Gone mad? No, nuts: I panicked!

[iamback]

Poor old Grace (desktop) is about 7 years old by now, Alan (laptop) about 6.

Alan holds most of my development stuff (source code, development web server, repository (SVN). So when it started developing odd noises again lately, I got really worried: the noises are familiar: one of the two fans (when they are triggered by high temperature) gets very loud, a sign the bearings are starting to fail. Curiously, it's the left-hand fan - again: I had a HD fail first after making really strange noises, which was replaced, and then that one starting to make the same noises, when the technician found it was caused by overheating because the left-hand fan didn't even start any more... there was a period before that the fan was making the same grinding noises the new fan is making now: he replaced both the almost-new HD and the motherboard that the fans were attached to. So when this one fan fails... bye-bye Alan, extended warranty is long since over (and you can't just replace a fan or the combo of two fans - it takes replacing the whole mother board).

So I got a bit panicky, and started looking at laptops and prices... and then yesterday I happened to get a complimentary newspaper in my mailbox (no idea why!) - which had an ad for a special action at an electronics store (a good one): a 13.3" MacBook for EUR 300 off the regular price. Only on Sunday, 23 December. I did some research (1 G memory seemed a bit cramped, for instance) but it looked like a good deal. Slept on it...

Today, the store opened at noon, and I was in there 10 minutes later - so now I've got myself a snappy MacBook 13.3" with a 2.16Ghz Core 2 Duo, 160G HD, and 2G ram (upgrade). And a nice sleeve, so I can carry it in whatever bag (I have several bags that will hold it already).

Gosh.

I can't really afford it - but I can't afford to lose all my work on Alan either!

I went through the setup, registered with Apple (using Airport and some neighbor's connection!!), declined setting up a .mac account (too expensive), downloaded Logitech software (using Safari) for my cordless mini optical mouse (and discovered the mouse works without that, even, but the software allows me to configure it): now I can just unplug the mouse's "thumb" from Grace, plug it into the MacBook, and use it on there. I also figured out how to change the desktop background image, and create new folders (one to store my downloaded mouse software in). Phew!

Lots more to learn and experiment, and I need to assemble a little assortment of cables (USB extension cord, for instance: I can't use the mouse thumb and USB memory stick together because the ports are too close together; and a dedicated Gigabit network cable, at least; and a little pouch to keep that stuff in). The MacBook has Tiger installed, but comes with installation disk(s) for Leopard. And I'll want to figure out how to set up Windows on it as well...

But - so far it "feels good". And this little black thingy is actually more powerful than either Grace or Alan...

(Now, where do I get the money from?)

Oh, and I'll name it Isaac - as soon as I can figure out how to name it!

[ktinkel]

Can’t help you with the money, and not positive what you are naming, but can tell you how to name any hard drive, at least: click and hold on the text beneath the icon. After a second or so, it will change into editable text, and you can type whatever you want.

You can even create a custom icon: Make a 48-pixel square image (or smaller if you prefer), select your drive, press Command [Apple]-I for Get Info, and paste the new image over the one at the top of the panel.

You can change most icons and their labels, though not the serious ones belonging to the System itself.

[jvecht]

and you can't just replace a fan or the combo of two fans - it takes replacing the whole mother board).

The new Macbooks are really great machines. I helped a niece getting it on a wireless connection, setting up an e-mail account and so forth. I really liked the machine even though I am not used to Macs.

Regarding that fan: I did a grease job on a noisy fan on a old PC recently and it is running just fine ever since. These fans have simple bush bearings. A small amount of grease is enough to get them going.
Not something any shop will likely be willing to do for you, but it does not take special skills to get it done well. So once you got everything safely on the Macbook, don't dump old Grace too soon.

[fhaber]

And I, as a desultory* iBook owner, can only advise you on one thing, how to spend even more money.

Before the end of the first year, budget for the AppleCare warranty extension. That's two more years for 1/5-1/4 the price of the machine, but well worth it. Mac laptops are very hard to disassemble, and very expensive to service when you're paying for it.

*mostly PCs here

-f

[annc]

Congratulations!

I bought my MacBook Pro 17" in May and love it.

