Last updated: July 7, 2005
On-line Learning - Moving to a PC
- Introduction
- Migration of Existing Files and File Name Conventions
- Windows 2000 for Mac Users
- Word Processing on a PC
- Sharing PC School Files with Your Mac at Home
- Other
Introduction
This resource is available for those PSD teachers that may have only worked with an Apple Macintosh computer in the past and are moving to a non-Macintosh computer that functions with the Microsoft Windows operating system.From the standpoint of the user, an operating system (OS) is simply the interface the computer has that allows one to get around and get things done. In part, the OS controls how files are accessed and how programs are run. Therefore, already knowing one operating system makes it very easy to migrate to a new one.
Clarification of terminology can be helpful when discussing different operating systems. Therefore, a short diversion will be taken here and elsewhere to address terminology and related issues.
The good news for the average user is that the transition from a Mac to a PC environment involves a finite number of new wrinkles. Once you learn of these differences and how to deal with them, you will be just as productive with Windows as you have been in the past on the Macintosh. The Microsoft Corporation has used a great amount of resources over the years to get their Windows operating systems to work very similarly to that of Macintosh. Therefore, much of what is involved is simply becoming acquainted to the slightly different ways the Windows OS does the same things the Mac OS does.
The term "PC" is often used in reference to any non-Macintosh computer that runs on the Windows operating system. Another common term for such a computer is "WinTel," which is a combination of the terms "Windows" and "Intel." Intel is a brand of microprocessor chip that is commonly found in Windows-based computers. For our purposes, we will use the terms "Mac" and "PC" to refer to the two different types of computers.
The term "platform" is another way to refer to an OS. A person may ask, "What platform do you use?" What they are asking is what kind of operating system is on your computer. When you hear someone refer to "cross-platform issues" know they are referring to problems that may be associated with sharing files, for example, between two computers that use different operating systems.
It is also useful to know that software applications are specific to the operating system for which they are written. This is why one cannot readily take a program that they have used on one platform and use it on another. Also, you may have even heard of other platforms called "Linux" or "Unix." These are simply other kinds of operating systems.
As an aside, many of these differences stem from the fact that Microsoft needed to avoid successful litigation from Macintosh. Though the Mac OS was developed years before the Windows system that mimicked it, both the Apple Macintosh and Microsoft Windows operating systems derived from work done long ago by the Xerox Corporation.
This web site provides descriptions of the adjustments involved in dealing with some of the more common differences between the use of a Mac and a PC. If you have any questions regarding this resource, please do not hesitate to contact sdurkin@psd.k12.co.us.
These topics are divided into three sections:
Please read all three sections prior to doing any of the procedures! Though Working from the Server is the first section, you will definitely want to adhere to the policies described in the two following sections prior to moving files to the server in preparation to the switch to a PC.
The following section does begin to describe some of the differences between a Mac and a PC. Please know that while some PC terms are used that may not be fully explained at the time, much more detail will be provided in later sections that address Windows 2000.
If your important files are not already stored on the school server, prior to the switch to using a PC you will need to move such files from your classroom Macintosh computer over to the school server so that you may later use those files with your PC. To learn more about how to do this or to have this done for you, please contact your Building Technology Coordinator. Once you have access to your Windows computer, you will use it to connect to the school server and open these files.
When you open each of these Mac-created files for the first time on a PC do so THROUGH the application you plan to use with that file. In other words, do not simply double-click on the file icon in your server folder. Rather, run the desired program and use its File menu and select Open to activate the desired file. This will allow the translators in the program to properly convert the Mac file into something the Windows-based program can use.
Suppose you have a Macintosh-created Microsoft Word file on the server that you now want to use on your PC. It is good practice to first open the Microsoft Word program on your PC and use the File menu in that program and select Open in order to locate and activate the file on the server. Granted, a properly named and saved Macintosh Microsoft Word file may indeed be successfully opened by double-clicking on a PC; however, opening a file for the first time on a PC using the method described above will be a very good habit to form for those times the conversion may not be as automatic or smooth. After a file has been opened and saved once with a PC, it may be activated in the future with a double-click independent of any application.
The Windows OS often uses the term "directory" in place of the Macintosh term "folder." These terms are simply interchangeable. PC users will use the phrase "directory path" to describe the sequence of drives (hard drive, floppy, server hard drive, etc.) and folders needed to find a file or other resource. For instance, the My Documents directory on the computer hard drive is where most PC programs first send a user when a file is selected to be saved. The path for that directory is said to be:
C:\My Documents
The characters "C:" are used in Windows to describe the hard drive on the computer.
On a Mac, the computer hard drive is usually indicated with the "Macintosh HD" icon that is displayed on the desktop. As indicated, on a PC this drive is usually identified with "C:".
