Technologically things were going well, but it about to go downhill rapidly. In the end it was only having my Mac around that rescued the day.
I had managed to survive the first few months as a Realtor® without spending much time on Windows. My Dell Dimension 4700 which I bought nearly three years ago had continued to perform admirably.
The Macs and the Dell were exchanging information nearly seamlessly and to top it off Ubuntu was working well. In fact I had just installed Ubuntu's Fiesty Fawn on my system on Tuesday night. The printers were all working well, and as far I could tell, I was as close to technological nirvana as one user might get.
Monday afternoon we read about what we thought was to be a brief power outage in our area on Thursday. I had to do duty in our real estate office on Wednesday afternoon. When I got home my wife said the power was off for a couple of minutes. I thought for a second that I should get that UPS for my office the next time I am at Staples, but it was just a passing thought.
Later that night when I went up to my office to do some work, my Windows PC would not boot. It would get half way through the Windows splash screen before dropping back to the screen I get before GRUB shows up. I tried booting into Linux and was able to get both versions of Linux up on their individual drives. However, the Windows partition on the Ubuntu drive just didn't want to work.
I pulled out my Windows XP CD and tried unsuccessfully to get it do anything useful. I even disconnected my SATA controller that had initially rescued me three years ago and tried the drives one by one on the motherboard controller. Nothing worked so I decided to go up to Staples just to see what a new PC would cost.
I was pleasantly surprised that I could get a HP Laptop (link will likely not work well) with 15.4" screen, 2 gigs of ram, 160 gig hard drive, and the 1.66GHz Core 2 Duo for $999 with the $50 rebate they were offering. The problem was that there was no information on the system. I had to wait 15 minutes for someone to bring me a box from the back so I could read about what I was contemplating buying. I did try the keyboard and found it to be as good or better than the one on my MacBook. Fortunately this model from HP wasn't one with an off center trackpad. I am left handed so I will not even consider one of those.
Actually I did tell the Staples guy that I would take one, but I had a case of one minute buyer's remorse and told him to stop, and I would think about it for a day or two. I suspect my wife's comment of "Why are we buying another computer?" had a lot to do with it. To me it seemed a reasonable price to pay for no more wrestling with the innards my Dell which I was content to have as my Linux machine. Some of my reluctance on the Dell was that everything is so closely fitted in my new office that I have to get down on the floor on my side, disconnect cables, and carefully extricate the Dell from a shelf on a table by rotating it sideways. I then have to go through the same process to test whatever I do.
My Dual G5 was too big to fit in the spot so it is a lot easier to work on should it ever fail.
We spent a grumpy 20 minutes riding home since I did not see a lot of options. I had an immediate need to get going with this Windows forms package for a listing that I am doing with our broker in charge. When we got home I immediately brought up the Parallels Desktop on my MacBook, determined that I had to throw away about 2,000 pictures and went through a relatively painless Windows installation, followed by a relatively easy installation of realfast forms.
The pain came when trying to use it on my MacBook's small screen. I did manage to work my through everything to solve my immediate crisis. The problem as I explained to my wife was that my Windows validation did not work since I was trying to use the code from my dead Dell.
I suspect the validations are tied to hardware profiles so I was not surprised. So I explained to my wife that this was an imperfect solution which would last only 29 more days. I also told her I had no intention of paying over $300 for a copy of XP since you could get a cheap new system for not much more than that.
Later that evening I took another run at re-installing XP on my Dell. I did a complete format of one drive which took nearly two hours and failed. Since that was my Suse Linux drive, I could only console myself with the thought that I did not like Suse a lot anyway since it started breaking every time I did an upgrade.
I spent a restless night trying to solve the problem in my sleep. Next morning I confirmed what I thought was the case. I had messed things up enough that GRUB would not work and my Dell had become essentially useless. I had downloaded Ubuntu the night before and tried to reinstall it, but the installation would not work. That led me to trying to format the second SATA drive. Three partitions showed up, so I picked what I thought was the previous Windows partition and did a quick format since I had enjoyed such success with the full format previously. Miraculously it worked.
I then stuck in my Windows CD and mirable visu it also worked and decided to install Windows. When the installation finished, and I rebooted into Windows and could not access the Internet it dawned on me that I needed the stupid drivers disk to make everything work. In essence my Ethernet controller was worthless.
I turned to my Mac and went to Dell.com. I actually have to give Dell credit, since once I entered some codes that were on the side of my Dimension 4700 I could access a copy of the configuration of my system and the downloads to match. I downloaded the Ethernet driver and the video card driver to my Mac, burned a CD and loaded them onto my PC. I installed Firefox, Google Pack and Desktop. I was then off to the races.
Of course off to the races, mean installing 75 security patches. We just went out to lunch and had a nice piece of Grouper at T&W's Oyster House while that happened. I came back installed Office which fortunately I had with me, and went through some more updates. Then Internet Explorer got updated, and I bought a new subscription to Norton Anti-Virus since I had been meaning to switch from McAfee anyway.
