So I've been using a mac..

[Svart]

Yup.

So it turns out that MOST ibooks have an issue where they start failing to boot and give you... yup a blue screen of death.. Only this one means that it's not even running at all, not even to dump memory for debug.

So I tracked the issue down on the motherboard, fixed it and now the unit is working. (hint.. heat stress and solder joints don't mix around the PCU ic..)

Now for the OS...

This only reaffirms my stance that apple/macs are made for people who don't really USE their computers.

So I could only access a restricted account on the mac. I couldn't change anything, no settings, no passwords, nothing. I don't have a disk either so the usual, reinstall/reset scenario wouldn't work.

I found a website that instructed me on getting to the command prompt(BSD based I see.. not really true UNIX) and typed 3 lines of commands. I rebooted and it gave me the ability to create a new admin account and delete the old ones out.

WTF??? I thought macs were supposed to be secure??? What is the cumulative security patch that the software updater keeps trying to install? Macs can't be hacked and they never FAIL!!

Oh wait, they never crash either.. but if they ever did it would be called a kernel panic and it would be something a whole lot similar to a BSOD in a windows box.. but they don't so it won't.

:green:

Anyway, it's not much different from a windows machine at all except I keep wanting to tweak stuff but all it will let me do is change the colors of things and choose between super-cute or ultra-super-awesome backgrounds.

:roll:

All I want to do is run reaper and use it with a Duet.. sheesh.

 

[Scodiddly]

I'd rather be running Linux, but at the moment the Mac is what I'm working with. It is better than Windows for random virus type security issues. No question about that. What I like about Windows (and for the most part Linux) is being able to run just about everything from the keyboard. The Mac is just a little to mouse-oriented for my taste.

 

[Svart]

that it is. I don't like going up to the task bar for everything. A lot of the ctrl+(something) shortcuts work as Apple+(something) but some don't.

 

[fucanay]

[quote author="Svart"]

So I tracked the issue down on the motherboard, fixed it and now the unit is working. (hint.. heat stress and solder joints don't mix around the PCU ic..)

[/quote]

Did you fix this problem? If so, how? Mine has this problem but I'm afraid to try to fix it because of all the SMD and really small parts.

I would love to get mine to stop freezing up.

Matt

 

[Svart]

yes I did fix it. There are multiple areas that need to have solder reflowed.

The IC is shown on this site. i don't suggest doing what they are doing because that can lead to PCB issues and more solder cracks down the road.

It's not a fun fix nor is it easy but it can save you money. There are some other things I have found wrong on 2 boards that I have worked on from Ibook G4s. One is that the posts that hold down the heatpipe come unsoldered and loose. This might make the processors overheat and cause issues too..

 

[Mbira]

My wife has a macbook pro and I have a computer I built to run audio and graphic. I have no idea why graphics people want to be on macs. I HATE using photoshop or any of the CS suites on Mac. and I HATE not having right-click. I know people say "the Macs can ave a right-click mouse" well my wife has the fancy mac mouse with right click and it totally sucks. Trying to correct a misspelled word with that thing revolves between laughable and infuriating.

I like one of those PC commercials where the guys was saying that using a mac isn't computing, it's an "experience. To get any work done, you have to trick the mac. :grin:

The one good thing about macs:
When the program does hang up, you can shut that program down faster than on a PC. :razz:

Just my $.02
:guinness:

 

[gltech]

What I like about Windows (and for the most part Linux) is being able to run just about everything from the keyboard. The Mac is just a little to mouse-oriented for my taste.

AMEN. :thumb: AMEN. :thumb: AMEN. :thumb:

My work is a mix of electronics and IT. I am astonished every single day watching people doing everything with the mouse. I've used every single keyboard shortcut I could find for years, and I guarantee I can do just about anything in 1/3rd or so of the time it takes a typical "mouser". Watching them for me is like watching grass grow. I curse every time I have to reach for the rodent. Just like when you log in here, you have to grab the mouse just to get the focus in the user id field. :evil: (yes you can hit tab a few times, but too many times)

I was in total agreement when people used to say how much more stable a Mac was. But I have to say that, with Windows 2k and XP, I don't think that anymore. Here's the secret: Intel motherboard, Intel CPU and top brand memory. Ever since I've followed that that recipe (since ~2002) I've pratically never even seen a hiccup. I know the other boards and CPUs are supposedly compatible, but my experience tells me otherwise. Oh, and I take any new machine that already has the OS installed and wipe it clean and do my own OS install. Any machine you buy these days comes loaded with sssssssoooooooooo much crap.

