Switching to a Mac doesn't necessarily mean that you need to abandon all your old peripherals. In fact, most printers, scanners, digital cameras, modems, routers, DV cameras, external hard drives, flash drives, audio interfaces, MP3 players, and other digital devices play nice on both Mac and Windows.

Got digital toys? You can use many of the same devices you used with your PC with your Mac.

Check with your device manufacturer by visiting their website to see if the product is supported on a Mac. If so, you should be able to download Mac drivers (if needed) from their website to use your device with your Mac. Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger ships with tons of drivers for today's most popular USB inkjet printers, as well as scanner support through Image Capture, TWAIN support, Epson scanner drivers, CUPS Printing, PostScript transparency printing, personal printer sharing, and more.

• See a list of cameras that work with iPhoto ⁽¹⁾
• See a list of DV camcorders that work with iMovie HD
• See a list of input devices that work with Mac OS X
• See a list of mobile phones that work with iSync (part of Mac OS X)
• See a list of optical and storage devices that work with Mac OS X
• See a list of printers that work with Mac OS X
• See a list of scanners that work with Mac OS X

Once you've downloaded and installed any relevant Mac drivers, you can connect your devices to your Mac just as you did on your PC. While some devices such as external hard drives, digital cameras, DV camcorders, and input devices are simply plug-and-play, you will need to configure others before using them for the first time, such as your printer and modem (whether you've got dial-up, cable, or DSL).

If you need help setting up or configuring any peripheral with your Mac, visit "Mac 101: Connect and Use Your Devices" to get detailed instructions for all types of devices.

1. Mac OS X can support most digital cameras as a mounted volume regardless of whether or not they work with iPhoto.

Important: Information about products not manufactured by Apple is provided for information purposes only, and does not constitute Apple's recommendation or endorsement. Please contact the vendor for additional information.