Messages

1

2008 / Airport Extreme Flashing Amber Light (Arrrgghghgh!!!!)

« on: November 13, 2008, 12:10:37 PM »

So I finally got around to trying all this Tuesday. Everything worked, then I had to go screw it up again. Now my problem is truly bizarre.

So I bought an ethernet cord to connect the AEB and 2Wire. I reset the AEB and let it start up. My MacBook Pro automatically detected it and I set it up according to plan: this time I extended my network to include the AEB, not replace the 2Wire, and put it in Bridge mode; I also chose to create a new, separate network for the AEB that I would run my laptop on using 802.11n technology, while keeping my little brother on the previously existing 2Wire network to run his old laptop using the 802.11b/g technology.

And it worked, and everything was fine. Except the name of the new network. I had named it "Andy's AEP 802.11n Network": the "p" clearly the typo. Yes, I'm that anal. I tried to change the name in the Advanced System settings in the Network pane of System Preferences, but I couldn't. So I deleted the network, and tried to reset the AEB again to mulligan everything I'd just done. And that's where all my problems began.


I don't know why it messed everything up, but now, my computer isn't even recognizing the 2Wire. My computer remembers the 2Wire network, but it isn't actually connecting to it. When I boot up, it automatically connects to the 2Wire (at least that's what it says it does). I see four bars up in my taskbar. But when I go into Network settings, I see that it's self-assigning the IP address for the 2Wire. And I can't surf the internet. So I tried deleting the 2Wire network, now, too, and tried resetting the 2Wire router. I even tried a hard reset when I held the button down for 15 seconds, then had my little brother plug it in while I continued to hold it down. It didn't seem to work: my little brother's internet didn't stop working once it booted up, so it's like we didn't have to recalibrate everything and set up the network all over again. It didn't work out of the gate the first time we set him up on the 2Wire.

And that seems to be the problem, now. I can't delete these networks. They keep coming back. I even deleted the "Andy's AEB..." network with which I replaced the typo network, then did a soft reset of both routers. It comes back and works perfectly. It shouldn't do that. I should have to set it up again. So you know, I have deselected the box in the Advanced Network settings tab that says "Remember all networks I have joined." I did that before deleting them and resetting the routers.

So the bizarre state of my computer now is that I can't surf on the 2Wire because my computer isn't actually communicating with it, but I am surfing right now on the new "Andy's AEB..." network. But only if I'm in the same room as the base station. Originally, before I got anal, I was switching with equal ease back and forth between the 2Wire and AEB networks. And I was doing it in my room which is above the room where we hook in the routers. This room isn't far at all, just one story up. Now it won't detect the base station unless I'm literally in the same room. It has like a 15-foot range that only works in the lateral plane.

And, what's more, when I try to open the Airport Utility if I have the "2Wire" network selected by my airport, it won't even recognize the the Airport base station is there. It says, "No Apple Wireless Devices in range". But if I have the "Andy's AEB..." network selected, it does recognize the base station, and tries to take me through the setup again. And when I come to the step where I tell it that I'd like to extend my wireless network by connecting the Airport via ethernet to another device, the options it brings up are: 1) 2Wire928 "Wireless Network", 2) Andrew's Airport Extreme "Previous Base Station Configuration", 3) Andy's AEB 802.11n Network "Previously Used Network".

At this point, I just want to start over from scratch. Should I delete system files? I can't access the "gateway.2wire.net" from my computer, but I can from my little brother's computer, and I remember having to do that when I first set up the 2Wire. I had to change something in there so my Mac could surf on the 2Wire; there was some extra step I had to take to get my Mac working that we didn't have to take with his PC and with the Xbox 360. It seems like I'm back in that place I was when I first was trying to get the 2Wire working. It feels like I didn't achieve a hard reset on the 2Wire, but a soft reset that didn't disrupt my little brother's surfing, yet took my computer back to a square one that I need to get past again, now. I wouldn't care, I'd be fine on the Airport Network, but whatever disabled the 2Wire network for me seems to be affecting my AEB network range.

So again, what do I have to do to start over from scratch?

