GSOD on my second Black MacBook

Hey guys,
I picked up a brand new black MacBook from the Wisconsin store while working on the road almost exactly two weeks ago. I immediately encountered two issues with it. The first was the (now resolved) Adobe Creative Suite 2 installation error concurrent with QuickTime 7.1, the second was semi-frequent logic board-related problems.
In the first two weeks I was struck twice by the dreaded (and extraordinarly rare) grey screen of death telling me to immediately hard-reset my computer. The first was completely random, I was in the middle of light application use (Safari, Adium, iTunes, TextEdit, Mail). The second time occurred the very moment I unplugged my external speakers from the analog 1/8 jack. Additionally when installing Boot Camp, the computer froze four times while I tried to install it.
I took the unit back to the closest shop to me (Columbus, OH) yesterday and had the Mac Genius check it out. Upon reviewing the crash logs, he determined the processor was receiving faulty instructions from somewhere in the process and immediately replaced my MacBook with a brand new one. This has worked extremely well up until about 10 minutes ago, when I again removed my 1/8" headset jack -- receiving again, the grey screen of death.
What is going on? Is this software related? Hardware? Does it pertain to a certain series of MacBooks? My process upon receiving any new Mac I've had in the last three years is to take the installation discs, wipe, and reinstall with as few components as possible from scratch. In this particular instance I elected only to install the core components plus Photo Booth, Front Row and iPhoto. No language packs, no additional software, nothing. Is that the cause?
I'm not looking forward to having to return this again... the one problem aside, this has been a phenomenal computer and I'm otherwise very pleased.

I too had the kernal panic when I unplugged my iPod headphones. Since then I haven't replugged them back in, and it hasn't happend since. I have the $1,299 macbook 'out of the box' install. I seem to think it's hardware related, and I would suspect that an update would address(?) that kernal panic issue, but who knows. Sorry to say it, but glad to hear I am not alone in the headphone jack issue.

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Quick review of my wife's new Black MacBook

OK - so SWMBO chose Black last night at the Apple Store. Store upgraded the stock 512MB (2x 256MB sticks) with 2x 512MB sticks and ran memory test to ensure all was AOK - it was.
This MacBook replaced her 14" iBook G3 700MHz with 30gig HD, DVD-ROM/CD-RW and 640MB memory running Mac OS X 10.4.6 with all latest Apple updates.
First impressions during use and transferring wife's files from her old iBook.
1. Startup was flawless and connected FW400 cable between MacBook and iBook and restarted iBook in Target mode and selected to have all of wife's home files transferred along with other network settings etc. Transfer completed without problems.
2. As soon as startup completed I Restarted (re-booted) and selected Software update. Geeeesh - there was a lot of stuff that Apple hadn't installed on this stock machine. Downloaded and installed all this stuff without problems.
3. Now I ran Monolingual to remove all languages except English. This freed up some 3.2 GB of HD space. This took around 30 mins and placed a great deal of stress on the CPUs and HD. CPU activity was well above 80% (using Top.app) and Monolingual chewed up lots of physical RAM and started eventually to cause pageouts on the 1gig of physical RAM. The top left quadrant of the MacBook got very hot. The lower surface of the quadrant was extremely hot and would be bothersome had it been on my lap. The cooling fan could be heard during most of the time Monolingual was running. I believe the Monolingual also removed a large number of language files - as many as 287,000 as before running it I recall seeing 437,000 files and now only have 154,000 files (can't be absolutely sure about these numbers as I did not log them at the time). However, if this is true then not only do you get some 3.2 gig of HD space back a huge reduction in file count which helps with SpotLight indexing and anything else that has to scan the file system structure.
4. Ran SuperDuper to backup the HD to and external FW400 LaCie 60gig pocket HD. Took about 30 mins. The first run at this caused SuperDuper to complain it could correct the internal HD's permissions. So I quit SuperDuper and launched Disk Utility and ran Repair permissions. This completed with errors and then launched SuperDuper a second time and it did not have problems with the HD permissions. I observed that SuperDuper (not a universal binary) ran far quicker on the MacBook than it did on the iBook - I would say around 2x faster. After SuperDuper cloned the MacBook's HD I then verified I could boot up from the external FW400 LaCie drive. This worked flawlessly.
5. QT Pro didn't come across from wife's iBook so had to reset the QuickTime Pro registration key.
6. The MacBook screen real estate is less than the 14" iBook. It really is the height of the MacBook's screen that causes this. The MacBook's screen is same width as the iBook but is about 1.5" less in height. Overall the MacBook feels, looks and is smaller than the 14" iBook. The MacBook's screen display is clearer and brighter than the iBook's. The MacBook's screen display is very vibrant and more colorful than the iBook for sure.
7. Opening the MacBook screen/lid takes a bit of getting used to compared to the method needed for the iBook.
8. Keys are flush with the MacBook's outer surface which means they do not contact the screen when screen closed. The iBook's keys aren't and stick up some and can over time mark the screen with finger tip grease etc.
9. MacBook's trackpad is larger than the iBook's and very welcomed - as is the two-finger scrolling feature.
10. Adding a pic for accounts was fun as the iSight feature is by default used to capture a mug shot of yourself if you so desire.
11. Performance of MacBook compared to iBook 14" 700MHz is not very noticeable IMO when doing Safari and Mail type activities. Things do happen with more snappyness though. Yes - SuperDuper ran 2x faster but normal use of MacBook so far doesn't tell me it's 2x2000MHz/700MHz or some 5.7x faster wrt CPU clock rates. I'm sure the MacBook is faster at doing CPU intensive things but have not done any scientific performance testing to post results. I get the feeling that this MacBook is maybe 2x to 3x faster and more snappier than the iBook. The Disk Inventory X utility screams on this MacBook.
12. MacBook is lighter, thinner and more easily handled than the 14" iBook. It will also fit into the iBook 14" Bootq bag I bought for wife last Christmas.
13. My wife likes the MacBook very much after a morning of use. She maintains the Black MacBook is cool looking and more professional looking than the White and pleased she chose the Black.
14. We are both very pleased with the Black MacBook purchase at this time.
The 14" iBook is now to be handed down to daughter #1 as a birthday+Xmas present.

