Windows on a removable drive.......

hi everyone!!! Im new.
Aight, i have two questions.

One: Can you install windows on a portable harddrive and switch back and forth using a mac? There are just something that i really like about windows, and manything things that i like about macs. I dont want to get virtual PC, and i dont want to partition within my mac's harddrive.. btw i have that 12" iBook.

Two: I also have a windows computer and i wondering how i can connect the two, without having a router... or something like that.. maybe through USB? Shareing files? I need to use Windows and this mac, to transfer files all the time, but routers are kind of expensive..

Three: I know i said only 2 questions, but here's a third... okay, i want to get Airport Extreme so i can have wireless internet in the house... but can i use that for my PC too? Like use the internet with both computers at the same time? I heard u can.. but u have to do it through some admin thing... or something like that...

Aight, for my first post, i know that i have asked a lot... i hope that i dont get flagged or n e thing like that.. or get people anoyed because i am stupid, but ur answers will be highly appriciated!! Thanks
-Aum

1: no windows will not run on the processor. unless u have an emmulator (vurtual pc)
3: I am gonna answer 3 first beacause it will answer #2 . yea if you get a airport extreme you can use 2 computers at the same time. but u will need a wireless card in ur PC as well.. and if you do that. you can share files over ur wireless network so that answer #2

auminiom said:

One: Can you install windows on a portable harddrive and switch back and forth using a mac?

Click to expand...

I have one question for you:
Are you aware that a Mac is a totally different architecture?

A Mac can't run Windows, just as a PC can't run Mac OS X. I mean natively of course, without using any emulation software...

okay thanks for your answers,
yes i was aware that mac have a different architecture, but i heard that you can make a partition and install another OS on it..

I was wondering if i can use my mac laptop with wireless connection, and use my PC with a regular cord connection, is the possible?

Also besidess the airport extreme, is there any other way to connect and share files through the two computers? Without a router, airport etc... Maybe through a USB wire, or through a phone cord?

thanks.

Get a crossover ethernet cable, probably the cheapest option for connecting 2 computers.

Cross over cable is the way to go in my opinion. Ethernet or firewire, depending on which you want.

auminiom said:

yes i was aware that mac have a different architecture, but i heard that you can make a partition and install another OS on it.

Also besidess the airport extreme, is there any other way to connect and share files through the two computers? Without a router, airport etc... Maybe through a USB wire, or through a phone cord?

Click to expand...

The other OS you can install on a second partition (or external HD) is Mac OS9, also referred to as Classic.
But there's no need for that, you can have Classic on the same partition than OS X, which is the standard config when you bought the Mac.
The only benefit of having OS9 on a different partition or HD is to boot the Mac with OS9. Since that is not possible anymore with recent Macs (no iBook G4 can boot in OS9, for example) and software development for OS9 has mostly been stopped, it is not necessary.

To easily connect the Mac and PC together to transfer files is, as mynameis said, a crossover ethernet cable.

Avalon said:

The other OS you can install on a second partition (or external HD) is Mac OS9, also referred to as Classic.

Click to expand...

What about Linux?

technologist said:

What about Linux?

Click to expand...

That's what wintel machines are for IMO Xandros 3.0.1 OC is the easiest distro to use. I have it dual booted with windows xp.. It's a great os.

Routers are expensive? I saw a Wireless B router for $10
at CompUSA a few weeks ago. You don't even need the
wireless part as far as I can tell. Just wait for the sales.

mmoy said:

Routers are expensive? I saw a Wireless B router for $10
at CompUSA a few weeks ago. You don't even need the
wireless part as far as I can tell. Just wait for the sales.

Click to expand...

Agreed, there are some pretty cheep 4 port routers out there and even with Wireless. If you don't want a router but want to transfer files back and forth, like was already stated, a Crossover cable will work great. I would though look around and find a cheep router with 4 wired ports and wireless. Even if it's a 11Mbps wireless, it will be fine for internet.

technologist said:

What about Linux?

Click to expand...

Ok, that would be another possibility too...nevertheless, no Linux distro on Mac comes anywhere close to OS X, and as that already is Unix-based, I don't really see the use of Linux on a Mac.

Avalon said:

Ok, that would be another possibility too...nevertheless, no Linux distro on Mac comes anywhere close to OS X, and as that already is Unix-based, I don't really see the use of Linux on a Mac.

Click to expand...

Yes, using a mac-compatable version of linux on a mac machine is rather.........pointless. OSX is unix based, as is linux. Pretty much everything on linux that is comercial software you might want also probobly supports OSX. Any open source software is allready either on mac or there is a similar open source program that IS avaliable for mac. If you are installing linux so that you can use a decent command line, well, thats absolute crap because OSX has a similar, if not supperiour, command line.

As for linking a windows/linux/BSD/Unix/Solaris/etc. computer to a mac, firewire is your best bet. Firewire is extremely fast, and a cable is not that expensive.

On a similar note, Virtual PC is horrible. Running virtual pc on a mac feels like working on a pent 256.

If you still are going to use a windows machine for some things, your best bet is to keep a windows machine handy. There really is not a easy way to get your favorite windows apps on mac without a significant slow down.

Note: you do not need a crossover Ethernet or Firewire cable on the Macs. Their ports are auto-sensing.

I regularly transfer date between PCs and Macs using a plain ol' Ethernet cable.

mmoy said:

Routers are expensive? I saw a Wireless B router for $10
at CompUSA a few weeks ago. You don't even need the
wireless part as far as I can tell. Just wait for the sales.

Click to expand...

Did you bring your magnifying glass to CompUSA as well to see the after rebates print on the sign? I know trust me, i work there. People yell at me daily about that. **** compUSA

Btw. you don't need to necessarily get the airport extreme base station to do wireless, any old wireless router will work with both the pc and the mac.

I'd get one that has extra LAN ports for the PC, so you could surf wirelessly with the iBook and wired with the pc...