[not]

2

2008 / Airport Extreme Flashing Amber Light (Arrrgghghgh!!!!)

« on: November 07, 2008, 04:37:30 AM »

QUOTE(kbeartx @ Nov 6 2008, 07:28 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Welcome to WiFi Voodoo Hell.

I think that you should not indicate that you are replacing a router [not sure what your other choices are] but I think you need to 'integrate' the AE w/ the 2Wire, so it continues to function as a modem w/ AT&T's network.  Conceptually at least, IMO the 2wire is needed as a modem and the AE will take over the routing functions.

Exactly how to do this, I dunno.

Seems to me you could get advice from Apple; you can't be the 1st person to want to use an AE w/ AT&T DSL.

KB

Gotcha.

Yeah, I know the 2Wire is technically a "Gateway" (since we're behind a firewall, I guess). This is all wikipedia had to specifically say about "Residential Gateways":

QUOTE(Wikipedia)

Small Office Home Office (SOHO) connectivity

Residential gateways (often called routers) are frequently used in homes to connect to a broadband service, such as IP over cable or DSL. A home router may allow connectivity to an enterprise via a secure Virtual Private Network.

While functionally similar to routers, residential gateways use port address translation in addition to routing. Instead of connecting local computers to the remote network directly, a residential gateway makes multiple local computers appear to be a single computer.

Yeah, calling Apple is my next step. I've had better success with less effort on TS in the past. I just leave a post, and come back. It's just quicker than waiting on hold for days to get a tech rep.

I thought the AEP handled all the same functions as the 2Wire Gateway, but I guess not, so I understand why I'll probably have to run both machines. All I want is for the AEP to handle the signal. I'm sure the Apple guy will point out what I'll have to do. I'm obviously not the first Mac wi-fi user with this problem.


EDIT: Oh, I just saw the two posts from Paddy and his friend below yours. Okay, cool, I'll try that before I call Apple. I try to take up tech rep time only if I have a problem I absolutely can't solve by myself. It seems like because people are such whiners that when someone does have a truly complicated problem, you can't get them on the line.

3

2008 / Airport Extreme Flashing Amber Light (Arrrgghghgh!!!!)

« on: November 06, 2008, 05:41:10 PM »

It's a base station.

Okay, so, I have to get an additional ethernet cord, and use that to hook the AEB to the 2Wire (which is connected via a separate cord to the internet)? Then turn off the Wi-Fi on the 2Wire? I'm not sure if the second part is possible either. The only way I know to turn off a router is to unplug it.

Why do I have to do this? This doesn't seem like it would be necessary. I'm replacing the 2Wire with the AEB. That's all I want to do. An installation CD came with the AEB that initiated when I inserted the disc. It asked me what I wanted to do with the AEB in the network. One of the options was, "Replace an existing router", and I chose that. So then it brings up the standard icon assigned to the 2Wire, and asks me if this is the router I want to replace. I say, "Yes", but it's unable to execute the installation because the AEB isn't even acknowledging the fact that I've wired it into the phone lines with the same ethernet cord I was using to connect the 2Wire.

The software should calibrate everything for me once I can resolve this. See, with the 2Wire, I had to turn the router upside down where it has a number printed on it that I had to go manually enter in my brother's control panel network settings; with the Airport software, since I'm on a Mac, I expect it will do that automatically.

Your suggestions, though, would have me manipulate hardware, and although they don't make sense to me, right now, it seems like the right direction. Whatever is causing this problem seems to be a hardware problem because I can't even progress to the step where I'm integrating the software.

4

2008 / Airport Extreme Flashing Amber Light (Arrrgghghgh!!!!)

« on: November 06, 2008, 03:57:41 PM »

I have the best Mac laptop on the market right now (at least I think): a 17" Hi-Def 2.6 GHz MacBook Pro. My baby.