Update to my item 4 as there were some typo errors in it (sorry about that).
4. Ran SuperDuper to backup the HD to and external FW400 LaCie 60gig pocket HD. Took about 30 mins. The first run at this caused SuperDuper to complain it could not correct the internal HD's permissions. So I quit SuperDuper and launched Disk Utility and ran Repair permissions. This completed without errors and then launched SuperDuper a second time and it did not have problems with the HD permissions. I observed that SuperDuper (it's a universal binary) ran far quicker on the MacBook than it did on the iBook - I would say around 2x faster. After SuperDuper cloned the MacBook's HD I then verified I could boot up from the external FW400 LaCie drive. This worked flawlessly.

Hibernate is not working (Black macbook)

Hi, I generally set my black macbook (late 2007 model) to hibernate instead of sleep when I close the lid. I used the 'pmset -a hibernatemode 1' command.
After booting up fresh, the first time I close the lid, it hibernates, and I can wake it fine by opening the lid and pressing the power button. The second, third, etc. times when I close the lid, the sleep light comes on BUT NEVER TURNS OFF!! When I open the lid, it will not wake up, and I have to manually restart the macbook via the power button.
What's more, after the first hibernation, I sometimes find that my bluetooth settings are frozen. That is, when I try to change my bluetooth settings, the spinning cursor comes on, and I have to force quit from System Preferences. Then, going back to bluetooth settings only makes System Preferences freeze again. At this point, I have to reboot in order to access bluetooth settings.
This is really annoying, because I frequently use hibernate in order to save my computer image and not have it wake up via USB mouse or keyboard, etc. Am I alone on this or have other people faced this issue too? Thanks.
Message was edited by: mikester007

I have been experiencing the same problem, though I have tried both the Midnight and Deep Sleep widgets. I've never had a problem with waking from sleep, only with hibernating in the first place... the light stays on and I have to hold down power to get a response. This happens about 1/3 of the time, though it seems to be happening more often since upgrading to 10.5.6.

Have recently acquired an additional black MacBook, and installed Snow Leopard onto it. Trying to get it to connect via a plug-in USB wifi unit (poor reception on Airport) I have an extra Network Location which does not work. How can I remove it?

