Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

iSteve · Jun 15, 2006, 04:44 PM

Hey all.. Glad I found this mac forum. I have a question. I'm in the process of getting a new iMac (intel 2.0GHz with 2gb ram, 500 gig harddrive.. etc) I'm hoping to order it within a week, despite all the so called rumors of a new iMac / Leapord OS, come September.

I have PC.. (yea I know.. I admit it.. and hate it.) I'm having to send my HP pc in for repairs because it sucks. I have everything backed up to the PC's external hard drive.. My pictures, video's and music. The last Apple I owned was a IIc and that was years ago. My question is.. Do I need to do anything special to my external hard drive, or can I just plug it in to the iMac USB port and transfer my pictures, videos and music to the iMac's internal hard drive? Or do I need to network my Mac to the PC and transfer that way.. The external drive will eventally be plugged in to the Mac as an extra drive while I close out the PC and use it as a door stop.

I just wish Mac's were so darn expensive..

Thanks.

macboy · Jun 15, 2006, 04:59 PM

What format is your hard drive? Although Mac's can read NTFS and write with limitations on FAT32, I'd suggest once you've finished transfering back whatever you need, format your disk into HFS+, which is the mac native format. You'll get much better performence.

Also, you can get programs on Windows to read and write to HFS+, if you decide to use that hard drive with Windows again..

Hope that helps and congrats on getting your iMac. Im sure you wont have to look back to the HP..

iSteve · Jun 15, 2006, 05:10 PM

Hey macboy.. Thanks for the fast response.. The hard drive is formated for NTFS.. It's only an 80gig. So, I can just plug it into the mac.. transfer my pics, movies and music to the macs internal drive. Once I do that.. I can format it for the Mac.

Cool. That is one reason, I couldn't understands Apples claim of being able to run windows programs. Because mac can't write NTFS stuff, so you can only have a 32gig partition on the Mac for windows. I have games.. (Sims 2, Quake 4 for the PC) but I'm sure I lost all those now and will have to buy them for the mac, unless I just format the hard drive partition for 32 gigs for the windows side, but I like larger partitions.. ??? But still don't know if will write the saved games or not.

icruise · Jun 15, 2006, 06:18 PM

Boot Camp makes an entire Windows partition on your hard disk which functions like an additional hard disk added to your computer. It can be either FAT32 or NTFS. Either one works fine as far as Windows is concerned. But if you want to be able to write to your Windows partition while using OS X, you need to choose FAT32. That's the only issue. As long as you don't mind having the Windows partition be read-only from the Mac side, it can be NTFS and any size.

iSteve · Jun 15, 2006, 06:30 PM

Originally Posted by Icruise

Boot Camp makes an entire Windows partition on your hard disk which functions like an additional hard disk added to your computer. It can be either FAT32 or NTFS. Either one works fine as far as Windows is concerned. But if you want to be able to write to your Windows partition while using OS X, you need to choose FAT32. That's the only issue. As long as you don't mind having the Windows partition be read-only from the Mac side, it can be NTFS and any size.

So let me ask.. what you are saying....

I can format say 250gigs NTSF (windows) and the other half, Mac.. I can load up windows xp, play my Sims 2 game.. save the game when I'm done.. and MAC will write it and save it correctly?

Helmling · Jun 15, 2006, 06:37 PM

Yes, in terms of the hardware, an Intel Mac can function exactly like a PC. The only thing is that you don't have some of the cool Mac features, like the iSight. Other than that, when you boot into XP, your Mac is a PC.

Which is a travesty against nature and an abomonation, but that's between you and your god.

iSteve · Jun 15, 2006, 06:43 PM

Way Cool.. I feel better now about getting my Mac.. I really don't want to put HELL on my iMac, but until I can get the games for the Mac, I'll have to. I really hate to see windows operating on a Mac. LOL But then again, it probably works better then on a freaking PC.

dreamBweaver · Jun 16, 2006, 06:51 AM

iSteve, you'll need to buy a $100 ($200?) copy of Windows retail to use Boot Camp. Too bad we can't know what Apple has planned when it is officially released as far as needing to buy Windows again. Maybe they'll include a stripped down Windows? Na. I ran Windows XP on my iMac for two days and it works. Sounds you have a good system specs-wise as well. Good luck.

iSteve · Jun 16, 2006, 03:55 PM

Originally Posted by dreamBweaver

iSteve, you'll need to buy a $100 ($200?) copy of Windows retail to use Boot Camp. Too bad we can't know what Apple has planned when it is officially released as far as needing to buy Windows again. Maybe they'll include a stripped down Windows? Na. I ran Windows XP on my iMac for two days and it works. Sounds you have a good system specs-wise as well. Good luck.

Hey.. Thanks Dream.. yea, when I buy computers, I always like the best and more souped up.. The more the better I always say. I'll probably buy a usb hub as well and add to the Mac. Hopefully I can get this mac ordered on Monday.

iSteve · Jun 23, 2006, 10:12 AM

WOW.. these speakers came today (took less then a day to get here). All I can say.. is they are nice!! and HEAVY!! I think total weight was close to 60 pounds! I'll be setting them up on the wall Monday. I want them ready to plug into the iMac as soon as it gets here.

stefanicotine · Jun 23, 2006, 07:55 PM

my dad has a friend that works for microsoft who only pays 10%. Craaaazy deals, on crap of course. But yeh, we got our version of XP for thirty bucks