Software to juggle Windows on a Mac
Q. What is the easier way to run the Windows operating system on Intel-based Macintosh hardware — Boot Camp or a program like Parallels?
A. Both methods of running Windows on a Mac have their advantages. But before you take the plunge, you should figure out how and how often you want to run Windows.
The main advantage to using $80 software like Parallels (www.parallels.com) or VMware Fusion (www.vmware.com) is that you can run both systems at the same time and even cut and paste text or move files between your Mac and Windows desktops. These programs create a virtual version of Windows on your Mac, but they may run a little slower than a Windows system running on Boot Camp.
Boot Camp comes free with Mac OS X 10.5 systems and requires you to partition part of your Mac's hard drive so you can install the Windows system there. The downside to this is that you have to switch back and forth between systems by rebooting each time.
With either approach you'll need to buy a copy of the Windows system software. And since that copy of Windows is just as vulnerable to malware as one running on a PC, you may want to invest in antivirus and anti-spyware software as well.
Working around a bird's confusion
Q. My Mozilla Thunderbird e-mail program sometimes tries to open file attachments in the wrong program, even when my file associations are set. How can I open the attachments?
A. Mozilla Thunderbird is a mail program that works with Windows, Mac or Linux operating systems. But if a different mail program sends along an attachment with the wrong content type specified, Thunderbird may get confused and, for example, try to open a Word document with Apple's QuickTime movie player software when you double-click on the attachment icon.
If this happens, see what type of attachment you have received to better decide what program to use to open it. If you can't see the three- or four-letter file extension at the end of the attachment's file name, there are other ways to see what you're dealing with.
One way to see a file attachment's content type is to click once on the message in your mailbox to select it, but not open it. Next, go to the View menu and select Message Source. In the Content-Type part of the message's header field, you should see one or more types listed, along with the names of the file attachments, like "attachment; filename="puppies.pdf".
Once you have identified the file type of the attachment, like .rtf or .pdf, you should have a better idea of what program to use to open it. Open the message, save the attachment to your hard drive and try to open it from within a program you know will open the file, like Adobe Reader for a PDF file.
Renaming the file with the correct file extension may also help your computer properly recognize it. The page at MediaCollege.xcom has instructions for changing a file extension in Windows.
TIP OF THE WEEK
Posting to YouTube, Flickr, Facebook, Twitter or a blog on the go from your mobile phone can be simplified with a little help from ShoZu, a free program at www.shozu.com. ShoZu works with phones from most wireless carriers and lets you quickly upload and tag photos taken with your phone, read and reply to online comments and download your friend's feeds. There's also a desktop version of ShoZu available as well for one-click uploading from your computer to your favourite social sites.
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