Apple Mac repairs

[alchresearch 215]

Do you want to buy an iMac?

[jimjamyahauk 10]

Hi,

 

What are the specs of the iMac?

 

Thanks,

 

 

Do you want to buy an iMac?

Edited April 17, 2009 by jimjamyahauk

[greydog 10]

Hi,

 

If you've got an Apple Mac and it's not behaving itself please PM me and I'll be happy to help.

 

I can repair iMacs, PowerMacs and all old macs - software and hardware problems or just simply provide advice.

 

Thanks,

 

James.

Hello James (jimjamyahauk)

 

I got a challenge for you . My mac is broken - I think its the power unit as It won't turn on or anything. I've looked inside and nothing looks scorched. Can you help?

 

Thanks

 

Victor

[InTheUK 10]

Why is Finder so underpowered

 

Which version of OS X (or 9!) are you using?

 

Do you have specific issues with the Finder or is it general dislike? I find that it's customisable enough to make it work for me - mostly by changing / reordering the tools at the top of each window - take 'Customise toolbar' in the View menu - and adding a couple of folders to the panel on the left hand side.

 

There are alternatives, Path Finder is well regarded (see recent review here). Or you can leave the GUI completely and just use the Terminal for all that 'finder stuff'

[jezzyjj 10]

I'm using OSx 10.5.5 and Finder should be renamed Loser as it's not only pathetically lacking in ability, it's also very flaky and keeps losing the contents of entire hard drives until you reboot.

It amazing how people say you should use Terminal to makeup for OSX's shortcoming as it undermines the whole [supposed] point of OSX in that it should be easy, not faffy and fiddly and certainly not command liney.

 

My specific dislike of Finder is that it is cripplingly simplistic, not simple to use. Not only that, you sometimes have no idea where you actually are, there is no indication as to where the file you are looking at actually is. I do hacks in Terminal to make it less painfull, but the lack of information and finesses is remarkably awful. I use a PC to manage my Mac files as it's so much quicker at times.

I've tried all the Finder alternatives, but sadly all are a bit lacking as well. Though PAthFinder 5 is just out and seems a lot better, though still very Finderish

 

I'd hardly describe Finder as customisable after using other file managers which have customise dialogue boxes more complex than all of Finder - that's complex in a good way.

[FAT DAD 10]

Hi james i have a G4 osx n was woundering how much it would cost for a upgrade to make it run smoother n get upto date with all the new stuff.

 

cheers fat dad:thumbsup:

 

Hi,

 

If you've got an Apple Mac and it's not behaving itself please PM me and I'll be happy to help.

 

I can repair iMacs, PowerMacs and all old macs - software and hardware problems or just simply provide advice.

 

Thanks,

 

James.

[musbird 10]

Here's a challenge for you. my OH has an apple mac and at the mo - when he clicks "sleep" the screen dulls a little but doesnt sleep, and it freezes. He is having to reset/restart it about 4times a day at the mo.

 

Any ideas???

[jezzyjj 10]

Here's a challenge for you. my OH has an apple mac and at the mo - when he clicks "sleep" the screen dulls a little but doesnt sleep, and it freezes. He is having to reset/restart it about 4times a day at the mo.

 

Any ideas???

Get a PC!

[InTheUK 10]

I'm using OSx 10.5.5 and Finder should be renamed Loser as it's not only pathetically lacking in ability, it's also very flaky and keeps losing the contents of entire hard drives until you reboot.

 

Humor me here - are the drives external? And if so, are they connected via firewire or usb?

 

It amazing how people say you should use Terminal to makeup for OSX's shortcoming as it undermines the whole [supposed] point of OSX in that it should be easy, not faffy and fiddly and certainly not command liney.

 

Hmm, well my suggestion to move to Terminal wasn't serious.

 

You sometimes have no idea where you actually are, there is no indication as to where the file you are looking at actually is.

 

Have you come from a Windows machine originally? I've just been moved over to vista at work and have a very similar issue with the address bar there - in that it won't start at the 'root' location if there's not enough space to display the whole path - it chops off the leftmost part. Very, very annoying.

 

In the Finder, there's a few ways...

1 - Apple-click the icon in the title bar. You'll get a popup menu with the parent folders.

2 - Using the Customise Toolbar function, add the 'Path' control to the toolbar. (This is done via drag n drop, very clean, simple & efficient imo)

3 - Use the Get Info command, available in the contextual menu for any file / folder

4 - Best way - turn on the Path Bar - View menu, Show Path Bar.

