From Windows to Mac--anyone done this?

[mockturtle]

I'm considering replacing my current Windows computer with a Mac. How big a hassle would it likely be with files, programs, etc.? Would it be totally incompatible with my Android phone?

[PUCampin]

EV2 wrote:

PUCampin wrote:
I have been a Windows user since 3.1. Last year my wife insisted she wanted a Macbook, so we got one. The thing drives me nuts, mainly because nothing is where I am used to it being, and nothing is intuitive for me. I spent 30min searching how to do a simple task, one that takes me 30sec in Windows, but on the Mac was located somewhere completely counter intuitive for me. I think the only way I would truly get used to Mac would be full immersion, and then it would take me a while to "unlearn" Windows. I don't have time to do that, so I don't. I have an iPhone, but IOS using touchscreen as input is not remotely the same experience as Mac OS. As an aside, my wife had to do a project using Prezi last year, OMG I HATE that program with a passion! She had no clue what to do with it, and it took me 2 days to do what would have taken an afternoon in Powerpoint!

I do not understand, use PowerPoint on the Mac.

Sorry, that last bit was not Mac related, Prezi is a 3rd party program that was required to be used for that one presentation, partly to expose the students to other options. As an Engineer, I tend to think in a particular way, and Prezi is designed for creative free flowing type minds, I had a very hard time helping her with it 🙂

[strollin]

I have heard this stuff many times over the years about about how great Macs and OS X were. I've owned 2 Macs over the years and could never figure out what was supposed to be so great about them. They were substantially more expensive than any other computer I've ever owned and yet they didn't work any better or do anything better. I couldn't come up with a single advantage to Mac ownership.

With my last Mac, when I finally decided I just plain didn't care for it, I gave it to my daughter. After a few months of using it, she asked to be switched back to a Windows computer. I ended up trading the Mac for a Win 7 laptop and feel I got the better end of the deal.

On the one hand, I'm glad I at least tried the Mac in order to see thru the hype but on the other hand, it was an expensive experiment.

[tatest]

I did this a few months ago after using Windows computers since Windows 2, and PC-DOS before that. Windows was the desktop machine at work, it was what the family wanted at home after we got over the Apple/Atari/Commodore thing, before the IBM-PC came out.

I'm fine with the change. I made it because I had to deal with one too many malignant Windows updates wiping out the whole OS, then wiping out the drive itself trying to do self-recovery. I made the change because OS-X is just a user-interface sitting atop a stable Unix system, and I accept Unix as mature and stable. In an earlier career had ten years experience running a lab full of mixed technical workstations, most of the time running at nine different flavors of windowed Unix, both AT&T and BSD brands, including Apple's early A-UX and three kinds of Unix running on PC or PS-2 boxes. I'm comfortable with what OS-X is, because it is Unix, conforming to Unix standards.

Applications can be an issue. A lot of Windows applications have no versions but for OS-X, though I think Microsoft still does Office for Mac. Most of the things that people do on Windows PCs are adequately handled by compatible applications (Photos, Pages, Numbers, Keynote) that come free with OS-X. I can say free, because anyone who wants OS-X can download it and use it without paying Apple a license fee.

You do have to check for critical applications, though. Mine are mostly from Adobe: Lightroom, Photoshop Elements, Premier Elements, the Creative Suite. Lightroom, in particular, is more stable on OS-X than it is on Windows 7. Epson has OS-X software and drivers for my scanner, Epson and Brother take care of their printers on OS-X.

The only application for which I really want a Windows machine is my Flight Simulator. I moved that from the second gaming PC that died to a fast Windows laptop. This program is already problematic on Windows now, as the version I use was really designed to work with Windows 2000 and XP, and it struggles with what has changed in Windows 7, with respect to system administration and software management. It will likely not install at all on Windows 10, tempting me to rebuild that gaming machine or build a new one while Win 7 Pro licenses are still available.

I could put Win 7 Pro on my iMac, but I'm not bothering with that because the Win 7 laptop is adequate.

I handled data transfers by getting a large network-attached drive that handles network clients running OS-X, Windows XP and beyond, iOS, and Android. I haven't tried Linux clients, different packages emulate different networking implementations. Anyway, network-attached means that the drive/server is file-system neutral, it deals with whole files rather than tracks, blocks, journals, cataloging systems et al. I ran all my Windows backups onto the network drive, I can access them equally well from any of the clients. All the clients can write files, all can read what the other writes.

Whether or not you can do something useful with the files, that varies. Some files are quite application specific. Others might be tied to a platform but can be dealt with. Digital video work is one example. I did my video work on windows using Movie Maker, back when it came with XP. Movie Maker uses Microsoft proprietary file formats and codecs. Some Mac/Linux world apps handle these, some don't, the codecs are certainly not native to the editing tools normally used for video on the Mac. WMVs can always be played and re-encoded to something else, but that can be a lot of extra work. I haven't tackled that one yet, but I know where to get the tools for the job.

If you don't want that cross-platform compatibility, you simply network the PC and Mac together and pull the files across one time, or if you've written them to USB drives, OS-X can mount and read FAT32 and NTFS disks written by windows. It can reformat them as Mac drives, if you want to continue using them for carrying data around.

