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There's no other major item most of us
own that is as confusing, unpredictable
and unreliable as our personal computers.
Everybody has questions about them, and
we aim to help.
Here are a few questions about computers
I've received recently from people like
you, and my answers. I have edited and
restated the questions a bit, for readability.
This week my mailbox contained questions
about switching from a PC to a Mac, Wi-Fi
speed and 64-bit processors for use in
Windows PCs.
If you have a question, send it to me
at mossberg@wsj.com,
and I may select it to be answered here
in Mossberg's Mailbox.
Q:
I am considering moving from a Dell laptop
with Windows XP to an Apple laptop running
the Mac OS X operating system. Is there
a way to easily transfer to the Apple,
via cables, the files and settings I have
stored on the Dell? And is there a book
about switching to the Mac from Windows?
A: Yes. There's a transfer product
called Move2Mac that's made for just this
purpose. It's from Detto, and moves your
files and settings from a Windows machine
to an Apple Macintosh. More info is at
www.detto.com/move2mac.
As for books, there are two new guides
to switching from Windows to the Mac.
One is called "Mac OS X for Windows
Users: A Switchers' Guide." It's
by David Coursey, a veteran computer journalist
and Windows user who started regularly
using the Mac recently. The other is called
"Switching to the Mac" and is
by David Pogue, a longtime writer on Mac-related
topics. Also, Apple has an extensive Web
site devoted to helping people switch,
with lots of information on software,
hardware and file compatibility, at www.apple.com/switch.
Q:
In our house, we can't get a cable line
for broadband into the room where our
PC is located. The cable installers suggest
we place a wireless base station in another
room and put a USB wireless adapter on
our PC. Will the Internet be slower through
such a wireless hookup than it would
be if it were hard-wired?
A: No. Even the slowest Wi-Fi wireless
networking equipment, the "802.11b"
variety, transmits data much faster than
the fastest cable-modem service. Even
if reception at your PC is poor, and the
wireless signal slows down, you will have
more than enough speed to handle your
cable-modem connection. Just make sure
you place the USB Wi-Fi adapter on top
of a desk or in some other location where
it will be best able to receive the wireless
signal.
Q:
When will the 64-bit G5 processor Apple
recently introduced be available for Windows-based
personal computers? I understand it is
the start of a whole new wave of faster
computers, but I want to stick with Windows.
A: The G5 processor is made by
IBM for Apple, and was developed jointly
and tailored to the Macintosh. Even if
it could be used properly in a Windows
machine, I know of no plans for any Windows
computer maker to use it. However, there
are other 64-bit processors available
for use in Windows PCs. Both Intel and
AMD offer such chips. AMD's version, like
Apple's, is backward-compatible with the
current 32-bit processors, so it can run
current software and hardware. While 64-bit
processors are potentially much faster
than current 32-bit models, their power
can't be fully realized until mainstream
operating systems and software are completely
rewritten to take advantage of these faster
chips, a process that will very likely
take years. Apple plans to do this, but
gradually. Microsoft has a special 64-bit
version of Windows, but it isn't aimed
at mainstream consumers.
Write to Walter S. Mossberg at mossberg@wsj.com
Attention,
Nontechies
Don't be embarrassed by your problems
with computers. If you have a question,
send it to me at mossberg@wsj.com,
and I may select it to be answered here
in Mossberg's Mailbox. Just remember:
you're not a "dummy," no matter
what those computer books claim. The real
dummies are the people who, though technically
expert, couldn't design hardware and software
that's usable by normal consumers if their
lives depended upon it.
Updated
September 18, 2003
Copyright ©
2003 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All
Rights Reserved
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