 Paul
Vaughn, San Antonio Express - News
Dec.
19, 2004 -
Dear
Mac Guy: I am thinking about switching
from a PC to a Mac. Is there a lot involved
in the switch? How will I know if all
the equipment and programs will run with
a Mac?
-
Looking for Greener Grass
Dear
Greener: Switching from a Windows
PC to a Mac is not something you want
to take lightly, but it is quite likely
that you will be pleased in the end.
Most
modern peripherals are usable on both
Macs and PCs, especially USB or FireWire
devices. You may need to download new
drivers from the manufacturer's Web site,
but many will work when you plug them
in.
You
will need to get new versions of your
software. Programs have to be compiled
for the specific platform on which they
are run. Some applications, such as older
versions of Adobe Photoshop Elements,
have both the Mac and Windows versions
on the CD, but technically you are only
licensed to run one or the other. Check
with the developer of the programs that
you use to make sure they have a Mac version
or see if you can find an equivalent program
written for the Macintosh platform.
Most
of your files, such as photographs, letters
and music, will be usable on either platform.
You can move these files to a new Mac
by simply burning them to a CD, copying
them over a network or using a specialty
program such as Detto Technologies'
Move2Mac (www.detto.com/move2mac).
This
$49.95 program includes a special USB
cable and will transfer your PC's data
to the appropriate place on your new Mac.
Other
than that, you will just need to spend
some time getting used to how things work
on a Mac.
It
is different from Windows, but it does
not take long to become comfortable with
the Mac operating system. Apple answers
many common questions about switching
platforms on its Web site (www.apple.com/switch).
Dear
Mac Guy: My iMac is in the shop because
of a recurring kernel panic; apparently
it needs a new logic board. Fortunately,
I was able to back up my Entourage information
by copying the Microsoft user file to
an external FireWire drive.
When
my iMac comes back, will I have lost all
my settings? And if so, what in particular
from that user file needs to go back so
I can retain all my important e-mails?
-
Trying not to Panic
Dear
Panic: I'm glad to hear that you were
able to make a backup before sending your
iMac to the shop. That is always a good
idea. If all goes well during the logic
board swap, your settings should remain
intact on the hard drive.
If
the service center does a clean install
of Mac OS X and wipes out the rest of
the data, you can simply copy the Microsoft
User Data folder from your backup drive
to the Documents folder in your Home directory
on the iMac.
The
next time you launch Microsoft Entourage,
it should be configured just like you
left it when you backed up your information.
Dear
Mac Guy: I would like to change or
add a color to my desktop and cannot find
a way to use other colors other than the
ones that come with the OS. How do I import
or add more ''solid'' colors?
-
Color Bind
Dear
Color: The Desktop & Screen Saver
System Preference is a little deceptive
in this regard. The icon next to the Solid
Colors option is the same used systemwide
for the Color Picker, in which you can
choose any hue you like. In reality, when
you select Solid Colors, you are simply
showing a series of images in a folder
titled Solid Colors. This folder is found
in the main Library/Desktop Pictures folder
on the hard drive.
Each
choice listed in the Desktop Preference
pane corresponds to a PNG (Portable Network
Graphics) file. You can open any of these
files in a graphics program such as Adobe
Photoshop or Photoshop Elements and fill
it with whatever color you desire.
Save
the file with a different file name into
the Solid Colors folder, and it will appear
with the other swatches. You may have
to select one of the other categories
and then select Solid Colors again to
get it to show up.
The
file can be saved as a PNG file or as
a JPG, GIF or Pict file. Other formats
may work, but I would stick with PNG or
JPG.
Paul
Vaughn is a freelance writer, graphic
artist, Web designer and Mac consultant.
E-mail him with any Mac-related questions
at paulv@mac.com.
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