Longtime Mac user trying to learn PC/Windows

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Mark Conrad - 27 Aug 2006 21:38 GMT

It is a difficult transition, but I expected that.

Busy buying books, hardware, software.

Jumped in feet first. So far, have been overwhelmed by the apparent
complexity of learning how to run a PC in a halfways proficient manner.

I expect that feeling will disappear after I get my feet wet.

Today, going back to my local B&N bookstore. The books I bought there
yesterday are way over my head, need some simplier books to get
started.

1) "Windows XP Hacks"
2) "Windows XP Inside Out" (2nd edition) ...1300 pages <g>

... and an old dated book (1999) comparing
Mac vs PC terminology.

3) "Crossing Platforms"

Any Mac guys here, who have recently made this journey?

Kinda shocks me that apparently PCs can't boot Windows XP Pro from an
external disk drive, is that true?

My PC/Windows knowledge is way below the level of the greenest newbie
in this newsgroup, so be gentle if you respond to this post.

Mark-

--
Been a Mac guy since 1984

Macs:
Lombard 12" powerbook, 7 years old
Pismo 12" powerbook, 6 years old
"Aluminum" powerbook, 17", one year old
Intel based Mac Mini Duo desktop, six months old

PC:
A recently "assembled" PC notebook, approx' 14" screen,
with a respected name, which shall remain incognito for
the time being.<g>

It has all the usual stuff, USB 2.0, Ethernet 10/100,
firewire 400, 2GB ram, type 2 cardslot, writable DVD,
audio in/out - - - video does share ram though, darn it.

Bought 2 external pocket hard drives.

PC comes with OEM installed XP Pro. I also bought a retail version of
XP-Pro just in case I decide to install that later.

Gonna use "Ghost" for bootable image backups

"Diskeeper10_Professional" for defrag

"Bootit" for partitioning

Windows version of Timbuktu 8.6.2 for easy file transfering back and
forth between PC and Mac - - also for easy remote control of _all_
of my computers, from any _one_ of my computers.

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mikeyhsd - 27 Aug 2006 23:34 GMT

first thing check out the FOR DUMMIES books in the book store.
several available.

on the booting, some motherboards have a bios that allows setting the boot device to be an external drive.
might check the manual that came with your PC to see if that option is available in the bios.

mikeyhsd@sport.rr.com

It is a difficult transition, but I expected that.

Busy buying books, hardware, software.

Jumped in feet first. So far, have been overwhelmed by the apparent
complexity of learning how to run a PC in a halfways proficient manner.

I expect that feeling will disappear after I get my feet wet.

Today, going back to my local B&N bookstore. The books I bought there
yesterday are way over my head, need some simplier books to get
started.

1) "Windows XP Hacks"
2) "Windows XP Inside Out" (2nd edition) ...1300 pages <g>

... and an old dated book (1999) comparing
Mac vs PC terminology.

3) "Crossing Platforms"

Any Mac guys here, who have recently made this journey?

Kinda shocks me that apparently PCs can't boot Windows XP Pro from an
external disk drive, is that true?

My PC/Windows knowledge is way below the level of the greenest newbie
in this newsgroup, so be gentle if you respond to this post.

Mark-

--
Been a Mac guy since 1984

Macs:
Lombard 12" powerbook, 7 years old
Pismo 12" powerbook, 6 years old
"Aluminum" powerbook, 17", one year old
Intel based Mac Mini Duo desktop, six months old

PC:
A recently "assembled" PC notebook, approx' 14" screen,
with a respected name, which shall remain incognito for
the time being.<g>

It has all the usual stuff, USB 2.0, Ethernet 10/100,
firewire 400, 2GB ram, type 2 cardslot, writable DVD,
audio in/out - - - video does share ram though, darn it.

Bought 2 external pocket hard drives.

PC comes with OEM installed XP Pro. I also bought a retail version of
XP-Pro just in case I decide to install that later.

Gonna use "Ghost" for bootable image backups

"Diskeeper10_Professional" for defrag

"Bootit" for partitioning

Windows version of Timbuktu 8.6.2 for easy file transfering back and
forth between PC and Mac - - also for easy remote control of _all_
of my computers, from any _one_ of my computers.

Reply to this Message

Mark Conrad - 28 Aug 2006 19:47 GMT

> first thing check out the FOR DUMMIES books in the book store.
> several available.

That sounds like a good idea, at least it will be a _start_ .

So far, as of right now, the PC/Windows books I have are:

1) "Windows XP Hacks"
2) "Windows XP Inside Out" (2nd edition) ...1300 pages <g>

... an old dated book below comparing
Mac vs PC terminology: (as of 1999)
3) "Crossing Platforms"

4) "Windows XP Security Solutions"
5) "Skype Me" (Internet telephony)
6) "Top 100 Simplified Tips & Tricks"

That last book has a great style, color screen shots of windows, with
superimposed numbers 1,2,3, etc. as to which step to do 1st, 2nd, 3rd,
etc. - - - only wish it was "Top 1,000 Tips & Tricks". <g>

> > Kinda shocks me that apparently PCs can't boot Windows XP Pro from an
> > external disk drive, is that true?
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> might check the manual that came with your PC to see if that option is
> available in the bios.

The computer business who built this computer up from the component
major parts, like chassis, motherboard, etc. claims that not being able
to boot from external hard drives is a limitation of the Windows XP Pro
operating system itself, not the bios chips.

I do not understand that myself, because obviously even a DVD can be
made to boot the computer.

I dived into my biggest technical book:

"Microsoft Windows XP Inside Out", the 1,300 page 2nd edition.

