What will this newbie need?

[pcbogert]

A few questions from a newbie.

I am getting a new 20" iMac in a few days and want to be able to accomplish the following:

1. I want to be able to keep two printers (normal inkjet and a label printer), my ipod, and an external hard drive plugged in. I'm assuming that I will also need two USB ports for the mouse and keyboard. Is there any problem with using a USB port extender?

2. I regularly backup my PC's hard drive in the event of a system failure. Is there any recommended software to do that in the mac field?

3. I use Microsoft Money 2006. I know that Quicken for Mac will import my files, but I have read some negative reviews on Quicken. Is there any other recommended software. I need to be able to connect to my bank.

4. I also back up my data files to an external drive regularly. Is there anything that will allow quick copynig of my documents directory?

5. I have a backup drive formatted for my PC. I would like to be able to access the Microsoft Office data that is stored on there. Will my iMac be able to read this drive?

Help appreciated!!!

[onslaught]

1. USB hubs are fine to use, make sure it's USB 2.0
2. SuperDuper or CarbonCopyCloner
3. Don't know much about it, but check out Cha-Ching
4. For syncing files and folders? Check out Rsync for the involved way or ChronoSync for the easier way.
5. Yes. Though note if it is formatted in NTFS you can only read not write to. Though there are ways around this. Check macFuse for more info.

[pcbogert]

Thanks!!!

[knight885]

iBank is a good financial package worth checking out. it has a few bugs and oddities but it's pretty good.

[ex2bot]

If you're using an Apple keyboard, there are two USB 1.1 ports on the keyboard itself. These are of limited use, but you can plug your mouse into it. Of course, you could use a wireless keyboard and mouse.

I bought a gyroscopic mouse (hold in hand, move mouse) and keyboard intended for Windows PCs. Works fine on my Mac. The Windows key works as the Apple key. It and the ALT key are switched though.

For backups, also look at Retrospect. There are multiple versions, inc. a personal one. It's a powerful commercial backup program, also available for Windows. But keep in mind that Apple has a backup solution coming up in 10.5 Leopard.

Doug

[pcbogert]

Thanks. I may go the route of the regular Apple keyboard. I had forgotten about the USB ports on the keyboard. That would enable me to plug in my wireless mouse.