Mary M S
Screenwriter
- Joined
- Mar 12, 2002
- Messages
- 1,544
Excuse the mess of thoughts here but I'm in a panic over this purchase after my PC crashed.
Goals:
Get rid of the constant battles beating back virus/spam/etc on a PC acquired via heavy surfing.
I'm sick of MS phoning home, {not that I'd don't assume Mac will do some of this also, but at least I can look forward to not reparing my internet as often acording to happy Applets)
Want power for media manipulation when I have time to chose software for transferring VHS, digital, avi files, meshing all into family DVD's with audio.
If I ever wish to deal with it, - set up a HTPC.
Issue: Had already mulled over purchasing a MAC for the first time, - and intended to replace the old PC this year.
Unfortunately, the hard-drive crashed when I was not ready, have not researched and am not prepared.
I'll need a new compatible printer, (my old laser is not). So I'll be buying add-ons quick, don't want to end up with a whole new system and regret it.
The rush comes from the fact I need to do a powerpoint presentation for school, I have never used powerpoint before, it was not even loaded on my PC.
SO,,, its a crazy crunch to learn MAC for the first time ever!
load XP onto the MAC
load 97 Office into the XP portion (if this will work?)
learn powerpoint
buy a printer
Nervous that if I work a powerpoint presentation up on the MAC it will play on the schools XP loaded PC.
Normally, I'd buy the Mac, research loading XP, etc. But I have no time.
Questions:
I read you are required to decide when loading XP to use FAT32 or the other one.
Something about not being able to write to XP if you chose N???. While FAT is bit clunkier but more usable?
Can't quite grasp what all is at issue here, so if any advice on the partition choice?
There seem to be 3 ways to get XP onto the MAC.
Bootcamp
Parallels
Parallels in a Bootcamp partition.
Any advice why one of the above would be better than another?
Drawbacks & pluses?
Right now I'm in basic Mac feel-out mode, with basic quickie things all missing-in-action for me, till I get used to the Apple user interface. I've lost things like back-clicking via the mouse to return to a prior page while surfing. [So far, all I can find to do, to back up a page is to laboriously roll the curser to top of page and hit the "back arrow"...much slower, than a simple Back clic on the PC mouse]
Having to open the top "file tab" to select copy/paste no tool-bar icons I'm used to to do the same task.
Hard to adjust in a couple of hours!
A further question for any Macbook Pro users.
I'm tired of the real-estate towers take,
would prefer to dock a laptop using my own 20" monitor,
including the luxury of portability in a all-one unit.
So I am not sure why I purchased the Mac Pro tower versus a Macbook other than vague concerns about heat wear & tear, while using a laptop like a DT for heavy daily use.
Additionally concerned the macbooks would limit expansion vs Mac Pro's.
Worried if the Macbooks can add/do anything a Mac Pro can do?
I have two weeks for the project, and 29 days to decide if a Mac Pro is what I want?!
Any thoughts/ help for a scared new-Mac convert would be greatly appreciated!
Goals:
Get rid of the constant battles beating back virus/spam/etc on a PC acquired via heavy surfing.
I'm sick of MS phoning home, {not that I'd don't assume Mac will do some of this also, but at least I can look forward to not reparing my internet as often acording to happy Applets)
Want power for media manipulation when I have time to chose software for transferring VHS, digital, avi files, meshing all into family DVD's with audio.
If I ever wish to deal with it, - set up a HTPC.
Issue: Had already mulled over purchasing a MAC for the first time, - and intended to replace the old PC this year.
Unfortunately, the hard-drive crashed when I was not ready, have not researched and am not prepared.
I'll need a new compatible printer, (my old laser is not). So I'll be buying add-ons quick, don't want to end up with a whole new system and regret it.
The rush comes from the fact I need to do a powerpoint presentation for school, I have never used powerpoint before, it was not even loaded on my PC.
SO,,, its a crazy crunch to learn MAC for the first time ever!
load XP onto the MAC
load 97 Office into the XP portion (if this will work?)
learn powerpoint
buy a printer
Nervous that if I work a powerpoint presentation up on the MAC it will play on the schools XP loaded PC.
Normally, I'd buy the Mac, research loading XP, etc. But I have no time.
Questions:
I read you are required to decide when loading XP to use FAT32 or the other one.
Something about not being able to write to XP if you chose N???. While FAT is bit clunkier but more usable?
Can't quite grasp what all is at issue here, so if any advice on the partition choice?
There seem to be 3 ways to get XP onto the MAC.
Bootcamp
Parallels
Parallels in a Bootcamp partition.
Any advice why one of the above would be better than another?
Drawbacks & pluses?
Right now I'm in basic Mac feel-out mode, with basic quickie things all missing-in-action for me, till I get used to the Apple user interface. I've lost things like back-clicking via the mouse to return to a prior page while surfing. [So far, all I can find to do, to back up a page is to laboriously roll the curser to top of page and hit the "back arrow"...much slower, than a simple Back clic on the PC mouse]
Having to open the top "file tab" to select copy/paste no tool-bar icons I'm used to to do the same task.
Hard to adjust in a couple of hours!
A further question for any Macbook Pro users.
I'm tired of the real-estate towers take,
would prefer to dock a laptop using my own 20" monitor,
including the luxury of portability in a all-one unit.
So I am not sure why I purchased the Mac Pro tower versus a Macbook other than vague concerns about heat wear & tear, while using a laptop like a DT for heavy daily use.
Additionally concerned the macbooks would limit expansion vs Mac Pro's.
Worried if the Macbooks can add/do anything a Mac Pro can do?
I have two weeks for the project, and 29 days to decide if a Mac Pro is what I want?!
Any thoughts/ help for a scared new-Mac convert would be greatly appreciated!