3 weird ALU iMac issues..

My ALU 20 inch iMac has 2 or 3 weird problems which I'd appreciate feedback on...
1. When I run Maintenance or Onyx they both said my start up has a problem and I need to install the original start up disk and have it repaired. I did so, it checked and said there were NO start up issues.
2. After shutting down for 3 days as I was away on holiday, I came back, started her up and there was the sound of the computer's drive being on but no start up process and nothing on the screen. I turned off for a while, did again, and on the third attempt it started up as normal.
3. Most weird of all, after downloading and watching a TV episode from iTunes, my dock disappeared. I put it to sleep and this morning it is still the same. I can only access Mail and Safari through the 'recent item's drop down menu.
Are these things connected? Why on earth does Onyx say I have a problem when the disk says I don't, and where might my dock be....?

Hello and thanks for your reply/
The Maintenance version is 1.2.0 and was just downloaded.
It says "the volume needs to be repaired. To repair your start up disk, start up from your OSX DVD..."
No more specific than that I'm afraid = start up volume?
Thanks.

Similar Messages

How come most people think it's an isolated Alu iMac issues?

My old PC couldn't do what I needed it to do anymore so I desperately needed a new computer for my project. I was going to go Apple's London store and move a new Alu iMac home immediately, but before I did that I came to this forum ... And that's how thing started to become very complicated.
At first, I was shocked by the number of people complaining about this 'new iMac issues' - the faulty display and the freezing problem ... mostly, the freezing issue. Quite a few people believed it was caused by the 1.1 update and the ATI card. After a few days of my intense reading on this iMac forum, Apple issued a statement acknowledging the freezing issue.
I knew it would only be sensible if I waited until Apple solve the problem. The thing is: I just cannot afford to wait - I have to finish my project.
I stared looking at other options: Mac Pro, MacBook Pro, Mini .... and ... what I have found on this Apple forum, based on what other Mac owner's posts, none of these models is clear of the same problem - unexpected, continuios freezing problem!
Based on what I have read so far, the freezing problem is not exclusive of the
1: new Alu iMAc - some white iMAc, MacPro, MBP, Mini owners have reported the same issue.
2: Macs with ATI graphic card.
3: Macs have been updated to OS X 1.1
4: Macs have games installed
It's a large, wide spread issue than some people would believe, isn't it? To be honest, I have started looking at Dell desk top these two days ... but I just cannot imagine to spend any money for another PC - it should be my last solution.
I desperately needed an Mac for my project - it's a very important one. I am depressed by the situation I am facing now and don't really know what to do. Can anyone kindly offer me some advice?
Some of you might say: get a grip - it's only a computer ... and the freezing issue is not that serious ...
However, if you rely on the computer to get your work done, would you really go ahead and buy an iMac regardless what is going on. Otherwise, what else can I do? If I buy an iMac and only work under bootcam with Windows until Apple fix the freezing problem - will it be a solution?
If you were me, what would you do?
I will appreciate any input!

David,
I posted the same thing and was taken to task by some posters for stating it also. The truth is that gamers were the first to report this issue and did so in far larger numbers than other users. In fact, those who are or were reporting issues with Aperture or iTunes or other applications really didn't start posting in significant numbers about the issue until a few days after it surfaced.
I think many people didn't get a chance to read some of the first posts on the subject as many of them were removed, for cause, and some of them are a few pages back now and forgotten.
I too have had the problem but in my case I was able to solve it by removing the game that was causing it all the time, reformatting the drive, reinstalling, and then updating. That was a week ago and I have not had any freezes since, but I have had video artifacts a couple of times. When it does that I just save my work and restart. I have even managed to get through some iPhoto sessions without issue.
*To the Original poster:*
No one can tell you what you should or should not do but if you want a Mac, buy one. This problem is not as widespread as some would have you believe. If you base your opinion on what you read here you would come to the conclusion that everyone's iMac is sick, but that is not true. In my case of the three Intel iMacs that I have, only my 24" has the problem, the other two are just fine.
Even if 30% of them were/are bad, which is an absurdly high figure, you would still have a 70% chance of getting one with no issues!!
I also trust that Apple will find and solve the problem. After dealing with them for 20+ years that is what I have come to expect based on my past experiences with them.
Message was edited by: Al Van Malsen
Message was edited by: Al Van Malsen

