Quickest way of file-migrating from Mac to PC

OK - the situation is I'm 13 and have been an Apple admirer all my life. I have finally splashed out and bought a second hand PowerBook G4 and it works a treat. But I want my files from the Acer I have been working on for the past few years. I have a fair idea of my options (LAN sharing or USB to USB) but I would like to know the quickest way of transferring 50+ GB of information.

Also, is there any way of getting Visual Basic for Mac OS as I have been developing apps over the last few months, and would like to continue that (preferably without doing the whole Boot Camp stuff or resorting back to my PC) if possible.

I am not new to the Mac OS, but this is my first Mac to myself, so I have to put all of my information off my Acer and on to my PowerBook as soon as possible so that my sister can use it.

Thanks for any assistance.

If you have an external hard drive, I would transfer the files that way. OS X can read an NTFS formatted drive, but will not be able to write to it without additional drivers (there are both free and paid drivers available). Or you can transfer the files over a network.

As far VB goes, to my knowledge, Microsoft has never made VB for the Mac. As alternatives, you can look at RealBasic, which is a paid application but has a 30 day trial, or Mono (opensource port of .NET) to see if you can port your applications from VB to either of these.

Bootcamp would not be an option for your G4, as you can't install Windows on a PPC. The only option for Windows would be VirtualPC (old and slow..and don't know if it is even still developed/supported).

Bear in mind that I don't use RealBasic or Mono, so I don't even know if either of these will work with a G4. These are just two possibilities I found with a quick Google search. I can only suggest that you look into them to see if either is a viable option.

OK Thanks for the information! I will try and get my hands on a network cable, and hook them up that way. After just spending hundreds of pounds on a new computer, I can't afford a new external hard drive. Thanks for the help!

Also, I think I read that VB will be on Office 2011. Maybe if I save up enough by then, I'll get it.

Andz200zx said:

Also, I think I read that VB will be on Office 2011. Maybe if I save up enough by then, I'll get it.

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You are correct, sir: Microsoft announces Office for Mac 2011 | Software | Working Mac | Macworld.

Enjoy the new Mac!

zacharace said:

You are correct, sir: Microsoft announces Office for Mac 2011 | Software | Working Mac | Macworld.

Enjoy the new Mac!

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Thanks Zac! I'm enjoying my new powerbook, but I have a problem; I think Office '11 is for intel-based macs. Is it possible to get it on a powerPC, and ultimately, is it possible to upgrade your Mac's processor, because, I love this one, but can't afford to buy another.

Thanks

Andz200zx said:

OK Thanks for the information! I will try and get my hands on a network cable, and hook them up that way. After just spending hundreds of pounds on a new computer, I can't afford a new external hard drive. Thanks for the help!

Also, I think I read that VB will be on Office 2011. Maybe if I save up enough by then, I'll get it.

Click to expand...

Do you have an iPod? I was in a similar situation, and you can use the iPod classic as a hard drive, that's what I did. It will work with a nano or video as well.

Great idea! Such a pity I left my 60GB photo classic at home!! It would mean syncing it with 2 different computers, though!

Not syncing, just open it through my computer, open it like a flash drive and drag your files on! It acts like an external hard drive, and is really easy.

amanda.a.p said:

Not syncing, just open it through my computer, open it like a flash drive and drag your files on! It acts like an external hard drive, and is really easy.

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ahhh, too bad I left it at home - anyway, by the time I get home this weekend, I'll have access to my external hard drive. Thanks for the tip though!

EZ Share

Sounds like you may already have a plan;but, I bought EZ SHare which comes with a cable. It's like having a Finder on both a PC and a MAC. You can see both windows on either computer and you just drag and drop folders over to the other one. Works great for me.

Ron

Andz200zx said:

Thanks Zac! I'm enjoying my new powerbook, but I have a problem; I think Office '11 is for intel-based macs. Is it possible to get it on a powerPC, and ultimately, is it possible to upgrade your Mac's processor, because, I love this one, but can't afford to buy another.

Thanks

Click to expand...

Before I give you the bad news, let me just complement you for your superb use of proper English and clear communication in this forum; there are a LOT of alleged adults here who could learn a LOT from your clear and well-written posts. At 13 years old and already a VB programmer, you are clearly head and shoulders above your peers and I'm sure this will help you go far in life.

You are correct that Office 11 is for Intel Macs only, and I'm afraid that's going to be a continuing obstacle you'll run into. There is no way to upgrade your Mac's processor nor to make Intel software run on PowerPC hardware, sorry.

Hopefully you'll be able to sell that Powerbook G4 for something close to what you paid for it and buy a used Intel Mac, as it looks like for your purposes the Intel Mac is clearly the way to go.

Best of luck!