| 02/21/2007 5:55 PM |
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Posted By Tom Toll on 02/21/2007 5:27 PM
Virginia, will Xactware and MSB, or any of the other estimating systems load onto an apple computer. Does anyone out there know. I love their operating system, but if incompatibility with certain programs are a problem, I don't need to buy a problem.
The IMac will dual boot so XP Pro can run MS programs. I am seriously thinking about going this route next time, because the Mac is so much better on the graphics and the prices for it and upper end laptops are pretty close.
GET AN EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE AND BACK UP YOUR FILES!!!!!!! These are so cheap now, you have no excuse to lose files, except you are stupid. Buy Ghost 10.0 and install it and keep your external plugged and it will back up in the background. I have a third hard drive on my desktop that I do a full image to weekly. If my regular hard drive fails, all I have to do is change the jumpers on it, start the PC and it will boot up like nothing happened. It is a mirror image of the backed up drive. I just cannot imagine a Cat adjuster without 1 or even 2 external hard drives.
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Tom TollModerator & Life Member  Senior Member Posts:1865  
| 02/21/2007 7:43 PM |
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David, can I safely assume that you would have to purchase an XPPro program and install it on a Mac. I had heard they would run both programs. The one I am looking at is $2,399.00, a little pricey to me. But, if you buy a high end HP, Dell, or any of the others, they are up there too. I guess Mac is the way I will go this time.
Unfortunately I do not know much about the Mac systems but have always heard they have the best operating system. I know they have the best graphics programs so you can download your MPEG's from the camera's, directly to the Mac. You are right about the back up hard drive. That is what I do also. I sure don't want to lose any of my files with a crash.
Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.
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Gale HawkinsPowerClaim.com  Member Posts:386 
| 02/21/2007 9:36 PM |
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http://www.macworld.com/news/2006/0.../index.php
You guys talking about the new Intel based Macs made me realize that is one thing I know nothing about at this point. From the above article it does seem they can run the Windows XP operating system but it is a lot of work to set up. There have been emulators over the years so you could run PC software on a Mac and I know some tried running PowerClaim XML with them and the adjusters finally went out and bought low end PC notebooks and gave up trying to use the Mac for adjusting.
If a Mac was actually running the true MS Windows XP operating system it may work but we finally gave up on supporting PowerClaim XML on the Mac. If anyone sets up XP on the Intel based Mac we will activate PowerClaim XML free for 30 days so you can check it out by doing real claims in the field. If it does not work you will have only spent your time to find out. I would expect there to be issues based on the article and should PowerClaim XML have issues related only to running it on a Mac then you will know our software that is not designed for a Mac will not work on a Mac. : )
The concept if it works flawless should help increase the sale of Macs.
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Gale HawkinsPowerClaim.com Member Posts:386
| 02/21/2007 10:47 PM |
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This article contains the steps one guy used to set up a dual booting Mac with XP.
http://www.macworld.com/2006/03/fir.../index.php
The XP experiment: Running Windows on a Mac
Is installing XP on an Intel Mac worth the effort?
If you’re thinking about trying this on your own Intel-based Mac, you should know that Really Bad Things are possible….
I should mention at this point that, if you’ve had to purchase Windows XP Pro, a burner, and Nero, you’re up to $419…which, and I’m not making this up, happens to be exactly today’s price for an entire Dell Dimension B110 with 1GB of RAM, a CD/DVD burner, and an 80GB hard drive….
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| 02/22/2007 8:53 AM |
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If you are interested in a dual boot for XP and Vista, here is an article that you may find this of interest:
Installing Windows Vista in a dual-boot configuration along with Windows XP:
http://content.techrepublic.com.com...53977.html |
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| 02/22/2007 9:38 AM |
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If you have 2 hard drives, you can set up each in a dual boot system. Most laptops have smaller, more expensive hard drives so this is a lot easier on a desk top.
