Help with Mac in Windows Environment and more..

Joined
Jun 14, 2011
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
Points
1
First off, Hi everyone. :) Newb to the Mac Forums. I've been using Macs since the beginning of time(or seems like it anyways, remember the Apple IIe?) and am one of many millions of Apple fans.

That said, I have a few Windows questions. I work in a windows environment and the computer I work on is.... a little long in tooth. It's struggling to run Adobe CS4 at times and has many other small bugs that never seem to happen when our IT guy is around. lol. The company I work for doesn't have the budget to buy a new machine right now but I can't take the SLOW performance anymore so I'm going to buy a new Mac. Well, after our IT guy comes and looks at the server to see if it's possible. I need a machine to run Photoshop/Illustrator/InDesign CS4. 90% of company still uses CS2 and I own a copy of that so I could easily get away with using it(although isn't it a PPC program? I heard Rosetta may not be in Lion). I'm thinking a Mac Mini with 8GB Ram would be plenty since I run CS3 on my home iMac(silver core 2 duo) without any problems. I won't need a large HD since I save almost all files to the network. And I currently have a keyboard(windows) and monitor at work to use with it along with a wacom bamboo tablet.

I know that we recently upgraded servers so I'm not sure if it's running Microsoft Server 2XXX or what. I know it's not running Novell though.

I also have questions regarding the Windows environment:
We have multiple drives on the server(I:/, R:/, J:/, etc). Will I be able to connect to them? Open files, do work, save to them on the same drive?
Is there any way to integrate email folders with apple mail from outlook? all saved emails, folder, etc?
I have looked into virtualization and Parallels seems to be the best option(let me know if there is something better). Is it okay to run parallels for windows apps? And how would I install and run other windows apps on the machine? For instance, running a Windows version of Microsoft Publisher or Photoshop.
We have a color printer hooked to my computer and to the network for other people to use.. Would this work with the new computer?
Dumb question: What it the easiest way to transfer files from the PC to the Mac? thumb drive?
Is there anything else i should know/do?
Any links to help make this easier?
Am I out of luck when it comes to working with a Mac in a PC/Windows environment?

Sorry for the long winded post, I just want to make sure before dropping a few hundred dollars down and finding out that it was a waste. Thanks,

Adam
 

chscag

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
65,248
Reaction score
1,833
Points
113
Location
Keller, Texas
Your Mac's Specs
2017 27" iMac, 10.5" iPad Pro, iPhone 8, iPhone 11, iPhone 12 Mini, Numerous iPods, Monterey
I need a machine to run Photoshop/Illustrator/InDesign CS4. 90% of company still uses CS2 and I own a copy of that so I could easily get away with using it(although isn't it a PPC program? I heard Rosetta may not be in Lion).

Rosetta will not be in Lion for sure. Anything that needs Rosetta to run on the Intel platform is not going to work. That includes CS2. However, if you buy a Mac with Snow Leopard and don't upgrade you'll be OK.

I also have questions regarding the Windows environment:
We have multiple drives on the server(I:/, R:/, J:/, etc). Will I be able to connect to them? Open files, do work, save to them on the same drive?

Once properly networked, the Mac should be able to access whatever is on the server. And yes, you should be able to open files, make changes and save them. Network protocol makes all that possible even with the different file systems in play.

I have looked into virtualization and Parallels seems to be the best option(let me know if there is something better). Is it okay to run parallels for windows apps? And how would I install and run other windows apps on the machine? For instance, running a Windows version of Microsoft Publisher or Photoshop.

I personally do not like Parallels and use the latest version of VMWare Fusion. My opinion is that Fusion is just easier to use and works well with no glitches. But that choice is up to you.

As for MS Publisher, I have a copy but I have found a Mac program that in my opinion is just as good. It's currently on sale at the Apple App store. It's called iStudio Publisher. It doesn't have all the fancy templates that MS Publisher has, but it's just as good doing everything else.

You may be able to switch your Photoshop license from Windows to the Mac by calling Adobe. Some folks here have already done that.

Is there any way to integrate email folders with apple mail from outlook? all saved emails, folder, etc?

Yes, there's several ways. We get that question here quite often. Dig around a bit and you'll find how other folks are managing it.

What it the easiest way to transfer files from the PC to the Mac? thumb drive?

No problem over the network as I stated above. Other than using the network, you can use a flash drive, external hard drive, or even your iPod.

I'm assuming you're referring to documents, media files, music, photos, and the like. Windows executables are not going to run on a Mac or vice versa.

Do some searching and if you have other questions, place them in the appropriate forum(s) and we'll try to answer them for you.
 
OP
T
Joined
Jun 14, 2011
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
Points
1
chscag, Thank you for the prompt response! I appreciate it very much!

Thanks for letting me know about accessing the drives. I have hooked individual Windows computers to Macs before but don't have experience on the server side of setting a Mac up.

With VMware Fusion, could I add programs to the Mac that are windows programs? I WISH we could use something else besides MS Publisher files but that is what we are sent sometimes from customers(I'm the graphic artist for the company). :(

And thanks for the heads up. I will give Adobe a call when it gets closer to see if we can get that taken care of.

Oh, another dumb question, when it comes to fonts, will I be able to bring most of them over too?

Thanks again for all your help. :D
 

chscag

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
65,248
Reaction score
1,833
Points
113
Location
Keller, Texas
Your Mac's Specs
2017 27" iMac, 10.5" iPad Pro, iPhone 8, iPhone 11, iPhone 12 Mini, Numerous iPods, Monterey
With VMware Fusion, could I add programs to the Mac that are windows programs? I WISH we could use something else besides MS Publisher files but that is what we are sent sometimes from customers(I'm the graphic artist for the company).

The only Windows programs that will not run well or at all from within Fusion are those that need 3D Graphic acceleration. Usually that means games although there are other programs that rely on 3D acceleration.

MS Publisher will run just as well from Fusion as it does from a Windows machine.

Oh, another dumb question, when it comes to fonts, will I be able to bring most of them over too?

Yes. One caveat here though... it depends on which program(s) you'll be using on the Mac. Some programs are very fussy about fonts. One that comes to mind is MS Office for the Mac. Generally though, you should be able to use all your fonts from Windows.
 
Joined
Feb 1, 2013
Messages
29
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Hi guys, I'm not sure if this is the right thread but am getting lost on this website, it's all very confusing to a new user. I recently switched from PC to MAC and now some of my old spreadsheets done in Works won't open. How can I get around that?
 
Joined
Oct 22, 2007
Messages
8,967
Reaction score
287
Points
83
Location
London
Your Mac's Specs
Mac Mini Core i7 2012 | White 2009 MacBook 2 Ghz | 733 Mhz G4 Quicksilver
Joined
Feb 1, 2013
Messages
29
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Thanks very much for your reply on 10 April, louishen, I'll get my computer guru to download it. Regards, Minnie
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top