itunes and simple osx problem

Ok, so I got a MacBook, first time using a mac. Its all going well, OSX is really awesome, but I just have to quick questions.

Ok, first of all, for anyone that has transferred itunes libraries, how did you do it? Its between trying to set up a wireless network and doing it over that or just downloading software that just lets me upload whats on my ipod to the mac. Anyone have any experience with either?

Second, ok this is stupid and I could probably eventually look this up, but I figured it would be a quick no brainer for people that actually have experience with OSX. So I installed firefox, and every time it starts up, a little firefox icon shows up under the mac HD icon and some little box that I really havent seen much of a use for pops up. Obviously its not supposed to be like this because its only firefox that does this, what did I miss?

for the itunes library transfer:http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34612&highlight=itunes+library+transfer

for the firefox issue: http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34830&highlight=firefox+install

For the iTunes library, copy your entire iTunes library from your PC to your Mac, and put it anywhere on the Mac. Now overwrite the existing iTunes folder on your Mac (in your Music folder) with the one you have just copied over. Restart iTunes and all is well. Make sure you copy the ENTIRE iTunes folder from your PC, not just the music directories within. Those other files at the top level of the iTunes folder contain your playlists, ratings and so on. When I did this, I used an external harddrive. I copied my iTunes library from my PC to the hard drive, and then from the hard drive onto the Mac.

For the Firefox issue, it sounds like you are still running it from the .dmg file? You double click it, and lots of neat stuff shows up on your desktop, including a Firefox icon which runs Firefox when you double click it? The .dmg file is a disk image file - sort of the Mac equivalent of an installer. You have never actually INSTALLED Firefox. To install it, copy the file you double click to actually run Firefox into the Applications folder. Then drag all those other Firefox files on your desktop to the trash and get rid of them. Now, when you open the Applications folder, you can double click on Firefox and it will run without leaving anything behind on your desktop. To make life really easy, drag the Firefox icon down onto your Dock. Thereafter, a single click of the dock icon will launch Firefox.

Enjoy Mac OS X. It *is* a little different from Windows, but in a lot of truly great ways. I'll give you one really relevant piece of advice. Mac OS X is not Windows, and things don't work the same way. Try to stop thinking like a Windows user and open yourself to a whole new way of doing things. Try it out for a while and soak it up before you decide what you are going to use long term and how to do it. For example, why are you using Firefox? Because you used to on the PC? Try the Mac way for a while - Safari is a wonderfully capable browser and it has all sorts of neat tricks that Firefox doesn't. Ditto for Mail and for lots of other Mac programs. Don't try to replicate your Windows environment on the Mac, try the Mac way.

Take it for what it is worth, but I consciously did this myself and it was very helpful - always trying to figure out the "Mac way" of doing things, and then forcing myself to do it that way for a while. This opens you to discovering all the strengths of Mac OS X and the bundled programs.

Finally, to REALLY get the most out of Mac OX X, get the EXCELLENT Missing Manaul book for Mac OS X Tiger. It is a treasure trove of insightful and helpful information, revealing all sorts of things you wouldn't generally just stumble across.

Good luck with your new Mac - you WILL enjoy it.