# File Transfer



## Mcjokenstein (Feb 9, 2005)

I'm getting a mac soon and i'm wondering if there is any way to transfer word files onto it? mainly just text documents.


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## VegasACF (May 27, 2005)

I can think of any number of ways. Email, Gmail, online file transfer services, copying them to some form of removable medium such as a CD-ROM, a DVD-R, a ZIP drive, a SuperDisk (if you can find a drive and the media), a flash drive, just to name a few, setting up a LAN, etc.

Could you perhaps limit the possibilities from which you are willing/able to choose?


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## Mcjokenstein (Feb 9, 2005)

what i'm wondering is if i have to labelk my files differently so when i put them on a CD the new computer will recognize them.


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## VegasACF (May 27, 2005)

I've not had any problem transferring files betwixt Mac Word and Windows Word. Sorry for the misunderstanding. Obviously I thought you were asking about physically (?) transferring the files.


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## thedooz (Jun 15, 2007)

My experience is not up-to-date here, but the Mac OS versions I've used (up to System 8.1) still want a file going to "DOS" (i.e. Windows) to have an 8.3 name (8-character name, dot, 3-character "extention"); otherwise, Mac will truncate it to 11 characters. Also, Windows will be looking for the extention, to relate the file to an application.

So if you have, for instance, an Acrobat/Adobe Reader file on the Mac named, say, "My contract for my big promotion", I would rename it to something like "Contract.pdf". (Once you get it onto the Windows machine, you can re-rename it, say to "My contract for my big promotion.pdf". If you fail to rename the file to 8.3, Mac will make it "mycontra.ctf", which will completely baffle Windows.

---
Note that you cannot transfer Mac files to Windows via a USB device, because they go onto the device in a Mac filesystem and show up on Windows as two files, neither of which will open. DOS floppy works, email works (both tedious for more than a few files), haven't tried CD.


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## ThreeDee912 (Feb 11, 2006)

Well, a lot has changed since OS 8.

Mac OS X allows up to 255 characters in a file name. No more small 11 letter names.
Also, if you format the USB stick FAT32, or "MS-DOS Filesystem" (or whatever it's called), a Mac can open and read/write to it fine, and a PC can read/write the Mac files. Also, a Mac burns CD's that are compatible with both Macs and PCs as well.

Also, if you are going to purchase a new Mac, you can have your file transfered over to your Mac for free by talking to a 'Mac Genius' at the Apple store.


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## thedooz (Jun 15, 2007)

VegasACF said:


> I can think of any number of ways. Email, Gmail, online file transfer services, copying them to some form of removable medium such as a CD-ROM, a DVD-R, a ZIP drive, a SuperDisk (if you can find a drive and the media), a flash drive, just to name a few, setting up a LAN, etc.


LAN will only work if you install translation software or set up an FTP server on one of the machines. I don't know about CD or DVD; that depends, I believe, on whether you can use a CD filesystem which can be read by both machines.

--
To your issue of files from the same application: Often the files are the same binary format, true with compatible versions of MSWord, but they still can't be read between OSs; you have to transfer them through a compatible medium, as I described.

I have a Mac, System 8.1, with Word 6.1, and PCs with Windows with Word 2000. When I transfer a file by floppy (say, to print it), Word 2000 wants to convert the file to Word 2000 format, but I decline so that I can put it back on the Mac.

If I create a file on Windows, I have to save it as Word 6 so the Mac can read it.

If I had newer Word on the Mac, this would not be necessary.

--
Another issue, and this is true for Mac-to-Mac or Windows-to-Windows, too: If you use fonts on one machine that are not installed on the other, the document will not look like you expected on the receiving machine.


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## thedooz (Jun 15, 2007)

ThreeDee912 said:


> Well, a lot has changed since OS 8.


I know it has. Thanks for the input. As I say, I'm behind on Mac, only have it/use it as truly legacy (and have lots of files on it needing to be translated from, say ClarisWorks and transferred--main reason I still have it, and also the reason I happened on this thread).



