Upgrading to Mac OS X Snow Leopard without a CD drive

I just accomplished what I thought was impossible.  Since I found out that the DVD drive in my Macbook no longer works (though it does read CD's), I thought I would not be able to install Snow Leopard.  However, thanks to some online instructions I was able to convince OS X that I was not on a Macbook, but a Macbook Air.  This allowed me to put the OS X Snow Leopard Installation CD into my Windows PC, and install the OS X update over a network connection.  It did take a bit longer, but everything is up and running now.


Here are the steps I followed:


1. Put the Snow Leopard Disc into the Windows PC, and install the CD sharing program.  Enable CD sharing.
2. Go to System Preferences in the Mac and enable CD/DVD sharing
3. Open the terminal and use these commands:

 defaults write com.apple.NetworkBrowser EnableODiskBrowsing -bool true
 defaults write com.apple.NetworkBrowser ODSSupported -bool true

4. Restart the Mac

5. The Remote Disc should now show up in the finder.  Open it, click on install and proceed as normal.  Note that you CANNOT disconnect either computer during the install.

6. It took about 90 minutes

Mac OS X 10.5.7 upgrade problems; worse than Jaunty

For all you readers out there who have Macs, take care when upgrading to 10.5.7

This is the most buggy Mac upgrade I have ever encountered. Here are the issues I had, which are not as bad as others.

My stats: Macbook 13" white that is about 18 months old; 2GB RAM, more than enough space on the HD.

1. When trying to upgrade via Software Update, the file failed a hash check, meaning that Apple was trying to send me a corrupted file. I tried restarting my computer, but the problem did not go away.
2. Due to the above problem, I downloaded the update from Apple's website, and attempted to install it myself.
3. Things went well until it wanted to restart, at which point the screen became completely garbled (it reminded me of a Windows 98 crash) and the computer kept trying to restart, but could not. The screen would go grey, then the garbled screen would re-appear.
4. In the end, my only option was to hold down the power button to turn off the computer.
5. Upon restarting, the computer proceeded to the main grey screen with the Apple logo, and then restarted.
6. The second time around, it go almost to the login screen, up to the point where the mouse cursor was workable. It restarted again.
7. Third time was the charm, the computer came back online and thankfully everything was OK.

Macs are just "supposed to work". This didn't. It sucked. I upgraded my 6 year old Dell to Ubuntu Jaunty Jackalope last week and that went down a lot better. Easier to upgrade Linux than OS X? Who would have predicted this day would come.

The lesson to be learned is to backup your computer often, to an external hard drive. And don't just assume things will work, even if its from Apple.

Mac, PC, or stupid?

When it comes to John McCain, he knows about as much about computers as he does about the economy.  I understand he's a bit old, but if you want to run the country you need to show that you understand things that younger (and I'm talking under 60) understand, like how to click a mouse, how to send a email, and how to read my blog.

iTunes is #1

iTunes has just passed Wal-Mart to become the #1 seller of music in the United States.  What started as a niche distribution center to fill up iPods with songs has become a full-fledged superstore that sells music, videos, even video rentals.

To those of you who still buy CD's at Best Buy or Wal-Mart, consider this.  You can buy 1 track on iTunes for 99 cents, and the entire album for $5.99 - $9.99.  This includes a digital booklet (like what you get in the CD) and can also contain music videos and extra specials.  

The CD is on life-support.

The Death of the CD

I've been predicting the end of CD's for a while.  Today's retailer news confirms that the CD is indeed dying.  Apple's iTunes music store has pulled ahead of Best Buy to take the #2 stop in music sales.  

Who is #1?  None other than the giant behemoth Wal-Mart.  

NPD predicts iTunes will be #1 very soon.  CD's will not go away right this minute, but within 5 years, buying a music CD could be like buying a cassette video tape these days.  

Already, computers are shipping with no CD/DVD drive.  The DVD is not immune to the death of the CD.  Music was ahead of movies in converting to an optical disc format, so I think that Blu-Ray will hang on for a bit longer.  But within 2-3 years, iTunes could very well be the #1 seller of videos too.  

Is this good news for consumers?  Of course it is.  iTunes now sells music with no digital rights management, the shit that prevents you from copying a song more than a certain number of times.  You can now buy a song and copy it as many times as you want.  Since each song costs only 99 cents, there's not much worry on having someone copy it and give it out to people.  

I use the CD player in my car to play MP3 CD's.  Most of these songs were downloaded in one way or another.  I also have iPod integration in my car, and anyone with a radio can do this as well.

1. Buy an iPod

2. Buy an "FM transmitter"

3. Download/buy music online

4. Put onto your iPod

5. Take your iPod with you in your car, listen to your music on whatever station you choose.

Almost Obsolete

With today's surprise announcement of new Macbook and Macbook Pro models, my Macbook is almost obsolete.  The only reason it's not quite there yet is that the base Macbook model is not as fast as mine nor does it have a DVD burner.  However, you could effectively get a computer that's better than mine for $200 less than what I paid.  Such is the price of loving technology.

How's that for accuracy

I guess I read the right rumors.  Apple did indeed introduce a Macbook Air today.  It is available with a solid state hard drive for an extra $1,000.  Its price ranges from around $1800-3000 depending on configuration.  It is the world's thinnest notebook.  It does NOT include a DVD player, as predicted.  It does include most of the other standard ports, but not ethernet, so its wireless only.