I downloaded a new driver for my Brother laser printer, did one more installation of realfast and I was set to go. I eventually stuck Thunderbird on the system.
Once I found a drive that would work, it took about six hours for everything to get back up to speed.
I was probably only around for about three hours of it. Much of the three hours I was doing something else on the Mac so it ended up not being too bad. I shudder to think of how long it would have taken if I had not had the Mac and Internet access for those crucial drivers. I did not really lose any data on the PC. Most of my important data is on various web servers or backed up on firewire drives.
So once again I came close to buying another PC laptop. I actually have a Dell 610D Latitude which was swiped by my youngest daughter who is finishing a business degree. I am glad I did not buy the HP more because I know new processors are coming next month than anything. While I love my Macs, I have to admit that I like the variety of laptops in the Windows world, and I am very impressed with the pricing.
I suspect that being a veteran of three versions of Linux, Windows XP, and Mac OS X along with other operating systems back to the beginning of computer time, that I could survive Vista without a lot of problems. I even noticed Vista drivers for my printer and a Vista version of realfast so it would not be the end of life as we know it if I bought a Windows laptop with Vista.
It occurs to me that both Bill and Steve are missing a great business opportunity. They should be selling discounted versions of their operating systems to run alongside the other. Maybe what they need to do is get together and sell an operating system two pack which will run on anything. I would pay $300 for copy of Apple's and Microsoft's latest which I could run on anything. Of course I am dreaming and giving both Steve and Bill nightmares especially considering that they both had good quarters.
Since I have some Microsoft stock, I am pleased to see the giant money machine turn in a very good quarter. With Apple I can only watch and wait to see if all the focus on things other than computers ends up being good or bad longterm.
I know that solving my Windows problem even with the help of the Mac allowed me to get back my focus on living on the coast. We headed over to Emerald Isle, enjoyed the beach, and watched the waves.
Monday I get to do my first listing as a mostly Mac toting Real Estate agent, we will see how it goes. I am thinking maybe I should offer computer support to any buyers who use me as an agent. Computer support in our area is a work in progress. Of course most visitors to the beach should take the advice that I offered in an article and just leave the computers home.
Still I better not catch any Mac users out there who want to visit the area and maybe even consider it as a place for a second home working with a completely PC real estate agent. I got a pretty unenthusiastic response from the local PC reseller when I suggested that they try to get Mac authorized. So I remain one of the few Mac resources in the area, and you might need me.
Prior disgruntlement with SuSE … check
Tiresome experiences fishing out components from a cramped tower … check
Face to face with hardware upgrade answers to software questions … check
What's the difference exactly between a format and a 'quick format'? … check
Some experiences are pretty universal. Fortunately the laptop I was eyeing when *everything* went wrong with my machine was a PowerBook and the OS I took a blind leap into was OS X instead of Vista.
Usually, I'd say a clear head is the best initial condition for a good purchase. It only makes sense that it should be. But for me it was just as I said, and your post reminded me of the experience. It was a Sunday and most of our stores were closed (Scotland a few years back) so it had a fine weird feel to it. But I was damned impressed with what I got, and since I snatched Mac Office along with it I was able to resolve my own (admittedly quaint) crisis.
And yes, I've subsequently downloaded drivers via my PowerBook innumerable times when thing Just Didn't Work on other systems.
And relax…
Posted by: John Muir | April 28, 2007 at 12:20 PM
Unfortunately going to see a Mac in a store here would require a drive of a couple of hours and fighting through traffic in the Raleigh, NC area.
I understand why resellers are reluctant to take on Apple. Apple has not been the best reseller partner. I was amazed to learn that most small resellers can't even sell iPods.
I was also impressed that the HP website had a few models available that you could only get through their resellers. That's better than most treatment for resellers.
Perhaps we'll get Macs in the local Best Buy, and my next moment of crisis can be tempered by a visit to see some Macs and PCs.
Posted by: ocracokewaves | April 28, 2007 at 01:36 PM
I don't like Norton either. Symantec and McAfee got in a features war and the only result seems to be that both programs are complete monsters. Only Eset's NOD32 and Kasperky seem to be both very effective and light on resources. Leo Laporte says he gets so many calls from people who have had problems caused by Norton internet Security that he's lost count.
BTW, have you tried the WebKit nightlies on OS X?
http://nightly.webkit.org/
As you probably know, these are the early versions of what will eventually make its way into Safari, and making them available is part of Apple's open-source commitment to the KHTML engine. They seem pretty smooth and stable to me. Tim Gaden is reporting that they will now cope with GMail's rich text editing:
http://www.hawkwings.net/2007/04/27/webkit-nightly-builds-now-offer-gmail-rich-text/
I wondered if they might work for you in the web apps you needed that in.