Alu iMac GUI slowdown

Every 1-2 weeks the GUI of our 24" Alu iMac (2.4 GHz, Aug 2007 model) slows down. Symptoms: cursor can be moved with the mouse, but the menus & windows respond only very slowly when clicked (about one minute). I can SSH into the machine from my iBook: 'top' shows low CPU usage, no program seems to hog the iMac, commands issued in the SSH session execute instantly. When "The Sims 2" is launched in this slowed-down state from the GUI, it takes AGES for the game to load, but once it is loaded, it can be played in fullscreen mode at full speed. (This indicates to me that the slowdown is not a graphics card problem.) After exiting The Sims and returning to the OS X GUI, it remains slowed-down. Only a hard reboot solves the problem. After the reboot the GUI reacts fast again.
The iMac is up-to-date, all firmware patches applied. No obvious hints in /var/log/system.log. There are some messages though which look suspicious to me, but have no idea whether these have anything to do with the slowdown phenomenon:-
SystemUIServer[7211]: Error: airportd MIG failed = 1 ((os/kern) invalid address) (port = 57667)
diskarbitrationd[47]: SystemUIServer [7211]:30279 not responding.
/System/Library/CoreServices/ManagedClient.app/Contents/MacOS/ManagedClient[7336 ]: MCXD.doPostComposite:[ODNode nodeWithSession: type:kODTypeLocalNode ] == -14270 (Unable to open Directory node with type 8704.)
com.apple.loginwindow[3786]: MCXD.doPostComposite:[ODNode nodeWithSession: type:kODTypeLocalNode ] == -14270 (Unable to open Directory node with type 8704.)
My wife already declared that "our next computer will not be a Mac", so quick help would be much appreciated!
thanks, András

Barry Hemphill wrote:
I would run the hardware checker that is, I believe, on your software install DVD. Alternatively, you may have received TechTool when you got your system.
Well, I forgot to mention this, but of course I had tried both of them. Running the extended AHT twice did not detect any h/w problems. Same with TechTools.
Although it is a reasonable suggestion, I am reluctant to send the machine to repair as it takes about 2 weeks for the symptoms to develop, and until now I haven't found the right voodoo to provoke the slowdown.
I would really like to know whether I am the only one with this problem or are others having a similar experience?
The only comparison I have is the Quad G5 PowerPC Mac I use at work. It also runs Leopard, plus all sorts of programs (scientific number crunching, MySQL and Postgres databases), I log out about once a month, and reboot only for upgrading. It is rock solid, like an Apple should be.

Mosaic and Freezing in Alu iMac

Hello, guys:
My alu iMac (20' 2.4GHz, OS 10.15.1) occasionally got a short mosaic bend. Log out the current user and log in again. It disappears. Has anybody got this problem? See the picture:
http://www.Photo-Host.org/img/523127_11-45-59.jpeg
Also my iMac frequently got freezing these days. In the forum a lot of people got this problem. It seems no solution so for. is it due to hardware failure or only a problem from the update? what is Apple doing? Don't let us disappointed.

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=6309797#6309797
I think this is the same issue?

Alu iMac stuck in SLEEP / Blank screen problem! Please Help!

I have a 24" 2.4GHz Alu iMac. I usually sleep my computer quite often at night instead of a full shutdown (although I make sure I shutdown completely a couple of times a week).
Recently I have gone to wake my iMac up in the morning only to get no response from keyboard / mouse. Upon a closer look I have realized that the imac is actually awake as I can hear the fans running, so it has woken by itself at some point during the night even though there is nothing on screen and no response to keyboard/mouse. I have then had to force it to shut down, something I hate having to do.
I've verified and repaired disk permissions, verified and repaired disk, reset the SMC, all without any change. There are external drives plugged in to firewire ports but none of these are on when problem happens. I have tried unplugging the drives when the imac is not responsive but it still fails to "wake". Although I have a wireless keyboard and mouse, they have full battery power and during short periods of sleep wake the imac up with no problems, it seems it's the long overnight periods that causes the problem. Is the time of night a factor perhaps? I herd something about imacs doing automatic maintenance at 4 in the morning or something? As I said before I have always slept my imac for long periods without problems, this is a recent thing the happened suddenly, perhaps coinciding with an update, I'm not sure.
I have created a new post as I am sure the iMac is not technically "sleeping" at the point of no response, so I don't want to it to get confused with potentially another issue of imacs not waking from sleep (although some of the people experiencing sleep problems may have imacs doing what mine is without realizing!).
Has anyone else experienced the above?
Thanks guys.

