Convert Windows iMac - a story that needs to be told

Finally, after twenty years working with Windows, I decided to take the plunge and upgrade to new iMac from Apple Computer. I had no legitimate reason for the change was anemic, but after years of negotiations, such as Apple made it look like Windows, I decided it was time to see for himself what was happening.

I did my homework before buying an iMac. The biggest challenge I saw was to protect my investment in Windows software that I use in my work and personal life. I researcheddifferent ways to run Windows on Mac OS, and decided that VMWARE was my best option. VMWARE you can create a guest operating system (eg Windows) to run a host operating system (ie Mac OS). I also discovered that I needed to purchase a copy of Windows startup. My current computer does not have a bootable copy of Windows ship. It 'was an image of a disk partitioned. So I could not load under VMWARE. I decided to buy Windows 7 Ultra Edition. My last purchase was the softwareEyeTV, cable TV interface unit that connects to a USB port on your iMac. My current Windows computers have a built-in TV interface. I liked the TV in the privacy of my office and I had no intention of giving up.

I bought the iMac 27-inch I7 8 gigabytes of RAM from a local computer store. It 'was twice as expensive as a comparable Windows machine. This got me thinking, but I decided to take the plunge anyway. The staff was young, educated, speaks in the MAC, but have notTalk Windows. Mac I do not speak in a foreign country. I decided it would be better if I had studied on my own, the questions I had.

I started my conversion efforts by listing all the software and drivers (eg network printers) I had to and / or upgrade my Windows computer to keep it current. Then I moved all my Windows files containing personal data (such as Outlook e-mail) on your network drive. At the same time I moved the files, I also changed the folderStructures. This was something I had promised to do for a long time. Finally, I backed up my computer the entire Windows. I did it because I was practically de-install all my Windows software and without a recovery strategy, would be vulnerable to a disruption in my business.

I got my new iMac at home and quickly set it up. There are only three parts: a 27-inch monitor (system drive included), a wireless keyboard and wireless mouse. I found a little 'difficult, the on / off switch that is mounted flush in the back of the device found. However, when lit, my iMac has a good attitude to work, find my home network connect, and it is.

I had no experience with the iMac, the Internet browser Safari, which I just download and install Firefox, the browser of choice. Then I downloaded and installed all the drivers I needed devices. The iMac with drag and drop model for software installation was a welcome and pleasantSurprise. I was even more surprised, because it made both my network printer scanner and my network without problems. I felt a warm shiver of satisfaction.

The whole time I was downloading and installing, I was with the user interface of the iMac without the benefits of taking the tutorial. I found the keyboard difficult to operate. It is simply too small for me and not available on that I'm used to. Secondly, I found the iMac anchor the menu bar of the application (egFile, Edit, etc.) to the top of the screen a little 'irritating. In the Windows menu bar at the top of the window is docked. Neither were great disadvantages, but after a few hours do the wrong buttons, I decided that I had a full size keyboard that I bought needs to receive the next day.

My final challenge was the installation of VMware, Windows 7, and the software that I needed to run under Windows. I installed VMWare and Windows 7, I was surprised at how quickly and be amazedthe trouble was. Finally, I got all the software from my machine running Windows and installed in VMware. MS Office 2007 Professional, from Mindjet MindManager, Cisco Network Magic 8 Professional and Adobe has been big, and they all installed without problems. I found it odd that all the software functions correctly and that all the work devices. Cisco Network Magic also seemed satisfied with the new rules. I have credit for VMWARESuccess.

I felt pretty sure of myself at this point so I decided to purchase and install Office 2008 for Mac I wanted to start my transition from caterpillar to butterfly in the shortest possible time. I downloaded and installed Office 2008 without problems and we have it. I found that was more similar to MS Office 2003 MS Office 2007. Then came the biggest disappointment. This was not an MS-Access and MS Office Outlook 2008 has been replaced by Entourage.

I watched Entourageand thought I could live with him and looked for opportunities to import MS Outlook PST files. I came across a big obstacle here as Entourage does not import data directly from MS Outlook 2007. I researched on the Internet, but found no conversion software that meets my needs. I was finally forced to MS Outlook on my Windows VMWARE, what I did not install, and fill it with my PST file. Currently they are waiting like MS-Outlook with Entourage archive and forward. I hadupload my contacts from my Blackberry with Entourage. I still can not believe that Microsoft would allow something like that happen within their own product line.

The last piece of software that was installed EyeTV and I again found the installation easy and the TV works fine.

The conversion is complete and my computer with Windows is shut down forever. Finally, I found the whole experience was a good conversion. Finally, the interface used to iMacand probably 75% of my work under Mac OS. However, I still question the cost (about $ 3,500) and are still looking for productivity gains.

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