This isn't like me...but I need to vent!

[Wes Jordan]

I am so POed with my MacBook Pro right now. This is my first Mac and right now I feel that this junk is not better if not worse than my former $600 windows laptop.

So much for the superiority of Mac OS X, it crashes often, for example yesterday when I was watching the new commercial making fun of PCs and telling people that Macs never crash (yeah, right) Safari just closes. Twice it did that. The computer takes FOREVER to wake from sleep and sometimes it restarts when I wake it up (just opening the lid and waiting)

I am trying to burn DVDs, i need to burn 30 by the end of the hour and I only have ONE finished because the thing is so slow. It took me 10 minutes to try and figure out how to even burn a CD in disk utility before I gave up and used iPhoto. It took 5 minutes to make some disk image thing the when I copied all 1.4 GB onto it it wouldn't burn. With Windows all I had to do was make a writable folder. Where's the simplicity in the Mac OS with this? Or with networking? Or when it fusses at me for taking a flash drive out without ejecting it? Sure I don't have viruses but I didn't with my PC either.

Oh why did I switch?

I think I feel marginally better now....

 

[calebjohnston]

I'd shouldn't be quitting on you like that, take it to your Apple store. Why complain before trying to get it fixed?

 

[khisayruou]

when I was watching the new commercial making fun of PCs and telling people that Macs never crash (yeah, right) Safari just closes. Twice it did that.

Safari crashed, not OSX...
Yesterday it crashed my safari as well (watching from apple's site), today it played fine, so whatever they did...its fixed.

It took me 10 minutes to try and figure out how to even burn a CD in disk utility before I gave up and used iPhoto. It took 5 minutes to make some disk image thing the when I copied all 1.4 GB onto it it wouldn't burn.

Why are you even attempting to use disk utility and why are you trying to make a disk image...just make a burn folder and be done with it.

Theres a learning curve to everything, just take a deep breath, and work through it.

 

[plinden]

I know you're frustrated, but you need to take a deep breath and start again.

If you're a switcher, much of your frustration is due to inexperience with OS X and being used to doing things a certain way with Windows. I didn't try to do anything important with my iMac for a couple of weeks until I was certain I knew my way around it.

So you need to step back and think about what you need to do. Leave aside the random restarts for now.

Burn 30 DVDs? If you're burning just one copy, then it's more efficient to drag files to the empty DVD directly, but for multiple copies you need to create a disk image. So it looks like you have this already from iPhoto. Then open Disk Utility and mount the disk image (I don't have access to my iMac at the moment, but I think it's "Add Image", then navigate to its location). Put an empty DVD in the drive, click ignore, then select the image and click Burn in Disk Utility (I'm going by memory here, so I may have a step or two wrong). Test the DVD to make sure it works before repeating 29 more times.

So, back to the random restarts, obviously somethings wrong. Nothing's gone wrong with my iMac yet, so I don't really know where to start, but verifying your startup disk using Disk Utility may be good place to start.

By the way, nothing's going to burn 30 DVDs @ 1.4GB in one hour.

 

[Wes Jordan]

Yeah I know my demands were high...its the stress but also when I put the DVD in there isnt an option to open a burnable CD folder but it does list disk utility which is so confusing. Windows is better in this respect.

And yes the entire Mac does crash rather often. Even the first time I turned it on I had to do a hard reboot after connecting my iPod to it for the first time. I don't know what went wrong. I mean come on the whole idea is supposed to be that Mac bridges the gap between software and hardware.

 

[baby duck monge]

I'll trade ya for the computer(s) in my signature. They both work like a charm! Seriously, I haven't had a moment of trouble from either of them.

/knock on wood

 

[Unorthodox]

Intel Powerbook 1.83/100GB HD/512MB RAM

Hee hee. That made me smile.
No more PowerBook G5 threads.... We have Intel PowerBooks now.
Sorry. Im bad.

Anywho...

Sounds like you used to the Windows world.
Things work differently in Mac OS X world.
You have to unlearn every thing about your old Windowz box.
Start from scratch. A clean slate. Born again.
You should consider buying a book about the Mac.

If you have questions or issues ask them here! Then sit back and wait for:
speedy, helpful, witty, sarcastic, annoying, understanding and some times wrong answers.
Amen.

