Calling it an "interesting device that might be very practical," Jim Hamm sends this info on iFlashDrive. The article is illustrated to explain the benefits of a two-way storage device between iOS and Mac/PC.
Show This to Your PC Friends
Got a friend who wants a better computer? With his customary grin, Jim Hamm passes this along, " . . . here's a helpful article you may want to include in your PCS newsletter."
The Convert's Guide to Mac and OS X
Switching from PC to Mac? Or, just finding out more about what Mac can do? Don’t miss this recommendation from John Carter: "Once in a while an interesting online article pops up that's really worth passing on to others — especially anyone who just switched from Windows to a Mac, or who are thinking about it, or who are still trying to figure out what their Mac can do. "There are only six sections to this article, which should make it an easy read, and the PDF format is 51 pages — with lots of pictures. It starts out with some careful thoughts about which Mac to purchase. At the end, for those who think they want to switch back to Windows or run Windows on their Mac, there's a few words about that — very few. Read the full article at MakeUseOf.com here.
"If you want your own permanent copy of the article, you can choose to download a FREE copy of either the ePub or PDF version. Amazon has it on sale for the Kindle for $1.99.”
And here John emphasizes, “Don't forget now. Once you've started reading this article, don't put it down. I have dozens of ‘I want to read this book someday’ books and ebooks that keep getting put off for something else that at the time seems way more interesting. Like, I need to set up my telescope to get it ready for tonight, or, what about that article I wanted to write for the Mac newsletter, or, …”
(And you know, John is right!)
Virus Affecting PC and Mac
John Carter gets our attention with this! "There's a particularly nasty virus associated with the email that supposedly comes from UPS. The virus actually causes the mouse on a Mac to freeze up after about 15 seconds, you then have to reset the mouse, and it freezes again 15 seconds later.
"But this can only happen if you have a Windows machine on the same network as your Mac. Once the virus hits Windows, it infects all machines in the same network, including the Mac.
"The moral of the story is do not run Windows without fully protecting the Windows OS with an A/V program - like AVAST. The Windows OS also needs Malwarebytes and SpyBot Search & Destroy software installed and running all the time in addition to AVAST."
Are You New to the Mac Computer? Mac 101
"Here is the start of a new series of instructions for the new Mac user," writes Jim Hamm.
Yesterday, (10-4) Macworld started a new series of How-To for the new Mac user. Go there, bookmark it, and watch for that weekly posting. That’s if you want to hear about everybody else’s problems! You’ll have to sort that out.
HOWEVER, in the Prescott area you have PMUG and you have the PMUG monthly SIGs (Special Interest Groups.)
Sometimes asking a smiling person at our meetings can be more helpful than reading a whole book! You'll find people at PMUG who previously used PC, you'll find people who just got their first Mac or iPhone or iPad, you'll find people who have used Mac since 1984. And here on this blog you'll find all sorts of help. Scan through the Labels on the right hand side to get an idea.
See you on the 20? Ginger Carlson will give you a cookie!
How to Access Mac's Files on Your PC
John Carter writes, "This handy tip is shamelessly stolen from here and edited by me for Lion and Windows 7 users."
How to access a Mac’s files on your PC
You've got both Macs and PC's on your home network, and you want to share files between them. Yesterday we ran down the steps for mounting a Windows shared folder on the Mac. Today the tides have turned.
Read on for the details on how to read and write files to a shared Mac folder from your PC.
Enable Windows sharing. First, on your Mac, in System Preferences, click on Sharing. Under Sharing, check the box for “File Sharing." When File Sharing is turned on, it will look like this:
Take note of the text on that dialog that reads "Windows users can access shared folders on this computer, and administrators all volumes, at \192.168.0.10." Your address will be different, obviously, so write it down.
The image above shows many more Shared Folders and Users than will be shown the first time. You need to add folders (click the + sign under Shared Folders) and select folders you want to share from the Finder window that pops up. Next, for each Shared Folder, add Users (click the + sign under Users) and select the permissions you want each user to have. The Users added must exist as a login on the Mac.