You would have been asked to name the computer in the initial setup, but if you didn't set it there, it's probably called My Computer.

To change the name, select System Preferences > Sharing and change the name at the top (this is in Leopard. Not sure how you do it in Tiger because I always name mine at the start and never change them).

I upgraded to Leopard on Saturday and it is mostly working pretty well, although there are a few interface things I don't like, such as the coloured menu bar (which takes its colours from the desktop image and is thus a shiny green in my case). and the dark grey header in Safari, which means the icons at the top are hard to decipher.

Which machine are you going to use for your e-mail?

[iamback]

Can’t help you with the money, and not positive what you are naming, but can tell you how to name any hard drive, at least: click and hold on the text beneath the icon. After a second or so, it will change into editable text, and you can type whatever you want.Hmmm - I already discovered I could rename the HD but what I really want to do is name the machine, by the name it will be known to me (Isaac) and the name it will be known as in the network (once I plug in an ethernet cable to connect it to Grace and Alan via the LAN. At least I assume that will be possible, though it might take some fiddling (meaning it would be "interesting"): of course I do not only want Isaac to see Grace and Alan, I also want Grace and Alan to see Isaac!

You can even create a custom icon: Make a 48-pixel square image (or smaller if you prefer), select your drive, press Command [Apple]-I for Get Info, and paste the new image over the one at the top of the panel.Ah, that's nice - and I learned two things at once: how to change an icon and a handy shortcut. Thanks!

Oh, I forgot to mention: I also configured the dock a little, and moved it to the left-hand side where I have my taskbar on Grace and Alan. I know the dock is not exactly the same thing, but it feels more comfortable there. ;)

And I started one "help" video and got it to thoroughly freeze the machine. :(

Any suggestions for a good site (or more) with (non-video but textual) tutorials about technical stuff? Like how to partition the hard drive (if still possible), or how to set up Windows on the same machine? Etc...?

[iamback]

The new Macbooks are really great machines. I helped a niece getting it on a wireless connection, setting up an e-mail account and so forth. I really liked the machine even though I am not used to Macs.I'm not used to Macs either, though I have looked over the shoulder of my friend Carla and her son who have Macs, even occasionally used Safari on Carla's machine. And of course I've been absorbing things from following this forum ;)

Regarding that fan: I did a grease job on a noisy fan on a old PC recently and it is running just fine ever since. These fans have simple bush bearings. A small amount of grease is enough to get them going.I'm not sure that would work on Alan's tiny fans though? Still ... in case one or two do stop: what kind of "grease" would it take?

[iamback]

And I, as a desultory* iBook owner, can only advise you on one thing, how to spend even more money.Ha!

Before the end of the first year, budget for the AppleCare warranty extension. That's two more years for 1/5-1/4 the price of the machine, but well worth it.I had such an extended warranty on Alan, and I certainly got my money's worth out of that - so I reckon as long as I can postpone it (I'd noticed in general these extended warranties can be bought before the end of the first year) I won't at least have to spend that money now.

[iamback]

You would have been asked to name the computer in the initial setup, but if you didn't set it there, it's probably called My Computer.Hmm - I didn't notice anything like that! I could have been tripped by non-PC terminology, maybe, or the fact that it started setting up what amounted to Airport, and I was concentrating on getting that working (not too hard once I found a network I could actually use without first having to set up the wireless part of my modem and figure out what MAC address the MacBook would have.

To change the name, select System Preferences > Sharing and change the name at the top (this is in Leopard. Not sure how you do it in Tiger because I always name mine at the start and never change them).I'm postponing installing Leopard now until I'm at least a little familiar with the machine - and I would like to be able to separate all my "own" stuff from what came pre-installed so I could re-install without losing my own data and applications (hopefully...). That suggests a partition to me, but I'm not sure, and not sure if that's even possible with a single pre-installed HD in the machine.

Which machine are you going to use for your e-mail?Grace, for now - but I have Alan set up with an identical Eudora using a synced copy of all my email, so I can basically pick up the laptop and continue, and re-sync when I get back. So until Odysseus grows up, it would be nice if I could get my hands on a (free?) Eudora for Mac - but do I remember correctly that it won't work on Leopard?

