy enough!

the reason for my question is only a piece of mind thing...i haven't thought it through really but if a person had a spare win 7 license kicking around...well it is good to know it is that easy. i just haven't thought through all of the applications that i use and searched for the apple equivalents although i am sure that they are mostly out there.

i don't think it hurts to have options!

[cKy]

Im too lazy to read this thread, but check the refurb section at the apple online store. They have great prices and the product looks completely new.

My boss has ordered his last 2 iMac's and an iPod refurbbed and it was way cheaper and has a great warranty still

[ma-skis.com]

i've gone through a few macs and most times i've scored a free printer / ipod nano or soemthing or other, but that was through the online store.

[FanIn80]

Originally Posted by SebC

Well then I have no idea why every USB storage device I've ever purchased comes preformatted FAT32 "for compatibility with Mac".

Sorry guys, I obviously don't know enough to even try to help.

NTFS is proprietary to Microsoft.
HFS+ is proprietary to Apple.

Microsoft only supports Microsoft file systems.
Apple supports all file systems to the extent that they have permission.

Apple can read NTFS, but can't write to it.
Microsoft won't support HFS+ at all.
Apple can write/write to FAT32.
Microsoft can read/write to FAT32.

As for the OP's original question, yes NTFS is fine for moving data from PC to Mac. If you want to go the other way, though, you have to use FAT32.

There are also third-party drivers that you can install in Windows to read/write HFS+ volumes, and there are third-party drivers you can install in OS X to write to NTFS volumes.

In a perfect world, Microsoft would acknowledge that other operating systems do exist, and provide better support for working with them... but, then again, if it was really a perfect world Windows wouldn't even exist anyway.

[silentsim]

Yeah. i keep my USB Sticks on FAT32 for ultra compatibility. (never know what comp i'd have to use it on..) But my external drive's are HFS+. SMB windows sharing or MacDrive to read em.

ALTHOUGH
now, i just installed the newest boot camp, and it read's the HFS+ drive just fine. I didn't test write though, so it seems Apple installs those drivers now on the windows boot camp drivers.

[Temporary_User]

I just got my first mac about a month ago. (13" macbook pro)

here are the differences I've noticed:
1) yes there is right click option, but at least on my mbp, it's not as easy as hitting the bottom right of the trackpad as one should expect, there is a real small sweet spot that one has to hit. around 40% of the time I don't get the correct spot.
2) when I open a pdf or other document off the internet/email, even if I choose open instead of save to option, it still seems to save to my desktop (I choose my desktop as default download location for things). This is a slight annoyance to me.
3) There is no delete button as there is on a windows based keyboard. On my mac, the delete button is the backspace button. I know you can press fn+delete and a few of the features delete has works, but not all (mainly sending things to the trash-can as the #1 thing i wish it worked for). Even still having a pysical delete would be better than having to press two buttons.
4) Unless I'm missing some plug-ins that I haven't thought about (I have vlc and divx), not all of the sites I used to use for streaming videos have worked now on my mac.
5) scrolling while I like the 2 finger instead of the right side only, I find my screen flickers slightly if it's text only on the screen.
6) I've had my computer freeze around 4 times already. Something I was lead to believe doesn't happen as often compared to a windows based computer (Thus far I would say it happens to me more often)
7) It does look real nice. No stickers placed all over it like a race car.
8) The power cord magnet (one of the main reasons I wanted this computer) is nice and works awesome, but does grind against the computer body every time its removed (I don't think it is scratching or anything, just annoying on a new machine).
9) As sort of already mentioned, I have a love hate relationship with the trackpad, on one hand all the pre-built gestures are great and convienent, on the other some things with it are pretty finicky.

Overall it's a computer I bought it mainly because they are known to be up there in reliability compared to a few other manufacturors. I like learning new things and many businesses are using macs, so this is something I can jump in and already know if I get a job where I'm using one.
I'm someone who jumps right in and starts using my stuff though; the first day I got my computer I already switched my browser to FF, downloaded a few torrents *cough* games and office *cough*, downloaded a few apps (remove foreign languages and remove startup sound), and a few other things.
Everyone knocks the prices of them, but for what I wanted, the prices were very comparable if not exactly the same.
I don't really understand all of the hype thus far, but I've never really been a hypebeast.

[Flames0910]

Honestly the easiest solution is to just install NTFS drivers on your Mac and you're covered. But really, look at the debate here over file systems. It's not like Macs are just for people who want 'pretty boxes.'

Edit: ^temporary user - turn on two finger right click.