Sharing a printer between an iMac (with printer driver installed) and a Windows laptop without installing any drivers on the laptop: can it be done? [more inside]
posted by murtagh on Dec 9, 2009 - 10 answers

Help me build my perfect netbook! [more inside]
posted by lemonfridge on Nov 26, 2009 - 15 answers

How consistent is MS Office between Windows and OSX? Will using MS Office on my Mac solve this formatting problem I'm having? [more inside]
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints on Nov 19, 2009 - 13 answers

I now own a MacBook Pro 17". And now I have some questions relating to MacOS and Windows 7, hardware upgrades and getting Applecare-on-the-cheap. [more inside]
posted by Effigy2000 on Nov 11, 2009 - 19 answers

Is Windows 7 an upgraded version of Vista (like Snow Leopard presumably is of Leopard) or completely re-built from the bottom up?
posted by metacort on Oct 23, 2009 - 19 answers

Is there a Mac equivalent to CDR Media Code Identifier. This could be run in Parallels, but I'm not sure it'll be able to get what it needs out of the DVD drive. And of course, it'd be nice to not have to run Parallels.
posted by ignignokt on Sep 15, 2009 - 4 answers

I'm curious as to what are the current "best practices" when it comes to centralized administration of a network of Unix (primarily Linux, but not necessarily so) machines? Essentially, what is the equivalent of Active Directory for a network with one or more Unix hosts? The immediate answer I come up with would be something like OpenLDAP plus PAM but what I'm looking for is the suite of tools (GUI and CLI apps) for managing the directory, deploying software, centralizing sign-on and security, managing printers, etc. In a perfect world, I would like to centralize administration of Windows, Unix, and OS X machines via a single directory service, though I imagine such a solution would be expensive and/or cumbersome if it even existed. Or is this something Samba 4 will do?
posted by Imhotep is Invisible on Sep 9, 2009 - 5 answers

I need advice on the best and least expensive way to have a network between two adjacent buildings. [more inside]
posted by eustacescrubb on Sep 9, 2009 - 16 answers

Is there a Windows or OS X utility that takes a geotagged JPEG image and generates an image of a map containing a pushpin or dot showing the location where the image was taken? [more inside]
posted by jaimev on Jul 23, 2009 - 6 answers

What filesystem should I use on my new USB 2.0 external hard drive? It'll mostly stay attached to an Ubuntu box and be used to store large video files for streaming to playback devices on my network, but I'd also like to be able to take it to a friend's house and plug it into whatever computer they happen to have. [more inside]
posted by contraption on May 2, 2009 - 12 answers

I have Leopard and Windows 7 (7057) installed on my Late 2007 (possibly older, I got it refurbished) Macbook Pro 15". My problem is, every time I boot into either OS, I get a kernel panic or BSOD respectively. The fact that it happens in 2 different operating systems makes me almost positive that it's a hardware problem. Unfortunately, I don't know very much about computer hardware, so I don't really know what to troubleshoot first, and I don't want to void the warranty by opening the case (I plan to take it to the Apple Store if nobody here can solve the problem). Specifically, either operating system will crash about a minute into booting up. I don't think the problem can be too serious because everything graphically looks fine and all my files are intact. This leads me to think that maybe it's a RAM problem, and that it runs out of memory and crashes during bootup. [more inside]
posted by N2O1138 on Apr 30, 2009 - 18 answers

OK, so my new Mac will arrive next week. Can power users fill me in on best practices for setting it up? [more inside]
posted by Admiral Haddock on Apr 17, 2009 - 16 answers

Suddenly my Mac can't see my Windows PC, and I'm stumped. [more inside]
posted by middleclasstool on Apr 16, 2009 - 9 answers

How can I install Windows 7 (via Boot Camp or rEFIt) from an ISO? I think the Superdrive on my Macbook Pro (10.5.6) is on its last legs, because it ejects almost anything I put in it. (Meaning blank DVDs, and the DVD I burned of the ISO on my Windows XP desktop with ImgBurn). It's not extremely old (I got it refurbished on Christmas 2007), but still old enough to be out of warranty (at least I would think so). What I have available: 1tb My Book Firewire External Hard Drive 4gb 1st gen iPod Nano, that isn't even formatted as an iPod right now, so it's basically just a 4gb USB flash drive. I know I can boot from it if it's set up right, because I've been using it with this [more inside]
posted by N2O1138 on Mar 17, 2009 - 6 answers