Need to get a second hand black MacBook connected. Poor reception on Airport so tried a plug in wifi aerial. That didn't work, but now have a Network Location I can't get rid of. How do I remove it ?

Hello my ginger,
I tried what you suggested - but to no success. The problem came up when I was re-entering the new settings. If I left it as using DHCP it would run for a few seconds with no IP address, then drop in a 169.254 one which would not connect through. To overcome this I tried using the 'Using DHCP with manual address' option and entered in an address which it had set up from the clone boot. This appeared to be okay. When I then tried renewing DHCP lease sometimes that address held. When I tried connecting though - no sight of the internet, and the exclamation mark was across the wifi icon in the menu bar. If I switched it to Using DHCP it would randomly fall back to the 169.254 address.
The only significant differences I could see when cross checking all the settings info was in the WINS panel the NetBIOS had a slightly different configuration of the name - but as they ended in the same numbers I assumed they were the same. And, when looking under Keychain Access, in the System section list (it also appeared in the login section) additional info box they had different locations - 28 characters in four groups. I don't have a clue what this refers to. Also the allow access list in the boot clone included System Preferences, but did not in the Snow Leopard boot, so I added it in. With no success.
I am so frustrated I am thinking of giving up. I seen have loads of postings on the net about a variety of problems with wifi connection on Snow Leopard. I have version 10.6.3. Did it get any better in later Snow Leopard ? Or in any of the OS s after that ? It was always so easy and so solid under Leopard - why the h**l did they change it ?

Problem starting up a black Macbook

Hi all,
I'm having a few problems with a black Macbook (Intel Core Duo 2GHz) I've been given (I was warned of the faults) and I hope someone will be able to point me in the right direction. The warranty on the machine has long since expired. The hard drive was broken, but I've swapped in one from another Macbook, which works fine.
1. When I hit the power button on the machine, there's a momentary flash from the LCD, then the machine goes dead. This happens every time. To get the machine to start up, I now have to hold down the power button for 10 seconds until the light on the front starts flashing and the Macbook emits a loud beep. Then the machine starts as normal.
2. Once in the OS (Leopard), the fan goes nuts and hovers around 6000RPM all the time. I've followed various bits of advice regarding this, including using Activity Monitor to track down rogue processes (nothing above 3% CPU usage), print jobs (none), etc. The fan is sitting at a healthy 41 degrees Celcius (105 Fahrenheit). I've downloaded smcFanControl, but for some reason I can't get this to run. I double-click the icon, but nothing happens -- weird. I don't really think manually controlling the fan speed addresses the root cause anyway.
Edit: I've also tried an SMC reset for the fan problem, but this did not solve the problem.
Edit 2: Just discovered another problem, which is more than likely related to point 1. The machine was in sleep mode with the lid shut. I lifted the lid and the LCD came on so I could see my desktop then the machine abruptly went dead.
Do I have a borked logic board?
Message was edited by: Rob Schmitt

Hi Lyssa,
Thanks for your response. Yes, I have the original discs for the machine.
I've just booted the machine into safe mode (still had to do the same trick of holding down the power button for 10 seconds or so), but it made no difference. The fan's still spinning at 6200RPM.
Just noticed one thing. Right before I get the Apple logo when the machine boots, I get a flashing folder icon with a question mark in it. This lasts for only 1 second. I can confirm that the hard drive is perfectly functional as it boots just fine in my other Macbook.
Rob
Message was edited by: Rob Schmitt

New black MacBook, USB issue

I have a friend (no, seriously) that just made "the switch" and moved to a black MacBook at my urging. It's brand new, but from day 1 he has been complaining that anything he plugs into one of the USB ports keeps dropping out randomly. He said he found on some website that this is just a MacBook issue and that the solution is to use the other port. Then today he said the other one intermittently started drop out too.
I say it's broken, he should send it back and get a new one... but I don't know enough about the MacBooks to tell him that it's a unique issue.
Anyone else seen anything like this?
Dual 867 G4

