AppleCare…

Heather insisted I try Erase & Install, just to be thorough (and there I was thinking I knew how to diagnose a disk error). Sure enough, I boot up after reinstalling the OS, cat 2GB of data into a file, and try to copy it: tic, tic tic. At least I don't have to worry about blanking the disk before I send it in! I call back and speak to a nice chap named Trevor, get a case number, and I'm now walking down to the Apple Store to hand over my machine.

My baby!

Now I'm left working on my old iBook (whose drive has already died and been replaced, so I hope it's still sound!), using assorted Web email interfaces to my four main email services, being forced to use NewsGator Online's hideous service, and wondering how the hell I'm ever going to get used to a UK keyboard layout again (every time I enter my password, I hit ‘\’ instead of Enter, and I keep getting £ rather than #).

4–6 working days. I can't wait.

Interestingly, Trevor probed for how I was liking my MBP. I responded with Praying Mantis Processor Whine and Iron Claw Heat Issue. He used Defensive Mist Of No Response on the processor whine issue, and cannily played Chinese Dragon My Friend's Core Duo Dell Is Really Hot, Too to defend against my second attack. I nodded sagely. It is a pleasure to engage with good tech support staff.

Posted at 2006-08-27 14:57:10 by Richard • Link to AppleCare…
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Please continue to hold for the next available representative.

Yesterday was some kind of arts festival in downtown Palo Alto, so Elaina and I wandered around with a glass of beer each, which was a nice way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

By contrast, my Saturday evening was less fun. My MacBook Pro's hard drive has been misbehaving recently, and it finally started making nasty noises. Cue a hurried drive (pun not intended) to work and the loss of 2 hours trying to ensure that I have a completely up-to-date backup (my last full one was a week ago). I'm on hold with AppleCare now; here's hoping that they're reasonable, because SMART still says “Verified”, and TechTool said everything was fine. I have the Console messages on my side, though: kernel messages saying 0xe0030005 (UNDEFINED) are rarely a good sign.

Posted at 2006-08-27 12:51:45 by Richard • Link to Please continue to…
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