I've got two Macbook Pros and a wireless router. Everything works great, except when I restart one of the MBPs in Bootcamp (XP, Service Pack 3), suddenly the wireless connection on both MBPs gets spotty -- off and on, off and on -- although a hard ethernet connection from the Bootcamped MBP works fine. Flummoxing. Any ideas?
posted by It ain't over yet on Jan 26, 2009 - 12 answers

I'm interested in developing iPhone/iPod Touch applications, however my understanding is the SDK only works in OSX. I have a XP desktop and a Vista notebook with an AMD Athlon and Turion (both dual core) respectively, both pretty good machines. Is there any way to avoid spending serious cash buying a Mac just to get into iPhone development?
posted by nmaster64 on Dec 31, 2008 - 27 answers

I recently found a fantastic program for managing research literature on OSX and I'm looking for a similar program for Windows and Linux. [more inside]
posted by Aanidaani on Dec 26, 2008 - 10 answers

How can I easily tile my windows in OS X like I do in MS Windows? [more inside]
posted by creeront on Dec 12, 2008 - 7 answers

Mac users who write LaTeX documents in Emacs (with or without AucTeX), please tell me about your workflow. [more inside]
posted by gleuschk on Oct 4, 2008 - 10 answers

I want to easily port my cocoa app (osx) to windows. What are my options? Do I have any?
posted by thedoctorpants on Aug 22, 2008 - 5 answers

Networkfilter: I have a NTFS volume mounted on my OS X Server box. I'd like to access it over the net using AFP. It's not showing up as an available AFP share. What gives? [more inside]
posted by DLWM on Jun 15, 2008 - 4 answers

Problem: OSX to Windows direct-wired ethernet connection works, but the Mac can't see the shared PC drives. The PC and the Mac are both normally on wifi but the Mac's Airport is turned off now. Both machines have manual addresses set on their ethernet NICs, with direct CAT5 cable between the two; PC = 10.0.0.1/255.255.255.0; Mac=10.0.0.2/255.255.255.0. (The cable isn't a crossover, because OSX now manages that.) Ping works in both directions (i.e. from either machine to the other.) [more inside]
posted by airplain on Apr 27, 2008 - 18 answers

Has anyone tried installing Windows Vista in BootCamp (On a Mac) using an upgrade disk? I've installed Vista perfectly using this guide on a computer I built myself, but I want to do it on a new Mac. [more inside]
posted by Aanidaani on Dec 18, 2007 - 2 answers

Determine the result please; Dashboard = Mac OSX, ? = Windows XP [more inside]
posted by fox_terrier_guy on Nov 12, 2007 - 7 answers

How well does Vista run on a Macbook Pro (or Regular Macbook)? How do the windows functions (like right-click, etc.) work? Are there things that won't work or will be different that may annoy me while running Vista on Apple hardware? Also, can I default it to boot into Vista and NOT in OS X? I'm talking about bootcamp and not parallels or fusion. [more inside]
posted by adi on Nov 4, 2007 - 14 answers

What's the best software and method for completely backing up a website to DVD? [more inside]
posted by asuh on Oct 25, 2007 - 10 answers

How to fix screwed up Windows partition on my new Macbook Pro? [more inside]
posted by jk252b on Oct 6, 2007 - 2 answers

Some sound design questions to follow up on this golden moldy oldie... [more inside]
posted by Blazecock Pileon on Sep 17, 2007 - 14 answers

How do I get my PC to recognize my Apple-formatted external hard drive? [more inside]
posted by kdern on Jul 16, 2007 - 5 answers

Three computers. Two operating systems. Help me keep my vital files synchronized without costing an arm and a leg. Previous AskMe entries have so far not helped. [more inside]
posted by caution live frogs on Jul 13, 2007 - 11 answers

I am going to be buying/building a new computer soon to replace my Powerbook G4 and I am debating whether to get a Windozer or a new Mac. I thought I might be able to build my own X86 machine and install OSX on it using something like OSX86. Has anyone done something like this? [more inside]
posted by Aanidaani on May 30, 2007 - 12 answers

Can a Mac open a file that is hosted on a windows 2003 network file server using a UNC path? [more inside]
posted by kaefer on May 10, 2007 - 9 answers

Is there any software (preferably for OSX) that I can use to scan a used XBox disc for bad sectors? The format is DVD, so I suppose a normal DVD scanning program could do the job. I just want to be sure that the whole game works before my guarantee expires and I'm unable to return it.
posted by Aanidaani on Jan 20, 2007 - 2 answers

