iMac
We're intelligent creatures. We know the basics for using our iMacs, and we can most definitely figure out how to eject a disk. If you're old-school Mac, you know you can drag the icon to the trash can, although that often instills momentary fear thinking, "I don't want to destroy that!" Then there are the basic options of clicking the little eject button beside the disk name in Finder, or right clicking on the icon and selecting "Eject". And for those of us that never even thought to look, the full-size keyboard for the iMac comes with an eject button in the upper right above the Delete key.
But like I mentioned, we're all intelligent creatures, and you didn't need me to point those out. Besides, you can find other solutions on Google. The one problem is they almost all rely on your iMac recognizing the DVD in the first place. What do you do when your iMac is being stubborn and won't recognize the DVD, and won't eject it either? You can reboot your system holding down the mouse button, but most of us don't really want to reboot. Here's a handy little one I just found. Open up Terminal (it's found in the Utilities folder in your Applications), then enter "drutil eject". Happy iMac-ing...
This information was sent to me by a colleague:
Rosetta is a program that converts older Power PC Mac commands to work with Snow Leopard on the new iMac's. It is also used with some other older applications but I installed it so we could import images from Renie's Epson 1600 scanner directly to Photoshop. That's the only use I had for it. Well, installing it is a mistake! Although it did work for the scanner, we found Photoshop became unstable and frequently crashed.
It turns out you can't uninstall Rosetta once it is installed so I spent the better part of a day on the Apple forum trying to figure out how to fix it. Someone from Apple finally sent me a terminal script that would disable it so I finally have it fixed but wanted to let you know so you wouldn't install it in the future. You probably won't need it but apparently it is used by some 3rd party plug-in's as well as TWAIN utilities for CS4.
FYI, without Rosetta you can still scan to a file on the desktop then open it in Photoshop so there is a work around for not using Rosetta in this application.
For enabling or disabling Rosetta, access the Terminal application: Applications > Utilities > Terminal. Use the “Terminal” command to:
Disable:
sudo sysctl -w kern.exec.archhandler.powerpc=/usr/libexec/oah/RosettaNonGrata
Enable:
sudo sysctl -w kern.exec.archhandler.powerpc=/usr/libexec/oah/translate
Credit: Scripts from Marion Driscoll on the Apple Forum.
I love Skype, because it makes it easy and fun to keep in touch with my husband when he travels. It's especially great for my kids, because we can all see and hear their daddy for the whole conversation, and we can talk as long as we want for free. Needless to say, I was really upset when I just updated to Skype 2.8 and it told me I can't use it at home anymore on my iMac, which is the only computer (and mobile device) that I have that plays audio and video properly.
I'll be honest, I'm not sure exactly what the problem is, but I have a solution. The error produced by Skype stated that Skype does not work with private WIFI networks; specifically my home network could not be accessed because it is private and secure. Huh? It has something to do with security, Skype on mobile devices, and wanting to make money. Not exactly sure how it all goes together, but it was enough to make me rather irate.
If you use Time Machine for backups, here's how you can get it working again. Drag the current Skype application to the trash. After deleting it, there are still random Skype files on your computer. Using Finder, look at your Hard Drive under Library > Preferences, and also Library > Application Support. Delete any files that have "skype" in them. Then do the same thing in the same two folders under your Users account. Using Time Machine, go back to a time before you updated to Skype 2.8. Click on Applications in the Finder window to locate Skype. Select the file and click Restore in the lower right corner.
My "About Skype" window still says it's running 2.8, but the application also prompted me for updates, so I'm not sure if it's the current or the older version. That 2.8 makes me think there must still be another file on the computer I missed when I was cleaning up. Whatever. I can now connect to my home network wirelessly, and hopefully you can too.
God bless AppleCare Support! Ok, I'm still unhappy with the local store, the corporation and the repair center, but the AppleCare Tech Support people are fabulous, wonderful, amazing, and they can work miracles. They've saved me so many times already.
My iMac has been working ok lately, but honestly I've been afraid to do anything significant in case it started acting up again. Just a few days ago I decided to start using it more seriously, and consequently ordered new software and a new external hard drive for storage (did I mention my Seagate backup drive is dying?) It all arrived yesterday late in the day. If I had been paying attention to my fate trends with the iMac, I should have known something was coming...
Before I had the chance to install the new backup drive, my child stepped on the surge protector, turning it off and consequently the iMac as well. I didn't think much about it last night, after all it's a reliable surge protector. When I tried to turn the iMac back on this morning, the iMac was dead. When I pressed the power button, I heard the fan start up, then nothing. Black screen.