Finding this "C:" drive on a PC is another matter in and of itself. Instead of it sitting on the desktop like the Macintosh HD does on a Mac, the C drive on a PC is inside the desktop icon called My Computer.
A PC uses capital letters to describe drives on computers. (There is more about this in this and later sections.) The backslash ("\") denotes a directory level. Therefore, a folder inside My Documents called Math would have the directory path of:
C:\My Documents\Math
Therefore, a file called algebra.doc (don't worry about the seemingly odd file name, that will be described soon) stored inside the Math folder would be said to have the path:
C:\My Documents\Math\algebra.doc
As stated, Windows OS uses letters to describe different drives - be it the hard drive on your computer (usually C:),
the floppy drive (A:), the CD-ROM drive (usually D:), or a hard drive on the server in the media center where you will have a
personal folder (often a letter higher up the alphabet, such as H:). Icons for all of these drives are found inside the My Computer icon that is on the desktop.
It is also very important to note that from a technical support perspective a Windows computer tends to have a far greater amount of technical issues than a Macintosh, and that they can often be more difficult to fix. One recent study involving home personal computer use found that generally a Mac involves five hours of tech support per year whereas a PC entails fifty. If your Windows computer ends up with major issues, please be aware that a common solution used in the past by those in district tech support is to simply re-image your hard drive. Re-imaging involves the use of one or more pre-set CDs to simply return the hard drive to the state it was in when it was first placed in your room or office. This is usually a relatively quick and effective
repair, but this also means that all that you personally saved and adjusted in the past on your hard drive will be lost!
To deal with this very real possibility, it is advisable that on your Windows computer you simply get in the habit from the very beginning to save all work in your personal folder on the school server. School Office Managers commonly use this method of file storage. Instead, you may choose to save your work in the My Documents directory on your hard drive. However, be sure to periodically back up the contents of this directory by moving copies of it to your personal space on the school server every week or so. Know that whatever isn't backed up at the time will be lost upon a re-image of the hard drive.
If you need assistance, your Building Technology Coordinator can show you how to save a file in your school server folder for the first time. Once you know how, it is easy to do. The method of access to the server in your building may vary from school to school. Usually the server drive can be found in the My Computer icon or the My Network Places icon (which is also on the desktop). The preferred method is to access your school server by going to the My Computer icon. The icon for the server will have a wire at the bottom to show that this resource is networked. Using My Network Places does tax the district bandwidth so do try to access your school server through My Computer.
Since your school server is frequently backed up on tape, saving your work there will prevent the total loss of such work when (notice the word "if" wasn't used) your classroom computer fails to the extent of needing a re-image of its hard drive.
A very good idea is to set the default for Microsoft Word on your PC, for example, to save to your personal space on the server. Once you know how to save to your server folder, you may want to adapt the directions for Changing the Default Save Location found in the Word Processing on a PC section to set MS Word to save to your directory on the server.
Instead of a single mouse button on a Mac computer, the PC commonly uses a two-button mouse. The primary button on the left (for a right-handed user, struck with the first finger) behaves much like the single button on a Mac. When you need to click on something just know to use the left button. The button on the right (struck with the middle finger) is often referred to as the "right-click" button. This button usually offers a "contextual" menu of options, meaning the behavior of this button varies depending on when and where it is used.
Stated in the proper technical terms, the button on the left is used for Normal Select and Normal Drag. The button on the right is used for Context Menu and Special Drag. (One may obtain the right-click effect on a Mac mouse by holding down the Control key as the mouse is clicked.)
One should know that the very tip of the mouse pointer on the screen is the part that matters when it comes to selecting items.
It is possible for left-handed users to easily switch the actions of the buttons on a mouse. One may go to the Start menu, select Settings and then select Control Panel. Once in the Control Panel, open the Mouse icon. There, a user may "switch" the buttons so the first finger on the left hand may be used to click the primary button and the middle finger may be used for the "right-click" of the secondary button.
For the purposes of this resource, no further detail will be provided regarding the two-button mouse. However, it is a very useful tool that you should learn how to use. To learn more, please visit some of the following sites:
Turning On the Computer
Though many Macs may be turned on by pressing the reset key on the keyboard, a PC usually has a power button on the front of the system unit. The system unit is the body (or "box") of the computer that is apart from the monitor. Therefore, merely press
this power button to turn on a PC.
Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for the system unit to be incorrectly referred to as the "CPU." The CPU is actually the Central Processing Unit, part of the small microprocessor chip that is inside the system unit.
Logging on to Windows with a User Profile
Your PC at school will have you log on with a profile. This method facilitates secure use of a computer that may have multiple users. Upon boot up or log on you will see a screen that instructs you to press "Control+Alt+Delete" to log on. Hold down the Control and Alt keys along then with the Delete key. This will bring up a login prompt. The convention used for your login name and password may vary by site so please contact your Building Technology Coordinator for this information. The domain should be pre-set to PSDNET.
