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derekamoss

macrumors 65816
Jul 18, 2002
1,491
1,143
Houston, TX
Of course different platforms get sometime to get used as is with every other device on the market, but I find myself researching issues and playing around a lot in the control panel whenever I am in Windows. I hardly remember a time when I went to System Preferences to fix something, usually just to alter settings to my liking.

Believe me, I was doing the same thing when it came to learning OS 9 & OS X in 2001, luckily I had this website and forum then to help otherwise I would have been lost. It was much harder finding help online with issues on a Mac back then than windows. Now having a very good grasp and spending a long time using both neither one is easier to use than the other. There are somethings on a Mac that just don't make sense and things on windows that don't either. I will say at least it is easier to find help with a windows problem online when you have one than it is for a mac problem just because the amount of people using windows is enormous.
 

sgtaylor5

macrumors 6502a
Aug 6, 2017
720
440
Cheney, WA, USA
One thing about Windows: the file system can contain files that have names that are too long for the file system to deal with. C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Microsoft has many of them. You can use Robocopy on the command line with some research, but Aomei Backupper ran inside the Windows installation, using “Disk Backup” option might work better.
 
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kazmac

macrumors G4
Mar 24, 2010
10,103
8,658
Any place but here or there....
Believe me, I was doing the same thing when it came to learning OS 9 & OS X in 2001, luckily I had this website and forum then to help otherwise I would have been lost. It was much harder finding help online with issues on a Mac back then than windows. Now having a very good grasp and spending a long time using both neither one is easier to use than the other. There are somethings on a Mac that just don't make sense and things on windows that don't either. I will say at least it is easier to find help with a windows problem online when you have one than it is for a mac problem just because the amount of people using windows is enormous.

^ Not flaming, just saying, this hasn’t happened for me - yet. I hit multiple forums, MS own site, phone call to MS, and no one was able to help me reconnect any wireless mouse to the Surface Laptop 2.

I am heading back to the MS store later this week to see what’s available. I’ll have to wait on my bank again to clear the dud Vivobook before I can go forward, but I need a replacement for my iMac. The plus about the MS store is the Performance Guard warranty. That and if I hit the right sales person, some money off the laptop.
 
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derekamoss

macrumors 65816
Jul 18, 2002
1,491
1,143
Houston, TX
^ Not flaming, just saying, this hasn’t happened for me - yet. I hit multiple forums, MS own site, phone call to MS, and no one was able to help me reconnect any wireless mouse to the Surface Laptop 2.

I am heading back to the MS store later this week to see what’s available. I’ll have to wait on my bank again to clear the dud Vivobook before I can go forward, but I need a replacement for my iMac. The plus about the MS store is the Performance Guard warranty. That and if I hit the right sales person, some money off the laptop.
have you tried surfaceforums.net? it's not active in new posts put if you put post a problem you will get help quick and they wont stop till its figured out.When the surface pro 3 and windows 10 insider began that boaed was awesome now its stagnated but you will get help quick, just not really social anymore,
 
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kazmac

macrumors G4
Mar 24, 2010
10,103
8,658
Any place but here or there....
have you tried surfaceforums.net? it's not active in new posts put if you put post a problem you will get help quick and they wont stop till its figured out.When the surface pro 3 and windows 10 insider began that boaed was awesome now its stagnated but you will get help quick, just not really social anymore,

Thanks for info. I will make note of that.:)
 
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Queen6

macrumors G4
Thank you for this. I recently purchased a cheap Windows 10 box and knew there was a way to do efficiently. The IT manager at the last company I worked for probably did it this way.

I’ve been using Windows 10 on a VirtualBox VM and love the simplicity of those backups (copy folder to another place).

Exactly, no need for any 3rd party solution if only needing system images, and the ability to move the folder a big advantage allowing one to archive specific images to rollback to, and or duplicate.

Q-6
 
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jinnyman

macrumors 6502a
Sep 2, 2011
762
671
Lincolnshire, IL
TBH, I think Windows 10's update is too frequent, but it's not critically bothersome yet.

The only isseu I have, albeit rarely, is a messup of application updates relating to Windows Appstore. That's really a garbage compared to how Mac does. Other than that, if you utilize Windows 10 machine as only hard crunching machine for encoding, gaming, etc, it's so much better utilizing full potential of parts (simply because those parts were intended primariliy for Windwos use).

The only reason I can't really shake out Mac OS is all my gadgets and phone are Apple. It's ecosystem that I cannnot really escape from. iCloud photo sharing, Apps and contents that I accumulated cannot be easily replaced. And I personally think the web browing and ui scaling on MacOS are better than Win10.
 

palakbisht

macrumors newbie
Jul 24, 2019
4
1
The answer is complex. getting from someone that gives a lot of time in both Windows and macOS, both of them give a refined, secure, fast and spontaneous experience.it’s hard to answer one is particularly more beneficial than the other for every person in every circumstance.
 
