Apple's Leopard Trick *Update!

OK. So I am back typing from my MacBook Pro. Whoo hooo! I would love to say that I got the Leopard problem taken care of quickly, but I'd be lying.

I spent the morning on the phone with Apple Support. The helpful phone voice said I'd be on hold for 15 minutes or more. Not a good sign. I put the phone on speaker and bounced off to answer the door. Got to talking with a friend came back to a phone making that annoying, someone has hung up on you sound. Nice...

Called the back. My VoIP decides to drop the call or is it Apple? Conspiracy? Nah....

Finally, after a feeding and diaper change - my baby not me - got on the phone with a live person. I told him the Leopard log in issue, added that I know he's heard about it all weekend and he says, "OK. I'm going to have to research that."

Huh? Really? The problem that's been burning up the phone lines, causing the 15 minute or more wait is something that has to be researched? His research took another 10 minutes, I swear. I watched the minutes click down on my phone.

The Apple rep gets back on the phone and has me going through the fix I found online 3 hours previously. Didn't I just blog that I don't think I should have to type in commands into a system that costs as much as MAC's does?

Well that didn't go as planned. I was typing, he'd go "Wait, there was supposed to be a space after that slash." I'd sigh, do as I was told and it still didn't work. He escalated me to an Apple product specialist or was it a Leopard product specialist, I never found out because after waiting another 20 minutes I gave up.

Luckily my brain and my hubby's ancient PC was working long enough for me to make a reservation at the Apple store. I showed up for my appointment with the Geniuses or Geni at the Genius Bar and after two attempts they got me going by doing an archive and install. By this time my daughter's out of school and the baby's awake looking for a snack.

Heavy one hungry ladybug and one miniature Snow White (it's Halloween) I wait for the system to get ta workin.' And finally, about an hour after we got there, we walked out of the Apple Store. I'm happy, so happy to have my buddy back. I am disappointed with the experience though and discouraged that no one followed up on a tune up for my buddy simply because I haven't paid for the Apple Protection Plan. So the money and productivity I've lost doesn't mean to much to Apple I guess.

Steve, why so cold? I thought we had something. I hope Leopard's a whole lot better than Tiger, enough for the trouble, but right now I can't even play with it, I've got deadlines!

Apple's Leopard a Nasty Halloween Trick for Some...

Apple just screwed me. No, it's not my Steve Jobs fantasy again - I just upgraded to Leopard, Apple's new operating system, yet I'm typing this from a PC with Windows 98. I feel so dirty....

Apparently Leopard has a nasty side for some of us MAC users. When you upgrade, Leopard decides you shouldn't have access to your old files. As a matter of fact you can't even log into your MAC. I'm talking about a complete lock out here people. Your MAC give you a log in box with the only option of "Other." I said what the heck, I'll just type in my normal username and password - no good. NO GOOD!

I have deadlines swimming around me like sharks, which is why I'm upstairs on my husbands PC which has given me the "blue screen of death" twice. Normally I'd sit all smug when PC users would bemoan the Windows upgrades and the many, many kinks and bugs. Then Apple does this to me.

Last night I searched the net looking for any info somebody might have. As it trickled in I realized I am not the only one. The Apple discussion boards are alive with Leopard upgraders who are looking at an empty log in box. Some solutions are offered, including one from Apple, that has users restarting in single user mode and typing in commands. I'm sorry the last time I typed a command into a computer involved:
10 Run
20 Left
...or something to that affect. That was in second grade when you made the turtle make shapes. For those of you don't remember - too bad :-)

The upgrade isn't exactly cheap and now I'm being asked to reprogram my own system so that when I screw it up I'm even more screwed. Did I mention I've got deadlines? So I move a couple of posts down in which someone says that Apple has a patch available, which is great for those who have UPGRADED YET! WTF Apple!

Come on Steve, ya killin' me. I'm losing my edge and my sanity. Is this a Halloween Prank? Because I'd rather if you'd TP the house. So instead of wrapping up my DEADLINES and taking the girls out for a little candy huntin' I'll be hanging out at the Genius Bar with a few hundred of my fellow MAC users.

In the freelance world it's important to make sure you've got backups. Mine is an old computer with an obsolete operating system while my top of the line MACBook Pro sits on the sidelines with it's own version of the "blue screen of death."

Updates to follow...