[MoreCowbell]

I’ve finally joined the club…I’ve switched from XP to a Mac. This weekend I purchased a 15.4 in MB-Pro, 2.33mhz. I am LOVING it so far. A few questions, and I apologize in advance, as I am sure that these are “Noobie” questions….

-I have tried to download and install Mozilla. I have figured how to get Firefox onto the dock. However, on my desktop, I now have one icon that says “Firefox” and looks like a disk drive with and emblem on it and another that say “Firefox 2.0.dmg”. What are these things?

-I moved over a LOT files from PC. Mostly pictures, music and Microsoft excel docs. I brought them over as folders and then moved them to where they needed to go on the MAC. However, I now only have 70gb available. I want to make sure I don’t have duplicate copies of the same files on the MAC. How can I do this?

-A few live-updating sites that work on my PC using explorer don’t update automatically and need to be constantly refreshed. Some examples are the NFL scores page on NFL.com and ESPN live scoring. Do I need some type of a plug-in or other type of browser t support these functions?

-How can I get Entourage to sync my notes and tasks with my blackberry?

-Is there a functionality or even a program I could download that would
---→ Remember all logins and passwords for different web sites and enter them for my on command?
-→ Automatically fill in forms for me. Example, with one click it would fill in first name, last name, address, Etc Etc.

-Something I liked about windows was if I was surfing the web and wanted to open another browser, I’d just click that Icon again. That doesn’t work here. Is there a way I can get this functionality?

-I’d like to set the PC so that when I walk away and leave it for more than 5 minutes, the screen turns into a totally random slideshow of my photos. Is this possible?

Thanks in advance!!! Hopefully I can lean enough to become somebody who can answer some questions instead of asking….

[vladinecko]

first, off congrats, good choice! now to your questions:

I now have one icon that says “Firefox” and looks like a disk drive with and emblem on it and another that say “Firefox 2.0.dmg”. What are these things?

dmg file types indicate disk images. Most installers for the Mac are packed in those files. after you double-click on a .dmg file, it's then automatically mounted in your Finder where you can see the contents of the image. in case of Firefox, you could see the installer that you could run. after you're done using the images (after the install is complete, for example), it's recommended to eject the images by either dragging them into Trash or pressing the eject button next to the image icon.

I want to make sure I don’t have duplicate copies of the same files on the MAC. How can I do this?

i guess the easiest way of doing this would be using Spotlight. you can activate it either by pressing command key (the apple key) + space bar (if you haven't changed it from default). you can then search for files you think you have duplicates of and see if you find duplicates of it. i'm sure there's an easier way, but i can't think of it right now.

A few live-updating sites that work on my PC using explorer don’t update automatically and need to be constantly refreshed. Some examples are the NFL scores page on NFL.com and ESPN live scoring. Do I need some type of a plug-in or other type of browser t support these functions?

this is a browser-specific issue. meaning, doesn't matter what operating system you run, it only matter what browser you run. i'm not sure about those particular sites you mentioned but i would be very surprised if Firefox for Mac doesn't support what windows does.

How can I get Entourage to sync my notes and tasks with my blackberry?

sorry, can't help you there...

Is there a functionality or even a program I could download that would
---? Remember all logins and passwords for different web sites and enter them for my on command?
-? Automatically fill in forms for me. Example, with one click it would fill in first name, last name, address, Etc Etc.

this is again a browser-specific issue. pretty much all modern browsers can do stuff like that. in firefox, you can go to its preferences -> security and then choosing an appropriate option under Passwords. i'd recommend reading the help files for your browser of choice.

Something I liked about windows was if I was surfing the web and wanted to open another browser, I’d just click that Icon again. That doesn’t work here. Is there a way I can get this functionality?

OS X treats applications differently than Windows. instead of launching another copy of the application, it only launched another instance of it. so, the application can only run once and then you can open multiple windows of it. so to achieve what you want in a browser, just choose New Window from the File menu or press command (apple key) + N.

