Ed "The Computer Wizard"

Good news! I have my netbook back. It came back with a note from the repair guys stating that they replaced the motherboard. Gee, didn’t I tell the support techs that I had a bad mother board? Yeah, like about 20 times!

So I plugged it in and powered it up. The first thing I noticed was that HP Logo is gone and has been replaced with a Compaq Logo. Not a big deal, but the service guys could have at least fixed the “No Serial Number Found” error message. What ever, it’s an easy fix…

Now, did I get a wiped machine, or did they leave my OS alone? Look, that Apple Logo! So I won’t need to reload OS X, but the bad part is that the system has been down for so long that my Office 2008 trial ran out. So now I have to either buy it or look for another app.

I downloaded the trial for iWork so I am going to try that and then check out NeoOffice as a free alternative. I’ll let you know what I end up with.

So, anyone have any great, must have MAC Apps that I should try? Also I am looking for a way to set a bookmark in an audi file on my iPhone.

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So, I was working on a post detailing how I had wiped Windows 7 off the drive and installed OS X 10.5.7 from an iAtkos DVD. First off, it was working great! Sound worked out of the box and so did the wired network, which I seldom use. I was really happy with the way it was working. I downloaded Office for MAC Trial Version and gave that a shot, it was pretty cool. I installed a few other programs that were nice to work with. I set the system up so I could use Remote Desktop and Cisco VPN software so that I could work remotely on my mini. Then one day I hit the power switch and nothing happened.

I did not hear the machine try to POST, the BIOS options never came up, there was no HP logo, nothing…. The power light, wi/fi light, and the track pad light came on. If I plugged the power cord in, then the charging light came on. But that was it. No fans, no system beeps, no indication that anything was going on.

So I went online and did the HP Chat Support thing. The guy had me do some things like unplug the system, remove the battery, and hold the power for 30 seconds. Then plug it in without a battery and try to power on. He also wanted me to hit F10 during boot up, even though I explain that if it doesn’t post, the BIOS won’t load, and if the BIOS doesn’t load then you can not enter BIOS options. he didn’t get it, so I just did what he asked. Ultimately he determined that something was wrong and said he would ship me a return mailer box and a pre-paid FedEx label. I should have it in 3 -5 business days.

Well, a week went by without anything showing up. So I again went to HP Chat. I gave the guy my Activity ID from the previous session and he said he could see what I had tried before and yet he had me do most of the stuff again. Whatever, I asked where my box was. Apparently the first guy never ordered one for me. So after confirming my address and phone number, another box was ordered. Again, this would be a 3 – 5 day delivery time frame. I waited yet another week and still nothing.

I was on the MyHPMini.com web site and I see that someone was talking about how best to get through to tech support for the mini and they even listed a phone number. So the next day I used my lunch break to call them. It took a little while and they guy had me repeat some of the same steps the previous two guys did, but ultimately he did get a box shipped to me. I received a confirmation email from FedEx within a few minutes so I felt confident I would have my box soon.

I wish I would have taken pictures of this little box. It looked like a coffin for my netbook. So I played amazing grace on my iPhone, said a few words and packed the system up. There was a bag for the unit, and a smaller box for the power supply and battery. I filled out the form with the description of the problem and a phone number. It was nice of HP to include a long strip of packing tape to seal the box, I don’t think I have any at home. I took it to work with me the next day and left it in the mail room for FedEx pickup. I tracked it online and it got there yesterday, and I received a confirmation of receipt from HP this morning.

So, I should have it repaired or replaced within a few days. I’m sure I will have to reinstall OS X on it, but hopefully I won’t have to worry this any more.

Anyone ever deal with tech support and have a story to share? Tell it in the comments.

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Steve Jobs was once quoted as saying “Why join the navy if you can be a pirate?” It is in that spirit that the OSX86 Project thrives. I have discussed turning my HP Mini 1000 into a Mac Netbook for some time now, and I think the project has come along enough to make this a useable Mini MacBook hack.

Image used with permission from David Cortes. Download this image as a wallpaper or buy a T-Shirt version at shinyblacksheep.com.

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Chris | Live Tech Support | Video Help | Add to iTunes

Who here has had to provide technical support for a friend or family member?  Watch the video and read more below…   More »

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I recently began testing movie playback under Windows 7 and have some interesting feedback. Different players yielded different results on this HP Mini 1000’s Atom processor.

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