Ask, ask, ask!
Im so worked up I have to go to the bathroom!
'scuse me while I go tinkle.

 

[BurtonCCC]

Stick with it, man. You'll soon learn that all the little tasks you're trying to do, you can do so much easier on your Mac. You just have to think like a Mac user and always think, "There has got to be an easier way to do this," because in OS X, there is always an easier way.

As for your crashing, the reason it crashed when you first plugged in your iPod was probably because the iPod was formatted in Windows. It's not a necessity, but I restored my iPod before switching to Mac.

Safari crashes the of any Mac program, but still not too often, so maybe check Software Update to make sure you have all of the Security Updates.

As for other random crashing, the MacBook Pro has had some problems. If Apple doesn't do any recalls, you can be sure something is going to show up in your Software Update for the MacBook Pro to fix some issues.

We're always here to help.

Daniel.

 

[macgeek2005]

I am so POed with my MacBook Pro right now. This is my first Mac and right now I feel that this junk is not better if not worse than my former $600 windows laptop.

So much for the superiority of Mac OS X, it crashes often, for example yesterday when I was watching the new commercial making fun of PCs and telling people that Macs never crash (yeah, right) Safari just closes. Twice it did that. The computer takes FOREVER to wake from sleep and sometimes it restarts when I wake it up (just opening the lid and waiting)

I am trying to burn DVDs, i need to burn 30 by the end of the hour and I only have ONE finished because the thing is so slow. It took me 10 minutes to try and figure out how to even burn a CD in disk utility before I gave up and used iPhoto. It took 5 minutes to make some disk image thing the when I copied all 1.4 GB onto it it wouldn't burn. With Windows all I had to do was make a writable folder. Where's the simplicity in the Mac OS with this? Or with networking? Or when it fusses at me for taking a flash drive out without ejecting it? Sure I don't have viruses but I didn't with my PC either.

Oh why did I switch?

I think I feel marginally better now....

You need to learn that on a mac everything is done so much easier than on a PC. You're thinking too much, and doing too much. You're assuming that you'll have to do certain things to get what you want done, but that's only in the windows world. You're thinking on difficulty level 6 when the mac is on difficulty level 2. You don't expect it to be that easy, so it slips right past you.

 

[Wes Jordan]

I have been using a Mac for over 2 months now. But the fact is that I still don't like how often it crashes and how much it resembles a Windows computer when it comes to things like that.

 

[RGunner]

friend, something is wrong with your machine...

I have been using a Mac for over 2 months now. But the fact is that I still don't like how often it crashes and how much it resembles a Windows computer when it comes to things like that.

We / I use about 6 Macs around the house and at work, guess how many 'crashes' I have seen in the past 6 months... yep, not a one. Finder has had trouble accessing a 'sleeping' machine on the network, but thats understandable. Safari and FireFox are all very stable here.

Now I am familiar with Windows / Macs and their associated hardware and always know the outcome of whatever I install will be, before I do it... this is true for both Hardware and Software.

Have you added third party ram, and or third party USB hubs or devices?

Does the AHT show anything wrong? Have you made any attempt to diagnose the problem, or is it just unstable? Take it to the store and complain if none of the above fix your issues... seriously what you have been seeing is not the norm.

 

[BurtonCCC]

I have been using a Mac for over 2 months now. But the fact is that I still don't like how often it crashes and how much it resembles a Windows computer when it comes to things like that.

Honestly, if it even resembles the amount of crashes that happen in an OS like Windows for no reason whatsoever, something is wrong with your particular unit, probably right from the factory, and you should take it into to an Apple Store. Simply tell them, "It's crashing like a Windows-based machine," and they'll check it out.

I'm sorry your first Mac isn't performing like most Macs do.

Daniel.

 

[Dane D.]

Sounds like a problem with the unit, have it checked out by Apple or if possible take it to an Apple store. As previous posters have said, your still stuck in the Windows way of doing things. Macs are EASY, just think. Don't pull media out WITHOUT ejecting on Macs. Be patient and talk to other Mac users like us here, we can help. I know your frustration level is high but with a properly working Mac, life is good.

 

[Adamo]

"Or when it fusses at me for taking a flash drive out without ejecting it?"

