My Windows desktop is nearing the end of its life cycle and I would like to switch to a Mac, but have some questions:
1. Accessibility: I have multiple external hard drives with large home-video files. The drives use the NTFS file system. Would I be able to simply plug these into a new Mac (USB/FireWire) and view/edit the contents, or would some reformatting be required?
2. Readability: I have loads of MS Office documents in PC format and it's important that these remain readable and editable. Will I be able to work with these documents using the Mac system? I won't buy the Mac version of MS Office, so it would have to be the software that comes with the Mac or maybe OpenOffice. Relatedly, it is also important for me to retain access to my email and calendar archive, currently in Outlook 2000 .pst files. I suppose I can convert these to some open format and put them on a Mac? I can convert them to Outlook 2003 at work if that would simplify things.
3. Mac Mini: My current 4-yr-old system runs a Celeron 2.2 GHz with 1 GB RAM. It is sufficient for my needs, which include occasional video editing. Can anyone tell me how a Mac Mini with 1 GB RAM would compare? Also, would I be able to use my LCD monitor, which is about a year old?
Thank you all very much in advance.
David
1. Accessibility: I have multiple external hard drives with large home-video files. The drives use the NTFS file system. Would I be able to simply plug these into a new Mac (USB/FireWire) and view/edit the contents, or would some reformatting be required?
2. Readability: I have loads of MS Office documents in PC format and it's important that these remain readable and editable. Will I be able to work with these documents using the Mac system? I won't buy the Mac version of MS Office, so it would have to be the software that comes with the Mac or maybe OpenOffice. Relatedly, it is also important for me to retain access to my email and calendar archive, currently in Outlook 2000 .pst files. I suppose I can convert these to some open format and put them on a Mac? I can convert them to Outlook 2003 at work if that would simplify things.
3. Mac Mini: My current 4-yr-old system runs a Celeron 2.2 GHz with 1 GB RAM. It is sufficient for my needs, which include occasional video editing. Can anyone tell me how a Mac Mini with 1 GB RAM would compare? Also, would I be able to use my LCD monitor, which is about a year old?
Thank you all very much in advance.
David