Q: I am switching from a pc to mac and want to know how I go about transferring files from one to the other.  There is a chance that I will have to hand my pc back before I receive my MacBook so I will need to transfer on to some sort of external hard drive.

The easy way is to use Migration Assistant for Windows. You will need to keep the Acer until the migration is complete. If that is not possible, research ways to copy the PC's hard disk's contents to an external volume that you can connect to the Mac when you get it. At a minimum, you will want to copy documents, emails, music, photos, and other similar files.

OS X Mountain Lion: Transfer items from a Windows computer to a Mac

On the Acer, download Windows Migration Assistant here:

Windows Migration Assistant v1.0.1

Instructions are here: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4796

If you are using iTunes on the Acer, "deauthorize" it for iTunes purchased music before giving it up.

Right, Get an external drive and copy your files to it. It would be best to format it FAT32 but NTFS will work as Mac OS X can read NTFS formatted drives.

Nothing else can be transfered to the Mac, no programs or settings, so all you need to do is copy your Personal Files to the extrernal. And then when the Mac arrives connect the external to the Mac and Copy them over to the Mac.

Files are Files are Files. If you have the same programs on the Mac as you had on the PC, only Mac OS X versions, those programs can open your files. Music and image files, MP3 and JPG files, are universal and can be read by any operating system and by any program that reads music, MP3, or image, JPG, files.

Tdclegg wrote:

 

I am switching from an acer laptop to a MacBook Pro.  I may have to hand in my laptop before I receive my new MacBook. What is the best way to back up my files so that I can transfer them to my MacBook.  I cloud cannot be installed on my laptop because it uses a version of windows that is older and doesn't support it.  Hope someone can help.

Connect a blank powered external drive to the PC.

Right click on the Disk in the File manager and choose format: exFAT 

(if it's a XP machine, first install exFAT from Microsoft and reboot)

navigate to your user account folders on the PC and drag and drop copy (or copy and paste) to the external drive.

(if a program has your files, then export them out first)

Hook up the drive to the Mac, and transfer files to the desktop or to their same appropritate folders.

Import photo's into iPhoto program, import music into iTunes etc and they will manage those files.

You can continue to use the external exFAT drive between Mac's and PC's

Do not format the drive NTFS or FAT, NTFS can't be written too by the Mac and FAT can't hold over 4GB sized files.

If you format exFAT on the Mac, it likely won't work correctly on the  PC.

"Migration" type programs are a utter waste of time and effort between PC's and Mac's for the fact that only certain files (and no programs or anything else) will work between them, also it's a hassle and takes too long. So don't even bother with it.