Hey guys.
I use Scratch Live also, and BTW its Serato.
anyway, this is quite the problem over at Scratchlive.net
Many of the users have run tests and have come to the conclusion that when the SL1 box is plugged into the "bad" port, that being the USB closest to the firewire cable, it is somehow linked to the track pad, and therefore goes into some kind of sleep mode. If you leave the trackpad alone, when the SL1 box is plugged into that port, let it sit for 20 seconds, then touch the pad you will get a drop out.
This is the case for both the MBP, and the MB.
The funny thing is...when we run Scratch Live in windows XP, using bootcamp...the problem is not there, WHAT-SO-EVER.
So this is obviously a Mac OSX issue.
The problem still persists and I've got the Developer versions of 10.4.9, and still the problem is there.
This isnt just a case for Scratch Live either, it happens with ANY audio interface that is plugged into the bad port.
I.E. Mbox, Scratch Live...anything USB audio interface related.
So hope this helps and check the link...its a big problem in this DJ community.
lol.
help?
any Developers out there that can write a code that prevents the track pad going into sleep mode?
http://scratchlive.net/forum/discussion/?discussion_id=24832#new
Macbook intel Core 2 Duo Mac OS X (10.4.8)

I have a 2008 black macbook and access UK tv through a purchased proxy site. I want to buy a sony bravia internet connected tv to watch the channels in more comfort. Sony tell me this won't work - that the tv cannot capture my macbook content. Any advice?

I have a 2008 black MacBook and acess UK tv through a puchased proxy. I want to purchase a Sony Bravia internet connected tv and stream the site through a tv - Sony tell me this won't work - that a latest model tv cannot capture content and sites from a MacBook - is this true???? Surely there is a solution? Any help or advice welcome.

They are correct. The only stream you can wireless connect the TV to a Mac is through an AppleTV, and that's purchased content on iTunes, and your own homemade content that is H.264 MPEG-4 that is 1800kbps. Conversion of commercial video to that format is illegal, and hence how can not be stated on the forum. Alternatively, as long as the TV is HDMI, you can wired connect it to your MacBook using the same advice here:
https://discussions.apple.com/message/16531141#16531141

Black Macbook out to Sony Bravia Question

So I just bought a new Sony Bravia 22" LCD TV. I'm excited to use the TV as a monitor for my computer, or at least so that I can play back Hulu or other such videos on the TV. The TV supports VGA in as a "PC" input as well as 2 HDMI ports. I know I need to get an adapter for the mini DVI port on my Macbook, however I'm not sure whether to go the route of mini DVI to VGA or mini DVI to DVI with a DVI-HDMI cable to the computer. I know in both cases I will need a separate audio cable so that's not the issue. The TV says that it has a native 720p resolution. I think the highest VGA resolution supported by the TV is 1360x768, but the HDMI is higher I think. Thanks for your help

I also have a black macbook and I recently purchased a 42" Sony Bravia TV and I have a few questions...
So I think I need 3 things:
- the mini DVI to VGA cable
- the VGA to VGA cable (that will connect to my TV right? how long of a cable is useful?)
- another cable for the audio...
What do I need to get for the audio portion? Someone told me to get a 3.5mm AV RCA Cable with the red/white that connect to the ports on my TV and then the headphone jack on my laptop.
Advice? Thanks!

What are the typical temerature ranges for the black Macbooks?

Hello everyone,
Posting this as a one-year owner of one of the earlier black MacBooks (Macbook 2,1 - mid 2007 - 2GHz Core 2 Duo) just wondering what the typical temperature ranges are for at idle and under load for this line of machine?
I have modified the device slightly, putting a 120GB solid state drive, toping it out with 3GB of RAM and have Lion installed on it. I use it for a mixture of general web browsing and work (which does include running a Windows XP virtual machine in Fusion 4 although again, nothing heavier than testing websites in IE/Chrome/Firefox/Safari) and have just become a bit aware of the temperatures.. At idle (nothing running at all) the system is at ~40C and under load about 70C-80C, with the fan running flat out to cool it down. Watching YouTube videos does also put it up at this temperature, but I understand that Flash and OSX do not play nicely. I have opened up the device and blown compressed air into and around the fan intakes to clean it out, and most (if not all) of the time it is on a flat surface with adequate ventalation.
I'm really wandering whether these temperatures are typical for this range of MacBook, as from experience a laptop of this spec should not be getting this hot.. Also a question for anyone that would be kind enough to take a stab - would it be worth me replacing the thermal paste on the CPU/GPU with some Arctiv Silver? I'd be comfortable doing that if it would benefit my heat issues. I've had a Google about this and the results are a mixed bag..
Thanks for anyone kind enough to take a look at this!