But I've been having connection issues. We're on AT&T (only DSL service available out where I live) so of course the only supported router is that 2Wire piece of donkey-dung. The laptop 2-bars all the time during the day (typically not at night). It's unpredictable when it will do this, so it's always going in and out. It's highly annoying. It's possible the 2Wire isn't the issue as my little brother's 3-year-old $600 Dell laptop always connects to the 2Wire flawlessly. So I figured I might as well try installing an Airport Extreme. My little brother's computer should have no issue with it, and it's just been my experience in the past that when I shell out the extra dough to keep everything Apple, I'm much, much happier in the end. Their stuff has always just integrated more fluidly than everyone else's; it's not even close.

So I installed the Airport Extreme. I made the mistake of not installing the new Airport Utility software first (I saw the label, but I didn't realize there was an issue with old versions of the software; I knew I had all my utilities updated, anyway). Well, the Amber light of death comes on, blinking. It says in the manual that this means the Airport couldn't connect properly with the internet. I know the ethernet line I hooked in is good, though, because I simply unplugged it from the working 2Wire and plugged it into the Airport Extreme. First, I tried a soft reset. No good. I unhooked and hooked back in the power. No good. I tried a hard reset. I even held down the reset button for a full 10 seconds before having my brother plug in the power while I continued to hold it down (it didn't recommend this in the Apple help, but I found this recommendation in another forum while researching this problem). Still, no good.

My computer is detecting the Airport just fine. It's the connection between the Airport and my AT&T server that is screwing me. And since they only support the 2Wire, I can't call them about this.

Any ideas?

5

2008 / Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 Won't Play on My Brand Stanking New MacBook P

« on: August 12, 2008, 09:51:18 PM »

QUOTE(Xairbusdriver @ Aug 12 2008, 03:05 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

What does your Sound Preference Panel say you are using for "Output?" Do you have any other external speakers you can plug in?

Even though I have external speakers attached to my iMac, my Pref Panel shows "Headphones" connected to the "Built-in Output." If yours doesn't say anything or still says "Internal Speakers" there may be a hardware problem. While you have a song playing on the MBP, with the Sound Pref Panel open, what happens to the output? The internal speaker(s) should silence. That would indicate the internal connection in the jack is working. But if there is no change in the Pref Panel and no sound from the external speakers, there may be other problems with the jack itself.

With nothing plugged in:
"Internal Speakers" and "Built-In Output"

When I plug in the Klipsch, this doesn't change.

With headphones plugged in:
"Headphones" and "Built-In Output"
And the headphone jack works.

My little brother has some speakers. I'll try those out later, but if this is a hardware problem with the jack, I think I'm screwed. I didn't get the Apple Care or any other warranty.

6

2008 / Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 Won't Play on My Brand Stanking New MacBook P

« on: August 12, 2008, 11:47:17 AM »

Just got in today the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 speaker system (nabbed an open box return for $96 AFTER shipping, Tonto...Snipe program, awaaaahhhhyyy!!!!!). I hooked everything up and then tried playing a tune on my MacBook Pro. I have the 17" High-Def model with the 2.5Ghz processor. It was a no dice. Initially, I tried the speaker jack, since I'm pretty sure that's what it's for, but when it failed, and just to be sure, I tried the headphone jack, too.

I did do the tiniest bit of precautionary research before purchasing these at eBay, and found this at MacRumors (it's just one guy assuring another he can play the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 on his Mac):
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=127345
Those posts were from 2005 (if you didn't already notice). I figured, if the Macs were capable then, they'd still be capable now. And at the Klipsch website they said "Connects easily to virtually any source: two-channel soundcards, or any stereo mini-plug equipped device." That was good enough for me. I never checked what my audio device was.

Now that I do in my System Profiler (in the "Audio" heading of Hardware), all I see is this:
Speaker Connection: Internal
Headphone Connection: Combo
Microphone Connection: Internal
Line In Connection : Combo
SP/DIF Connection: Combo (both In and Out)

But it doesn't work. Nevertheless, I hear the white noise when plugging in and out. I hear the sub, too. So I run downstairs and grab my brother's uber-crappy Compair. I don't even know what this thing is- wait, let me see...it's a Hewlett Packard Presario 2100 Laptop with a 1.7GHz AMD processor and 512MB of RAM. That's about a generation or two back, right? Right around 2005. Well, predictably enough, the speakers work perfectly with his.

