Want A Mac And Use Windows 7 On It As Well?

To buy a Mac and use it for Windows 7 in addition to using it as the original Apple machine with Snow Leopard seems like a great idea. In fact if it really works it will give you all the advantages of both systems on one computer. When you see the commercials it is very tempting to just go ahead an buy a Mac and forget about the PC.

Watch this example of Windows on a Mac Apple Commercial:

But what does really happen when you do buy the Mac and want to use it with Windows 7 ?

Keep on reading and find out what I’ve learned after buying a brand new Mac.

What Really Happens With Windows 7 On A Mac

Doing a lot of research and talking with several representatives of the Apple brand including the Apple’s own store in Downtown Vancouver I was repeatedly told that there were no problems or issues with installing and running Windows 7 on the new Mac computers.

They run just like a PC they all said. Well, perhaps some models do and perhaps with some Windows, like Windows XP and Windows Vista.

In fact I have done as much research as possible and even included videos of how the Boot Camp enables a Mac to run Windows XP on my blog. I embedded the videos on my blog from You Tube since they were made by a guy who had Windows on his Mac.

You can read my post Internet Marketing Tool, Should You Get A Mac Or PC ? and watch the videos there.

I want you to know that I did everything imaginable I could to make sure that I wasn’t going to make a dumb uninformed decision. Here is a list of 3 stores I went to (in each store I talked to more than one sales representative or associate or whatever they call themselves at different times or in the case of the downtown store I talked to more than one person during the one visit):

The Apple store inside the Oakridge Mall in Vancouver, 4 visits, The Simply Computing store inside the Semiahmoo Mall in White Rock, 5 visits. These two stores are just sellers not Apple’s own stores. And finally, the Apple Store, yes the Apple’s own store inside the Pacific Mall in downtown Vancouver, 1 visit. That is a total of 10 store visits.

After being assured 10 times that there would be no problems whatsoever with using Windows 7 on any new Mac they were selling I decided to buy one.

The Black Screen Of Death On A Mac

Stuck In Windows 7 Installation Loop

I was really happy with my purchase and took the brand new Mac out of the box. I must say that the packaging they now have is superb. I also have to praise the people at the White Rock store because they were kind enough to install the extra memory which I bought for me and let me see that the computer was working with it.

After Taking the computer out of the box at home I was excited to see that I could make it run and get on the internet.

Everything seems to be working well in the Mac mode and so far I love it.

But I also need to be able to use the Windows 7 on it and that is a problem.

I purchased the Windows 7 Ultimate and also Windows Office and after thoroughly studying how to properly install the Windows using Boot Camp and printing out the instructions I proceeded with the installation following every step religiously.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly until I encountered the black screen. I let the computer be and went to bed hoping that in the morning I’d see the Windows 7 installed on my Mac.

That hope was frustrated and the black screen of death greeted me after I got up. Turning the computer off and on again got me to a screen with a headline saying “Windows Error Recovery”.

No matter which instructions on that screen I followed, and there are 3 safe modes and one saying “Start Windows Normally”, I always ended up at the same place in the loop: the black screen of death.

I decided to start the whole installation process over from the very beginning. I went to Boot Camp and erased the separation and everything related to Windows 7.

Starting everything over I made doubly sure I followed the instructions not only religiously but like a first class meticulous monk. After all I could have made some mistake, however small, the first time.

Well, I ended up staring at the black screen of death again on my shiny new Mac with no Windows 7 installed and a bit of disappointment and frustration creeping in.

I tried one more time with the black screen gaping at me again and the frustration and disappointment level rising.

I went to the PC store where I bought the Windows 7 and asked them to exchange it. They gave me another disk and also checked the one I brought on their computer to see if it was defective. It worked.

I did the installation process with another brand new disk with Windows 7 Ultimate on it. Black screen of death again resulted on the Mac. I repeated the process again like a fool doing the same thing and expecting a different result. I really wanted it to work. I spent a lot of time and money on this and all I was getting was a stupid black Mac computer screen of death.

When I purchased the Mac computer I also bought the extended warranty with Apple Care. Before I had the Windows 7 exchanged I described the installation problems to a person at Apple Care over the phone.

I was told that trying a different installation disk was a good idea and that they had no other suggestions other than that. Well, that idea with replacing the disk was mine. They didn’t help at all.

Apple Admits Problems With Installing Windows 7 On Their Macs

On Thursday, August 12, 2010 I called Apple Care again. When I called I was armed with an article which I found on Apple’s website. That article had been last edited on July 27, 2010. In it Apple admits that there are issues with installing Windows 7 on some models of Mac computers. In their post titled ominously Boot Camp: iMac Displays A Black Screen During Installation Of Windows 7 they point out to a solution which is quite complicated and which they do not perform for their customers.

