Although the Mac OS looks and feels differently to Windows, the two OS’s offer the same benefits and features to some extent. The Finder for example, is the equivilent of Windows Explorer.

Clicking Finder will open up a window showing all your drives, connected networks and removable media. Folders and files can be viewed as lists, columns or icons.

The Finders Toolbar is where you can access shortcuts to any often used disc, folder or programme. This has changed in the release of Panther and now becomes a Sidebar, making it even quicker to access it’s contents, all just one click away, unlike Windows.

The Finders Menu is the ever present bar at the top of the screen giving instant access to the controls for working with files; the vey same as you would likely see at the top of each window on Microsoft’s offerings.

The directory structures of the two OS’s differ a bit more now since the Mac OS likes to keep all your own folders and files within your own Home directory rather than scattered all over. This makes backing up extremely quick and simple.

Utilities would be the Windows equivilent of Accessories only with a larger selection to choose from. About the only thing missing on the Mac would be Disc Defragmenter which a Mac doesn’t regard as important and Add/Remove Programs, which again, the Mac doesn’t need. To remove or uninstall a programme, just simply drag it to the Trash.

Macs do have extra and more powerful Super Utilities though, which can be dangerous to it’s wellbeing.

And, as with XPand Compatibility Mode, OS X has a similar function that enables you to run older programmes. It’s called Classic.