Attention Windows "mousers" -- sacrifice a little time, kick the habit and become a keyboarder:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/126449
You will be dumbfounded by how much time you save. The key is to learn to use the shortcut keys without looking at the keyboard (keep your eyes on the screen).


-GLT

 

[fucanay]

[quote author="Svart"]yes I did fix it. There are multiple areas that need to have solder reflowed.

The IC is shown on this site. i don't suggest doing what they are doing because that can lead to PCB issues and more solder cracks down the road.

It's not a fun fix nor is it easy but it can save you money. There are some other things I have found wrong on 2 boards that I have worked on from Ibook G4s. One is that the posts that hold down the heatpipe come unsoldered and loose. This might make the processors overheat and cause issues too..[/quote]

Was there supposed to be a link here somewhere? Also, what tools did you use to reflow the solder. I know you work with SMD stuff alot and I may not have the right tools. And what is this heatpipe you're talking about. I have some overheating issues as well.

My ibook is just my couch internet machine so I don't really need the power that a new machine would offer, but I'd still love to fix it. It's been crashing so often that I may just risk trying to fix it. Any advice is totally welcome.

Matt

 

[McCroskey42]

Mice? GUI? Bah! I still haven't given up the dumb terminal:

20 years later, and it's still ticking (although now it's hanging on a Linux box). I don't want to think how many chest X-rays I've gotten from that thing...

 

[Ethan]

Finally a topic I know a tiny bit about :grin:
[quote author="Svart"]Yup.
This only reaffirms my stance that apple/macs are made for people who don't really USE their computers.
[/quote]
That is EXACTLY what I said before I really started learning to use a mac, and now I USE a mac (I used to hate the idea of a mac). I also run windows on my mac with a virtualization app [vmware fusion] to run windows and windows has never run better! For speeding up everyday use Keyboard shortcuts are the key. Although gltech mentioned that the mac is mouse-centric, this is really not the case and you will find that just about every windows shortcut has a mac equivalent as well as more to support additional features that are exclusive to OSX. But once again learning your keyboard shortcuts is time well-spent!

I've worked on windows machines most of my professional life, doing everything from everyday email/word processing to graphics to server administration. At one point in my home I was running 3 windows machines.

Then I met mac. My experience with unix goes a little farther back, but I never really used a mac until about 5 years ago. If you are really interested in the lower layers of OSX and unix I highly recommend this book: http://www.amazon.com/Mac-OS-Internals-Systems-Approach/dp/0321278542/ref=pd_bbs_sr_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216876793&sr=8-4

As for the hardware, I have never used the macbook or imac or the lower-end apple models so I can't say much about those but the high-end systems are fantastic and I have not yet had a problem with my previous G5 quad (sold it to buy...), Mac Pro, and now my MacBook Pro that i have had for 2 years. I think I have gotten what I have paid for, but that is just my experience.

I and so happy to report that I no longer have a dedicated windows machine. I run OSX server on my Mac Pro, and run both windows and OSX on my macbook pro. Computing has NEVER been better for me.

 

[kazper]

I don't get your logic.

I take a 1969 VW bug and polish the turd with lots of excess work but it don't perform like a new car, so that's why I think Volkswagen sucks.

Everything fails. Period, it's just that Windows crashes much more than macs.

You shouldn't even bring it up specially with Vista, Can you say Microslop copying Mac OSX?


Since personally switching to mac's I do get more done behind the screen. I also don't have to fix mine and everyone else's machines all the time. Thats a huge bonus.

I'll give you that I prefer the 3 button mouse and they do work just fine. I also don't like some of the extra windows that you get with some of the mac programs, but I just adapted. Hated the intel switch at first, now I think it was the best thing ever.

Most people I show what a mac can do, I'll put them behind it and have them create something in the ilife suite, most of them enjoy the experience and buy one.

Not that I'm starting a fight, I just think the windows/mac thing is funny. Who's stock is higher today? How long does it take your windows machine to start up? My macbook is like 20 seconds.

 

[fucanay]

I use Windows only when needed. I'm of the group of people who like to think about the work I'm doing, not the machine I'm doing it on. OS X lets me do that except for about 1 week every 18 months when I check out new features in the new OS. Windows always has me trying to get rid of stupid anti virus windows and having to configure something that worked the day before, but now doesn't.

When I had to use Windows for work every day, it always felt like it was me vs. the machine. Especially on NT. Win2K was a tiny bit better, but I left that job before XP came out and haven't ever had to use it daily.

I think there are people who like to get into every little detail of how to configure a machine because they are tech nerds and really enjoy it, and there are people who use computers for the tasks that relate more to their interests and every day lives. The former want control on every level and the latter just want to turn it on and not worry about the techy stuff, that's why people like Macs and Windows diehards are wary. And it's also why either can be argued to be better than the other. It depends on what the user needs.