Posted by: Nick | April 29, 2007 at 01:27 PM
I fail to how how a Mac "saved the day." Any working OS would have done the job of accessing Dell.Com just fine.
Posted by: Tom | April 29, 2007 at 11:38 PM
Well the Mac happened to be my only working operating system. There were actually three operating systems on the PC and none would work.
I didn't make a big deal out of it, but the problem didn't happen on the Mac, both systems were running at the time of the power outage.
Also if the Mac OSX system had faced the same reinstall, it would not have had a problem since the drivers are all on the one disk.
Maybe Microsoft has done this with VISTA, but I haven't heard. In this day of downloadable software, I would sure find a way to make certain that along with cd-rom and video drivers that my OS install disk included ethernet drivers.
Posted by: ocracokewaves | April 30, 2007 at 06:44 AM
You'd better be careful! If you keep letting us see all those cool photos and telling us all how wonderful it is there, you might attract some Mac desktop support people to compete with you!
Posted by: rahrens | April 30, 2007 at 10:39 AM
I think people clearly underestimate one thing Apple does exceedingly well: it provides both installable copies of the OS, and a "factory restore" DVD, that you can use either on your entire hard drive or on a particular partition, so that you can have your Mac as it came from the factory… but just on one part of the disk, leaving the remaining ready for any other OS…
That, and the ability to boot up in Firewire Target mode, usually makes much easier saving the day if you happen to have another Mac lying around…
Posted by: Juan de Dios Santander Vela | April 30, 2007 at 10:40 AM
I'm kinda curious why you don't want to run Parallels on a good MacBook Pro? It's not the cheapest, but it sure is elegant on a single slim computer. You could save a lot of money and time by maintaining one computer rather than several.
I'm an Apple Business Agent and recently made a sale to a realtor. She needs WinXP for some stuff, but loves the simplicty of the mac OS. It was an easy transition for her to make. Would that make a difference for you if your next laptop had a larger screen and a bit more power to run Parallels?
Posted by: RandLarson | May 01, 2007 at 01:46 AM
Actually there is a good chance I will do that, but my "luck" with Apple products has been a little spotty since I left the company in 2004.
The dual G5 I bought had some memory problems out of the box which were hard enough to duplicate that I just took care of it myself.
I bought a nice 15" Aluminum Powerbook just after Apple fired me. Of course, it lost one of its memory slots right after going out of warranty and wasn't one of the units covered by the extension.
Then just before I got the MacBook, the Aluminum PB started having the hinge video problems. An Apple reseller told me how much it would cost to have that fixed at Apple, and I just couldn't see spending that kind of money on it especially since my son was an Apple technician and could fix it, if we could get the part.
Then I bought the MacBook which discolored immediately, and in less than six months the battery wouldn't charge. It took some convincing but I did get Apple to let me FedEx it back since there is no reseller within two hours of me.
Now it is discoloring again.
In the fall of 2005, I bought a Dell Latitude D610, it's had hard service and now has gone to college with my youngest daughter. So far it has had fewer problems than a Mac, but it's still early on that and it is just one system.
Maybe it is because I live not far from where there once was a Boondocks sign.
http://coastalnc.org/boondocksphotos/
Or maybe it is just a gut feel, but I am not certain Apple is really committed to the hardware anymore.
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love Macs. In fact I admit to an addiction to Macs. If I could buy a MacBook Pro with an OEM copy of Windows and MacOS X and be sure I was getting technology that didn't need the next eight months to work out the bugs and which came with a "no non-sense if it breaks I will take it back for three years warranty" that didn't cost me an arm and a leg, I would probably do it.
I think Apple has Lexus priced products with a warranty than doesn't justify the price. That's an Apple trend in my opinion. Dot Mac certainly doesn't justify its price.
Having said all that, and still loving Macs, I know that I can buy a pretty good Windows laptop for $1,000 which is a lot less than I would pay for a new MacBook Pro laptop.
There is an authorized HP laptop service center ten minutes from my house. I was in his store the other day and heard him taking care of a customer. I'm convinced he did a good job. I thinking about trying to convince him to dance with the Apple elephant, but I'm not sure that I want that on my conscience.
I guess to net it out, experience has taught me to see beyond the glitter of Apple products, even OSX.
Right now Apple is enthusiastic about the iPhone. Resources are limited at Apple, the best will go towards the iPhone.
Millions of people will buy the iPhone just on the assumption that it will be good, and I hope it is.
Granted Apple's technology is stellar usually, but I am uncomfortable with the model that we buy because Apple produces.
I want them to earn my laptop business with not only the best technology but also the best service and reliability.
I don't get the feeling that best laptop service and reliability ranks very highly against getting the iPhone out on time. After all even OSX lost on that one.
Posted by: ocracokewaves | May 01, 2007 at 07:05 AM