ThreeDee912 said:


> Mac OS X allows up to 255 characters in a file name. No more small 11 letter names.
> Also, if you format the USB stick FAT32, or "MS-DOS Filesystem" (or whatever it's called), a Mac can open and read/write to it fine, and a PC can read/write the Mac files. Also, a Mac burns CD's that are compatible with both Macs and PCs as well.


My cousin put a bunch of files from his OS X machine onto my USB stick (which was/is Windows format). I can see the files on the directory, but I can't open them; each file is 2, "filename.ext" and ".filename.ext". What do we need to do differently?

These files are, I notice, over 11-characters-long names. That confirms that part of what you said.


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## ThreeDee912 (Feb 11, 2006)

OS X makes a few hidden files that keep some OS X file attributes. They start with the '.'. You should have had no trouble with the other file, depending on what kind of file it is. Maybe the file was from a Mac program that isn't available on Windows? Was it just a simple Word document? Or some other type of file?

Also, OS X has built-in Windows SMB/CIFS (whatever that means) file sharing server, and can open shares on a PC. Here's a few screenshots:


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## thedooz (Jun 15, 2007)

ThreeDee912 said:


> OS X makes a few hidden files that keep some OS X file attributes. They start with the '.'. You should have had no trouble with the other file, depending on what kind of file it is. Maybe the file was from a Mac program that isn't available on Windows? Was it just a simple Word document? Or some other type of file?


Files were all Adobe Reader. Attempting to open any non-dotted file, Adobe Reader opens (v. 7.0.9), then pops up a dialog: "There was an error opening this document. The file is damaged and could not be repaired."

My cousin emailed me one or two of these same files and it works just perfectly.


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## VegasACF (May 27, 2005)

thedooz said:


> LAN will only work if you install translation software or set up an FTP server on one of the machines.


Your information is based upon an OS that was first released in 1997. As such, it is horribly out of date, and completely incorrect.

Just out of curiosity, why was this _really_ old thread dredged up? The last post before today was nearly a year ago!


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## thedooz (Jun 15, 2007)

VegasACF said:


> Your information is based upon an OS that was first released in 1997. As such, it is horribly out of date, and completely incorrect.


So you can confirm that OS X and Windows on the same LAN can see each other and share files? If so, that would solve my problem (see below).



VegasACF said:


> Just out of curiosity, why was this _really_ old thread dredged up? The last post before today was nearly a year ago!


Mybad; I didn't look at the dates, just started posting (got a lot of people awake, though, didn't I? ). I'll watch the dates from now on. Sorry. (In my defense, though, I was looking for previous answers before starting a new thread for an old question. I get "partial credit", right?)

I found this thread while searching for info on how to move files from my wife's PowerMac 100 MHz / System 8.1 to Windows.

So what you're saying about LAN means that by picking up an early iMac which has OS X (available around $50) would solve my problem? Just move the files from the old Mac to the iMac, then to Windows? (If so, I could save a lot of time converting the files at 333 or 400 MHz instead of 100, too--but will my old MS Word 6 run on OS X?) (I could also re-process those Adobe Reader files.)


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## VegasACF (May 27, 2005)

I've never had any trouble using my OS X Macs with Windows-based networks, be they wired or wireless.


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## Couriant (Mar 26, 2002)

agreed. as long as you set up file sharing, it won't be an issue.


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## thedooz (Jun 15, 2007)

Okay. Got an iMac with OS X. Put it on the Ethernet, could see the old PowerMac and could see the "Brand W" machine. (Yes, I found and set up what ThreeDee showed... Thanks.) 

Here's what I found after that (remember that my goal was to put the Mac files onto the W): 

I opened the W HD on the iMac, copied files into it. On the W machine, I then had two files for each Mac file, filename.ext and .filename.ext, and that didn't work right. (I was using Word files this time.) So this was no good. 

HOWEVER, when I tried going to W and looking at the iMac and copying the files from there, what I wanted to do I had done: One file on the W. I have no idea why it works one way and not the other, but since I can now do what I need to do, I'm a happy camper. 

Thanks, all, for your help! The forum approach works again!


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