I'm not sure what your Android phone looks like to a Mac, since I'm doing the network thing. I don't know what it looks like to a PC, for that matter, what you do to sync it. One of the things driving me to the Mac was that my phone and tablet were iOS, and where applications share information (contacts, notes, calendars, mail, messaging) they all share (and re-sync constantly) through iCloud. I've not extended that to music and photos because it is not necessary for me to have those synced across everything.

If you really like the Android world, consider a Chromebook and make Google your cloud? You can actually do that with a Mac as well, about the same as doing it from Windows. It is not natural to the native productivity apps, so what you do instead is use the Google apps. And if you are going to use the Google apps, a Chrome PC is adequate.

[ljr]

cmb wrote:
I moved a friend from Windows to a Mac a few months ago. After being in the Apple community for several months now (along with the free hand-holding Apple provides), she'll never go back to Windows. If I wasn't running Linux, I'd pick a Mac too.

Remember, underneath OSX is Yellow Dog unix. I switched from Linux, AIX and Solaris when I discovered I could do the pointy clicky stuff but still open a terminal window and build open source software.

[OutdoorPhotogra]

I made the switch in 2009 and now no Windows PCs in the house. Still on Windows at work.

By MS Office for Mac and everything will work fine. Good deals with OneDrive bundled and license for 5 devices.

Be aware that while Bootcamp is free, you must purchase a copy of Windows. I was frustrated at losing Quicken and no, there is not really a Mac alternative. I didn't use it to pay bills so I decided on Mint and love it. It's sufficient for my needs on tracking a variety of accounts and expenses. It works with Thrift Savings Plan as well which Quicken didn't do well the last time I used it.

[EV2]

PUCampin wrote:
I have been a Windows user since 3.1. Last year my wife insisted she wanted a Macbook, so we got one. The thing drives me nuts, mainly because nothing is where I am used to it being, and nothing is intuitive for me. I spent 30min searching how to do a simple task, one that takes me 30sec in Windows, but on the Mac was located somewhere completely counter intuitive for me. I think the only way I would truly get used to Mac would be full immersion, and then it would take me a while to "unlearn" Windows. I don't have time to do that, so I don't. I have an iPhone, but IOS using touchscreen as input is not remotely the same experience as Mac OS. As an aside, my wife had to do a project using Prezi last year, OMG I HATE that program with a passion! She had no clue what to do with it, and it took me 2 days to do what would have taken an afternoon in Powerpoint!

I do not understand, use PowerPoint on the Mac.

[tragusa3]

I worked 25 years doing 10 hour days in the PC world. Changed careers...tried a Mac at home and will NEVER buy another PC. Our Mac is a year old now, with heavy usage...never a blip, skip or hangup. It's been a joy to use.

[DiploStrat]

PUCampin wrote:
I have been a Windows user since 3.1. … nothing is where I am used to it being, and nothing is intuitive for me.

This is not uncommon. The trick is that even if the Mac is much easier and more stable (much less of an issue these days) it is still different and you can expect to do some head scratching.

There is even a page on this on the Apple website: PC to Mac

[guidry]

Went to a MacBook Pro and love it. I also have a Galaxy S6 and transfer files easily. There will be a learning curve but well worth it if you make sure you have the right apps and programs. Word for Mac is flawless, emails, files, Adobe, all work so much better, easier and faster.

[PUCampin]

I have been a Windows user since 3.1. Last year my wife insisted she wanted a Macbook, so we got one. The thing drives me nuts, mainly because nothing is where I am used to it being, and nothing is intuitive for me. I spent 30min searching how to do a simple task, one that takes me 30sec in Windows, but on the Mac was located somewhere completely counter intuitive for me. I think the only way I would truly get used to Mac would be full immersion, and then it would take me a while to "unlearn" Windows. I don't have time to do that, so I don't. I have an iPhone, but IOS using touchscreen as input is not remotely the same experience as Mac OS. As an aside, my wife had to do a project using Prezi last year, OMG I HATE that program with a passion! She had no clue what to do with it, and it took me 2 days to do what would have taken an afternoon in Powerpoint!

[mockturtle]

Thanks, all! Now, to choose the right Mac laptop.

[Happytraveler]

I believe the Apple Store will transfer files from your PC to a new Mac. They did it for me.

[Campfire_Time]

mockturtle wrote:
Will I still be able to get my email on my Android phone?

Yes. If you are using Gmail you can get Gmail though your browser on the Mac and everything still continues to sync on your phone and tablet (if you have one).

[Johndanielscpa]

I don't use Android, but I would think it would work. Install Bootcamp (included with Mac OS) and just let it know you want to install Windows. It will walk you through the steps. There is a ton of guidance on the internet as well if you just Google it. I have seen "tips sheets" for transitioning from Windows to Mac. Again, just Google it.

[mockturtle]

Hmmm. Sounds doable. Will I still be able to get my email on my Android phone? How do you create a partition to use Quicken for Windows? Most importantly: Is there a manual with tips for making the switch?