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+--- Thread: Apple Care Frustration! (long) (/showthread.php?tid=38621)
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Apple Care Frustration! (long) - dad@home - 08-22-2007
Arrrgh.
24" iMac, Intel C2duo, 2GB RAM (thanks Larry), MacOS 10.4.10. I bought it refurbed last fall and installed bootcamp/WinXP pro without probs. This machine is used primarily to access internet and play Worlds of Warcraft. I installed WOW on both the Mac partition and the windows side (Venti is not as well supported on the Mac).
Everything worked perfectly until last month when the video started getting flaky while playing WOW (misscolored or flashing polygons, inaccurate terrain colors) followed shortly by Kernel Panics. Started happening on the WinXP side although without the pre-crash flaky video stuff. The iMac has started having KPs now without running WOW (was running Safari at the time).
I suspected this was a WOW problem and went to Blizzard support and followed their recommendations:
http://www.blizzard.com/support/wow/?id=aww0787p
repaired permissions
deleted preference files
deleted game data files
checked resolution settings
removed extraneous USB devices
No help/ no happiness.
removed the OWC Ram and reinstalled the two factory 512MB sticks
No help/ no happiness
I called Apple Care yesterday and talked to 3 inital screeners and 1 "product specialist"
repaired permissions (again)
verify disc
repaired disc
reset Parameter Ram
Apple Hardware Test
created a new user
Archive and Install (which took me to 10.4.7)
reinstall 10.4.10
reinstall WOW and Burning Crusade (9 discs!)
reinstall WOW updaters
No help/ no happiness
Now they want me to take it into an "authorized repair center" for "further tests".
Come on! I don't see how this could be anything but a hardware issue.
It crashes on both the Mac and the WinXP side, and it crashes using Safari as well as WOW. There is no common software thread that I can see. This is gonna take weeks and finally they will (after I pull the last of my hair out) replace it.
Arrrrghhhh!.....
Thanks for letting me vent!
Dad
Re: Apple Care Frustration! (long) - Big Daddy Cool - 08-22-2007
I assume you don't have an Apple Store near you?
Re: Apple Care Frustration! (long) - dad@home - 08-22-2007
[quote Big Daddy Cool]I assume you don't have an Apple Store near you?
Unfortunately closest one is near Seattle....280mi away
Re: Apple Care Frustration! (long) - M A V I C - 08-22-2007
[quote dad@home][quote Big Daddy Cool]I assume you don't have an Apple Store near you?
Unfortunately closest one is near Seattle....280mi away
Where are you? I live in Seattle. Not sure how I could help, bit if there's a way, let me know.
Re: Apple Care Frustration! (long) - dochocson - 08-22-2007
Short of an Apple Store, is there an authorized repair shop closer to you? I live in Yakima, and there is one Apple Authorized center here.
Re: Apple Care Frustration! (long) - dad@home - 08-22-2007
Thanks guys,
We have 3 "authorized service centers" here in Spokane. I'll take it in after I get a complete backup finished (Don't trust them not to reformat my disk).
I was mostly just venting.....hoping that someone had some miracle way to speed up this process.
Thanks again
Dad
Re: Apple Care Frustration! (long) - Joey Cupcakes - 08-22-2007
So if it' a hardware problem (and it probably is) how is taking it in to a service center for tests a problem? How else do you expect them to find out what the specific problem is?
Re: Apple Care Frustration! (long) - GGD - 08-22-2007
[quote dad@home]Thanks guys,
We have 3 "authorized service centers" here in Spokane. I'll take it in after I get a complete backup finished (Don't trust them not to reformat my disk).
I was mostly just venting.....hoping that someone had some miracle way to speed up this process.
Thanks again
Dad
That sounds like the best action to take (and what Apple want's you to do). From what you describe, they should be able to quickly diagnose it as hardware, and then do the repair. I wouldn't expect Apple to replace the iMac.
Re: Apple Care Frustration! (long) - BigGuynRusty - 08-22-2007
Why "Weeks"?
At most maybe a week.
BGnR
Re: Apple Care Frustration! (long) - chas_m - 08-22-2007
Document what you did on your own, and what you did when you were on the phone with Apple. Attach that piece of paper to the repair slip when you bring it in.
This will save the techs A HELL OF A LOT OF TIME and get the true problem diagnosed a LOT faster and thus back in your hands.