So what's the deal? Has Klipsch really abandoned the Mac market (or, perhaps, vice versa)? In any case, it doesn't seem these speakers will work on my computer, so unless there's something I can do to make that happen, I'm going to give them to my little brother. And in that case, what would be your recommendations for a pair of Mac-compatible speakers in the sub-$250 range?

7

2008 / New MacBook Pro won't boot up with New RAM

« on: June 19, 2008, 08:59:18 PM »

Hey guys,

Just bought this bundle of sweetness from MacMall:
17" Hi-Res 2.5 GHz MacBook Pro

I also bought two 2GB RAM cards to upgrade the factory default 2x1GB SODIMMs to 2x2GB. Well, the computer came in today. It started up perfectly out of the box. So then I decided to install the 2GB cards I purchased from MacMall with the computer (this is what it says on the box):

EDGE
PE208233
2GB PC25300 S.O. DIMM

The computer won't boot. Instead, the light underneath the touchpad just keeps lighting up as it makes this loud medium-tone beeping sound in clusters of three beeps (kind of like a car backing up, but with a lower tone). I didn't have to hear the sound before to know it meant, "Something is broken." It just wouldn't boot up. So I put the factory cards back in: it boots up perfectly again. I repeated this- just to make sure I didn't screw up the installation of the Edge cards the first time. But I got the same result for the second round.

These cards were actually recommended to me by an intern at MacMall. My agent had just left when called to finaliz the order, so I got this kid who said, "Oh, the Edge cards are way better than what he's got you getting." They were actually cheaper, but I said, "Look man, cheaper, more expensive, I don't care, I want the best." He said Edge cards are the best, so I told him to give me those.

But they don't work. MacMall doesn't sell PC stuff, so I can't imagine even an intern could recommend me RAM cards that aren't compatible?


In any case, I'm going to call my agent there tomorrow to resolve this (I'm going to upgrade to 4GB one way or the other- even if I have to pay $50 for a 2-minute install). I have two questions for the TS community:

1) What do you think is the most likely reason these Edge cards didn't work?
2) If I end up choosing a refund- what RAM cards would you recommend?

[whose]

8

2007 / Newbie Seeking General Advice Concerning Cost/Value vs. Specs

« on: October 03, 2007, 10:33:14 PM »

Mayo, thank you. That is one of the all-time greatest posts I've read in any forum. You couldn't have more precisely answered my every question (especially those unasked). Beautiful.

QUOTE(Xairbusdriver @ Oct 3 2007, 03:09 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I've bought it from several places but sometimes they go out of business due to the price fluctuations. Best bet is to stay with the longest operating company you can find and one that offers a lifetime (question is, whose "lifetime!" ) guarantee and compatibility with the machine you're buy RAM for. The last RAM I bought (5/3/07) was 2 matched 1GB chips for $119 w/shipping from OWC. I have also bought from other places, but not in a long time. Others here can give more current vendor info for the exact RAM you'll need.

And thank you, Airbus. Yes, I'm more into reliability and consistency than saving a few bucks. All I need is one reliable vendor. OWC it is. Thanks for letting me know about them. $119 is a much more appealing number than $700.


Once again: you guys are awesome.

9

2007 / Newbie Seeking General Advice Concerning Cost/Value vs. Specs

« on: October 03, 2007, 02:37:56 PM »

QUOTE(Paddy @ Oct 3 2007, 12:17 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Starting with the last question first - there's an old adage: if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

Stay away from these guys - very far away! Read on:
http://www.resellerratings.com/seller_info...3#comment329103

Ah, yes. I suspected as much, but I couldn't confirm at ConsumerReports or the Better Business Bureau. Thanks for the heads up.

QUOTE(Xairbusdriver @ Oct 3 2007, 08:58 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You may want to check on the maximum RAM possible in those 'older' models, also. I think they are limited to 3GB whereas the latest can go to 4.

Bus speed is probably next in important to drive and CPU speed, at least if there is a lot of data transferring (video/image/music editing/changing/playing) going on.