 

 

I'd hardly describe Finder as customisable after using other file managers which have customise dialogue boxes more complex than all of Finder - that's complex in a good way.

 

You're never going to get hundreds of options / customisations with Apple software, at least the parts of it that are highly visible to the end-user. It's a philosophy that I (as a software developer) usually agree with - if the UI is correct then there should be no need / requirement for the user to make loads of changes before they're happy. If this applies to the finder is another question - i, personally, having experience with Finder from v6 onwards and Windows Explorer from 95 onwards have, over the years, found the Finder a better environment than the Windows alternative at that point in time and having used vista for a bit now, as mentioned above, don't see this changing any time soon.

[jezzyjj 10]

Humor me here - are the drives external? And if so, are they connected via firewire or usb?

Internal drives

 

Hmm, well my suggestion to move to Terminal wasn't serious.

Lots of people suggest it very seriously as a way of sort out Mac problems. Not realising the irony.

 

 

Have you come from a Windows machine originally? I've just been moved over to vista at work and have a very similar issue with the address bar there - in that it won't start at the 'root' location if there's not enough space to display the whole path - it chops off the leftmost part. Very, very annoying.

In the Finder, there's a few ways...

1 - Apple-click the icon in the title bar. You'll get a popup menu with the parent folders.

2 - Using the Customise Toolbar function, add the 'Path' control to the toolbar. (This is done via drag n drop, very clean, simple & efficient imo)

3 - Use the Get Info command, available in the contextual menu for any file / folder

4 - Best way - turn on the Path Bar - View menu, Show Path Bar.

None of this should be necessary. A 'Finder' that makes it very vague as to where you actually are, has fallen at the first hurdle really. Not to mention none of this is of any use when in opening or saving files dialogues.

To make Finder part bearable, involved hacks via terminal and again contrary to the ease of use mantra. FInder is simplistic, not simple to use.

As for moving files when folder names are the same, effing useless compared to a PC. As there is no usable feedback at all. It's all or nothing. Now as when backing up some folders when several files amongst 100,000 files have been changed, you have to copy all the files not the ones that have been changed. Trash Vs Recycle bin - one is easy to return files to right place if mistake is made, the other isn't as it's too simplistic, guess which?

 

 

You're never going to get hundreds of options / customisations with Apple software, at least the parts of it that are highly visible to the end-user. It's a philosophy that I (as a software developer) usually agree with - if the UI is correct then there should be no need / requirement for the user to make loads of changes before they're happy.

But as Finder so evidently illustrates, Apple aren't very good at ergonomics. Not to mention we all use computers in very different ways and as I'm not Steve Jobs, why on Earth should I be forced to work in a similar dumbed down manner to him. UIs are never correct for everyone, as everyone uses a diferent subset of tools. So allowing then to display what they need and not what someone else needs, is one of the most important aspects of a good UI.

Software developers rarely use software in the same way as the end user and so are not always the best judge of how to design the UI. Look at how Lightroom changed via the public beta. The original version was so deeply flawed it was useless, but after the feedback from end users a lot of it was changed. Which interesting far less like the Aperture/Apple paradigm [Aperture was a copy of early LR btw]. And LR way outsells Aperture, even amongst Mac users as it's a much better programme.

Lack of choice is not a good thing, just look at Apple's truely pathetic laptop selection. A mirror for a screen and no professional 13" or any models smaller than 13".

 

If this applies to the finder is another question - i, personally, having experience with Finder from v6 onwards and Windows Explorer from 95 onwards have, over the years, found the Finder a better environment than the Windows alternative at that point in time and having used vista for a bit now, as mentioned above, don't see this changing any time soon.

Explorer is easier to use, more powerful and faster as a result.

And considering I use an Explorer replacement that is one of the most powerful, clever and extrememly customisable programmes ever, Finder's lack of ability is even more of an issue. Sadly not available on OSX.

 

Anyway now Pathfinder 5 is out, I have installed that and won't bother with Finder again. It's still not a patch on Directory Opus, but much better than the lame duck that Loser, sorry Finder is.

[mickeyjones 10]

jimjamyahauk,

 

3 years on...do you still do mac repairs?

[jimjamyahauk 10]

jimjamyahauk,

 

3 years on...do you still do mac repairs?

Hi, I do still repair macs.

 

Please post the issues you're having or PM me and we can take it from there.