nukenorman Posted April 12, 2010 Share Posted April 12, 2010 Ok so I have been thinking about getting a mac for awhile. This summer I might get one finally. 1. Can Ichat send files to ICQ and AIM users? I know Ichat can talk to ICQ and AIM users but is the file sharing thing compatible. 2. Is there a free virus AND spyware removal tool for Mac OS X? ( I know macs have few viruses and spyware but they can still get them ) 3. Do macs crash alot? I use my windows computer for hours a day and at the end of the day it gets sluggish and crashes. 4. Is bootcamp for Installing windows easy to do? 5. If my mac crashes or it can not start up can the mac os x operating system disc boot up like a windows install OS disc and reinstall it from scratch without having the actually operating system boot u 6. Is there a remote desktop feature that works with Windows PCs? 7. Do most web cams and pocket HD camcorders work with Macs? 8. Do I need a special program to unzip compressed files I download from internet? I know some of these questions might sound silly but hey I have to make sure before I purchase one :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinebender Posted April 12, 2010 Share Posted April 12, 2010 As far as antivirus/antispy, you can try iAntiVirus I have had almost no crashes in Mac OS, when Snow Leopard first came out my MBP had some issues with freezing but since 10.6.2 it has been solid. Boot Camp is very easy. It first has you setup the partition and then you run the install of Windows. After the install put in your OS X disc and install the Boot Camp drivers. If your mac does become unbootable you can put in your Mac OS disc and either run Disk Utility to scan/fix permission or disk problems, you can also perform a new install. Microsoft has RDC available for mac at Mactopia There is a built-in unzip utility or you can get stuffit expander for free. Sorry I don't have answers for your other questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazzyyfool Posted April 12, 2010 Share Posted April 12, 2010 Ok so I have been thinking about getting a mac for awhile. This summer I might get one finally... My answers in bold. 1. Can Ichat send files to ICQ and AIM users? I know Ichat can talk to ICQ and AIM users but is the file sharing thing compatible. iChat can send/receive files on AIM. Not 100% sure about ICQ. There are other apps though. Adium is one. 2. Is there a free virus AND spyware removal tool for Mac OS X? ( I know macs have few viruses and spyware but they can still get them ) A/V apps are really not needed on OSX. However, a good free app is ClamXav. 3. Do macs crash alot? I use my windows computer for hours a day and at the end of the day it gets sluggish and crashes. Not really. Unless you hack your system to death then your asking for trouble. All computers - doesn't matter which OS they run are not 100% stable, 100% of the time. Since OSX is based on Unix, you're generally pretty OK. 4. Is bootcamp for Installing windows easy to do? All Bootcamp software is is a non-destructive hard drive partitioning app, similar to the numerous programs available on Windows. The drivers for Bootcamp is only a Windows-based installer than enables you to install all the needed Windows drives for the Apple hardware in one easy step. 5. If my mac crashes or it can not start up can the mac os x operating system disc boot up like a windows install OS disc and reinstall it from scratch without having the actually operating system boot u Not sure what you mean here. If OSX doesn't boot of the HDD for whatever reason. You can use the OSX DVD to boot from and repair the OS or reinstall. 6. Is there a remote desktop feature that works with Windows PCs? There is Apple Remote Desktop - which enables you to administer lots of Macs from a remote location but its extra and only really meant for corporate environments. In Snow Leopard, you enable Screen Sharing but that is Mac to Mac. Or if you want to look at a Windows PC desktop from the Mac side, you can use Microsoft's own Remote Desktop Connection app which is free and available on their site. 7. Do most web cams and pocket HD camcorders work with Macs? Yes the majority do out of the box without needing to install anything. Some will come with drivers that are not natively supported on OSX. 8. Do I need a special program to unzip compressed files I download from internet? No. Zip file management is built-in to the OS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WigglesTheFish Posted April 12, 2010 Share Posted April 12, 2010 Ok so I have been thinking about getting a mac for awhile. This summer I might get one finally. 1. Can Ichat send files to ICQ and AIM users? I know Ichat can talk to ICQ and AIM users but is the file sharing thing compatible. 2. Is there a free virus AND spyware removal tool for Mac OS X? ( I know macs have few viruses and spyware but they can still get them ) 3. Do macs crash alot? I use my windows computer for hours a day and at the end of the day it gets sluggish and crashes. 