Moving Files from Windows to Macintosh

How do I move my company file from Windows to Macintosh?

Goldenseal files are "binary compatible". You can open the same file on a Windows or a Macintosh machine.

Goldenseal Program (Tree Icon)

To open a Goldenseal file on both Mac and Windows, you'll need a copy of the Goldenseal application on the Windows machine, and a different copy of the Goldenseal application on the Macintosh.

NOTE-- The Goldenseal application is not binary compatible. You'll need to use separate copies of the Goldenseal application for each machine

Moving the File

You can move your company file from the Windows computer to the Mac by any of several means:

• Put it on a USB Flash disk, move it to a USB port on the Macintosh, and then install it there.
• Put it on a Zip disk, move it to the Zip drive on your Macintosh, and then install it there.
• Burn a CD on the Windows macine, put it into the CD drive on the Macintosh, and move the file onto your hard drive.
• Attach the file to an email, and send it from the Windows machine (and then read it on the Mac).
• Use a cross-platform networking program to link the two computers via Ethernet cable or wireless.

**If you use a CD to move your company file, Goldenseal may tell you that the file is locked and can't be opened. If that happens, follow these steps:

1. Click on the file icon for the company file.
2. Choose Properties from the File menu.
3. Turn off the Read Only checkbox.
4. Click OK.

Converting the File to Macintosh Format

The Macintosh uses some special info in each file to identify which program it "belongs" to. Windows erases this information, so you'll need to add it back into your company file before you can use it with Goldenseal.

You'll need to set the file type to GLDS and the file creator to TRTL so it will open properly. You can make that change with a file utility program such as one of the following:

• ResEdit-- available for Mac OS 9 only. Free software from Apple, available for download from www.versiontracker.com and www.apple.com
• InfoDrop-- available for Mac OS X. Shareware program available from mac.sofotex.com.
• iLikeYouMore-- available for Mac OS 10.2 and later. Free download available from mac.softpedia.com and other sources.

For more about Macintosh file formats, see www.zeusprod.com/technote/filetype.html.

Using the File on Macintosh

Once you have moved your company file to the Macintosh computer and set up its file info, double-click on the file icon to open it.

NOTE-- You'll need to install the Goldenseal application for Macintosh first, if you haven't already done so!

Using a Network

If you have the multi-user version of Goldenseal, you can also use a network to share the same file between a Windows and Macintosh computer. Follow these steps:

1. Connect both machines to a LAN using Ethernet cable and a wired router, or wireless cards and a wireless router.
2. Put the Goldenseal file on any machine, and open it as a server.
3. Open the Goldenseal program on the other machine, and sign on as a client.

Technical Details

Macintosh and Windows use different "byte ordering". Goldenseal handles that by saving each record with the byte ordering for the current platform.

When you first open a Macintosh file on Windows, it takes a smidgen longer to open each record for the first time. You may not even notice the difference.

For more about sharing files between Mac and Windows, click here.

To return to Macintosh topics, click here.
To return to Windows topics, click here.

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