By Nancy A. Feldman
(December 17, 2004)

"I was sifting through the cast-aside holiday cards, ribbons, and wrapping paper, and there it was: a brand-new, shiny white iMac, and all I had to do was plug it in." OK, so that's not exactly what happened. Your reasons for leaving the PC nest to join those rabid Mac fans are your own. We're just here to show you how to do it with the least amount of trouble, because we know how Mac users hate hassle.

To assist in your migration effort, we chose Little Machines' $10 Outlook2Mac and Detto Technologies' $49.95 Move2Mac.

Transfer your data from a PC to a Mac

Before you get started with this project, we recommend that you have the following:

Transfer your data from a PC to a Mac

Move2Mac can transfer files, settings, and preferences but not e-mail. For that, the company recommends Outlook2Mac. Run Outlook2Mac first so that Move2Mac will transport your mail to your Mac when it transfers your other data.

With Outlook running (this speeds up the conversion, according to Little Machines), start the software and step through the wizard, selecting the mail folders you want to convert. You can limit the conversion to a specific date range and skip file formats and large attachments that aren't Mac compatible. You can also migrate your contacts and calendar entries. When Outlook2Mac is ready to save your files to a folder called My_Outlook_Files on the root level of your C: drive, change this location to My Documents so that Move2Mac can transfer this data.

If you see a message saying a program is trying to access e-mail addresses, it means Outlook has detected Outlook2Mac. Click Allow Access and select "10 minutes" from the drop-down list to give Outlook2Mac ample processing time. Once you're through the wizard, the conversion process begins.

Because conversion duplicates the data you transfer, make sure you have sufficient hard drive space for both the files and the transfer applications.

Transfer your data from a PC to a Mac

Before you install Move2Mac, ensure your PC is connected to the Internet--this way, you can activate the product online and download any software updates. Also, make sure you've loaded all the apps you plan to use on the Mac, unless you intend to go with only those bundled with the OS. Unlike Outlook2Mac, Move2Mac requires that you shut down all running applications, including antivirus programs, on both computers. Once you do, insert the Move2Mac CD, open the PC Install Files folder, and double-click setup.exe. The wizard walks you through activating the product and downloading updates, then searches your PC and creates a profile of its settings and files.

Transfer your data from a PC to a Mac

Once the search is complete, click Next. On the "Migrate your computer settings" screen, all the settings are selected for migration, but you can deselect whichever ones you like. (Move2Mac recommends migrating them all.) On the next screen, select the data folders and files you wish to transfer. Be sure to check the Desktop Folder and all the My folders--My Documents, My Pictures, My Music, My Videos--because this is likely where you store most files. Also check the apps you use regularly to ensure you catch files that may reside within those folders.

Don't attach the included cable until you've installed Move2Mac on your Mac and the application prompts you to do so (in step 7).

Transfer your data from a PC to a Mac

Once you click Next, the Waiting For Connection dialog box should appear. Wait a few moments for the View/Print Report button to become active, then click the button to print the Move2Mac PC Profile report. When the report is finished printing, close the window, remove the CD, and leave your PC and the application running.

Transfer your data from a PC to a Mac

Insert the CD into the Mac's drive, and when the Move2Mac icon appears on the desktop (you'll find things are a little more intuitive on the Mac), click it and open the Mac Install Files folder. Double-clicking Move2Mac.pkg launches the setup wizard. Enter your username and password when prompted. Once you see the "Set up: connect the data transfer cable" dialog box, it's safe to run the cable between the two machines. The next screen, "Migration: transferring and integrating your profile," indicates the transfer process has begun. The transfer will take a while, depending on how much data you're moving, so take a nice, long lunch--the kind that includes a couple of cocktails and a gooey dessert.

When you return, tipsy but satiated, the migration should be complete. Click Next to display the "Migration: you are finished" dialog. Move2Mac places a summary of the migration report on the desktop, but you can print it right away by clicking the Summary button. When the report is finished, close the window and click Finish.

The manual says you may be prompted for your username and password throughout the transfer. This could put the kibosh on your two-martini lunch. We took a chance, and the transfer completed without requesting this information.

Transfer your data from a PC to a Mac

Your PC files are now all resting comfortably on your new iMac, without the need for antirejection drugs. They live in the Documents folder, which you'll find within Documents And Settings on your desktop. Apple drops the oh-so-useful My designation from its folder names, so you'll find My Documents files in the Documents folder, My Pictures files in Pictures, and My Music files in Music. The only exception is My Videos, which Apple calls Movies.

Transfer your data from a PC to a Mac

When you ran Outlook2Mac, you saved your mail, calendar, and contacts to the My Documents folder so that Move2Mac could transfer them. If you open the Documents folder, you'll see these three subfolders. You can now import these files into any application that supports the MBOX (e-mail), VCF (contacts), and ICS (calendar) file formats. Here's what to do if you're running Mac OS X 10.2 or later (you are, if your Mac is new) and are using the apps bundled with the OS.

If you haven't already set up a Mail account (OS X's bundled e-mail client), a Welcome To Mail dialog box appears. Enter your e-mail address, your username, and your password. To get the information to put in the Incoming Mail Server, Account Type, and Outgoing Mail Server fields, contact your service provider. When you're done, a dialog appears asking if you want to import your mail. Click Yes. In the Import dialog box, select the mail client you're importing from. Step through the wizard to select the locations of your files.

Transfer your data from a PC to a Mac

To import your calendar, start up iCal, open the calendar folder in Documents, and double-click calendar.ics. Now select Home or Work from the drop-down menu. Once you click OK, your calendar entries should pop into place. Finally, open Address Book and follow the same procedure, this time opening Contacts and double-clicking contacts.vcf. A window appears, telling you how many cards are being added. Congratulations--you're now a Mac convert.