Yeah, that answers my #2. Like I said, I didn't think I would ever upgrade the RAM (because in several years I intend to purchase a desktop), but then I read...

QUOTE(jepinto @ Oct 3 2007, 06:25 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I found 2G ram sufficient until I tried to run Parallels, along with 3 or 4 other programs.  So I jumped to 3.  2 was plenty until I threw everything at it at once.

One consideration I found important was the speed of the hard drive.  Stock is 4200 or 5400 rpm, some built to order have a 7200, but then I tend to have 7-10 applications open at once, and most are Adobe products.  The faster the better.

Yeah, I definitely want to be able to run Windows. I remember on my old Powerbook G4 (the first model, from autumn of 2001) I got Virtual PC, and it was just useless because it took ten freaking minutes just to explore a directory.

So if you were making this purchase, considering your usage, would you want a model that could be upgraded to 4GB? Or do you think 3GB would do it (or at least for 2-3 years, before I buy a desktop)?

Also, the stock hard drive is 5400rpm on all of these. How much would it cost to upgrade to 7200rpm? Also, is there a cheaper way to upgrade RAM? I went to the Apple store just to get an idea, and they charge $700 to upgrade the latest MacBook Pro's from 2GB to 4GB. That's almost a 1/3 the price of the computer.


Thanks a bunch, guys. This has been unbelievably helpful.  

10

2007 / Newbie Seeking General Advice Concerning Cost/Value vs. Specs

« on: October 02, 2007, 11:26:37 PM »

I've been researching the Macbooks on Macmall with the intent of purchasing one. Now, I see that the latest generation of MacBook Pro's come in either the 2.2GHz or 2.4GHz models (for the 15") and the 2.4GHz (for the 17"); however, I think it might be a better deal for me to go with one of the 2.33GHz models from what I'm assuming is the previous generation of Powerbooks.

I've boiled it down to these three (the prices quoted are from MacMall):

MA 611LL/A: $2350, 17" TFT, 2.33GHz, 160GB Hard Drive, 256MB Video RAM, 2GB RAM (3GB Max), 8x SuperDrive, 667MHz RAM/Bus Speed
MA 896LL/A: $2350, 15" TFT, 2.4GHz, 160GB Hard Drive, 256MB Video RAM, 2GB RAM (4GB Max), 8x SuperDrive, 800MHz RAM/Bus Speed
MA 610LL/A: $2050, 15" TFT, 2.33GHz, 120GB Hard Drive, 256MB Video RAM, 2GB RAM (3GB Max), 6x SuperDrive, 667MHz RAM/Bus Speed

Here's two things you should know regarding my perspective as a consumer:
1) The hard drive memory is easily the least important spec quoted here to me- I have a 500GB external hard drive, and don't think I'll ever be limited for mobile operation by 120GB size.
2) I doubt I'd ever shell out to upgrade my RAM memory from the pre-installed 2GB on all these models, but if that would really contribute to increasing the functional longevity of the computer down the road, I'd like to know, and would therefore consider it more acutely.
3) There is also the M895LL/A (the 2.2GHz model from the latest generation), but it only carries 128MB of the GDDR3 SDRAM (what I've labelled here "Video RAM"). My last PowerBook aged very quickly, I learned, in its ability to play internet video- particularly WMV and Shockwave-based video (like at YouTube). I'm assuming this is the most important spec to maintain fluid graphics. So I'm thinking I definitely want a 256MB version. Please tell me if I'm wrong.

Yeah, so for the same price ($2350) between the M611 and M896, it pretty much comes down to the Bus Speed. I figure it's a much better deal to go with 2" more screen. How important is the Bus Speed? How important is the Max RAM? Are there any major criteria I'm unaware of? Considering what I've told you, which of these would you buy?