I'm running Parallels; I need to install Bootcamp. [more inside]
posted by grumblebee on Jan 16, 2007 - 9 answers

I want to take advantage of mf my new MacBook Pro's Intel chip: what's the best way in install and run Windows Vista on it? [more inside]
posted by eustacescrubb on Dec 11, 2006 - 22 answers

How do I mount a Windows 98-burned CDROM in OS X? [more inside]
posted by valkane on Dec 3, 2006 - 8 answers

How can I set Mac OS X so that it doesn't create .DS_Store, .Trashes, and ._* files on USB drives I work with? [more inside]
posted by odinsdream on Aug 23, 2006 - 9 answers

I need Apple's Remote desktop to be as easy as Remote Assistance in Windows [more inside]
posted by filmgeek on Jun 26, 2006 - 15 answers

How do I convert documents from .wps format to .doc format? [more inside]
posted by michaelkuznet on May 5, 2006 - 7 answers

Is an Intel Mac with Bootcamp and Windows a viable option as a Windows gaming box? [more inside]
posted by nthdegx on Apr 6, 2006 - 8 answers

Mixed wireless network: 3 Macs, one Windows XP PC. We're using 40-bit WEP encryption, and for some reason the Windows XP laptop simply cannot stay on the network... why that be? [more inside]
posted by logovisual on Jan 12, 2006 - 6 answers

This may be slightly premature, but would it possible to install Windows onto one of the new Macintel platforms and so have an OS X/XP dualbooting machine? [more inside]
posted by Tikirific on Jan 11, 2006 - 20 answers

I've searched Apple Forum, iPod Lounge, and others, yet have not been able to get a satisfactory answer. I need a plan, a strategy if you will, concerning iTunes for Windows on my Toshiba, iTunes for Mac on my iBook, an NTFS formatted external drive, and an iPod...too many elements. [more inside]
posted by sourwookie on Dec 15, 2005 - 12 answers

Help me get pretty icons like the Mac people have. So there's this set of icons that's OSX only. I use XP. I've got an unzipper, and I've got a converter. But I don't know what I'm doing wrong, or if it's even possible for me to convert them without access to a Mac. [more inside]
posted by calistasm on Dec 14, 2005 - 12 answers

I'm about to get a brand new PowerBook and would like to be able to run OSX, Linux, and run Windows applications. VPC is one option, but isn't there a Linux version that will run Windows applications? If so, what is it, how well does it work, and how best should I setup the computer to use it? Dual boot? Boot from within OSX? Multiple partitions, one for each OS? Since this laptop will be brand new, I'd like to take the opportunity to get everything setup right. Oh yeah, I'd also like to give OpenOffice a try (on the OSX install), any words of wisdom for me there?
posted by pwb503 on Nov 12, 2005 - 18 answers

OK - I just bought an iMac to replace our dying Windows machine at home. I've successfully moved over almost everything - email (thanks to emailchemy), bookmarks, contacts, calendar items, documents. But I'm stuck on one thing - how can I reproduce the groups of contacts from our old windows outlook express address in the OS X address book? I would rather not have to recreate them one address at a time if I can avoid it. Thanks!
posted by sfz on Oct 22, 2005 - 12 answers

How do I share only certain folders in OS X when I enable Windows Sharing? [more inside]
posted by Third on Aug 29, 2005 - 8 answers

How do I access, configure, and support Apple's Remote Desktop on OS X from VNC and Windows? [more inside]
posted by loquacious on Jul 27, 2005 - 11 answers

Add me to the growing list of people planning to make the switch to a Mac. To those that have made the jump, how hard was it? And is it a losing proposition to buy now, with Intel-based machines coming around the bend? I know this is an AskMeFi FAQ, but I have some specific questions. [more inside]
posted by pzarquon on Jul 11, 2005 - 17 answers

For many years, I have been using different versions of Windows as my primary operating system - dabbling now and then with different distributions of Linux. For graduate school, I have switched to an iBook and, while I find OS X to be quite a good operating system so far, I find elements of it confusing. I am looking for a book that introduces OS X to the non-computer idiot in a comprehensible and comprehensive way. Are there any such volumes endorsed by former Windows users who have crossed over? [more inside]
posted by sindark on Jun 24, 2005 - 7 answers