Some OSX questions regarding file type

Hi, I just recently purchased a macbook, and I have a few questions about file types on Leopard.

Firstly, I downloaded flip4mac to play wmv files, but the scrolling doesn't work (like if I want to jump to different times in the file). The scroll doesn't move.

For this reason, I downloaded Windows Media Player 9 for mac. However, I am not sure how to delete flip4mac codec. I can delete the player, but am not sure how to delete the codec or plugin in quicktime.

Secondly, I downloaded real player to play rm files, but it was also associated with .avi files since I did not have VLC. I have VLC now, but I am not sure how to change it so that whenever I open a .avi, VLC would run, not real player.

I know you can do that to 1 file, but is there any way like in windows xp's open with... that would affect all the files with the same extension? In mac, when I right click on the file and go to open with... it only affects that file.

Last question, not about file type. I have Office 2004 for mac, but it seems to be a little sluggish on macbook. Like sometimes, if I type too fast, the cursor seems to be lagging. Anyway, I was wondering if this was because office 2004 was designed for powerpc, not intel based? If this is the case, does that mean when office 2007 comes out, it will be better integrated into intel?

Thanks!

 

Yes, Office:Mac 2004 is made for PowerPC Macs and so the newer Macs must run it through Rosetta... that's why it seems a little sluggish. I know exactly what you mean and I also notice the lag when I type fast...
The new Office 2008 coming out soon (January?) should run the way it's supposed to.

 

Awesome, I was reading thru some benchmarks and they do say that the performance while acceptable, is a little sluggish.

How about media file types? I'm pretty sure those problems I had could easily be fixed if I knew a little more about OSX

 

Choose open with and then "other". Click on the "Applications" in the far right and choose the app you want to use. Before selecting it, make sure "Always open with" is checked. That should do it although, sometimes OS X wil not remember.

Also, I would recommend sticking with Flip4Mac if you can. WMP9 is very old. What exactly do you mean when you say it won't scroll? I can jump ahead just fine.

 

I had a question with .doc files and partitioning the hd for bootcamp. If i have a XP running on one partition and have ms word running there, and i save the file, is there anyway to access that file and edit that .doc from OS X with office 2008? I love how boot camp gives you two computers in one, and when I HAVE to work in a window's environment for work, i will, but if i can just grab my documents and edit them using OS X, i'll be happier. thanks a bunch!

 

OS X can read NTFS, however, it cannot write to it. Windows can neither read not write HFS+. So if you want to go between the two the best solution is formatting Windows in FAT32. If you only need to read the stuff on Windows, and then save them onto the Mac side, then NTFS will work fine. There is also MacDrive which allows Windows to read/write HFS+. Another option is the good ole USB thumbdrive. It is already formatted FAT32 and will usable by both Windows and OS X.

I assume you will be using Office 2007 in Windows. If not, be sure to save all of your stuff in .doc and not the new .docx(or whatever it is).

 

To change the default Application, right-click (or control-click) the avi file, choose Get Info and choose the Application you want under Open With and then Click the Change All button.

Flip4Mac has an Uninstallation package (Applications/Flip4Mac/Flip4Mac WMV Uninstaller.pkg).

However, I would not use WMP for Mac. It's horrible. Even Microsoft recommends Flip4Mac. The problems you're having with scrolling (seeking) are probably with the video file. I have experienced the same issue with virtually every .asf file, even in Windows. I would imagine that you will still not be able to scan through the video with WMP, but if you can it would be worth the effort.

For future reference, How do I uninstall Windows Media Player 9 for Mac OS X?

 

so if i format windows in fat32, i'll be able to read and write to that partition in windows and in osx?

 

Yes. However, if it is just small files and you don't mind a slight inconvenience, a USB thumbdrive will also be read/writeable by both.

 

I've kind of seen what you're talking about with wmv files.

Depending on what player I use, either Niceplayer or quicktime/vlc you get different playback. In quicktime/vlc when I scroll I get weird decoding stuffs for a second, then the playback is fine. But in niceplayer, theres a bar at the bottom which seems to "pre-load" the video, so that when you scroll its pretty much instantaneous with wmv files.

I've seen niceplayer do this for wmv and x264 encoded files, so it can be a good thing sometimes, so you might want to try it out.

 

Thanks i'll give that a shot

 

Yes, Office for Mac 2004 is written for PowerPC, so to run on Intel Macs, it requires Rosetta, and slows down. The new Office for Mac 2008 (arriving in early 2008) will be Universal Binary, meaning it runs natively and doesn't require Rosetta on both PowerPC and Intel Macs.