PCs do that too.

 

[Mord]

i hate it when pc users think crashing is normal, if your mac crashes their is a problem that needs fixing, it wont just crash for no reason, it's probably a hardware problem and very rarely a software problem.

as for burning DVD's compared to windows it's a joy, you insert the DVD make it "open finder" then drag stuff onto it and drag it to the trash which turns into a burn symbol, or if your doing multiple copy's make a disk image like the dude said.

 

[Wes Jordan]

Windows does not have a message that comes up when you remove a flash drive from the USB port. I miss that. I hate having to bother ejecting it.

And to add to the list I almost ALWAYS have to restart my computer to get it to recognize an external display and I was inthe middle of a Keynote presentation and the computer just shut down. I restarted it and opened keynote and it shut down again. It was plugged into an exteral display if that could affect it (which I had to restart the computer to get it to recongize by the way)

 

[Mord]

your macbook has issues, call apple.

windows always bitches at me for removeing drives "unsafely"

 

[Wes Jordan]

your macbook has issues, call apple.

windows always bitches at me for removeing drives "unsafely"

Let update do its job with windows and when it installs SP2 it stops doing that. I know I always hated Windows update because when it is time to restart the computer it opens a box and you have to click restart later or it restarts in 5 mins automatically, losing anything that isnt saved, but with windows you have to run those updates.

 

[Wes Jordan]

Great...now I just tried to wake it from sleep...I opened the lid and it brought me to the login screen, which it has done recently and I knew that for some reason it logged me out. So I typed my password and it proceeded to log me in, saw my background, etc, then it crashs and goes back to the login screen. Tried again several times and the same thing happened. I ended up having to do a hard reboot. AHHHH!!! I am now convinced something is wrong....now to call Apple soon....

 

[timmac]

Windows does not have a message that comes up when you remove a flash drive from the USB port. I miss that. I hate having to bother ejecting it.

What version of Windows are you using? I have an iMac and a Dell at home. They're not currently networked, so I use a flash drive if I need to transfer files. With XP, if you do not click on the icon in the tray and select "safely remove hardware," you'll get a message telling you that you should have done that instead of just pulling the flash drive out of the usb port. BTW, I have SP2.

 

[disconap]

One piece of advice that might make you love your Macbook Pro (or Intel Powerbook, which hey, sounds worlds better than that stupid anti-power trip Jobs is on): buy more RAM. Tiger is using almost all your RAM just to operate, so your system and your applications are bouncing a lot of information back and forth from scratch. Another 512 will make it run smooth and another gig will make it cook.

 

[Wes Jordan]

One piece of advice that might make you love your Macbook Pro (or Intel Powerbook, which hey, sounds worlds better than that stupid anti-power trip Jobs is on): buy more RAM. Tiger is using almost all your RAM just to operate, so your system and your applications are bouncing a lot of information back and forth from scratch. Another 512 will make it run smooth and another gig will make it cook.

I intend to do so but can't afford it right now. Ya know, I think these things should ship with a gig of RAM. What kind of computer ships with only 512 at this price point. It's crazy.

But anyway having more RAM isnt going to fix the problems I am having.

 

[zephead]

What kind of computer ships with only 512 at this price point. It's crazy.

Most Dells still ship with 256MB of RAM (mine did). Hell, I think some might even still ship with 128MB. But then again, that's Dell. I'm getting 1GB when I switch.

 

[Macky-Mac]

have you called Apple about any of this?? as others have said, the kind of crashes and problems you're describing aren't "normal".....the sooner you get them straightened out, the happier you're going to be

and remember you get 90 days of telephone support.....set-up questions, also "how do I do this?" and "am I doing this right?" questions......it's in the price you paid for the computer so don't be reluctant to use it

 

[Eraserhead]

Yeah I know my demands were high...its the stress but also when I put the DVD in there isnt an option to open a burnable CD folder but it does list disk utility which is so confusing. Windows is better in this respect.

You need to select the option to open the disc in Finder, or alternatively right (or control) click and select new burn folder and then copy the files into it, hit burn and it'll burn the disc, it'll also verify the disc (which takes ages, longer than to burn the original DVD) to make sure its good, if you don't want to do this to speed it up cancel it.