(Baby steps, Marjolein! This is new territory...)

[annc]

Hmm - I didn't notice anything like that! I could have been tripped by non-PC terminology, maybe, or the fact that it started setting up what amounted to Airport, and I was concentrating on getting that working (not too hard once I found a network I could actually use without first having to set up the wireless part of my modem and figure out what MAC address the MacBook would have.If you click on the Apple icon in the menu bar and then select 'About this Mac' and then 'More info' You will find out about everything!

I'm postponing installing Leopard now until I'm at least a little familiar with the machineIt's probably the same. Give it (System Preferences > Sharing) a try!

and I would like to be able to separate all my "own" stuff from what came pre-installed so I could re-install without losing my own data and applications (hopefully...). That suggests a partition to me, but I'm not sure, and not sure if that's even possible with a single pre-installed HD in the machine.You can do it, but you'd have to back it up first as the Disk Utility erases the disk to partition it.

Grace, for now - but I have Alan set up with an identical Eudora using a synced copy of all my email, so I can basically pick up the laptop and continue, and re-sync when I get back. So until Odysseus grows up, it would be nice if I could get my hands on a (free?) Eudora for Mac - but do I remember correctly that it won't work on Leopard?Not sure about Eudora and Leopard, because I haven't used Eudora since about 1999. But I think there's a thread here about a new version...

Good luck with it. It's going to feel very strange for quite a long time, but is worth it in the end.

[BobRoosth]

There are two ways to get Windows running inside Mac OS -- Parallels and VMWare. My daughter (who uses both a MacBook Pro and Windows) has tried both and seems to prefer VMWare, but only by a small margin. It is theoretically possible to make a copy of Alan's hard drive and run that system inside a virtual machine. The key term is P(hysical) to V(irtual). It would probably require removing the disk from Alan and connecting it via USB to Isaac.

Mac OS can read the Windows disk drives, but (as far as I know) not write to NTFS volumes.

[iamback]

It's probably the same. Give it (System Preferences > Sharing) a try!So it is! During setup/registration it asked my name, then constructed a home directory name from that (which I edited) but in this sequence it never asked for a machine name - if it is somewhere it's somewhere else. But sure enough, when I went to Preferences > Sharing, there was a name: "Marjolein Katsma's Computer". Too long, too boring, and not part of my system. So Isaac has joined my small group of assistants now.

You can do it, but you'd have to back it up first as the Disk Utility erases the disk to partition it.Hmm - I'll have to figure out how to make a backup before installing too much (I've been playing a bit with widgets - lots of development ones that look useful but I can't find an alternative calendar to the system one which I don't like). Isn't there a non-destructive partitioning program? Erasing the whole disk seems hopelessly old-fashioned - not something I expected from Apple.

Not sure about Eudora and Leopard, because I haven't used Eudora since about 1999. But I think there's a thread here about a new version...Yes - the Odysseus I mentioned is the most likely successor (while "Eudora" will be more like a spruced-up Thunderbird - not something Id' want). But there is a Eudora 6.2.4 for Mac OS X (and even an older one for Mac OS 9). It will even run on Leopard as long as you don't use any "Eudora" sounds (no sounds, or other sounds are OK): so my vague recollection that there was a problem with Leopard was correct, just not as bad as I thought.

Good luck with it. It's going to feel very strange for quite a long time, but is worth it in the end.I had a real struggle with the date & time formats - I always want ISO format but I use English as an interface language; I tried to just "customize" formats (as I'm in the habit of doing in Windows) but when I did that it warned me this would result in "Unicode" and not work with some things; indeed, time on the menu bar reverted to AM/PM - grrr. VERY confusing - there just is no clear separation between language and format. I ultimately figured out to set it to "Ireland" (keeps English as language) and then edit the date format to use ISO yyyy-mm-dd. Maybe Leopard is better? Windows (2K at least) is definitely better here: just pick a region, then adapt what formats you like; but this is independent from language, so names of days and months are in your interface language, and regional settings are for formats, units and currencies only.

