My New Mac

I recently got a new computer at work.  It is a MacBook Pro and I am running windows 7 on a Bootcamp partition.  The great thing about the new lines of Macs is that you can run Windows on it if you really need to so you are getting 2 computers for the price of one (plus the cost of the Windows operating system).

I received my computer and was amazed at how easy it was to get up and running in the Windows operating system.  Bootcamp simply asks you how large you would like to partition your drive, asks you to insert the Windows install disk and the rest is just like setting up a new PC.  The only additional step is to insert the Mac OS disk when prompted so it can install of the drivers that you need to use the Mac hardware. From there you just use your computer(s) as normal holding down the "option" key during startup so you can choose if you want to boot as a Mac or PC.

This is also the first time I am using Windows 7.  I jumped straight from xp to 7 and I couldn't be happier.  It is faster, more stable and once you get used to the look and feel, it is much more easy to use.

I haven't come across any problems using Windows on my Mac or using Windows 7 but I have only been using it for a few days.  I will keep you posted on any problems or glitches I run into but so far (knock on wood) I couldn't be happier.

Mac Tip: Right Clicking On a Mac

Most people think that you cannot right click on a mac which is not true. If you want to be able to truly right click you will need to buy macs "mighty mouse" which will allow you to do this directly with your mouse and middle finger. If you already have a mouse and don't want to buy another one you can always hold down 'control' and click the item you would like to right click. This will bring up a menu the same way it would on a PC or by using the mighty mouse.

Mac Tip: Opening a PDF On a Mac

Today I took a support call at work for someone that was having trouble opening a PDF on her mac.  She said that when she tried to open it she was getting an error message saying that it was corrupt. I asked what program she was trying to open it in and she said adobe reader.

What a lot of people don't know is that macs come with a built in PDF viewer called Preview. Putting adobe on your mac is just not necessary.

I wanted to see if she was able to open the PDF using preview so I had her right click on the file and select "open with" and choose Preview. The file opened with no problem.

If she had right clicked and selected "other..." she would have been able to check off the text box called "always open with" and all PDFs would then be associated with preview and double clicking a PDF would open in Preview from then on.