HI Joey,
Try resetting the PRAM/VRAM. http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1379
*"Is the time of night a factor perhaps? I herd something about imacs doing automatic maintenance at 4 in the morning or something? "*
Yes, your iMac if turned on will run "cron" tasks (maintenance), but it can run while the computer is sleeping. Here's the schedule for it. *"These tasks are scheduled for 03:15 to 05:30 in your computer's local time zone. "* More info here. http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2319?viewlocale=en_US
Check System Preferences/EnergySaver and click the Sleep tab. Click the Schedule tab and make sure you don't have a startup / wake scheduled.
*"Although I have a wireless keyboard and mouse, they have full battery power and during short periods of sleep wake the imac up with no problems,"*
Check System Preferences/Bluetooth. Click the Advanced tab. Do you have the; Allow Bluetooth devices to wake this computer selected?
Check System Preferences/Security and click the General tab. Do you have the; Require password to wake this computer from sleep or screen saver selected?
Carolyn

Selecting sound output on new alu iMac

I realise there have been quite a few posts about similar topics in Apple Discussions, but I would be really grateful if somebody could answer this one. I am using Tiger 10.4.11 (i'm waiting for software updates for Leopard to be released before installing it).
My question is, why haven't I got the option to switch sound to my iMac's internal speakers while still having my headphones plugged in?
When I go to System Preferences > Sound, the only sound output options I have are 'Headphones', and the Bluetooth headset that I use for iChat. It seems logical to me that I should have the choice to switch between internal speakers and headphones.
When I unplug the headphones, the internal speakers show up, any ideas? Could it be something to do with the Audio MIDI setup options?
Thank you in advance for your help.

I have a newer alu iMac, 24" and I have SoundSticks connected (external speakers). My options for Sound in SysPrefs are the SoundSticks or internal speakers. I have the option to select either one, even while the external speakers are in use.
I would think that you should have similar options, but maybe the Headphone option cancels the internal speakers similarly to how cell phones work when an earpiece device is connected. You don't hear sounds coming from the phone until you disconnect the earpiece.

Alu iMac 24" Condensation query

I have an alu iMac 24" had it for about 80 days and from day one I've had condensation problems. When the screen is turned on it's fine but when it's off I have what I can only describe as mist that seems to have come from the top left hand corner.
I love Apple and OSX but I regret getting the iMac now, do you think this is ground s for a refund/store credit?
Thank you,

George Peters wrote:
... Do you live in a humid climate?
The UK climate humid? More like very wet. I don't have a problem with mine, so it's not the climate.
If I was you I'd take it to one of the apple store's in birmingham and get them to have a look at it. If it's nothing then at least it has been reported.

Alu iMac electric shock

My first Alu iMac died within a week. I got a replacement from Apple. This new one gives electric shocks when I touch the keyboard or computer. Not all the time, every other few minutes. So I called Apple again. Btw, my first Alu iMac didn't give shocks, it just died completely.
Apple didn't want to replace it (they claim the 2 period is over and they are not willing to be flexible). They advised me to go to a service provider. They also advised using a grounded contact (our house doesn't have grounded contacts everywhere so that is difficult). I said that the first iMac didn't give shocks, so that 'grounded contact' story is not true. Before we have had more (i)Mac's without problems. The guy from the helpdesk was not very helpful, sticking to his procedures.
Are there more users with the same kind of problems who can advise me?
I can probably block my Visa card and have them give my money back. Then it is not my problem anymore, but Apple's.
Thx,
Jan