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derekamoss

macrumors 65816
Jul 18, 2002
1,491
1,143
Houston, TX
The answer is complex. getting from someone that gives a lot of time in both Windows and macOS, both of them give a refined, secure, fast and spontaneous experience.it’s hard to answer one is particularly more beneficial than the other for every person in every circumstance.
Your post in two words. "Personal Preference" LoL. That's really all it is between the two at this point.
 

csurfr

macrumors 68020
Dec 7, 2016
2,310
1,748
Seattle, WA
^ Not flaming, just saying, this hasn’t happened for me - yet. I hit multiple forums, MS own site, phone call to MS, and no one was able to help me reconnect any wireless mouse to the Surface Laptop 2.

I am heading back to the MS store later this week to see what’s available. I’ll have to wait on my bank again to clear the dud Vivobook before I can go forward, but I need a replacement for my iMac. The plus about the MS store is the Performance Guard warranty. That and if I hit the right sales person, some money off the laptop.


Don't tell @Queen6 but I ditched my 2018 MacBook Pro (after two replacements under warranty due to T2 issues) and picked up a Surface Book 2 i7, and couldn't be happier (the joys of a real keyboard and no T2 crashing).

But really I quoted your post to see if there was any way I might be able to help you with your SL2 and the mouse. What has MS had you try so far, and what kind of mouse is it?
 

derekamoss

macrumors 65816
Jul 18, 2002
1,491
1,143
Houston, TX
Don't tell @Queen6 but I ditched my 2018 MacBook Pro (after two replacements under warranty due to T2 issues) and picked up a Surface Book 2 i7, and couldn't be happier (the joys of a real keyboard and no T2 crashing).

But really I quoted your post to see if there was any way I might be able to help you with your SL2 and the mouse. What has MS had you try so far, and what kind of mouse is it?
Any questions you have about the Surface Book please feel free to ask no matter how minor. When I switched there were so many little things if I would have known that would have made it even better. I'm running a Surface Book 2 right now. Until the switch to Surface Devices I hadnt really been excited about hardware in a long time.
 
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kazmac

macrumors G4
Mar 24, 2010
10,103
8,658
Any place but here or there....
Don't tell @Queen6 but I ditched my 2018 MacBook Pro (after two replacements under warranty due to T2 issues) and picked up a Surface Book 2 i7, and couldn't be happier (the joys of a real keyboard and no T2 crashing).

But really I quoted your post to see if there was any way I might be able to help you with your SL2 and the mouse. What has MS had you try so far, and what kind of mouse is it?


I think @Queen6 would approve of your ditch.

Thank you so much for the Mouse help, the SL2 went back months ago. I don't remember what I tried because I do not have a Windows machine, but there were some deep dives. I'll probably try again next year as far as Windows.
 
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Queen6

macrumors G4
Don't tell @Queen6 but I ditched my 2018 MacBook Pro (after two replacements under warranty due to T2 issues) and picked up a Surface Book 2 i7, and couldn't be happier (the joys of a real keyboard and no T2 crashing).

But really I quoted your post to see if there was any way I might be able to help you with your SL2 and the mouse. What has MS had you try so far, and what kind of mouse is it?

TBH there's no joy in more users dropping the Mac. Such a shame Apple has driven marque in this direction and that no viable alternatives exist outside of switching to other platforms. All notebooks are compromised by default, equally Microsoft most definitely did not compromise on the quality and user experience of the Surface Book's keyboard. Enjoy the Surface Book as my mobility changes a 15" will be very high on the list.

As for myself, doubt that I'll return to the Mac unless Apple does something truly spectacular and meaningful; too much disappointment, far too many issues, too little concern for what is purported to be a premium product...

Q-6
 

Hanson Eigilson

macrumors regular
Sep 19, 2016
222
217
So the advise of just drag and drop folders in Windows as a way to backup is very bad?
If you're backing up just a folder it's fine, even a huge one. But if you are expecting a bootable version of windows after restoring your files then it's bad.
I work in a school environment. I share a lot of files (especially Words, pdf, Excel) with students and colleagues. Some students do not even know what machines they are using! I worry that I may get virus from these people. In this case, is it more secure to use Mac OS?
Realistically it is probably somewhat more secure to use a mac, but still a pretty bad idea. Doesn't the school have a better recommended solution (like a virtual machine) to make this a non-issue for both platforms ?
 
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hajime

macrumors 604
Original poster
Jul 23, 2007
7,906
1,306
If you're backing up just a folder it's fine, even a huge one. But if you are expecting a bootable version of windows after restoring your files then it's bad.

Realistically it is probably somewhat more secure to use a mac, but still a pretty bad idea. Doesn't the school have a better recommended solution (like a virtual machine) to make this a non-issue for both platforms ?

They just provide cheap and old PC in shared office. Students get the best equipment. Keyboard of PC in office and in classroom are sticky. I use my own computing equipment.
 

Hanson Eigilson

macrumors regular
Sep 19, 2016
222
217
They just provide cheap and old PC in shared office. Students get the best equipment. Keyboard of PC in office and in classroom are sticky. I use my own computing equipment.
Damn that's rough, I think if I were in the same situation I'd either look for a cheap chromebook, they would be the most secure tolerable option out of the box, or a virtual machine (but macOS is just a pain as a VM and for windows you do need a second license or frequent reinstalls)
 
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