Also, I was directed to MacMall by some Mac users at another forum (just a general interest forum, though). I found the M611LL/A here for $1500- a massive $850 less! It just doesn't seem plausible. Is this website reliable? Where would you purchase one of these computers?
http://www.electroforless.com/index.php?ta...;product_id=109

11

2004 / Disaster...Everything's Gone

« on: February 02, 2004, 05:12:26 PM »

Well, the other night, I re-backed up my entire laptop hard drive (with all my schoolwork and everything...I was just too scared after that happened to not have that stuff backed up) onto one of the three partitions of my external hard drive. I did not touch the partition where I kept all my music (the only thing of any real value to me) and media files. I'll repeat that: the partition with the most important files I have left untouched since the incident.

The Data Rescue program is $90. Considering I haven't tampered with my drive, is this a guarantee to get back all my files? If it isn't, I still have iTunes with all my song names, so I can just do my best with my filesharing program and persistence. It'll take a long time, but I'm sure I can rebuild almost all of my music library without any monetary cost. It's a trade-off, but mostly, I'm just scared after Flash's post that I'll pay $90 for nothing.

12

2004 / Disaster...Everything's Gone

« on: February 02, 2004, 07:41:02 AM »

My external hard drive is partitioned into three drives. All of those drives are still visible; it's that all the files in them are now gone.

Like I said, I was in that invisible folder on my laptop hard drive called "Volumes" where I saw what appeared to be aliases of those external hard drive partitions. I deleted those, emptied my trash without looking while talking to my gramps, and when I went to sort out the files I'd moved, I found everything gone.

There are no invisible files on my external hard drive partitions. Worse, info tells me that there are 99 free GB on my largest partition (where I store my music and media files), and the capacity of that drive when I first partitioned it was just under 100 GB. So those files, as far as I can tell, are totally gone.

13

2004 / Disaster...Everything's Gone

« on: February 02, 2004, 12:26:31 AM »

http://www.techsurvivors.net/forums/index....t=ST&f=1&t=4480
The above is another thread where I was receiving help before disaster struck, and provides some background info to my problem.

Basically, for whatever reason, my computer created an invisible folder on my laptop hard drive called "Volumes" and was downloading everything with my filesharing program (Poison) to that folder instead of where I'd set it to download: to my external hard drive.

With the help of Thomas, I was able to locate this invisible folder and move all the files that were clogging up my laptop hard drive; however, foolishly, I deleted what appeared to be aliases of my external hard drive partitions that were in this folder. My grandfather called right as I was doing this, and with my mind occupied, I unthinkingly emptied everything from my trash.

It turns out I deleted everything that was on my external hard drive: about 30-35 GB of movies, music, backed up files, etc. The absolute worst you could imagine.

I'm incredibly angry not only at myself, but at my computer. I mentioned in the other thread that I did not create this invisible folder. I also do not understand why deleting files from this folder would delete them from my external hard drive. Is this "Volumes" folder automatically added (and kept invisible) when you add an external hard drive? I'm assuming it must be, and that it's invisible to protect stupid users like myself from doing what I did.

But I'm rambling, and this is all beside the point. Is there any way possible to retrieve these files? I don't care how difficult, and I'm willing to do it even if it's quite costly (there were a lot of rare music files on there that took me years to find: that aren't available to buy).

Please, please, please, please, please, please tell me I'm not screwed.

14

2004 / Major Memory Problem

« on: February 01, 2004, 10:42:28 PM »

Alright. I used the Find function to "see" and open the Volumes folder, and I was able to move all the files from there with ease. But now I want to delete that folder so Poison won't try to keep downloading files to it. How do I do this? And why was this folder created? I didn't create it.

I tried to delete it, but it told me it couldn't because it was protected by the Root. How do I delete it? Do I go through my library or something?

Thanks. Your help is much appreciated.

15

2004 / Major Memory Problem

« on: February 01, 2004, 10:19:38 PM »

Thomas, thanks, you're program worked like a charm.

I still need your help. Apparently, all these folders were invisible, and they're stored in a fifth folder on my laptop hard drive called "Volumes". This caught me off guard because I didn't know Macs hid files. Unlike with PC's, I don't know how to make this folder- and all the files in it- visible so that I may access and move them. I could do this through the "Find" option, but that's messy and will take longer, and besides, it's best I learned how to hidden files works on my computer in case this happens in the future (and just for general purposes).

Thanks again.