newbie ? about running windows

So i just bought a new macbook for school, i like how it just 'works' with everything and thats vital for running around campus and connecting to wi-fi and all the fun stuff. But I absolutely hate the interface...it'll take some getting used to i suppose. My beef is with the fact i cant download things im used to on my pc. Like aim version 6.5 for example. My question is, if i put windows on my mac, does that make me able to download and run pc programs like .exe? and would it give me the pc interface but still have the pros of the mac?

windows on the mac is just like that, a windows installation running on an intel chip, so yes.

But keep sticking to the forums and you might get used to OS X, after all it is the best OS around at the mo

"a pc iterface with the pros of a mac" - no your windows partition is just that and will have all its problems with viruses etc - but none of the malware will effect the Mac OS side of things

so i have to get rid of my mac opperating system completely? Bascially what im looking to do really is just be able to download and play a certain game i play in my free time and maybe aim 6.5 and a few other simple things for now.
I can just buy windows for mac and install it and that would basically convert my mac to a pc all together?

No No

Products line Boot Camp and others will let you run windows from a partition or virtual disk so that you can switch between Mac OS X and windows

make sure you read this sticky

http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=41184

i read it previously, so just for the sole purpose of wanting to run a few .exe programs which one of those is my best bet?

since VMware and Parallels (virtualization solutions) do cost money I'd suggest you try out boot camp first. it is very easy to install and basically gives you a dual booting system (OS X and Windows)

cool thank you very much. Isnt bootcamp part of the leopard operating system though which would cost money?....


nevermind it took me all of .002 seconds to answer this myself


when i install windows it will ask for a serial code or something im asuming but will it let me register the same serial number on two diffrent computers? IE can i just use my install discs from my pc and be all set.

oh and if im on the windows portion do i have access to things like my itunes library photos ect? can i transfer is over?

twentyone said:

cool thank you very much. Isnt bootcamp part of the leopard operating system though which would cost money?....


nevermind it took me all of .002 seconds to answer this myself


when i install windows it will ask for a serial code or something im asuming but will it let me register the same serial number on two diffrent computers? IE can i just use my install discs from my pc and be all set.

oh and if im on the windows portion do i have access to things like my itunes library photos ect? can i transfer is over?

Click to expand...

since your mac os is on a hfs formatted partition and windows does not offer read and write access to these partitions you will need a 3rd party software to be able to read files on your mac partition.
one software (shareware) is macdrive for example...another is hfs explorer and this one is freeware (I think)

then why dont they just make third party software like that to be able to read windows files on the mac side and make it able to run them....

twentyone said:

then why dont they just make third party software like that to be able to read windows files on the mac side and make it able to run them....

Click to expand...

there already is software for the mac side also (ntfs write ability).
for one there is paragon ntfs for mac (shareware) that gives you the ability to write ntfs formatted drives and a freeware solution called macfuse in combination with the ntfs3g driver.

and you cant use your xp install/serial number that is already being used on another computer
this is completely illegal
one copy of xp is meant to be installed and activated on ONE computer