4. Is bootcamp for Installing windows easy to do? 5. If my mac crashes or it can not start up can the mac os x operating system disc boot up like a windows install OS disc and reinstall it from scratch without having the actually operating system boot u 6. Is there a remote desktop feature that works with Windows PCs? 7. Do most web cams and pocket HD camcorders work with Macs? 8. Do I need a special program to unzip compressed files I download from internet? I know some of these questions might sound silly but hey I have to make sure before I purchase one :-) 1. I am fairly certain you can send files with iChat, I know that you can using Adium so I figure iChat would as well. 2. You really don't need antivirus with a Mac & safe browsing habits, but if you were really worried I'd suggest ClamXav or something else free. 3. I have yet to have my Mac crash once, and I've used it daily since I got it in Oct 2008. I use it for gaming and such too. 4. Boot Camp is very easy to use, I tried Windows 7 briefly and it was a breeze to install via Boot Camp. 5. You can put the OS X disks that came with your Mac in and boot directly to those by pressing the Option key on boot up. 6. Though I believe there is desktop sharing with other Macs, I am not sure it's compatible with Windows; but you could use a third party program such as Skype. 7. Just check the packaging on webcams to see the "Compatible with Mac" symbol and it should work, if it doesn't have that then you may be on your own for getting it to work. 8. Zip files are able to be opened by a built in app in OS X. If you come across a lot of RAR files you could download Stuffit for free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukenorman Posted April 12, 2010 Author Share Posted April 12, 2010 Ok thanks for the fast replies :-) one last question hypothetically would a windows os disc bootup from scratch on a mac like it does on a pc without needing bootcamp? Not that I would want to do this though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazzyyfool Posted April 12, 2010 Share Posted April 12, 2010 Ok thanks for the fast replies :-) one last question hypothetically would a windows os disc bootup from scratch on a mac like it does on a pc without needing bootcamp? Not that I would want to do this though. Yes, a Mac (Intel-based obviously) can boot of a Windows install disc just like a standard PC. Like I said above, all Bootcamp software is just a non-destructive partitioning app. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rawr_boy81 Posted April 14, 2010 Share Posted April 14, 2010 Ok so I have been thinking about getting a mac for awhile. This summer I might get one finally. 1. Can Ichat send files to ICQ and AIM users? I know Ichat can talk to ICQ and AIM users but is the file sharing thing compatible. I am unsure about ICQ (there is always AdiumX for that) but everything seems to work with AIM ok, although recently I had some problems but I think that has to do with the crappy AIM server than iChat itself. 2. Is there a free virus AND spyware removal tool for Mac OS X? ( I know macs have few viruses and spyware but they can still get them ) You don't need it; don't download and install crap from dodgy websites - stick to the big names and you'll be safe. 3. Do macs crash alot? I use my windows computer for hours a day and at the end of the day it gets sluggish and crashes. If you're getting that many crashes with Windows then it sounds like a combination of hardware and software; don't install crap on your Mac, don't install hackware, tweakware, and other crap. I see people who that on Windows and on Macs and screw up their machines. If you run Windows you don't need garbage like Norton 'System Works' and other tweakware. Stick to the built in tools and you'll be ok, same goes for Mac OS X. 4. Is bootcamp for Installing windows easy to do? Yes it is; remember to update your bootcamp drivers once Windows has installed. 5. If my mac crashes or it can not start up can the mac os x operating system disc boot up like a windows install OS disc and reinstall it from scratch without having the actually operating system boot u Yes it can, insert the CD/DVD and either hold down C and wait till the CD/DVD spins up or hold down the alt/option button and select your cd. 6. Is there a remote desktop feature that works with Windows PCs? Downloadable off the Microsoft website. 7. Do most web cams and pocket HD camcorders work with Macs? You won't need to worry about a webcam since it is built in, and as for pocket HD camcorders, most of them I find are MSC devices were the file can be dragged and dropped. 8. Do I need a special program to unzip compressed files I download from internet? Depends on the format, rar you can use unrarx, stuffit expander (free) works with a number of formats, I'm sure there are some freebies out there that can do the job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southern Patriot Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 There is Apple Remote Desktop - which enables you to administer lots of Macs from a remote location but its extra and only really meant for corporate environments. In Snow Leopard, you enable Screen Sharing but that is Mac to Mac. Or if you want to look at a Windows PC desktop from the Mac side, you can use Microsoft's own Remote Desktop Connection app which is free and available on their site. Apple Remote Deskop (and Screen Sharing in Leopard/Snow Leopard) uses the VNC protocol, so you can connect to it from Windows or Linux. Oh, and only the controlling app for ARD costs extra, the server is built in to OS X, you just have to enable it in Sharing Preferences. You can still use any VNC app to connect to it, you just don't have all of the remote management features. What you said about RDC is correct though, and it works pretty well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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