Apple didn't want to replace it (they claim the 2 period is over and they are not willing to be flexible)
The "2 week limit" applies only to returns of non-defective merchandise. If the product is "Dead On Arrival," you can demand a NEW replacement -- IF you notify AppleCare of the defect within *30 days*. Follow the link below for details:
http://store.apple.com/Catalog/US/Images/salespolicies.html
Of course, if the only "defect" is improper grounding, that's your problem -- not Apple's.
Looby

OpenGL Problems with Alu iMac

Hi, I've got a small but annoying problem wit my 20" Alu iMac (base model). It seems that some openGL based graphics are not shown correctly. Some polygones are blacked out resulting in an image with black triangles and trapezes, where the blacked out parts change constantly (I presume at the same rate as the frames are calculated).
I encountered this problem first using Windows and 3D-Games with Boot Camp as well as using Parallels or VMWare Fusion. Then I tried a little 3D-Game for MacOS called "l1neum". Same problem.
Now I made a clean install of MacOS 10.5 and realized that the problem occours with CoverFlow in the new Finder.
Has anybody else experienced this problem or got a solution?

Try downloading and installing the 10.4.10 Combo update. Let the update run alone. Don't use the Mac for anything else while it installs the update, including Airport and Bluetooth. Use a wired keyboard and mouse if you can.
Mac OS X 10.4.10 Combo Update v1.1 (Intel)
Repair Disk Permissions after the update is installed and you have restarted the Mac.

Installing Snow Leopard on Alu iMac with broken disk drive

The disk drive in my 24" alu iMac is crap and has never worked properly and now wont accept most disks and I've had Snow Leopard for ages but not been able to install it.
Would this work - I have an old Powerbook G4 1.5ghz with 1.25gb RAM and a fully working superdrive. Could I put the snow leopard disk in that and share the disk to my iMac connecting them with a firewire cable and install this way? (They both have 400 & 800)
How would I do this?

Actually, pretty much any iMac later than the second generation iMac G5 ALS (the "Ambient Light Sensor" model) are quite challenging to take apart & put back together without damaging something. Taking apart any of them after the ALS involves removing delicate items held in place by adhesives, removing hard to reach connectors, & so on. Not impossible but definitely not something the average user should try.
For that reason, I suggest an even more obvious option: instead of paying to have the internal replaced, just buy an external optical drive instead. For instance, Other World Computing offers a lot of them. Although I don't know if it sells outside the U.S. it should give the OP some idea of what's available.

Weird USB / sleep issue; what can I do?

This is an ongoing issue that has been popping up since at least as far back as 2012, possibly further. It never made sense, and I've slowly pieced together some strange occurrences that might shed some light on the problem.
Back in the Fall of 2012, I copied some data onto a USB thumb-drive from my laptop, then a 15-inch MacBook Pro (I bought it used, I think it was 2006 or 2007 vintage). There was a large amount of data transferred. The copying process took about half and hour. I took the thumb drive to a friend with a much newer computer. My friend told me the transfer took a few minutes. I knew something was wrong then. The MacBook Pro was running MacOS 10.6.8.
The MacBook Pro died March, 2013. I was able to hire a specialist to extract the internal hard disk from the laptop, put it in a USB case, and transfer the contents verbatim to a newer machine; I had to buy a refurbished late-2012 iMac. running MacOS 10.8. (Now runs 10.9)
I have noticed peculiar behavior in running this iMac. USB thumb drives and other USB hard drive transfers can occasionally seem sluggish. Weirder still, if I put the iMac to sleep overnight, waking it up in the morning causes a very strange "wake up" process where the display is greyed out and a progress bar lets me know it is slowly waking up. This wake-up process takes one to two minutes. This only happens when there are no USB peripherals connected to the iMac. If I put the iMac to sleep with a thumb drive plugged in, it wakes up instantly.
I have long suspected the iMac had some kind of software bug or corruption that was brought over from the MacBook Pro in March of '13, when I hastily transferred everything over in the midst of the laptop's breakdown crisis.
Recently, I ran Software Update on the iMac to get Epson and Security updates installed. I repeatedly was greeted by the warning message: "System extension cannot be used The system extension "/System/Library/Extensions/AppleUSBEthernetHost.kext" was installed improperly and cannot be used. Please try reinstalling it, or contact the product's vendor for an update." I have no idea what this means, but it does seem to confirm that there's some weird bug loose and it has to do with USB.
The only question is: what can I do about it? Would calling AppleCare for advice help?
I am my own "Chief Cook and Bottle Washer", in that I do my own I.T. most of the time. I've been using Macintoshes since 1986.