Apple Care Adviser Denies Article Pertains To New Installations Of Windows 7

When I called Apple Care after reading the article about the black screen during installation of Windows 7 I was demanding that they give me a solution to the problem without me having to buy anything. I spent enough already. I was transferred to a personal adviser which they right then assigned to me.

The adviser told me that the article on Apple’s site is talking only about installing Windows upgrades and has nothing to do with new installations of Windows 7. I described to him exactly what installation problem I was having and he insisted that I do it again with him assisting me over the phone.

When the Windows 7 files loaded up he told me that now everything would be fine. I replied to him that everything he did with me so far was exactly what had happened before when I did it on my own and that I didn’t think that the result this time would be any different.

He seemed very sure that it would be different this time. Perhaps he believes to have some magical powers.

He gave me a number to call him if things go wrong and assured me that he would be there for at least another hour. I called less than 40 minutes later and he wasn’t answering the phone and didn’t reply to my voice message.

I called him the next day and heard a voice message that he’ll be back on Sunday. I left him another message just to make sure he gets back to me.

This is where things are right now.

UPDATE: August 16, 2010

Apple Care Adviser didn’t call me on Sunday, thus ignoring my 2 voice messages.

When I phoned the number he gave me he didn’t pick up the phone. The same thing happened on Monday, today.

I then called the regular Apple Care number and another adviser who called herself a Senior Adviser answered.

She proceeded with questioning me again as to where I got stuck in the Windows installation process. I told her and asked her why the previous adviser told me that the article on Apple’s site is not about new Windows 7 installation.

Apple Care Senior Adviser said that they are aware of what the article is about not denying it is the right article with a solution to the problem I’ve been having. Did they read the article after we talked on Thursday?

She couldn’t help me today because I don’t have a USB storage device or an SD card which are necessary to fix the problem.

So beware of anyone telling you that any new Mac will work with Windows 7 virtually out of the box after easy no problem installation in Boot Camp. It doesn’t.

Some Mac models have problems which Apple admits on their website in a hard to find article which talks about Mac Black Screen Installing Windows 7.

I found that the stores who sell Apple products are not well informed about installing Windows 7 on the machines they sell.

Perhaps they never do it because they charge $180 for it. How could anyone be willing to pay that much for what is supposed to be easy?

What they answer to your questions about it is not factual. It is what they believe, perhaps based on hearsay, experiences with older models, Apple’s commercials, but not on their own experience with installing Windows 7 on the new Macs.

Back to my trying to get help from Apple Care ordeal:

This new Apple Care Senior Adviser said she wouldn’t be able to help me till Thursday. Not that great. I expected her to say she could help as soon as I get the device.

I can’t stomach calling the general Apple Care number and be asked the same questions all over again by somebody else.

I’ll go and buy the device today.

Ouch, another $20 plus out of pocket in addition to the thousands already spent on the brand new Mac which was supposed to work like a charm. Not to mention the waste of time and gas.

I’ll keep you posted on whether things will work after that.

Update: August 17, 2010

Hurray, I was able to install Windows 7 on my new Mac without waiting for Apple Care help till Thursday.

It took buying a USB storage device and following the instructions given in the article on Apple’s site.

I’m quite sure that things will work fine now on my new Mac using Windows 7.

I want to add another word of praise for the Simply Computing store in White Rock whose manager Tony came forward and offered to waive the $180 installation charge and install the Windows 7 for me after I related to him the problems I had with getting any meaningful help from Apple Care before I talked to their Senior Adviser on Monday.

I sent Tony the link to the article on Apple’s site after talking to the guy at Apple Care who denied it had any bearing on new Windows 7 installations on my new Mac.

I’m glad I didn’t have to bother with having to take my computer back to the store.

If you read this far I admire your attention span.

I’m disappointed with Apple and how they lure people to purchase their products without making sure that they or their sellers inform the people about to buy them about any problems or issues, especially if they are asking specifically as I have done.

I’m disappointed with Apple Care, which is not free and in spite of that seemed ignorant about what problems there are with Apple products and how to fix them. I felt that I needed to educate them on where to find the solution to the Windows 7 installation problem.

They kept asking me the same questions instead getting to the root of the problem fast. They should have been able to help me right away.

Am I expecting too much when I insist that Apple speak the truth about their products and if there is a problem with them that they take care of their customers?

And I mean free care that doesn’t require their customers to spend any additional money and huge amount of time as I had to.

Have you encountered any problems with Apple products and Apple Care yourself ?

What do you think about the article on the Apple’s site ?

How could my first personal Apple Care Adviser tell me what he did?

Please leave me your comment and then bookmark and tweet the post for others to find it and express their views.

