MAKING THE TRANSITION FROM A PC TO A MAC

Lots of folks today are considering moving from a Microsoft Windows PC to an Apple Macintosh or Mac.  If you are one of them, I put together a starter course to make the transition easy for you.  Here we go…

Among the possibilities of storing your data today are Unix, Linux, Windows/Dos, and the Macintosh OSX.

One of the challenges you might encounter moving from one OS (operating system) to another is the GUI (graphical user interface – how stuff is displayed on the screen) slightly or drastically changes. Spending a little time playing with the OS and reading the manual, whether it be online or printed, can help immensely.

If you are about to move from a PC to a Mac, you'll have documents that need to be moved over to your new computing environment. If you purchase your Mac from an Apple Store or from Apple directly on line, you can bring the new computer to an Apple Store, and the "Genius" will help you with the transfer.

The Genius Bar is a counter in every Apple Store that has trained specialists, (called "geniuses" – a little pretentious but it makes everyone feel good) to help with customer problems.

In Windows you go to "Control Panel" to change settings for a large number of items like "Network Settings," "Display" etc.  In MacOSX, you find a pull down menu under the Apple Logo in the top left hand corner. Here, you can select "System Preferences" which is similar to "Control Panel" in Windows:

The Mac comes with a "Docking Station" where applications can be easily selected. By default Apple puts it in the bottom of the screen:

I prefer to hide my dock when it's not being used and locate it on the left side of the screen:

You can transfer files from your PC to your new Mac yourself, without having to go to the Apple Store for help. Follow instructions found at this link:  How to transfer data from a PC to a Macintosh

It might also be useful to know what Windows keys are located on a Mac keyboard that can be found here:  Windows Keys on  Mac Keyboard

If you care or need to network your Mac and a PC additional info can be found here: Network your Mac and PC

Connecting your Mac to a Windows computer help can be found here: Connecting your Mac directly to a Windows computer

After setting up your new Mac and printer problems are encountered, then look here: Troubleshooting Printing Issues

Remember that a computer and its input devices are basically dumb devices at your command. To become proficient with each OS takes a little practice and will improve over time.

Finding out where things go is important to learn quickly so that you can access them later in an instant. Apple includes a very nice search engine in the OS called "Spotlight," located at the far top right of the Mac menu bar.

After getting a new Mac it will need to index files on your hard disk. Once this is done, "Spotlight" can be activated by clicking on the magnifying glass in the top right menu bar:

If you are a writer or journalist and live in Microsoft Office on the PC then I highly recommend purchasing Microsoft Office for the Macintosh. You will be able to seamlessly open documents from one OS to the other. Also, if you catalog images and lots of various items on your PC consider: Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Special Media Edition.

This version will let you catalog up to 100,000 files and images with formats of hundreds of styles.

Deleting files is accomplished by dragging files to the trash, seen below and selecting "Empty Trash" under the File Menu under the menu bar at top of screen:

Do your self a favor and use an optical or USB three button mouse with your new OSX. It works fine in Mac OSX even though Apple does not provide one with its computers. 

Connecting to the Internet is easy and the system will guide you through a wizard:

If you purchase an iMac or MacBook or MacBook Pro (laptops), they will come with Airport. Airport is a wireless card built into the computer that has all the latest security parameters built in:

Well, that's your starter course on your new Macintosh. Enjoy, explore ,and don't forget —  Google has Google Earth for the Macintosh and its download can be found here:  Google Earth

Marco