The Desktop
A Windows desktop is similar to that of a Mac, and appears on the screen after you log on. As with a Mac, the Windows desktop is your workspace. On the left side of the desktop are icons, the small pictures that represent files such as documents, folders, or programs. When you want to open a file, double-click its icon.
My Computer
My Computer is similar to the Macintosh HD icon on a Mac, but it stores a few more things. On a Mac, icons for a floppy disk and CD appear on the desktop when they are inserted into the computer. On a Windows computer, this does not happen. Instead, you will need to open My Computer to find the icons for the floppy and CD drives.
An icon for your school server should also be inside My Computer. You will need to know how to navigate to your school server when you save or backup your files to your personal folder on that server.
Once in the window for My Computer, you may then select other icons inside it to view the contents.
My Documents
My Documents is a place to save your files on the hard drive of your computer. Though this is convenient, it may be best to save your work instead in your personal folder on the school server. You may configure your favorite programs to save to the server instead of the My Documents folder.
My Network Places
This icon will display available network resources such as other computers and printers. Usually, you will not need to open this icon because you will already have an icon for your school server inside your my Computer icon.
Recycle Bin
Use the Recycle Bin to delete unwanted files. Simply drag the file icon on top of the Recycle Bin icon and release, just like you would drag unwanted files on the Macintosh to the Trash Can. To empty the Recycle Bin, right-click on its icon and select Empty Recycle Bin.
Anatomy of a Window
Before we go any further, it would be helpful to discuss the basic parts of a window in a PC environment. The three buttons in the upper right corner of any window toolbar enable you to hide, minimize or maximize, and close the window.
Macs allow you to hide a window by double clicking on the title bar. The Hide Window button is the equivalent on the PC. To restore the window, go to the taskbar (described below) and click on its button. You also may adjust the window size from any side, not just the lower right corner.
The Taskbar
The Taskbar usually appears at the bottom of the screen. In part, it contains the Start button and displays what programs are open. The Taskbar and the Start button will always be available regardless of what windows you have open. Buttons on the taskbar can show you which windows and programs are open, even when some are minimized or hidden beneath another window. You may easily switch to a different window by clicking once on its taskbar button. This will either minimize or restore that window. In a sense, this aspect of the taskbar is similar to the Finder on a Mac.
Quick Launch Area - This is a customizable toolbar area that may be used to quickly open programs and files. A few shortcuts appear in this toolbar by default, but you may add additional shortcuts by dragging the desired icon onto the toolbar.
The Start Button
The Start button operates much the same way as the Apple menu on a Mac. The Start button displays a list of commands and shortcuts that you may use to accomplish almost any task. You may start programs, open documents, customize your system, get Help, search for items on your computer, and more. Some items on the Start menu have a right-facing arrow, which means that additional choices are available on a secondary menu, or submenu. When you place your pointer over an item with an arrow, a submenu appears.
Most of the programs installed on your computer are available from one convenient location - the Programs section of the Start menu.
To start a program:
Viewing Files
A Mac has the Macintosh HD icon on the desktop. There, a user may view all the files on the hard drive. To do this on a PC, look for the desktop icon called My Computer. In it you will find the C: drive. The C: drive is the hard drive. To view the files and other resources inside the hard drive, simply double-click the C: icon.
There is another way to view files on a PC. It is called Explore. You do not necessarily need to worry about it in the beginning. As you become more familiar with Windows, you may want to learn about it. To use Explore, right-click on the Start button at the bottom left of the window. A short menu should pop up and one of the selections is Explore.
Working with Floppy Disks and CDs
This is one aspect on a PC that involves significant differences from how a Mac works. As you know, on a Mac one simply pops a floppy disk or compact disc (CD) in and an icon for it appears on the desktop. Not so on a PC. Once you place a floppy or CD in a PC, it would appear that nothing happens. In order to view the contents of what is known as removable media, you have to go to My Computer and open the icon for the A: floppy drive or D: compact disc drive. The letter used for the compact disc drive may vary from computer to computer.
To eject a floppy or CD from a Mac, one drags the corresponding icon to the Trash. Do not attempt to do this on a PC! Instead, manually press (it takes a little force on your part) the button on the system unit that is next to the floppy drive or the button by the CD drive. This will eject the media.
Never insert a Mac-formatted floppy with important files in a PC. The PC will not recognize it and try to reformat the disk, which would remove all contents of the floppy.
Other resources:
Logging Off of Windows
To securely leave your computer after a session of use and to allow other staff members access to that computer, go to the Start menu and select Shut Down. The default prompt at that point will be a query to log off. Select that choice so the computer will remain on and ready for the next user to log on.