So I called AppleCare, and they fixed it! Apparently the power had been "locked" on the iMac somehow, I didn't ask for specifics, but all you have to do in this case is:
- First disconnect the computer from the power source for 15 seconds.
- Plug it back in.
- Press and hold the Option, Command and R keys while you press the power button, then quickly press the P key as well.
- Continue to hold the Opt, Cmd, R and P keys until you hear the start up sound twice. That resets everything and voila! Tears are gone, you're back in business.
Have a happy day.
True to their word, well, their final word at least, The Mac Shack did indeed finish repairs yesterday and I was able to pick it up. I was so surprised when I called them and they said it was ready (ummm.... why didn't they call me?) that I asked, "Really? It's really ready? And it's working now?" The guy must have thought I was crazy, but disbelief is the mode when it comes to the iMac. I rushed up there and picked it up, brought it home and let it just sit and run the screensaver for a couple of hours with no problem. I proceeded to use it a little, and after nothing crashed I did some heavy iMovie work on it; yesterday was the deadline for a video project for one of my clients, I finished it about 11:30 last night! But thankfully I was able to finish it and meet their needs.
It all seems to be functional. It comes out of sleep mode, the fans don't run wildly, and I haven't seen a single spinning beachball yet. I have heard the hard drive making more noise than normal, but honestly I think that might be due to my paranoia of spontaneous combustion more than there being a valid concern. I did have to re-install iTunes which is a bit puzzling since they didn't do anything to the applications on the machine, but it worked upon re-installation. So, for the moment I think I can safely say it's finally working. Let's hope it stays that way!
Well, just when you thought the story couldn't get any worse, it does. So let's back up a little, as I mentioned in this earlier post, my AppleCare Support guy had determined that the hard drive thermal sensor was the culprit for some unknown reason. He called The Mac Shack for me to verify that they could and were willing to perform this repair, he did this while on the phone with me. He also was documenting what we tried and what the problem was, and assured me that The Mac Shack would be able to read all his notes and know what to do. So I took it into The Mac Shack that Monday afternoon. When checking it in, they asked me what was wrong, and I told them there were extensive notes from Eli at AppleCare Support that explained everything. Well yes they could see them and that was fine, but they wanted me to tell them again, so I said, "If you run the Apple Hardware Test, there's an error that will tell you what needs to be fixed." No, they wanted me to put in my own words what the symptoms were. So I explained the fans were continuously running faster and faster, never turning off. OK, they'll have it repaired in 3-5 days.
When I called 3 days later, they were just "putting it on the desk to look at it". That's 3 wasted days I could have used it for business. So they looked at it, then ordered new parts, a Logic board whatever that is. When I pressed them they didn't seem inclined to explain it to me, so I let it drop assuming they knew what they were doing. Friday, the next day I called, they said they had ordered the part the day before but it hadn't arrived yet. Monday I called, the piece hadn't arrived but according to this guy, they had ordered the part on Friday, not Thursday. Tuesday the Logic board finally arrived, they replaced it, but it didn't solve the problem. So they called Apple and after some "research" were then told that the hard drive sensor needed to be replaced. Hmmm... where have I heard that before? Perhaps from my own lips? They verified that the Apple Store people who replaced the hard drive two weeks ago replaced it with a different brand hard drive and did not include the compatible hard drive thermal sensor that they were supposed to include. Confirmation that it was the idiots at the Apple Store that caused this problem, which my AppleCare support tech suspected.
To recap, on January 23 the Apple Store misled me feeding me incorrect information about what it could do, then proceeded to sell me an iMac with a bad hard drive. Exactly one month later the iMac went back to the store where they belittled and berated me, then took longer than they promised in repairing it. I picked it up and brought it home, and had to reinstall the operating system because the Time Machine backup didn't work properly and it caused it to continually crash. I also realize that day that the fans aren't working properly. After two phone calls to AppleCare support we determine the problem with the thermal sensor and take it to The Mac Shack, where due to their indifference, not being willing to even read what the AppleCare support tech figured out and detailed for them to use, and not running the basic Apple Hardware Test to figure out what was wrong with the hardware, it has now been 10 days since I dropped it off with them, and they're hoping it will be fixed today. Argh!!!! How unbelievably frustrating this entire experience has been! My advice to anyone buying an iMac: it is a cool toy, but don't expect to be able to use it!