Matt

 

[Steve Jones]

If you think that you can only adjust colors and do superficial things with Mac OS it just means that you are thinking like a PC user in an unfamiliar environment. It is UNIX, and it is very programmable and accessible. It is easy for all of us to fall into the trap of making huge and incorrect judgements against things that we are unfamiliar with.

 

[keefaz]

[quote author="Svart"]
I found a website that instructed me on getting to the command prompt(BSD based I see.. not really true UNIX) and typed 3 lines of commands. I rebooted and it gave me the ability to create a new admin account and delete the old ones out.

WTF??? I thought macs were supposed to be secure??? What is the cumulative security patch that the software updater keeps trying to install? Macs can't be hacked and they never FAIL!!
[/quote]
You can hack the admin password in every computer which you have a physical access, no matter what the OS is. (ok maybe not with a locked chassis, but even in this case you can unlock it), don't rely on BIOS protection ever..

 

[Svart]

http://coreyarnold.org/ibook/?p=20

SORRY I forgot the link!!

I found out that if I PUSHED on the IC like the instructions said, the computer would turn off. If i left it on for more than 10 minutes it would lock up too. Now that the IC and surrounding parts are reflowed, it ran for 12 hours yesterday and was still working great.

 

[Svart]

How long does it take your windows machine to start up? My macbook is like 20 seconds.

Ibook: 67 seconds

AMD/XP: 21 seconds

Intel/xp: 45 seconds

I checked just for you.. :green:

Who's stock is higher today?

I dunno but likely Apple considering all of the Ibook motherboard replacements going on. In my search for information I have found that almost every single Ibook motherboard from the old color cased versions has had this same problem. Many people have replaced their motherboards 3 or more times within 5 years. Apple had a small free replacement campaign but apparently just replaced the boards with more faulty boards to use up stock and it only covered very few machines. Most people are paying to have a faulty part replaced with another faulty part. I found many poor solder joints on two different motherboards.

No wonder apple can make a profit.

Windows always has me trying to get rid of stupid anti virus windows and having to configure something that worked the day before, but now doesn't.

Can you tell me what it is you are trying to configure? I've honestly never had a problem with win2k or win XP(both pro) with any of my machines. I used to have issues with win95 and sometimes 98 but I've never seen a blue screen or anything else since. You'll find that most of the issues are from the 3rd party softwares, specifically ANTIVIRUS. Antivirus has caused most of the issues that I have ever seen(i used to do tech support for both windows and apple back in college).

I think there are people who like to get into every little detail of how to configure a machine because they are tech nerds and really enjoy it

Thats me! But I also use the machine for gaming and surfing just like everyone else. I tweak every installation of windows by turning off all unused services( i only have 5 running on my home computer..) and tweaking IRQs/DMA for best performance on my recording computer, etc.

It is UNIX

It's a port of freeBSD(according to the information when verbose booting) which is a unix derivative but not true unix.

It is easy for all of us to fall into the trap of making huge and incorrect judgements against things that we are unfamiliar with.

True. I should have said that the UI and normal operation will not let me do what I want to do. I have to boot to command line and do everything there it seems where windows, I can change whatever I want without leaving the UI in normal operational mode.

You can hack the admin password in every computer which you have a physical access, no matter what the OS is

Have you ever actually tried it on nt/2k/xp? I've had to try a few times as a network engineer and it's MUCH harder than you think..

Remeber, NT was/is UNIX based as well....

 

[keefaz]

[quote author="Svart"]
Have you ever actually tried it on nt/2k/xp? I've had to try a few times as a network engineer and it's MUCH harder than you think..
Remeber, NT was/is UNIX based as well....[/quote]
Yes, I used to reset NT passwords with a special linux boot floppy when I worked as network assistant, same floppy worked for 2000, XP...It is easy, you boot from the floppy and you just follow instruction on the screen

 

[Svart]

wow, I've never seen that before.. I did it the hard way, with brute force crackers...

 

[keefaz]

Hey whatever works

 

[Technetium]

You can reset any user's password by simply booting off of the OS X Install CD/DVD. Under "Utilities" in the menubar should be a password reset utility.
you should keep in mind that this will not reset the user's keychain password.



As for Windows 2K/XP, you can just build yourself an "Ultimate Boot CD for Windows" disc - http://www.ubcd4win.com/
You boot off of the disc & select which user account password to reset.
The password reset app itself is a little confusing at first, but once you wrap your head around its logic, its incredibly handy.