Convert to a Mac?

[Laura]

Alight, I'm fed up with Windows. Is there anyway I can switch my laptop over to Leopard? But when I saw the OS CD, it said it required: * Mac computer with an Intel, PowerPC G5, or PowerPC G4 (867MHz or faster) processor * 512MB of physical RAM * DVD drive for installation.

 

 

 

Or I might just wait for Snow Leopard next year. -.-

[Nadril]

No, there really isn't. I've heard there is a way to possibly get it over on some PC's, but it takes a lot of work.

 

 

 

What problems are you having with windows, for one? No point in jumping to an OS that may give you the exact same problems, especially if it is hardware related.

[Laura]

Mmmm, that's disappointing. :(

 

 

 

But although Vista isn't as bad as most people make it out to be, it does take a lot more my RAM. The customer support is severely lacking. I tried at least 30 times to try and install my HP Webcam(built in), that wasn't installed correctly when I bought the laptop. So when I finally figure out that it was causing the blue screen the manufacturer wouldn't help me. Alright, no problem, I'll call up Microsoft and see if they could offer any help as to the problem. They said, because it was a problem with the manufacturer that they couldn't help. The Windows Problem Reports and Solutions would have been great if it actually gave me an answer within the month. Two months later, after I sent in the error, I get the message from Windows saying that it was an installation error with the driver. All that because the driver wasn't working. So just all in all, my experience with Microsoft hasn't been the greatest. I've never had a Mac, but I pretty much have the other gadgets(iPhone 3G, iPod, half my music on iTunes, etc).

 

 

 

But since I just can't go buy the Mac OS X, I guess I'll just stick with Vista/XP.

 

Well, is there anyway to get another copy of a liveCD version of Linux? Is it possible to get those online anymore?

[Nadril]

Linux is free. However, if you're having problems with drivers I really wouldn't recommend switching to Linux, even the easier ones.

 

 

 

 

 

Also any web cam errors are with the manufacturer and not Microsoft. Likewise, if you're having a problem with slowdowns why not buy more ram then getting an entirely new OS? It'll be cheaper...

[Laura]

But even then, the fact that neither company can help me if I experience further problems. Apple makes the computer and the OS, so I wouldn't get two answers from two companies. But yeah, I just really didn't want to buy an entirely new computer, when this one works. Thanks for all the help.

[Sbrideau]

HP can help you, but you have to push them hard, the costumer service is just not there with them, and you have to push and push to have some service. Most of the time they're going to send you to another department and w/e. I'd try their website next time though.

[Jernlov]

Linux is free. However, if you're having problems with drivers I really wouldn't recommend switching to Linux, even the easier ones.

While I agree with you on the more complex distros (Arch, Slackware, Mandriva), Ubuntu and Fedora have excellent driver support out of the box. I'm not trying to champion Linux but they've ironed out most of the driver problems they've had in earlier times now.

 

 

 

However if you're not prepared or not confident enough to use or learn CLI a Linux distro isn't the best choice. As for it running smoother than Windows... largely a myth developed by fanboys. Maybe Debian is smoother than Windows but that's only because it's a very lightweight OS with few preinstalled applications.

 

 

 

You could always try livebooting into Ubuntu though - nothing's stopping you, although I can almost guarantee that the laptop webcam won't work at all since it's designed specifically for Windows.

 

 

 

As for Mac.. well, they seem to be targeted at very computer illiterate people who don't need or want to know what goes on behind the user interface which is fine. It runs and runs well, but the prices for a Mac are extortionate. (as are prices for all Apple products)

[OldJoe]

OS X works on a PC too, with some "things done"...

 

But it is illegal. You are not allowed (when you click accept on product agreement) to install OS X on anything else than a product made by Apple.

 

 

 

So, either buy a mac or get Linux,

 

You can download (say Ubuntu) onto your computer and burn the image onto a cd and do a live-session, nothing gets installed and you get a feel of the OS. There's much customysation (spelling?) on any *Nix. You can even change the look on it to make it look like OS X.

[stevepole]

check out this site if you want to find out how to make a hackintosh http://wiki.osx86project.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page and http://forum.insanelymac.com/index.php?showforum=137. As far as I'm aware its only illegal if you don't purchase your own copy of the Mac OS X.

[Makoto_the_Phoenix]

It's not worth the trouble to put OS X on a PC laptop. Best bet, if you're really interested in it, is to test the waters with Ubuntu. I warn you, though -- you may have to do a fair bit of work yourself, but if you're willing to, you'll have a machine that performs rock-solid.

 

 

 

As for the webcam, you can search around a little bit and hopefully find a solution on a *nix platform. :P

[blade995]

check out this site if you want to find out how to make a hackintosh http://wiki.osx86project.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page and http://forum.insanelymac.com/index.php?showforum=137. As far as I'm aware its only illegal if you don't purchase your own copy of the Mac OS X.

 

 

 

It's illegal not matter what. Apples says you must install OSX on a Mac computer that Apple made or it's illegal. Don't let that stop you though ;) .

 

 

 

BTW: I have gotten leopard running on a pc. It's still not up to speed of a normal Mac and probably never will be. There are disks out on torrent that are already fixed but then there's the drivers issues too.