Hi Walt_Atwood,
I'm sorry to hear you have been dealing with this issue for so long. If you are getting error or alert messages about a deep system file (like a System .kext), you may want to try reinstalling your OS. This should not affect your files or user settings (as noted in the following article), but just to be safe it is alway a good idea to have a backup of your data prior to these kinds of troubleshooting steps.
OS X Mavericks: Reinstall OS X
OS X Mavericks: Back up your Mac
OS X Mavericks: Alternatives for backing up your Mac
Also, regarding the unusual wake up process that you noted, from your description it sounds like your machine is waking from Safe Sleep. This may be normal for your model (Late 2012 iMac) if it has been asleep for more than 4 hours and there has been no USB activity:
Mac computers: Progress bar appears after waking from sleep - Apple Support
Regards,
- Brenden

Weird Driver swap issue since 10.4.10 install

hey all hows it going.
i have a weird issue that i believe is a video driver issue. im actually a system administrator for a company so this is kind of fustrating not knowing how to fix something, so i turn to you guys!
ok so i have a imac g5 17" pc i've had since around 2003-4 now.. and the issue is that the display keeps alternating between 800X600 to the proper native resolution by itself randomly.
i have done a re-install of osx 10.4 and repatched to no avail, i have repaired permissions to the disc, i have started osx in safe mode and got it to rebuild the basic windows.preferences.plist file to no avail.
and then i noticed something. the specs on my mac had changed slightly since the 10.4.10 upgrade. i have not made any upgrade changes.
basically, this should be the video card according to apple and my receipt
Graphics NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra with 64MB DDR
SDRAM with AGP 8X support
from the website
http://support.apple.com/specs/imac/iMac_G5.html
looking on my "about my mac" "more.." section it states
ATI Radeon 9600:
Chipset Model: ATY,RV351
Type: Display
Bus: AGP
Slot: AGP
VRAM (Total): 128 MB
Vendor: ATI (0x1002)
Device ID: 0x4150
Revision ID: 0x0000
ROM Revision: 113-xxxxx-117
Displays:
err.. what the? i believe this COULD be the issue, no?
so my question is, how in the world could this happen and how do i change it back or change the video driver ? please help asap!

Thought you could use this info about getting FireWire to work!
First, you should always Repair Permissions in Disk Utility before and after any update; I would do that now. If you installed your update with FireWire plugged in, your Mac may not recognize it anymore.
Try resetting your FireWire ports by disconnecting all FW devices, shut down your Mac and unplug it from AC power (wall socket) for 30 minutes. plug it back in and try FW.
If that did'nt work, download the combo update from this site (yours may be corrupt), not Software Update, disconnect all firewire + USB devices except keyboard + mouse, Repair Permissions, re-install update, Repair Permissions again + try. Yours is the 10.4.6 Combo update. Others reading, download the Combo that applies to your system.
If that still did'nt get it Zap the PRAM. While restarting Mac hold down the following key combo Command-Option-P-R. Keep holding those keys down till you hear the second start-up chime, then release.
For those of you with Macs that are not PowerBooks or iBooks, a bad internal battery can cause FireWire to not be recognized, so make sure it's good!
Good Luck!
Cheers!
DALE

24" iMac issues...Please advise!