While fiddling with widgets "my" internet connection disappeared, but I've now found where the MAC address is so I should be able to set up my own wireless. Before that I need some sleep! :D

[ktinkel]

Hmmm - I already discovered I could rename the HD but what I really want to do is name the machine, by the name it will be known to me (Isaac) and the name it will be known as in the networkWhen you set up the network you have a chance to set a name. I am forgetting when/how, but it will happen at the point you also set a password.

Oh, I forgot to mention: I also configured the dock a little, and moved it to the left-hand side where I have my taskbar on Grace and Alan. I know the dock is not exactly the same thing, but it feels more comfortable there. ;)I keep my dock on the right-hand side. At the bottom (the default) it drives me nuts. I also make the icons small, and do not let them bobble at me all the time. Matter of personal preference, but nice to have these choices.

Any suggestions for a good site (or more) with (non-video but textual) tutorials about technical stuff? Like how to partition the hard drive (if still possible), or how to set up Windows on the same machine? Etc...?Several. TidBits (tbtalk.tidbits.com) has a lively forum, mail-list, and e-books on all aspects of the Mac. It is especially useful for Leopard, as print materials have been late appearing.

MacInTouch has news and discussion of everything Mac-ish, with links to important updates. I check in there every day.
http://macintouch.com/

And David Pogue’s Missing Manual (http://missingmanuals.com/pogue/mac_os_x_leopard_tips.csp) for Leopard has recently been published (in print); I find that to be an essential reference.

All of these have advice on setting up Windows on your new Mac. There are several approaches, each with pros and cons (of course!). You can let me know what you decide. I have a copy of Windows XT but haven’t got to the point of installing that myself.

[ElyseC]

Wow! Congratulations! Enjoy exploring!

[iamback]

I keep my dock on the right-hand side. At the bottom (the default) it drives me nuts. I also make the icons small, and do not let them bobble at me all the time. Matter of personal preference, but nice to have these choices.I had also made the icons smaller, and I'm still playing with the magnification because I like the feed back, but want it as small as possible and still useful. Stabilizing now, :)

Several. TidBits (tbtalk.tidbits.com) has a lively forum, mail-list, and e-books on all aspects of the Mac. It is especially useful for Leopard, as print materials have been late appearing.That link didn't work for me and on browsing the site I don't see anything forum-like. But there does seem to be a lot info - bookmarked.

MacInTouch has news and discussion of everything Mac-ish, with links to important updates. I check in there every day.
http://macintouch.com/Looks nice, bookmarked. I haven't spent much time there yet, because...

And David Pogue’s Missing Manual (http://missingmanuals.com/pogue/mac_os_x_leopard_tips.csp) for Leopard has recently been published (in print); I find that to be an essential reference.... this is where I spent most time today, especially going through a lot of utilities in one of the "Missing CD-Roms". A lot of useful stuff, but I was also appalled by how many functionalities are available only as shareware when the equivalent would be available for Windows not only with more functionality, but free, in three different versions or so. One site with lots of really simple tools, nothing cheaper than $15. I didn't bookmark that one! With a much smaller market I guess that's to be expected, but the extent of it still took me by surprise. Still, I ended up with a lot of bookmarks, there is at least some useful stuff available as freeware and even open source.

All of these have advice on setting up Windows on your new Mac. There are several approaches, each with pros and cons (of course!). You can let me know what you decide. I have a copy of Windows XT but haven’t got to the point of installing that myself.I haven't even gotten that far yet... but I did make great progress today. Isaac is beginning to feel like a team member rather than a stranger ;)

Thanks for the great tips!

[jvecht]

Still ... in case one or two do stop: what kind of "grease" would it take?

Just the simple grease every car workshop has in their grease guns. Or visit a bike shop a get one of those small tins with wheelbearing grease for bicycles ("kogellagervet").

The full (Dutch) story with a picture of the motherboard can be found here. (http://community.compuserve.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?tsn=1&nav=messages&webtag=ws-nlcomputer&tid=3458)

You better not wait until the fan seizes. That will probable mean the bearing is damaged beyond repair. However, replacing these small fans should not be that difficult either. They all run on the same voltage, have the same connectors. If the attachment is different, it should not be to difficult to keep them fixed with those plastic bundling nylon straps.