[Laura]

Well, I'm not entirely computer literate. Which is why I was hesitate to dive into Linux. I have DSL Linux in a liveCD, and I was less than thrilled, although it ran much smoother and quicker in my opinion. It seems like a solid OS, but the fact that there is no single distribution means no customer support, which is a huge factor for me. From what I have gotten from Apple has been superb. I had broken the screen on my iPod, and shipped it in, they replaced the screen free of charge(other than shipping) even though the warranty does not cover it. I can actually call customer support and get a real person on the phone. If not, they tell me an estimated time that the net rep will be available. Live chat support. I can't say how many times this has helped me, though most where just stupid errors. The price is a bit more expensive, but if I had known the problems I would be having with Vista, I would have gone ahead and bought an iMac, or at least considered it. But I guess I really don't want to go through the trouble of selecting and downloading the specific version of Linux, or creating a "hackintosh".

 

 

 

I did finally get the webcam to work, after thee agonizing months of the blue screen of death every other boot up. The problem? Before I even bought the computer, the company had misinstalled the driver. As a result, Windows tried to fix this. With the Windows Updates, it kept trying to reinstall the driver. The result? 118 drivers for a single webcam. And every time it booted up I guess Windows guessed as to the correct driver. It took me three months to get a single answer, which was through the Windows Error Reports. I called HP, and they said since it wasn't under the "XX" amount of days, they couldn't help me-even though I did have proof that it began the day I bought the computer. I'm like, you can't even help me or tell me the problem? I called Windows and they told me to talk to HP.

[Jernlov]

Well, I'm not entirely computer literate. Which is why I was hesitate to dive into Linux. I have DSL Linux in a liveCD, and I was less than thrilled, although it ran much smoother and quicker in my opinion. It seems like a solid OS, but the fact that there is no single distribution means no customer support, which is a huge factor for me.

Ubuntu is the only distro I know with community and professional support. DSL is as awkward as hell; I run it on this other PC I have (along with Fedora on yet another PC) and Ubuntu is the best distro I've used in terms of user-friendliness and support.

 

From what I have gotten from Apple has been superb. I had broken the screen on my iPod, and shipped it in, they replaced the screen free of charge(other than shipping) even though the warranty does not cover it. I can actually call customer support and get a real person on the phone. If not, they tell me an estimated time that the net rep will be available. Live chat support. I can't say how many times this has helped me, though most where just stupid errors. The price is a bit more expensive, but if I had known the problems I would be having with Vista, I would have gone ahead and bought an iMac, or at least considered it. But I guess I really don't want to go through the trouble of selecting and downloading the specific version of Linux, or creating a "hackintosh".

Mac works. CS is pretty good as you've said; most of my friends with Apple products speak of the customer support being terrific.

 

 

 

Not much of an Apple man myself but if they suit your computing needs, go for it.

 

Best bet, if you're really interested in it, is to test the waters with Ubuntu. I warn you, though -- you may have to do a fair bit of work yourself, but if you're willing to, you'll have a machine that performs rock-solid.

Just out of interest, do you use GNOME or KDE (or Xfce) because I've found that KDE is somewhat more efficient than GNOME. I don't know much about its working, but everything seems a lot smoother than it did on GNOME and even Xfce. That said, you won't get much of an increase in performance out of Xfce on a mid-end machine.

 

 

 

Kubuntu seems to run much faster on my machine than Ubuntu or Xubuntu.

[Makoto_the_Phoenix]

Best bet, if you're really interested in it, is to test the waters with Ubuntu. I warn you, though -- you may have to do a fair bit of work yourself, but if you're willing to, you'll have a machine that performs rock-solid.

Just out of interest, do you use GNOME or KDE (or Xfce) because I've found that KDE is somewhat more efficient than GNOME. I don't know much about its working, but everything seems a lot smoother than it did on GNOME and even Xfce. That said, you won't get much of an increase in performance out of Xfce on a mid-end machine.

 

 

 

Kubuntu seems to run much faster on my machine than Ubuntu or Xubuntu.

 

 

 

I used to be a KDE guy, but I made the jump back when 6.06 hit. I didn't really like the way it felt, and it didn't seem to suit all of my needs 100%, so I jumped ship. Oh, and ever since KDE 4 came out, I'm darn near scared to go back to it. Reminds me too much of Vista.

 

 

 

I've also felt that GNOME runs smoother, and the interface was always a little more appealing. But then again, I'm rambling about personal preferences. :P

[brandon1023]

I don't reccomend Macintosh. The prices are outragous. I've used Mac before and it's not as good as Windows. I know I'll get flamed for this post.. But I know in Vista, you get more 'bang' for your buck. The choice is yours, but I don't really thinkyou should make the switch. I would however aggree with someone who posted here about using Linux. Yes. It's free. All you need is a big disk (800+mb) and a CD burner. Just download the .ISO and pop in the disk, burn it and restart. Then all you have to do is follow the on screen instructions. Plus it's a nice OS. The choice is yours.

 

 

 

 

 

-Maedie

[RSBDavid]

You can use an emulator to run mac OS X on a windows. Got a copy of a new MAC OS for 120 bucks off amazon a few months ago. Saved 400 dollars I think. You can get older versions of mac like 8.5 for free as well.

 

 

 

Here is a site that will help your windows seem like MAC.