I have had a 24" iMac for about a month now. During that time, I have been experiencing some strange behaviour with the machine.
Firstly, it does suffer from the much discussed "hum" from the display, but I can deal with that. What has been much more irritating to me is that it sometimes spins up a fan to very high RPM for no apparent reason. The noise seems to originate from just behind the left side of the screen, which makes me believe it is related to the video card or hard drive.
What is irritating about this is that the fan typically spins up when waking from sleep, but doesn't turn back off, whether you are using the computer or just letting it sit idle. The fan still spins at the same speed no matter what you do or don't do. The fan stops spinning if you turn off the computer, but it resumes again on startup. However, if the computer is put to sleep for an extended period of time, it may or may not happen at waking. This is strange, because on the occassions that it doesn't run, I can do things as intensive as video work and gaming and it will never come on, nor will it display any artifacts on the screen to indicate overheating. Clearly, it is not a normal spin up that is happening. It is loud enough to lay down some serious noise through the built in microphone.
I'm not sure if it is related or not, but sometimes the computer will not sleep...putting the monitor to sleep, but never spinning down the hard drive. I have also put it to sleep before, only to find it had awakened on it's own.
Is this a logic board issue, or a need for a PRAM reset or some other function. Will a 10.4.8 upgrade help with this? I live a looonnnngggg way from an Apple store and really don't want to make a bunch of trips that aren't really necessary.

You are experiencing what are known as "dead pixels". Unfortunately, the LCD manufacturing process is less than perfect, and a certain number of "stuck" or "dead" pixels is considered acceptable. Sometimes, if there are enough of these pixels, Apple will replace your display. I understand that there must be over 8, and they must be obtrusive.
Take heart, though, as there are some things you can attempt to do on your own to fix the problem. Try this link for steps on how to get your stuck pixels back: http://www.wikihow.com/Fix-a-Stuck-Pixel-on-an-LCD-Monitor
24" iMac Mac OS X (10.4.7)

External Hard Drive and iMac issues

When I plug in my external hard drive to my macbook pro, it works great. But when I plug it into my new iMac, it shows up as read only? What can I do to rectify the situation without reformatting the hard drive?

Hi jsncrwfrd182,
If you are having an issue with being unable to access an external hard drive because of permissions, I would suggest that you troubleshoot using the steps in this article -
OS X Mountain Lion: If you don’t have permission to use a disk
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.
Best,
Brett L