Okay well in lieu of any answers since I posted this (I am aware it was only a short while ago) but at the rate posts get buried on here, I wanted to post my own findings.
Various posts across the we show that the white series of these MacBooks operate at around 50C-55C at idle and under load reach up to 80C. Apple says that it should shutdown at ~90C - the highest I have ever seen my MacBook get is 87C, so temperature wise:
Idle: 50-55C
Under load: 70C-80C
Thermal Shutdown: 90C
With the fans being noisy when under load, apparently there are two main "families" of the black MacBook. The earlier models (of which my one is) run at the above temperatures with a fan speed of ~6800RPM being fully open and ~1200RPM being idle. The Santa Rosa MacBooks however being a later model have a much more efficient - albeit more noisy - fan module. I daresay the Santa Rosa black MacBooks are more common being the newer model.
So my findings - my temperatures of reaching 70C-80C are normal for the work I do. The fan speed being up to 6800RPM is fine - and the noise is just a trait of this line of MacBook sadly.

Dead Hard Drive on Black MacBook

Can any one give any pointers as to how to replace a dead hard drive in a (approximately) two year old Black MacBook? Service guy trying to charge me £250+ to do it.
Any help would be most appreciated.

It's super easy.
Go here and buy this HHD (I have bought 3 of them for my Mac laptops)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136314
Go here for simple instruction on installing it.
http://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/macbook13_memhd/
One thing to remember is to re-format the HHD once installed using your install Disk #1. Reformat using GUID. Very simple to do. Can be installed in less than 10 minutes with the right tools (highly recommend buying the from OWC), and another few hours to reinstall everything.
Right tools from here.
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer%20Technology/TOOLKIT11/
Message was edited by: D/FW

A friend bought second hand macbook air mid 2011 with crossed circle on the display, we tried recovery from partition and same thing happened, after internet recovery it stays the same except now it asks for password for boot option, what happened?

A friend bought second hand macbook air mid 2011 with crossed circle on the display and give to me to try to recover the system, I tried recovery from partition and same thing occured, after internet recovery it stays the same-crossed circle after reboot, then we tried to boot from USB with mac os 10.8 on it, it installs something,like it has being finishing installation, rebootes, and now it asks for password for boot option.We have no idea what that password could be.What happened!!!

I forgot to write down my computer specs:
iMac 27 Mid 2011
2.7 GHz Intel Core i5
4 GB 1333 MHz DDR3
AMD Radeon HD 6770M 512 MB
OS X 10.9.2

How I copied all my Outlook Express data to my new Black MacBook

Hi there!
I just made the jump to the "Apple side" buying a shiny new Black Macbook, and having already got a lot of usefull information from this forum, I just wanted to give my little contribution...
Here follows how I managed to copy ALL my Microsoft Outlook Express messages, settings and accounts from my "old" PC to my new MacBook:
I just installed Mozilla Thunderbird on my PC and let the automated "import" function transfer all my data from Outlook Express; then I installed Thunderbird to the MacBook too (skipping all the setup procedures that start at the first run of the program).
Then, on the "PC side", I located the folder where all the Thunderbird profile data is stored: it is something like "xxxxxxxx.default" (in my case "voakmfhs.default") and is stored in "C:\Documents and Settings\Windows_User\Application Data\Thunderbird\Profiles"
So it was just a matter of copying all the "xxxxxxxx.default" folder from the PC to the Mac (on the "Mac side" just search for the "Thunderbird" folder and then open the "Profiles" subfolder where you have to copy all the stuff)
The last step is to edit the Thunderbird "profiles.ini" file on the Mac, replacing the name of default folder that was assigned during the installation (which you can safely delete), with the name of the one copied from the PC...
For any further question, feel free to ask
Hope this is of some help!
Ciao for now
Sergio

Transferring from old to new
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2109

Should I do a clean OS install after buying second hand MacBook?

I just bought a second hand MacBook 2010 for my girlfriend. It came with a clean Lion installed. What is making me paranoid is that I use tracking software Prey on my own MBP and now how can I be sure that the new one hasn't got tracking software installed for opposite reason (to steal it and sell again)?
I know it might sound stupid, but I like to be prepared for the worst. So should I format the drive and install Lion again? What would you do?