Next, click on Options... You should see this:
If the first box is checked, other Macs will be able to see this Mac. If the second box is checked, other PCs will be able to see this Mac. For PC only access, only check the second box. If the top box is checked, you will see the following in the main window (even if the second box is also checked):
The afp address shown is for Macs and is used only when just the top box is checked. If both boxes are checked or if only the second box is checked, replace afp with smb.
Connect to your Mac from Windows. In Windows XP, from the Start menu, open the Run... dialog, and type the address you wrote down in the step above. Instead of the less-than-memorable IP address, you can use your computer's name, too. My Mac's name is nyx, so the sharing address I used is \nyxgina:
For Windows 7, type the IP address into the search bar:
Or use the computer name: \Johns-MBPjcarter
Windows will open a regular Explorer window that's peering in on your Mac user's home directory. If you have "show hidden files" enabled in Windows like I do, you'll see all of the Mac's hidden "dot" files and folders in the listing, like here:
And that's that! You're happily saving files to your Mac from your Windows PC. Isn't it nice when we all get along? Share your Mac and PC networking tips in the comments.— Gina Trapani
Anxiety? Students? Computers?
A survey of 287 students (notice the huge number!) who use Mac have greater computer anxiety than PC users. Hmmmmm. David Passell found this gem so you can see it here.
Problems in WindowLand & Here's Help!
If you use Parallels to run Windows on your Mac you're probably alerted to the fact of McAfee's problem with their Antivirus software. David Passell noticed the news earlier today. "I have XP Pro. Apparently the McAfee, the company that has produced Anti Virus software for years has made a mistake in an upgrade that crashes Windows XP and requires expert help to recover. You can read the article and comments here. Lots of Apple and Linux gloaters:).
"I don't know what effect, if any, this may have to Mac users running Windows programs. I started XP and it seemed to be running funny. I quickly uninstalled McAfee and also some program called Kaspersky Security that continually 'encounters problems that cause it to shut down.' Windows XP Pro seems to be running fine now."
To the rescue comes John Carter, "At the moment, the best anti-virus protection for Windows is AVG Free for three reasons. 1) It doesn't crash Windows. 2) It doesn't hog the processor while it is scanning the system. 3) It is FREE!
When you are attempting to download the free version, be absolutely certain that you are getting the free version and not the 30-day trial." Go to this softpedia link. On that page click on the Softpedia US link (shown below - don't click on any green button)
New to Mac from PC?
"If you're new to the Mac and just came from the Windows world, you are likely to miss using some of the applications that you used in Windows," so begins John Carter. He continues, " Never fear, help is near.
"There are (at least) three applications that let you run a Windows application right alongside the Mac. (With Boot Camp, you have to reboot the Mac as Windows to run a Windows application.) These are VirtualBox (free), VMWare Fusion ($79), and Parallels Desktop for Mac ($79). Of these, both VMWare and Parallels makes running Windows applications look like a Mac application.
"There is a quiet war between VMWare and Parallels regarding which one is faster and better and easier to use. VirtualBox is not in the same league with either of these (yet), so not much attention has been given to comparing the performance of VirtualBox with the other two.
"The latest performance test of VMWare and Parallels is out. The bottom line is that Parallels got the thumbs up in most of the tests, so much so that Parallels gets the nod overall. You can read all about it here."
Migrating From Windows to Mac
If you or a friend are going to migrate from PC to a Mac here's what you want to know. John Carter is our guide, "The easiest way to migrate from a Windows platform to the Mac is to use Parallels. This is accomplished simply by installing and launching the Parallels Transport Agent on the Windows machine, and then installing Parallels on the Mac and launching the Parallels Transport application on the Mac and selecting the method of transfer (USB, network, or external drive). When the two programs start talking to each other, Parallels will create a Windows partition on the Mac and transfer everything (all applications and all data files) from the Windows machine to the Mac. The install disk for Windows may be required.
"The entire transfer can take up to four hours or more depending on how much has to be transferred and what mode of transfer you use (USB, network, or external drive).
"If you do not own Parallels, purchase the Parallels Switch To Mac edition, which includes the USB transport cable, for $99.99 from Parallels." John is reassuring, "The migration process is quite simple and easy to follow, but if you feel uneasy about doing the migration yourself, then email John Carter.