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Authored by Vance Sova

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Why Consider Using Squeeze Plugin With Your Themes

Every amazingly successful blogger and internet marketer that I know of tells me “build your opt in list”. They say it directly to me when I meet them and ask them what is the most important thing to focus on. Some actually say “build your email list” but that is the same thing.

Of course I couldn’t have met all the hugely successful internet marketers and bloggers but I hear all of them talk or write about the importance of email list building at some point.

Luckily, most people are beginning to hear the message and realize they need to do something about it.

I’ve read a couple of survey results within the last 6 months that were trying to find out what people getting into the internet marketing game are interested in learning the most and what they need the most help with.

List building finished at the top every time.

This is not the first post about list building on my blog which an increasing number of people find by searching for list building blog.

You can read more about the subject of email list building in my previous posts.

One of them is How To Build Email List In Any Market . It also goes into why build your email list, double opt in versus single opt in and more as it introduces my list building ebook. I highly recommend that you read it.

You may not be in the internet marketing niche and could be blogging about any other subject. That’s cool, you are in the right place here. I have aimed at people like you in my post focused on all niches called Email List Building, Opt In List, Not Just For Internet Marketers.

If you are curious about AWeber, reading my post with the title List Building Steps, Step 1 – Get Autoresponder may be of interest.

And if you want to know what I thought about list building and the importance of it just as I was starting this blog you can read Build A List, Targeted Email Opt In List.

After reading the above posts and this post so far, I think that you’ll be more than ready to want to find out about a new tool suitable for anyone wanting to add subscribers to their list.

New Internet Marketing Tool, Squeeze Plugin, Will Help Grow Your Opt In List

The Squeeze Plugin will be released on August, 03, 2010 which is very soon.

I have to state very clearly here that I will be testing it when the plug in comes out the same way as everybody else.

However, I’ve used other products from the creators of the Squeeze Plugin like the Squeeze Page Theme and I have also managed to talk to one of the key people, Josh Mullineaux, of Unique Blog Designs recently about the plug in.

I asked Josh four questions that I thought you, my readers, would want to have answers to.

Questions and answers about the Squeeze Plugin

1) How is using this plugin better than just getting an opt in form code from AWeber and pasting it to my blog?

Answer: Well a squeeze page implies that you are offering something to get people to op-into your list so having a video or an image will greatly increase opt in rate as apposed to just having the opt in area by itself.

2) Can the plug in do both simple opt in forms as well as the whole squeeze page template?

Answer: Yes it can do both.

3) How will this plugin save me time and make my blog and squeeze pages look better?

Answer: The plugin will integrate with all of your other themes/sites, so all you have to do is drop the widgets you want on your squeeze page and use Aweber’s form code and that is it.

4) Has the plug in been tested in the real world and what have been the results?

Answer: We based the design of the plugin off of the actual squeeze pages that we create for our own products and services.

This is all the information available about the Squeeze Plugin right now. (Please see August 03 update below).

I’m not sure if it’s enough for you to decide whether you want to get it or not. I have already ordered it and paid for it because it is another product from a company that I’ve had only good experience with.

I’m not suggesting that you go and buy the plug in yourself if you need more information about it.

August 03, 2010 Update: The Squeeze Plugin is now available

There is more information about it when you click on the banner about the Squeeze Plugin below or in the side bar. You can also get to the page with more information and a short video demonstrating the plugin by clicking on the link above or below the banner. Please be patient as the page takes a while to load.

Whether you’ll decide to give the Squeeze Plugin a try and start building your opt in list using it or not, I hope that reading this post will encourage you to start building your email list if you haven’t done so yet and that it will encourage you to continue building your list with even more enthusiasm if you have.

Before you go to work on your opt in list I need you to leave your comment about what you’ve just read.

What did you like or didn’t like or both?

Which tool has been most valuable in your email list building and why do you think the Squeeze Plugin may or may not help you to grow your opt in list even more?

Once you’ve made your comment be sure to bookmark and tweet the post. You’ll want others to read the post and your comment and give their views.

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Authored by Vance Sova

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What should one use as the main tool for internet marketing? There seem to be really only two computer system choices: Windows PC and Apple Mac.

If you already have a working computer that is updated and working in all the areas you need it for, you may not need to think about this for a while.

But as with everything, your computer will get eventually too old for the ever coming new software or operating systems and this question will face you as it has been facing me for some time now.

The processor inside my computer is not fast enough and can’t handle an increasing number of applications that I need to use. In one of my previous posts focused on traffic Get Traffic To Your Website I have mentioned that one of the great ways to get traffic is through videos and YouTube.

In my recent ebook, which you can find in my post Email List Building Ebook, How To Build Email List In Any Market as well as at the top of this blog’s sidebar, I have included a whole section devoted to traffic and the importance of using YouTube and videos to drive traffic.