IMac issues

Any ideas where I should go from this as it's been unanswered now for over a month? Sent via post, email and now forum.
Any advice on what I should do would be appreciated. Won't go to indepth as the letter says it all.
Noted also that my last post was deleted for some reason?
Thanks
Simon
Dear Sir/Madam,
I'm writing a letter of complaint, due to frustration, upset and general let down of two of your products.
In January 2008 I bought a 24" iMac G5 with iSight with the intention of using for university work. Since purchasing it I found that the Mac OS and software on it is so good that I replaced all of my Windows based devices with Apple products, this includes a Macbook, G5, time capsule and iPhone. The ease of use of your products, coupled with their quality and style has led me to recommend them to friends and colleagues, many of whom have gone on to purchase various devices.
Unfortunately for all the praise I put upon Apple and its products I have had a rather unpleasant experience with some of the items I own and the service that I have received. I am not one to complain lightly and generally willing to accept that all products have their issues and occasional problems but after repeated let downs I felt compelled to write this letter.
The iMac developed a Graphics card issue causing the screen and as a consequence the iMac to become unusable and as such I took it into the Bluewater Apple store to have it repaired under the APP I took out. I took my iMac fully boxed into the store as I didn't want it to become damaged on route. I understand your staff must see and handle these things everyday but the Genius I saw happily threw the polystyrene mould onto the floor and kicked it aside snapping it in the process, before pulling my iMac out and practically dropping it onto the desk.
Admittedly they are heavy but this was carelessness and not the inability to hold it securely. Surely your staff are trained in handling these products?
It was noted that something was wrong and the iMac was taken in for repair and could be picked up a week later. At the same time I had my Macbook looked at due to an issue with the battery and charger cable. This was rectified at that time.
Unfortunately a few days later my Macbook developed a new issue as well causing it to hang on boot up. I decided to have this booked in for the same time as I was due to pick up my iMac.
I went back a few days later to collect the iMac and have my Macbook looked at. After waiting for almost an hour they pronounced the hard drive in the Macbook dead. This meant another few days later I'd have to come back to the store, which is roughly 50 miles from my home.
Following this I was presented with my iMac with no box. As it was taken to the store in its box I was expecting to get it back in the same state I had left it in. When I mentioned this to the staff they gave little if any concern about this and I had to argue the point to get my box back. Although a box may not seem that important it was the way this was handed that surprised me the most. Once the box was found I was asked if I’d like a hand taking my product out to the car. This was a kind gesture but I politely declined as the car was only a few feet away. I was then told that he would take the product for me, as if I dropped it, it wouldn’t be covered by the warranty and I would be liable. I again polity declined but by which time he had picked up the product and was walking towards the exit. When we arrived outside announced that he needed to get out for a cigarette, using this as an excuse to smoke seems wholly inappropriate and very unprofessional.
When I got home I noticed that the remote for the iMac was missing, this was inside the box when it was given to the Apple store... Already quite irritated I set up the iMac and started it up, only to find that there were two dead pixels on the screen! Now these were defiantly not there before hand. On top of this my iMac was deadly silent before being repaired and now had a high pitched whistle emanating from it.
My girlfriend, father, brother and work friends all said they would have got extremely angry at this point and almost certainly got in touch with someone about the whole situation. With hindsight I tend to agree with them and wish I had done something about it before now however at the time I was just happy to have my computer back and be able to work on it again.
So what's sparked this letter? Around 4 days ago my iMac developed exactly the same issue with the graphics card and is unable to boot again. This is roughly 5 months after getting a 'new' one fitted and I now have less than 4 months warranty left, I am left wondering if this will end up happening again when the warranty expires?
That thought made me anxious but what topped it is my Macbook battery has died again as well. Although the Macbook is of less worry to me as I can still use it it's still a burden to me and something of massive frustration.
Just to put things into context I'm writing a list of products I have from apple.
My current apple product list:
iMac,
Macbook Black,
Mac Mini,
Mac Pro G5,
Time Capsule,
iPhone x 3 (in the household),
iPod x 2 (in the household),
iPod shuffle x 2 (in the household),
iPod Nano
Apple Software list:
Remote Desktop,
Logic Studio,
iLife,
Leopard
MobileMe
Journeys to Apple store to sort out problems:
1 x for Macbook battery
2 x for Macbook hard-drive (and another occasion which has not been talked about in this
letter)
2 x for iMac Graphics card
Totalling over 250 miles for Mac related issues.
As stated before I take pride in my machines and don't in anyway shape of form abuse them. They are put to sleep or shut down when not used and I even follow guides on your website to keep them in top shape. So I am positive it's not user error.
This can only lead me to think that there is a problem with these products, as your company has such a good reputation it suggests that I have been unlucky and just got a couple of machines with unusual faults. However this doesn’t really make the issues I have had or the treatment I have received any easier to take.
My confidence in Apple has been somewhat dented as a result of these unfortunate problems and I would like to know what you intend to do to rectify the problems I have had? I am not trying to get something for nothing; all I am hoping for is that you can provide me with a solution that will allow me to gain the enjoyment and pleasure from your products I so desperately crave.
I look forward to your reply
Simon Longson

If you wish to be pointed to the correct folks to assist, then post that, no more, no less.
There are two warranty options, the original 1 year warranty and the Apple Care extension to three years. BTW if you have not bought the extension, you have until the day before the one year warranty expires to buy and activate it. It often pays for itself with one repair.
Either directly, face to face with the store staff, or with an Apple Care first line agent on the phone, relay the information of the issues you are having with the Mac and rehearse the remedies that have been applied to the situation up to this point. If the issue is a repeat, or if there are multiple issues, directly ask for the machine to be replaced. From what folks report here, Apple's general policy appears to be to repair twice, then replace. There are often acceptions.
If you feel that the person to whom you are speaking is uncaring with your issue, request to escalate the issue to the next level; store management or, on the phone, a product specialist.
On the phone, ultimately, there are also Customer Relations agents who are authorized to pretty much make the customer happy. Hopefully you do not need to go to that level.
Always remain firm and specific in your requests, but non-argumentative. No threats, especially regarding lawyers. Apple pretty much will not deal with you at all after that kind of statement, other than perfunctory adherence to the warranty, which is always repair or replace on their terms.
Dah•veed

3 weird ALU iMac issues..

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