I would never run a used Mac "as is"; there is too much potential for security violations or just software problems. I strongly recommend, unless you completely trust the person from whom you purchased the Mac, that you erase the hard drive and reinstal Mac OS X. That way you start fresh, without any of the cruft that accumulates on any OS, and of course remove any potential for malware such as a keylogger.
Regards.

Black MacBook hard drive and RAM upgrade

I am looking to upgrade my black MacBook- 2.2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo.
I would like to increase the RAM - (currently have 1 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM) and would like to put in a new hard drive -( currently have 150 GB) I am wondering what hardware to get.
I think I would like to increase the RAM to 4GB and the HD to 500 GB. anyone have strong opinions on increased memory and/or hard drive? There seems to be enough info out there on the actual upgrade process, but am not sure what to actually buy for this upgrade.
thanks

I like dealing with [*Other World Computing*|http://macsales.com> for all of my Mac upgrading needs. Their products are tested and guaranteed for all of the Mac models including yours. They also have excellent instructional videos. Check them out at the link provided. -GDF

Shall i put a 7200rpm hard drive into my black macbook for logic pro?

hi, i bought high spec black macbook refurbished which came with a 5400rpm drive inside it.
Im using logic pro, and its been running fine with small projects, but when i have a medium sized project using several vst instruments and exs24s using many audio samples, all of which are running off the internal.... i get error messages, system overload messages...and i am unable to bounce to audio file (in logic pro)
im thinking its the slow hard drive which is causing the main problems.
I have 2gb ram. It also takes sometimes over 5 mins to open this logic file. And then some!
Or is this poor performance par for the course, if using just ONE internal drive, for both system files and audio storage....... ?
Are there possible probs which may arise from taking out the 5400 drive and fitting a faster 7200 drive in to my macbook? I hear it will heat up more....so could this mess with other macbook componets?? the excess heat...... or are macbooks bulit to handle 7200rpm drives too??? dont remember is 7200 was an optional upgrade with my model or not......
2.4ghz intelcore2duo.
Anybody fitted a 7200 drive into their macbooks???? all running ok??
Would i simply put the new hard drive in..... and then boot up from boot dvds and my time machine backup....to have a full up to date system, all apps and file intact as they are now???? Im worried it will get messy and problems...... my current drive is packed to rafters with apps and files and work i have done......i dont want to lose a thing.....would it be a simple easy fool proof transition to faster hard drive????
And could i still use the current hard drive? With an enclosure??
Ive heard people have ripped out the opticla dvd drive and fitted ANOTHER hard drive into their macbooks, so the laptop housing two hard drives..... that sounds good...but crazy..... maybe later ill do that....as i hardly use the cd/dvd drive...... and you can always hook it up with wire if need be......
any tips or advice....would be most kind and helpful.
thankyou.

I used Carbon Copy Cloner- do not use Time Machine for this- to make a bootable clone of the drive inside my Macbook Pro, and then installed the new, faster drive. I then booted from the cloned drive, and cloned that back into the fresh internal drive. That being said:
1) I only did this since I bought the laptop used, and didn't get the install OS discs. I would have started fresh and installed everything myself, but then again, it wasn't my laptop, and I didn't care about what was on it. You might.
2) You need to clone to an external Firewire drive if you want to make a bootable clone. Do not use USB. Do not use Time Machine, as its backups are not able to be booted from.
3) The whole replace the internal DVD drive with another sounds pretty iffy to me. Just use the Firewire drive you'll now be having at you disposal for a variety of things, including possibly recording to. I can advise once I know what your interface is, if any, and if you've got a Macbook or a Macbook Pro- I forgot to look.
You will get much better results with a 7200 RPM drive, by the way. You can certainly use the old drive in some sort of enclosure, although it's still a slow drive and all, so I wouldn't really invest much into it. Maybe put it in a USB enclosure and use it for backups, or for transporting material, or for cracking walnuts, maybe, if you have a walnut tree.
Even in this fancy computer age, there is still nothing better than a freshly roasted walnut or pecan. Good luck, L

GSOD on my second Black MacBook

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