The camera I had been using for close to four years for still pictures as well as for video stopped functioning properly some months back when it lost the blue color out of the spectrum and the pictures became greenish and unacceptable.

Recently I’ve bought a new HD video camera and none of the computers I have access to will work with it. Since video is becoming increasingly important in internet marketing I have to decide soon what kind of new computer to buy so that I can use and process video without which internet marketing is limited.

In any decision as to which computer to buy it’s the video capabilities that will matter a lot to most internet marketers.

I’m no computer expert and I have a considerable distaste for the Mac vs PC biased camps. I’ve used both PC and Mac in the past and continue to do so currently. But both types of computers I have are aging, getting obsolete and I need a new computer no matter whether PC or Mac in order to be able to do what I need to be doing with my internet marketing.

Until fairly recently, I’d say that most people in general as well as those involved in internet marketing had been predominantly using Windows PC.

Most people in general, close to 90% still use PC. But the use among internet marketing enthusiasts has been undergoing a shift.

While it may not always be wise to do what other people are doing, when it comes to internet marketing I think that it is very useful to ask the question below.

What Kind of Computers Do Successful Internet Marketers Use ?

I don’t claim to know what kind of computer every successful internet marketer uses.

Even if I knew, things are probably changing from day to day. But I do know of a few marketers that have been using PC exclusively and they are hugely successful, like Mark Ling and Brian Johnson.

On the other hand there are those who use Mac for the most part, like John Chow, who recently published a new physical book Make Money Online, famous blogger Yaro Starak, video marketing expert and a buddy of Yaro Starak Gideon Shalwick, and many more.

Then there are plenty of internet marketers like Alex Jeffreys, Alex Goad and loads of others who use both Mac and PC.

It’s very clear that the kind of computer one uses is not in and of itself the reason for internet marketing success.

As with any other tool, while it may help, it is not the predominant factor in any person’s success. It is the person who uses the tool and their skills that count the most.

Much of Internet Marketing Software Is Still Made Only for PC

When thinking about which computer system to use and buy, it is important to realize that most internet marketing software is still made and is available only for PC.

This is a big enough reason to stick with PC for many people. There is a way to solve this though if you are wanting to get a Mac. I’ll get back to that later.

Mac Is Said to Work Much Better With Graphics and Video

If you visit almost any company that works with computer graphics, animation and videos, you will find that they are using Apple Macs.

There is very little doubt that if you are thinking of using your computer for graphics and video that Mac will be a better choice for you.

In one of the interviews with Yaro Starak and Gideon Shalwick that I had been listening to it was said that as far as video is concerned Mac is 10 times faster and 10 times better than PC. Please keep in mind that the interview took place about 6 months ago but what was said has stuck firmly in my mind.

Can Apple Mac Be Used For Both Its Own and Windows PC Operating System?

The answer to this question is very crucial in light of what I said above, which is that most internet marketing software is still made only for PC.

And the answer is yes. The new Macs are capable of working both as Apple Mac and as Windows PC operating systems.

I’m not talking about using Parallels software which has been around for some time and which while quite good has had its imperfections when allowing both systems to work simultaneously.

Using Parallels is advantageous for some people and the way they work even with the newest Macs. But there are some issues especially with games and perhaps some applications.

What I meant to mention is the way the new Macs are able to work either as Apple Mac or as Windows PC according to what you need them for. You can switch between the two operating systems on the same computer.

Thus if you need to use a particular software which won’t work on the Apple Mac side you can switch to the Windows PC side and install and use it there.

To see how it can be done you may want to watch the following videos:

Run Windows on a Mac Video

Boot Camp Tips and Tricks (Switch between Windows PC and Apple Mac) Video

Considering the latest developments in the operating systems options I tend to lean towards choosing a Mac for my new computer because it seems to give the best of both worlds. In fact it gives both complete worlds according to what I have found.

The new Windows 7 is said to be so much better than the problems ridden Windows Vista and is a considerable improvement on Windows XP.

As one review put it, both Windows and Apple are getting better and seem to be converging slowly. Why not use both of them since neither is perfect and both have some advantages and disadvantages?

The new Macs work with both systems so getting the new Mac should be like getting both a Mac and a PC.

I hope this post has been helpful to you in considering your options for the time when you’ll need to get a new computer.

I couldn’t cover everything that needs to be taken into account when making a big decision like this.

I need your help in adding what I have missed to the comment section. Please leave your comments for me and the readers of this blog.

Tell us what you think about the advantages and disadvantages of Windows PC and Mac and what you’d do now if you had to buy a new computer.

All views are valid and I really need to know yours to balance, contradict or to confirm the views expressed above.

After you’ve made your comments, please tweet and bookmark the post to help others find it and share their views.

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Authored by Vance Sova

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