I promised to report back after The Mac Shack repaired my computer. Unfortunately, even though it's been a full week since I dropped it off for my 3-5 day repair, it's still not repaired. I left it there on Monday. I waited until Thursday to call, and they were just opening it at that point to see what might be wrong. I called Friday and they said they had ordered a new Logic Board from Apple, but Apple hadn't shipped it and it hadn't arrived Friday morning like they expected. Today is Monday, I called again and they said they had ordered the piece on Friday (not Thursday like they said before), but Apple didn't ship it. Apple's website doesn't say it's on backorder, so they don't know why it hasn't arrived yet. But I shouldn't worry, "Apple takes good care of their customers." Well, maybe some of their customers somewhere, but certainly not me!
What a complete and total waste of over $2000. I'll never make that mistake again. This was supposed to be my business computer, yet in the 6 weeks I've owned it, it's spent two weeks getting repaired, and I've spent numerous more wasted days either on the phone with AppleCare trying to fix the problems on it, or trying to find ways to make it do what the salesman said it would do. At this point, I've done just enough work on it to make my clients want more from it (the videos with iMovie), but then it's been broken long enough that my clients are upset I can't finish their projects. Apple's crap is making me look bad to my own clients and hurting my business, financially and my reputation.
The AppleCare support staff (phone support) have been very knowledgeable and helpful, except for not knowing about the authorized service center in northern Colorado (see previous post). Eli helped me yesterday with 2 useful tools I thought I'd share today for anyone else having problems with their Mac.
The first tool is the standard Apple Hardware Test (AHT). He had me get to it by inserting the Applications disk that came with the iMac, then restarting the computer. As soon as it turns to a black screen press and hold the "d" key. It will eventually bring up the Apple Hardware Test. If it fails, it will return an error code the Apple service people can decode, in my case a "hard drive sensor mis-reporting". You can learn more about this on the Apple site: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1509
The second tool is actually not an Apple-authored piece of software although it is found on their website, and it's quite useful. It's a Dashboard Widget called iStat Pro. This handy little app displays such useful things as the temperature of your computer, your fan speeds (mine were increasing constantly), CPU and Memory resources and more. http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/status/istatpro.html
Remember my favorite friends at the Apple Store at Flatiron Crossing? The ones who told me a bunch of incorrect things about the iMac and its software when selling it to me, who sold me a computer with a bad hard drive, who gave me attitude when I returned it for repair, who told me I should change the way I do things rather than make the computer work for me, and who theoretically fixed my broken computer? They broke it in the process of "repairing" it. Not only were they a day late in getting it fixed, according to an AppleCare Support diagnosis they either didn't replace my hardware sensor as they should when they replaced the hard drive, or they didn't hook it back up securely. There's a small chance that they simply replaced the bad hard drive with a hard drive that has a bad sensor, but that's "unlikely".
One good piece of news I can confirm for people living in northern Colorado - unbeknownst to the majority of AppleCare support folks, as helpful as they are, there is indeed an Authorized Apple Service Center (reseller too) in Fort Collins, Colorado. They're The Mac Shack, at 157 N College, on the west side between Mountain and Laporte Aves. I'll report back on their service when I get my iMac back from them. No more trucking all the way to Boulder or Broomfield! http://www.themacshack.net/
One other good piece of news I can in all honesty credit Apple with: the box the iMac comes in is nice and sturdy, and has withstood all this traveling around northern Colorado. Maybe that's what the $2000 was for, the hardware is crap but at least you can cart it around in a sturdy box to get it repaired frequently!
Are you hearing a clicking sound from your computer or an external hard drive? Clicking sounds are not good. My iMac hard drive clicked for the first month I had it. It reminded me of a miniature Irish step-dancing troupe inside the computer, dancing up a storm. Now that I have a new hard drive in it, I haven't heard the step-dancers at all. That's good, right? If only the fans were working properly...
More to the point, when talking to Apple support they acknowledged that when you hear clicking sounds, that typically means the hard drive is failing. She described it as sounding like a gerbil running around inside the computer.
To top it all off, my external Seagate hard drive has been clicking as well. It hasn't clicked a lot and it is also brand new, so I didn't worry much about it. Turns out that one shouldn't be clicking either. When I tried to re-install my iMac from my Time Machine hard drive, thankfully it did recover completely. It counts down how many minutes are left to restore from the backup, and whenever the hard drive started clicking, the minutes would increase. Clicking stops, minutes decrease. Clicking starts, minutes increase. Direct correlation between the two. I'm grateful that I could actually recover my system, but now I get to go back to Dell and complain about the hard drive they sold me, and hopefully get that replaced before I need a complete recovery and my backup fails.
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