Absolutely no mention is made anywhere in that book about whether or
not an external hard drive can work as a boot drive, running the NTFS
(file system) - - - and booting off the USB jack of the machine.

Checked with different computer fabricators around town, and they say
that a PC _can_ be made to boot from an external drive running NTFS.
(file system)

I told them to put it in writing, then I would buy their PC.<g>

Mark-

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Harry - 28 Aug 2006 04:05 GMT

I made that transition some 10 years ago, I still long for the simplicity of
the Macs.
Jump in and swim like I did, I am still trying to understand and come to
terms with the nuances of Windoze XP.

Oh by the way I top posted, does that make any difference?? When I can
configure Outlook Express to automatically place the cursor UNDER the
message I shall continue to top post! Isn't that what Bill Gates wanted us
to do?????
HH

> It is a difficult transition, but I expected that.
>
[quoted text clipped - 59 lines]
> forth between PC and Mac - - also for easy remote control of _all_
> of my computers, from any _one_ of my computers.

Reply to this Message

Mark Conrad - 28 Aug 2006 19:47 GMT

> > Any Mac guys here, who have recently made this journey?
>
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> to understand and come to terms with
> the nuances of Windoze XP.

Okay, that sounds like the way to go.

> Oh by the way I top posted, does that make any difference?

Not in this case. I created such a long winded initial post that by
the time anyone read it, that they would be confused as to what my post
was all about.

You could read other people's posts, looking for the style that _you_
enjoy reading, then adopt that style for your own posts.

I myself use an assortment of top posting, bottom posting, and
"middle-posting", depending on the situation.

I merely try to make it easy for the reader of my posts, so he will not
need to bounce between many other posts in order to understand whatever
is being discussed.

> I made that transition some 10 years ago, I still long for
> the simplicity of the Macs.

Presently the Mac is not nearly as simple as it was 10 years ago, so I
suspect you would be in for a shock if you value simplicity.<g>

> I am still trying to understand and come to
> terms with the nuances of Windoze XP.

For learning either platform, it helps to have a large assortment of
books. Supplement that with asking questions in the newsgroups, along
with a lot of hands-on working with the computer itself.

That multi-pronged approach works for me, however it _still_ takes me
many months to learn enough to be worthwhile.

Another thing that helps, is out-and-out experimentation, however one
better have a very good backup/restore utility just in case the
experimentation zaps the disk drive.

Mark-

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Curt Christianson - 29 Aug 2006 04:25 GMT

Hi Mark,

Never been a Mac user, but I too went the book route beginning with Windows
3.11, and all that followed. The books are great, but from a *practical*
standpoint, these NG's are by far the best place to learn XP. Welcome!

Signature

Curt BD-MVBT
http://dundats.mvps.org/
http://dundats.proboards27.com/index.cgi
http://www.aumha.org/

>
>> > Any Mac guys here, who have recently made this journey?
[quoted text clipped - 45 lines]
>
> Mark-

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Mark Conrad - 30 Aug 2006 05:32 GMT

> Never been a Mac user, but I too went the book route beginning with Windows
> 3.11, and all that followed. The books are great, but from a *practical*
> standpoint, these NG's are by far the best place to learn XP. Welcome!

Thanks, when I learn the basics from the books, I will then know what
to post in the websites you listed.

This is weird, discussing Windows XP in a Mac NG.<g>

Signs of the times. Mac users are a lot more tolerant of "Windows"
now that their Macs can run Windows XP Pro more or less seamlessly.

My own interest in Windows XP is for running one particular
application, namely the most recent $838 version of the app':

"Dragon NaturallySpeaking Pro", which is very CPU intensive.

I have successfully ran it on an Intel-based Mac Mini Duo by using
Apple's software named "BootCamp", but doing it that way ties up the
Mac Mini, making it difficult to use that Mac for other purposes.

...at least for me, due to the way I work.

I prefer to avoid using BootCamp altogether, and use regular PC
hardware instead.

Am presently having extreme difficulty getting some hardware features
on a Windows box that Mac users take for granted.

...such as being able to boot from an external hard drive, using the
same type of OS and file system that is used on the _internal_ hard
drive.(NTFS type of file system, in this case)

Several PC/Windows fabrication shops in town told me this is not
possible.

In fairness, the same "difficulty" can be said about Macs.

PCs have long been able to boot from USB hard drives, while Macs
apparently can not do so.

Mark-

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Tom Willett - 30 Aug 2006 12:56 GMT

This *is* a Windows XP newsgroup.

>This is weird, discussing Windows XP in a Mac NG.<g>

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Mark Conrad - 30 Aug 2006 15:12 GMT

> >This is weird, discussing Windows XP in a Mac NG.<g>
>
> This *is* a Windows XP newsgroup.

Whoops, you are correct. My senility is showing.

My only excuse is that I have several simultaneous threads going in Mac
NGs, so got confused.

Seems confusion is happening a LOT as I get older. :-\

Anyhow, so as not to waste this post entirely on my senile blathering,
let me state that I think that a good way of overcoming some of the
drawbacks of either Macs or PCs is to run _both_ types of computers.

...at least for me.

I could not get by with _only_ a Mac, anymore than I could get by
with _only_ a PC.

But that is just me, others may be happy running just one of them.

I know that the term "PC" has come to mean a computer that runs a
version of Windows, because of common usage.

Beats having to say "a PC that runs Windows". <g>

Mark-

--
Back to learning Windows XP Pro, I figure
it will take a few months for me to learn
enough to be comfortable running it.

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