Page 1 of GENERAL APPLE MAC QUESTION...

just got a mac mini, like the look, size & silence of operation, but am really struggling to like the OS (os-X), for instance, i plug a usb powered drive into it, it works just fine, but if i drag something into the "trash" from the usb drive, osX tells me i don`t have permission to delete this item :/ & no right click/delete option, so i assume the only way to delete stuff is to drag it into the trash bin ? also, safari..... seems "ok" but at the same time feels like it`s a couple of revisions behind firefox, but bear in mind that i only had a couple of hours to play with it, so it could be just me not getting the "best" out of it, also bear in mind,,,,,, i Fear change...... (& frankly find learning new stuff very frustrating, but thats me, not the Mac)

so, is it worth sticking/persevering with ? will i look back in a couple of months & wonder how i coped with XP ?

answers/tips & insights greatfully received :)

oh, & how the hell do i make bootloader (should that be bootcamp ?) work for xp ? & is there a version of firefox for mac :)

EDIT=it`s bootcamp, just got the latest version from apple, will try it tomorrow, i think i was trying the wrong thing before...... I to the E- Equals I-noOb :)

This item was edited on Saturday, 2nd June 2007, 00:21

Good to see you finally got your mac. In general CTRL + click is the mac version of right clicking and brings up menu options when you click on a file including "move to trash" etc.

Not sure about the "not having permission to delete" bit. Are the files possible marked as "locked"? Check this by doing CTRL click and choosing "Get Info".

Firefox is available for OSX but I prefer Camino myself, although Opera has some nice touches. Safari is worth keeping around as it tends to be more compatible than others but I find it very memory hungry.

Give it a week or so and have a play with iMovie, Garageband, iWeb etc (although give iWeb a miss if you have even a vague knowledge of building websites any other way - great for complete novices but churns out ugly code and limited features) and see how you like it, you will get used to the differences and swapping between them will become second nature - I use a PC at work and Mac at home.

As for bootcamp - sorry, can`t help as my Mac is pre-intel.

i haven`t used bootcamp personally, althought I have heard good things.

try looking at download.onmac.net, has two useful options on, bootcamp and winxponmac (a zip with a readme and certain files to copy over to a new xp disk, best to read about this from the zip rather than me explain it, you may or may not want to use this)

i personally used a program called "refit" to dual boot into osx/linux, works well as its a simple install, gives a GUI on startup, where you can tell it to boot osx/windows/linux or CD, picks up various partitions automatically (for me anyway)

I found it easier to play around with the partitions, and keep a standard OSX install until I got it right. Removes the frustration of reinstalling when you totally bugger a partition up :D

edit - forgot to mention Wine (windows emulator) or Crossover

Wine is free for download, and allows some XP programs to run on OSX/Linux.
Crossover is a software based on Wine, but with support offered

I use Crossover, works well for specific programs, however if you want XP then I`d go with the bootcamp route!

good luck

This item was edited on Tuesday, 5th June 2007, 11:58

Firstly, yes there is Firefox for Mac. Safari is a great internet browser - I`ve tried serveral others on the Mac and always come back to it. There`s some further options (for tabbed browsing, for example) in the Safari preferences, if you haven`t noticed. But it depends on what you expect/want from a browser. If you use lots of plug-ins for Firefox, you undoutedly won`t find them for Safari. Then again, I don`t really use Firefox or its associated plug-ins, so I don`t miss them.

There`s not a right click, but holding down the alt (option key) or ctrl key will give you drop down menus. I`m not sure about the permissions problem you`re having with deleting files, I`ve not seen this. You should be able to drag and drop into the trash, and then empty the trash. Also, you can safely remove USB keys etc. by dropping into the trash. Ctrl-click gives you a `move to trash` option, by the way.

Mac OSX might not be for you, but I`ve always been an avid PC fan, and was swayed over to Macs a couple of years back. I haven`t looked back since, and having used Macs so extensively going back to XP feels sluggish and messy. I`ve not tried Vista, so can`t comment on that. It does everything I need, and as I`ve said, there`s an app equal or better than everything I used on the PC. Plus PC`s don`t have Final Cut Pro!

Have you got a hang of the shortcuts etc. for the desktop? Like using the F1, F2 etc. keys for different functions? (F11 and F12 do good things)

Also, although I don`t use it personally, Parallels is very highly regarded for OSX/XP. Its not dual booting, but you load up XP or Vista within Mac OSX and flick between the two at the touch of a button (with a cool screen flip). It`s like having both OS`s, but not having to reboot to change between.

i ended up just using bootcamp & installing XP, mainly because i can`t cure the juddery video problem with the hi-def stuff, & as streaming hi def content was the whole reason for buying the Mini, i kinda had to do whatever was needed to make it work :( but i gotta say, the mac mini is one HELL of a machine..... it`s now been switched on for 4 days straight & it never even gets warm, also the built in bluetooth & wi fi range is amazing, i have an extended range TP-LINK router & that picks up 5 other wireless networks that are within range, the mini finds 14 :o so god knows how far it`s range is.... the bluetooth is also excellent for range, letting me pair my phone from anywhere in the house. & although i`m running XP + media player classic instead of os X & VLC i have no regrets, the hardware is excellent......

still loving the mini :) but i just re discovered this little gem.

lol. Very good!

You using the mini with OSX - or did you just install XP on it and ditch OSX in the end?

i`m dual booting at the moment, but 99% of the time i`m running XP, but thats not particularly to the detriment of OS-X i only have to use XP for streaming the hi-def stuff, i`ll probably give Leopard a try when it comes out, as i`m pretty sure i`ll be buying another Mini when Leopard arrives :)

I`m still waiting for some kind of announcement about them putting C2D chips in the minis...or scrapping the line up altogether...then I`ll take the plunge! :D

Would be nice to get leopard with it as well though.