I checked with a couple of IT guys who have Intel based Imacs and both run XP Pro as a second OS and they say everything that works on XP will run on it. This is using the newest Mac OS. I haven't seen it but I do know some photographers who have changed to Macs and are running Photoshop CS2 Windows version on the XP side. This is probably overkill for an adjuster but desktops and hard drives are very reasonable right now and I would sure get another one as a backup. I don't write my estimates at the scene because I can't see the screen, it kills my back to twist around to see it, I don't want to buy some jicky mount and take up my front seat, I would rather do it in air conditioned comfort, and I am old and cranky and do what I want just to run company supervisors crazy. For some reason, I think that since I have done this at least 30 years longer than they have, they should ask me how to do it. Of course, you have to have an IQ below (deleted because truth hurts). |
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Virginia Topley Guest Posts:14
| 02/22/2007 11:58 AM |
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Tom, sorry I should have clarified. We have been using a Cingular internet access card for the computers (laptop and desk) for internet access (got tired of paying Ma Bell/AT&T $100. per month for phone service & LD and I'm not even a motor-mouth!)
My point was if an adjuster is out in the field, isn't using a satellite dish, can't get to a Wi-Fi location (Starbucks or whatever) and wants to use a Cingular wireless card for internet access (or other provider with towers for cell phone use), the cards won't work with the Vista OS, per the "Geek Squad" tech at Best Buy..
The web site/article Gale Hawkins posted creates second thoughts about trying to put XP onto the Apple computer. We'll have to rethink that plan.
Plan B which has been discussed may be to leave the estimating programs on one laptop, get a refurbished as a back-up and forget about a new one for the time being or til it all comes out in the wash as far as what Vista IS compatible with. We'll see.. |
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| 02/22/2007 4:15 PM |
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Virginia, get an external hard drive and Ghost 10.0 and do an image of your hard drive onto it. If your laptop hard drive crashes, you can still boot it up and then access the bios and change it to boot off an external HD. Then your laptop will boot up like nothing happened. When you get a new HD, you can then image the external onto the new drive. No reloading software. It's wonderful.
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Virginia TopleyGuest Posts:14
| 02/23/2007 2:29 PM |
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Don't go trade your old laptop for a new one yet. I emailed Xactware and asked if Vista was compatible with Xactimate. See response below:
Virginia,
Xactimate 24 is not currently supported on Vista. Xactware is actively working to certify Xactimate 24 on Vista. Details will be posted as they are available. Vista does not officially support Microsoft MSDE which is used extensively by Xactimate 24. This significant issue is causing a delay in certifying Xactimate 24 for Vista. Xactimate 25, currently in development, will be supported on Vista.
We don't support our products on Macintosh systems.
Thanks,
Sydney Darman
Xactware |
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| 02/24/2007 1:05 AM |
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If you have not read the thread about Vista on the Integraclaim forum, take a look at it. Some of the issues in this thread have been discussed there. I will repeat one statement I made there about obtaining XP. There are many small computer shops around where you can buy a laptop with any operating system you want, legally. In 2004 in Florida, when I thought my laptop had gone south, I found one such store. They would equip the laptop with anything I wanted. One option was removable hard drives if I wanted more than one O.S., as some developers need. You should be able to get XP for quite some time. Windows 98 was available through 2004 and maybe even 2005, even though MS dropped the support for it.
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Gale HawkinsPowerClaim.com Member Posts:386
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ddreisbachMember Posts:172 
| 02/24/2007 6:31 PM |
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If you have a Verizon AirCard you can download a Vista-compatible driver for it. Works well - no glitches.
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Gale HawkinsPowerClaim.com Member Posts:386
| 02/24/2007 7:36 PM |
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David that is good news about the air card for Vista users. One can get a new Dell with XP from the business side of the company but the consumer side of Dell will not sell you a PC with XP (Vista only) and to top it off if you replace Vista with XP then they claim your warrantee is void. I expect MS cuts a deal with companies like Dell to insure Vista hits the street in volume so all software vendors will get Vista compatible quickly so then the corporate world can start moving to Vista. |
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Gale HawkinsPowerClaim.com Member Posts:386
| 02/25/2007 1:41 AM |
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http://www.usatoday.com/tech/produc...ocks_x.htm
Microsoft tells some users no on Vista
Parallels also sells a $50 version for Windows PCs — which would let people run both Vista and its predecessor, Windows XP, so they can keep programs that aren't yet Vista-compatible.
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Tom TollModerator & Life Member Senior Member Posts:1865
| 02/25/2007 8:30 AM |
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I found a good deal on a laptop through U-Bid.com with XP Pro on it. Its a shame when a laptop costs as much to repair as it does to buy a new one. I have no trust in Gates Vista program right now. Too much bull going around. So, until it is a proven system, I will stick with XP. You guys furnished a lot of good information. I did not understand some of it, but good reading anyway.
Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.
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Gale HawkinsPowerClaim.com Member Posts:386
| 02/25/2007 9:37 AM |
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Tom that is good news you found a system with XP. As a general rule in the past Window users that depend on their computers in the process of making a living always wait for Service Pack 1 (SP1) to be released before implementation of the latest Operating System (OS). For example XP is already up to SP2. As you can see from one of the links below Service Pack 3 for XP is expected in 2008 and with XP support planned through 2014 I read there maybe a SP4 some day. The warnings that you will read from Microsoft concerning upgrading to even a Service Pack apply even more to moving to a totally new operating system like Vista.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/li...packs.mspx shows a service pack time line.
http://www.internetnews.com/dev-new...hp/3639101 is an interesting article as to why Microsoft is going 4 years before the next Service Pack for XP. |
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| 02/25/2007 6:05 PM |
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Gale, not that we can do anything about it, but I believe it is illegal for a company to sell a computer and dictate what OS has to be on the computer, and also to void the warranty if you change operating systems. I believe that courts have ruled many times over that when a product is sold with a warranty, they can not void the warranty unless the hardware is abused or damaged. Changing operating systems does not qualify.
Back in the late 70's but mostly in the early 80's, there were lawsuits against computer manufactures who dictated what OS had to be on the computer and required it to be sold with the computer. One such suit involved Data General and clone manufacturer's making DG Nova look alikes. DG refused to sell their DOS (Data general Operating System) to be used on the clones. The clone manu. had an o.s. developed and required purchase of it to buy the computer. The suits got confusing as these were not the only companies involved. In the end, as I recall, the courts ruled that requiring a specific OS to be sold with a specific computer was considered a "tied sale" which was in violation of the fair trade laws.
IBM also lost a similar lawsuit in the late 60's or early 70's when they were bundling application software with their computers and required the purchase of the software to buy the computer.
I have yet to understand how Microsoft gets away with tied sales. I know they do it by contract with the vendors, but that is what I always thought was in violation of the law, but no one has gone after them for this. What does Dell do if you want to buy a computer and use Linux? Do they say "no warranty", or do they make you purchase it with VISTA?
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Gale HawkinsPowerClaim.com Member Posts:386
| 03/31/2007 12:17 AM |
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http://news.independent.co.uk/world...408037.ece
Vista reviewed: Why the future could be more expensive than you expect
Microsoft's new system is streets ahead of XP, but is not without its problems, says James Daley
Published: 31 March 2007 |
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Gale HawkinsPowerClaim.com Member Posts:386
| 04/11/2007 1:17 PM |
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This could be of interest to some adjusters with computer glitches that need fixing fast where they be Vista releated or just the run of the mill glitches that can happen.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/produc...-fix_N.htm
Computer glitches can often be fixed from afar
A growing number of companies are springing up that can remotely fix a software problem while a business traveler relaxes in a hotel room, goes to dinner or moves on with business. Ted Werth, president of Bedford, Mass.-based PlumChoice, says his company was the only one offering remote repair when it began in 2002. Today, dozens of U.S. repair companies have such capability, but remote repair is the primary business of only a dozen or fewer, he says.
"Business travelers and other consumers are just beginning to learn about remote service," he says.
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Gale HawkinsPowerClaim.com Member Posts:386
| 04/14/2007 12:27 AM |
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Storm worm variant ignites e-mail virus deluge
Published: April 13, 2007, 5:34 AM PDT
Thursday likely marked the largest proliferation of e-mail virus attacks in more than a year, according to security company Postini.
Cybercrooks exploiting new Windows DNS flaw
Cybercrooks are using a yet-to-be-patched security flaw in certain Windows versions to attack computers running the operating systems, Microsoft warned late Thursday.
The attacks target Windows 2000 Server and Windows Server 2003 systems through a hole in the domain name system, or DNS, service, http://www.microsoft.com/technet/se...35964.mspx">Microsoft said in a security advisory. The attacks happen by sending rigged data to the service, which by design is meant to help map text-based Internet addresses to numeric Internet Protocol addresses.
Windows XP and Windows Vista are not impacted by the DNS flaw. Windows 2000 Server Service Pack 4, Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 and Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 are vulnerable, Microsoft said
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