Windows and Apple have different file systems and so it is not easy to transfer files from one of them to another. However, there are some ways that you can use to transfer data from Windows to Apple, but before doing so, you need to check the disk format to find out whether it is NTFS or FAT. This is because NTFS is not supported in the Apple operating systems prior to Mac OS X 10.3. If you connect an NTFS hard drive with an Apple computer, it will require formatting. In that case, you need to think of another option to transfer the data instead of formatting it.
Methods of transferring data from Windows to Apple
For transferring data from a Windows PC, Apple has its own service for their customers. The company runs it from the Apple Retail Stores in America. For now the service is available only for the US customers; and it is known as PC Data Transfer service. You can contact your local store to accept the service.
Other than that, there are some other methods to accomplish the task, but all of them are run by third parties. There is a third party application called Move2Mac, which you can use to transfer your Windows data in a Mac computer. This application is based on the combination between software and hardware.
Different portable devices are very easy methods to transfer data between PC and Mac. You can use a portable hard disk with USB connection or FireWire driver. The USB devices are more easily available, but competitively slower. The FireWire drivers are faster and also available everywhere, but the problem is that not all PC’s have a port for connecting a FireWire drive.
Other portable devices like ZIP or MO are also usable; however they are not widely used in these days. The CD and DVD are competitively easier than other portable devices. They are very easy to find as a part of the integrated part of the CPU, can run in any type of computer, and are cheap and easy to carry. This is also a more secure way than the hard disk to store back up data.
The transfer process can be completed virtually too by using shared file servers or via emails. If both PC and Mac have access to the same server in a network, they can share the same files without any difficulties.
For smaller files, like word documents, photos, songs or other files and applications with smaller size, they can be transferred through an email. For any file over 1MB, high speed internet connection is required. For transferring large files, you can use your Mac account. The iDisk system can transfer all the data from your PC to your Mac through internet. If you have a slow connection, the transaction may take a long time, but the iDisk will confirm the transfer process.
If two computers are located closely, you can use direct Ethernet crossover connection to copy files from your PC to the Mac.
And the last method is that you can connect the Windows hard disk directly with the Mac; but this is possible only if the disk is formatted in FAT or FAT32 file system.