The best way to get those fans is to look for a discarded PC. No computer shop has them on stock as far as I know.

Good luck with it!

[iamback]

Just the simple grease every car workshop has in their grease guns. Or visit a bike shop a get one of those small tins with wheelbearing grease for bicycles ("kogellagervet").

The full (Dutch) story with a picture of the motherboard can be found here. (http://community.compuserve.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?tsn=1&nav=messages&webtag=ws-nlcomputer&tid=3458)Nice, but that fan of yours is reachable, and about 10x as large as mine!

You better not wait until the fan seizes. That will probable mean the bearing is damaged beyond repair. However, replacing these small fans should not be that difficult either. They all run on the same voltage, have the same connectors. If the attachment is different, it should not be to difficult to keep them fixed with those plastic bundling nylon straps.No, it is difficult, not to say impossible, to replace the fans - that's the problem. When one fan packed in before (and it still was covered by my extended warranty), the technician had to replace the whole motherboard because the fans are fixed (as in fixed!) to that. No place for nylon straps either, and even if I could find a fan and replace that part - I have no experience with a soldering iron. I asked the technician and he said that while it was theoretically possible to replace just the fans (that is, the assemblage with two fans next to each other mounted on a little board, no more than 2cm high) it would be more work than just replacing the motherboard and more tricky because it would involve soldering. But they just don't have that as a replaceable "part".

(Added complication: after replacing the Mobo you can't just put a restore back on the HD: a load of registry entries turn out to be directly dependent on the physical board.)

The best way to get those fans is to look for a discarded PC. No computer shop has them on stock as far as I know.Computer shops definitely don't have these little boards with a pair of fans (and Dell doesn't either) - but even if I could find a discarded Dell laptop of the same model I'm not up to replacing the fans - trying to take a soldering iron to my motherboard I would likely break that, and there probably are no replacements for that any more either (they guarantee 5 years for replacing components in this line - but Alan is now older than that). Replacing a whole motherboard is also tricky - not something the laptop owner should normally do (even if I could find out how to do it!).

Putting some grease on the fan sounds like the most feasible - if I can figure out how to apply it! But I'm not sure the fans are even reachable without taking the machine apart completely - and again, I have no instructions for how to do that.

[iamback]

Not sure about Eudora and Leopard, because I haven't used Eudora since about 1999.Well.... I managed to Install Eudora (after first having to get and install Stuffit Expander :() It installed alright, and offered to import mail from other apps, but I could find no way to point it at my files on Grace, even though they are quite accessible now over the network. So I tried copying one mail folder from Grace to Isaac ... alas, it seems Eudora for the Mac is using a different file format, the files from Grace are just not recognized.

So I guess I'm out of luck there, and will have to continue to use Grace for my email. Hopefully Odysseus will eventually provide a solution. :(

[iamback]

... this is where I spent most time today, especially going through a lot of utilities in one of the "Missing CD-Roms". A lot of useful stuff ...... including one utility that supposedly would allow sharing more than just user's home directories: SharePoints. It's wonderful! not only does it do that (which worked quite nicely), but it also has a "tab" to put the machine into a workgroup for Windows, so now Windows actually recognizes the whole machine (by name) as well. So now I can not only see Grace and Alan from Isaac, but Grace and Alan can see Isaac right in workgroup AMSTERDAM as well. Networking makes sense again. ;)

I understand that the facilities offered by SharePoints used to be in OS X 10.3 but was taken out in 10.4 except a server version - how stupid: sharing peer-to-peer is no server functionality! SharePoints (http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/12512) works flawlessly.

[annc]

I got quite excited about that and downloaded and installed it. But it quits unexpectedly every time I try to configure it, so it seems the latest version doesn't work with Leopard. I've joined their e-mail list and hope to use it when a Leopard version becomes available.

In the meantime, I'll just continue to use a USB stick for file transfers.