I’d like to set the PC so that when I walk away and leave it for more than 5 minutes, the screen turns into a totally random slideshow of my photos. Is this possible?

very easy. if you haven't discovered iPhoto yet, this is a good time to do it. the shortcut for iPhoto is in your dock. import all your pictures into it and you can also play around with all different features and effects, organize them in albums, etc, etc. one thing to mention, if you want to avoid duplicating your entire picture library (importing your pics into iPhoto will by default make copies of them in its own location that you can also specify) make sure to go to iPhoto preferences and uncheck "Copy files to iPhoto Library folder" under Advanced tab.
After you have imported your photos, go to System Preferences (click the apple logo in the top-left corner of the screen and choose System Preferences...) and choose Desktop & Screen Saver. There, you'll see a list of all possible screen savers you have available and one of the options will be to choose an album from your iPhoto library. then you can use the slider to set how long before the screen saver should go on. and that's it.

hope this helps.

[vladinecko]

one more thing, most applications do not require any installation. after you download them (or their .dmg file), you can then just drag the application from the mounted disk image into your Applications folder. in most cases, that's all you need to do.

[Asiann]

My buddy has a Mac but can also use XP. His notebook was pretty sweet! He is in the IT field.

[nabutes]

I would recommend you try Camino. It's basically Firefox with a "mac" feel to it.

Welcome to the club!

[nabutes]

Originally Posted by gluck75

-How can I get Entourage to sync my notes and tasks with my blackberry?

To sync your blackberry you need to use pocketmac: http://www.pocketmac.net/

It's free and really simple to use.

[Gripster]

Awesome. Welcome to Macintosh. Once you go Mac....

Anyway, I've been evangelizing OS X to friends and family and have made a fair number of them into switchers. In doing so, there are a couple of links that help prevent me explaining stuff over and over. I'll list them here for you.

Official Apple site for Switchers
http://www.apple.com/support/switch101/

Official Mac 101
http://www.apple.com/support/mac101/

Nice Video Introduction to OS X
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...q=macos+x+demo

Some useful shareware here
http://www.macrecon.com/the-ultimate-mac-software-list/

Here's some cool stuff, try this:

- Open a few windows and hold [shift] then press F9
- Hold [shift] and minimize a window
- Hold [control] and scroll your mousewheel
- Press Ctrl-Option-Cmd-8

[MoreCowbell]

Originally Posted by vladinecko

hope this helps.

Thanks so much Vlad for the email and the help.

Two things...

-I notice that when I launch Firefox now, it doesn't just launch the browser, it launches another box and then I have to click the icon again to launch it. Whats that about?

-I signed up for .MAC. I have 5 important files I use almost daily and would like to back them up and be able to access them no matter where I am or what computer I am on. I think it involves the idisk or something like that. How is this accomplished?

Thanks again.

[oneshare325]

Originally Posted by gluck75

Thanks so much Vlad for the email and the help.

Two things...

-I notice that when I launch Firefox now, it doesn't just launch the browser, it launches another box and then I have to click the icon again to launch it. Whats that about?

-I signed up for .MAC. I have 5 important files I use almost daily and would like to back them up and be able to access them no matter where I am or what computer I am on. I think it involves the idisk or something like that. How is this accomplished?

Thanks again.

.Mac stuff is through system pref. but after you have it set up you can access your iDisk though the finder....Pic 1.

Your Firefox, is not an installer, it is a application you need to drag into your application folder, sounds like you are mounting the dmg everytime, and you simply made an alias. What you should do is close whatever you have open. Then follow the pics I attached! Once you mount the disk image ( the white icon with the firefox symbol) pic two. you should see pic three. What you then do is take the icon you see in pic 3 and drag it into where it says Applications in pic 4. what I would then do is since you might have an alias in you dock instead of the application. Go back into your applications folder, and double click on the icon you see for firefox that should now be in there. Firefox should now appear in your dock (since it it open) and, After you do that right click (ctrl+click) on the icon in the dock and it should say "keep in dock. " I am not sure if I am telling you things you already know, but I figured I would cover all the bases! Hope we helped you vladinecko is my fellow Mac Buddy!