Turning Off the Computer
To turn the computer off, go to the Start menu and select Shut Down. You will be asked if you want to log off. Click on the triangle next to your login name to select Shut Down. Eventually you will be brought to a final window. It will then be safe to press the power button on the system unit in order to turn it off.
What to Do When the Computer Does Not Boot
Whereas a Mac will usually automatically eject a floppy left in the floppy drive when the computer boots up, a PC will instead try to read any inserted floppy disk upon boot up. If a floppy disk was accidentally left in a PC, it will not automatically eject when the computer boots. In most cases, this will cause the PC to not fully boot. If one finds that the PC does not boot all the way to the Windows desktop or login prompt, check to see if there is a floppy disk in the floppy drive. If so, use the eject button next to the floppy drive on the system unit to eject the disk. Then press any key on the keyboard. The computer should then boot normally. If it does not, depending on the model of computer one may have to press the power button again or hold down the power button down for ten seconds to turn the computer off, and then press the power button again to turn it back on.
If a floppy has not been left in the computer and Windows does not boot, you may need to contact your Building Technology Coordinator.
What to Do When the Computer Locks Up
Every so often your PC may stop responding to mouse and keyboard commands. This is sometimes called "locking up" or "freezing." To attempt to correct this error without incorrectly turning off your computer, hold down the Control+Alt+Delete keys. This will bring up the Windows Task Manager. In that window, you may be able to select "End Task" for the program that is described as "Not responding." At that same window, you may press Control+Alt+Delete once more to restart your computer. Another way to restart the computer is to go to the Start menu and select Shut Down. From there you may select an option to restart the computer. Restarting the computer tends to solve most problems, and is helpful to attempt prior to contacting your Building Technology Coordinator.
In the event of the computer "crashing" where the screen becomes completely blue with white text (often referred to as "the blue screen of death"), note what information is displayed. Often it will report the error and inform you to press any key to continue or press Control+Alt+Delete to restart. If that does not work, you may have to turn off the computer at this point with the power button (not a habit to get in to - doing this repeatedly can cause problems over time). If this happens again within a short time period, note what was happening just prior to the crash and any information on the blue screen. You should then contact your Building Technology Coordinator with this information.
Other resources:
On a Mac, the Command key (the key with the apple and clover on it) may be used in conjunction with other keys to perform keyboard shortcuts for actions such as cut, paste or copy. On a PC, corresponding "command" key is the Control (Ctrl) key.
A common problem for Mac users is that sometimes they may find that in Microsoft Word letters appear to get "eaten" as one types. This happens when Word has been changed from the normal "insert" mode to the "overtype" mode. To escape from the overtype mode, simply press the "Insert" key on the PC keyboard.
Changing the Default Save Location
Since it is a good idea to always save your work on the server, you may set MS Word to default to save your files in your server folder. Adapt the following directions to configure MS Word to save your files in your personal folder on the school server.
Another easy way to share files back and forth is to use e-mail from home and school. Simply send a file as an attachment in an e-mail message to yourself. Be sure to always remember to use the proper file extension when you create a file at home on a Mac to use at school on a PC.
Your school may also allow remote access to the school server from home. Please see your Building Technology Coordinator for more information.
Below are additional resources you might want to explore.
Merely a counter . . .
Migration of Existing Files and File Name Conventions
These two topics address critical issues surrounding the movement of your files from your Mac onto the school server so that they may later be accessible from a PC. Prior to moving your files to the school server, it is very important to keep in mind restrictions that Windows has for file names. What is an acceptable file name for the Macintosh system may not be so in Windows, causing such files to be unusable on a PC! Also, using a Macintosh computer you should add special characters to the end of the names of all your Macintosh files PRIOR to switching over to the use of a PC. These special characters are called extensions. Proper file extensions will help the PC be able to successfully handle your old Macintosh files.
Windows 2000 for Mac Users
The Two-Button Mouse
Word Processing on a PC
Though it is a matter of personal preference, many find that Microsoft Office works very well for most general file development needs. Microsoft Word (word processing), Excel (spreadsheet) and Power Point (graphical presentation) are specifically designed to work with Windows. The use of AppleWorks on a PC may not be as productive.
Sharing PC School Files with Your Mac at Home
If your PowerPC or above Macintosh computer at home has a floppy drive, you may use a PC formatted disk to share files back and forth from home and school. Do not put a Mac formatted disk in a PC. A PC will not recognize the floppy and try to reformat it, which would result in the loss of all existing files on that disk. Keep in mind to never trust a single floppy to contain the only copy in existence of a critical file. Floppies are not very reliable and often fail over time.
Other
Of course, there is a great deal more involved regarding switching from Mac to a PC and the general use of Windows. Be sure to check out Staff Development opportunities offered by the district. You are also invited to contact sdurkin@psd.k12.co.us for assistance.