[annc]

Well.... I managed to Install Eudora (after first having to get and install Stuffit Expander :() It installed alright, and offered to import mail from other apps, but I could find no way to point it at my files on Grace, even though they are quite accessible now over the network. So I tried copying one mail folder from Grace to Isaac ... alas, it seems Eudora for the Mac is using a different file format, the files from Grace are just not recognized.

So I guess I'm out of luck there, and will have to continue to use Grace for my email. Hopefully Odysseus will eventually provide a solution. :(Can you export from Eudora on Grace as a text file and import that into Eudora on Isaac? I recently moved from Entourage to Mail, and got six years' e-mails in without a hitch.

[iamback]

I got quite excited about that and downloaded and installed it. But it quits unexpectedly every time I try to configure it, so it seems the latest version doesn't work with Leopard.Did you close all open apps?

I thought it was compatible with Leopard, but if not I may wait a bit with installing that: SharePoints made all the difference to my networking.

[annc]

Did you close all open apps?

I thought it was compatible with Leopard, but if not I may wait a bit with installing that: SharePoints made all the difference to my networking.No, I didn't close all open apps. I'll try again.

Looking at the SharePoints home page, they seem to have a new version for each version of OS X.

[jvecht]

Replacing a whole motherboard is also tricky - not something the laptop owner should normally do (even if I could find out how to do it!).


I missed this is a laptop! My error. I agree, this is not well possible. I have worked on quite a few laptops to fix minor or major problems. It is very limited what one can do.

If you could reach those fans with a syringe, you might perhaps get some thin oil in and extend the fan's life a little. But that is already desperate action.

[iamback]

Can you export from Eudora on Grace as a text file and import that into Eudora on Isaac? I recently moved from Entourage to Mail, and got six years' e-mails in without a hitch.
No way to export from my Eudora that I can find (and the mailboxes at least are text files) - and Eudora/Mac will import only from applications (it even offers to search, but it searches only the local HD, it seems), not files. I guess I should put importing from a folder (structure) on one platform to another on the wish list for Odysseus.

[iamback]

No, I didn't close all open apps. I'll try again.

Looking at the SharePoints home page, they seem to have a new version for each version of OS X.Ah, yes - did you get the matching version?

(I'll stick to Tiger for a while anyhow.)

[annc]

Ah, yes - did you get the matching version?

(I'll stick to Tiger for a while anyhow.)They don't have one for Leopard yet. The VersionTracker site says Tiger or later, but the SharePoints site doesn't mention Leopard at all.

[annc]

No way to export from my Eudora that I can find (and the mailboxes at least are text files) - and Eudora/Mac will import only from applications (it even offers to search, but it searches only the local HD, it seems), not files. I guess I should put importing from a folder (structure) on one platform to another on the wish list for Odysseus.Shame about not being able to export/import, so it is a good idea to put in a wish list item.

[ktinkel]

No way to export from my Eudora that I can find (and the mailboxes at least are text files) - and Eudora/Mac will import only from applications (it even offers to search, but it searches only the local HD, it seems), not files. I guess I should put importing from a folder (structure) on one platform to another on the wish list for Odysseus.Not positive it will be helpful but we discussed this problem in another thread: Eudora vs Mac Mail (http://desktoppublishingforum.com/bb/showthread.php?p=52078#poststop), in which Steve Rindsberg explained how to update Eudora by moving files.

I had worked out something else by then, so didn’t try it, but it might work for you.

[iamback]

Not positive it will be helpful but we discussed this problem in another thread: Eudora vs Mac Mail (http://desktoppublishingforum.com/bb/showthread.php?p=52078#poststop), in which Steve Rindsberg explained how to update Eudora by moving files.

I had worked out something else by then, so didn’t try it, but it might work for you.Well, he starts that with Unless the Mac version of Eudora is wildly different from Windows versions, each mailbox/folder is a set of two files on you HDD. One's an index file, the other's the actual email, which is stored in plain old text format.

The problem is, it seems Eudora/Mac is wildly different in how it stores its data. On installation, it creates the "Eudora Folder", and within that a whole bunch of folders, including a "Mail Folder", with Inbox, Outbox, Junk and Trash files (all empty as created). But the problem seems to be that those are single files, not two files (with extension) each. Eudora/win also has an extra file within each folder that is an index to which (mail) folders (as opposed to mailboxes) it contains - I don't see any trace of that, I think it just uses the .DStore (sp?) the Mac creates for that.

