Mac OS® X Snow Leopard™ Bible

Chapter 18. Integrating with Windows

IN THIS CHAPTER

Working with Windows files and media

Using fonts with Mac OS and Windows

Setting up network-based file sharing

Using Internet-based file-sharing methods

Installing Windows on your Mac using Boot Camp

Running Windows on your Mac using Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion

There's no question that the Mac is special. Many people believe it to be the best personal computer ever developed, thanks mainly to the Mac OS. But although the Mac is indeed special and brilliant, it is also a minority choice in the world of computing. Most people use Microsoft Windows — Windows XP, Windows Vista, or, not long after this book appears, Windows 7. Dealing with Windows is a reality for Mac users. And Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard helps make it easy to work with the wider Windows world while staying firmly on the luxury Mac island.

Mac OS X integrates with Windows at many levels. It supports Windows disk formats, such as for CDs and hard drives. It works with Windows networks. And it can even run Windows and, therefore, Windows programs that have no Mac version available.

So the question for a Mac user is not "Can I integrate with Windows?" but "How should I integrate with Windows?" There's no one right answer to this question because it depends on your circumstances. But two basic levels of integration usually determine how you integrate with Windows:

• If you mainly need to share files with Windows users, you'll find that most common Windows file formats are ...