[findtom]

The one thing that keeps me back from switching to mac is *ahem* getting the software I need without having to take out a second mortgage. Are there torrent sites that specialize in this or something?

[truebluetitan]

agluck75,
Welcome to another addiction! I'm sure that you'll soon notice (if you haven't already) that using a mac is actually a lot of fun. I've had a mac for over 2 years now and that feeling just doesn't wear off. As stated above, dragging an icon from the disk image to your applications folder is the installation process.
The same works in reverse. Dragging an application icon from the applications folder to the trash can is the way to remove items. I can't tell you how long my brainwashed windows mind spent looking for the OSX Add/Remove Programs comparable program.

findtom,
where there is a will there is a way, however, a lot of the software I use on my mac is either pretty cheap or free and I do a lot of multimedia stuff.

[vladinecko]

Originally Posted by oneshare325

Your Firefox, is not an installer, it is a application you need to drag into your application folder, sounds like you are mounting the dmg everytime, and you simply made an alias.

^ what he said ^

that was the second note i made. many applications for the Mac don't have installers, you just drag them to your Applications folder (or wherever else) and you're done. the pics oneshare325 posted can be generalized for any application of that nature.

good luck!

[SCA]

I have a MacBook. I had zero issues until I downloaded the first firmware update. The problem was livable, the unit would sometimes go into sleep mode and then would not come out of it. The battery would have to be removed, reinstalled, and everything would be fine until the next time. The latest firmware has caused the unit to completely shut down when running on the battery. As long as it is connected to the powercord I have no issues and do not have to reboot the unit every 5-10 minutes.

[MrSilver]

Gratz...

I've always loved the Apple products but just can't get myself to pull the trigger.

[truebluetitan]

MrSilver,
Just do it!!!

[MoreCowbell]

Hey Guys...Thanks again for all the time you have taken to help me...

I bought the .mac service. As I understood it, I can use my "idisk" as backup or restore folder. I have 5 or 6 files I update every day an excel and they are very important. I'd like to be able to update/edit these files, even when I do not have my mac with me. How would I go about doing this?

[vladinecko]

i don't have .Mac but i'm pretty sure you can do all you want on their website (www.mac.com). i am also pretty sure if you can't figure something out, they have a good support line to help you out with whatever you need (since it's subscription-based)

[CraigG]

[vladinecko]

[oneshare325]

Originally Posted by vladinecko

Haha...Yea..I saw that too,

Have you been reading about how justin long isn't going to do anymore, but NOW the latest is he did more just for christmas and those are his last ones??

[tintivilus]

Originally Posted by gluck75

Hey Guys...Thanks again for all the time you have taken to help me...

I bought the .mac service. As I understood it, I can use my "idisk" as backup or restore folder. I have 5 or 6 files I update every day an excel and they are very important. I'd like to be able to update/edit these files, even when I do not have my mac with me. How would I go about doing this?

You'll first want to setup your iDisk on your primary machine ( apple menu -> system preferences -> .mac -> idisk ). I always turn on automatic syncing, and it behaves just like a local disk/folder. You'll get an iDisk icon on your desktop.

As for accessing it from other machines, you can either download the iDisk client for Windows, or use .mac to set up a "public folder" web page.

This is *great* for sending bigish files to friends: I just drag the item in question to the "public" folder in my iDisk, and it says "syncing" at the top of the finder window. now I just email somebody a link to the file http://homepage.mac.com/user/.Public/filename

There are a bunch of variations you can set up through mac.com, or I imagine with the new iWeb package. I set this up quite a while ago and I haven't really messed with it since. You can also password-protect files and all kinds of stuff.

[vladinecko]

Originally Posted by oneshare325

Haha...Yea..I saw that too,

Have you been reading about how justin long isn't going to do anymore, but NOW the latest is he did more just for christmas and those are his last ones??

yeah, supposedly he posted on his website he is going to continue making them. frankly, i don't really care who does it. i think the PC guy is really good for the role but i could totally see some improvements on the Mac guy. for some reason, i don't see him as cool, hip and up-to-date. he looks like a dork to me.