I'll fiddle some more, maybe there's a way to do it - but I want tp be able to move backwards and forwards with it, so whatever conversion is needed shouldn't be much more than name changes (an scriptable) or it's not going to fly.

Spent half the day exploring some more (and getting myself stuck in various morasses, but still ending up being able to pull myself out of them - worst scare was a CD in the drive with no obvious way to eject it, but in the end I managed to burn a DVD).

Got myself a nice audio player as well (I hated iTunes when I tested it on the PC, and on the Mac I read its licensing agreement and decline: I and not going to allow the program to send data to iTunes/Apple about what I'm playing! Took me a while to figure out how to make Play (the new program) the default to open MP3 files: iTunes always wanted to open them (and then presented me with that license again) - but I found out how to do it in the end... so I've been listening to music stored on an external drive attached to Grace accessed over the (Gigabit) network while burning a DVD. I'm sure 2G memory and a fast processor have something to do with that! :D

[ktinkel]

I wasn’t sure it would help, but figured you could sort it out.

Good news on the music player. Since I only rarely listen to music on my Mac, and never buy music in MP3 format, I never worried about the license. But all this phoning home stuff is annoying.

[iamback]

Good news on the music player. Since I only rarely listen to music on my Mac, and never buy music in MP3 format, I never worried about the license. But all this phoning home stuff is annoying.Extremely annoying - but at least they do mention it in the EULA so one can decline.

I never, ever buy MP3s; I either rip CDs I own, download from sites (or occasionally newsgroups), and regularly rip while listening to Internet radio. So I have a pretty large collection of mostly World/Ethnic music. Play is nice in that it also provides (limited) ability to edit ID3 tags (v1 only, it seems); it also has integration with Last.fm (http://www.last.fm/) where I have an account, just like Winamp on Windows - yes, that also uploads what I play, but that is intentional sharing, and a great way to discover new music.

And I discovered another freeware player (VLC) that I'll still have to evaluate (also does videos); it's available for both Windows and Mac - will report when I've tried it. But so far I like Play very much with its clean, simple interface and keyboard shortcuts.

[Benwiggy]

(I hated iTunes when I tested it on the PC, and on the Mac I read its licensing agreement and decline: I and not going to allow the program to send data to iTunes/Apple about what I'm playing!
So you'll want to turn off the MiniStore, then, or use LittleSnitch to controll individual app's connections to the internet.

[LoisWakeman]

You can always take the case off and use a desktop fan - that's what we did with our aging server while we sourced a replacement and copied all the data!

[iamback]

You can always take the case off and use a desktop fan - that's what we did with our aging server while we sourced a replacement and copied all the data!Although it's not so easy to take the case off a laptop, I've been taking a similar approach by setting it on a laptop cooler which I turn on when the laptop itself is hot enough to trigger its fans to start. Problem is that that thingy is quite noisy at any time (so it can't be on all the time) and - worse - itself sometimes starts to make obvious "bearing-problem" noises which are even more alarming than those of the laptop fan. :(

So... my strategy is to turn Isaac into a proper development machine as soon as possible - but that takes quite a bit of learning and testing software: fun, if only there wasn't the pressure of an unknown "dead"line...

[terrie]

marjolein: I can't really afford it - but I can't afford to lose all my work on Alan either!It must be something in the air that made its way over to you from my house...

I'm just coming back into the forum after about a week and a half of spending most of my time getting my new system set up and as of today, it's basically done--will post a thread on the things I've learned...'-}}

I'm not sure how I will pay for my new system either...'-}}

It sounds like you got quite a nice deal...

Terrie

[iamback]

It must be something in the air that made its way over to you from my house...I'm sure your rash decision was in the back of my mind somewhere but the ad was a bit of unignorable serendipity. :)

[terrie]

marjolein: I'm sure your rash decision was in the back of my mind somewhere but the ad was a bit of unignorable serendipity.'-}}

Terrie