Repeatedly backing up?
Ive been trying to update to the new softwear and it keeps "backing up iPhone" then stops. Is this happening to anybody else? i unpluged the Usb and re connected and it's still doing it.
blubot wrote:
thanks Pondini: i did the reset, but same problem happend again...(note i did not delete the primary backup from a few days ago
No, I didn't recommend deleting any backups; just the preferences file.
...therefore i hve not enough space obviously)...TM basically wants to do a complete backup, rather than incremental. my TM makes a backup of my Macintosh HD not the HOME folder...
How do you know it's your entire system, not just your home folder?
See #A1 in Time Machine - Troubleshooting (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum).
Copy and post the messages from the most recent backup here, along with the +Estimated size of full backup+ under the exclusions box in +System Preferences > Options?+
(if I have to do a forced shut down/pressing power button for 3sec on my mac (due to freezing) will TM interpret this as a system RESET and therefore initiate a full backup of the HOME folder?
No.
And doing repeated full backups didn't damage the first internal HD.
We see this on occasion. Sometimes deleting the preferences file fixes it.
On other occasions, the entire system is affected, and that's cured by reinstalling OSX and the "combo" update.
Sometimes it's something corrupted in the home folder object, causing it to be backed-up completely each time, but things outside the home folder and in a different home folder are not affected.
That's why I'm suggesting that after deleting the preferences file via the "full reset" you exclude your home folder, create another if you don't have one, and see what happens to the new one.
Similar Messages
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my texts are repeating back to me under my number,why?
There are multiple reasons why the update failed, unless you can provide an error message/code that came up then nodbody will know.
Now your iPhone is in recovery mode and will now need to be connected to a computer with iTunes and restored to factory settings. This will install the update at the same time.
If you have a back up of the iPhone before the issue occurred then after the restore to fqactory settings you can restore the back up to the iPhone. If there was no back up then I'm sorry your data is gone. -
Time machine repeatedly backing up huge numbers of files
My TM backup started backing up way more files than usual a few days ago and it takes way longer than it used to. I'm not sure what's going on. I transferred my original TM backup from a 500GB drive to a 1TB drive at the beginning of the year by following Apple's instructions and everything seemed okay until I went to restore a huge folder a few weeks back and got an "incorrect permissions" error. That's when I noticed things were starting to go strange.
Here's a system log from Feb. 29th:
Feb 29 23:19:36 Username com.apple.backupd[2791]: Starting standard backup
Feb 29 23:19:36 Username com.apple.backupd[2791]: Backing up to: /Volumes/Time Machine/Backups.backupdb
Feb 29 23:19:57 Username com.apple.backupd[2791]: No pre-backup thinning needed: 100.0 MB requested (including padding), 366.56 GB available
Feb 29 23:20:18 Username com.apple.backupd[2791]: Copied 1194 files (918 KB) from volume Macintosh HD.
Feb 29 23:20:19 Username com.apple.backupd[2791]: No pre-backup thinning needed: 100.0 MB requested (including padding), 366.56 GB available
Feb 29 23:20:24 Username com.apple.backupd[2791]: Copied 955 files (643 bytes) from volume Macintosh HD.
Feb 29 23:20:28 Username com.apple.backupd[2791]: Starting post-backup thinning
Feb 29 23:20:28 Username com.apple.backupd[2791]: No post-back up thinning needed: no expired backups exist
Feb 29 23:20:28 Username com.apple.backupd[2791]: Backup completed successfully.
And here are 3 system logs from March 11th to today:
Mar 11 17:34:44 Username com.apple.backupd[6818]: Starting standard backup
Mar 11 17:34:44 Username com.apple.backupd[6818]: Backing up to: /Volumes/Time Machine/Backups.backupdb
Mar 11 17:35:01 Username com.apple.backupd[6818]: No pre-backup thinning needed: 100.0 MB requested (including padding), 351.19 GB available
Mar 11 17:36:58 Username com.apple.backupd[6818]: Copied 15523 files (29.4 MB) from volume Macintosh HD.
Mar 11 17:37:18 Username com.apple.backupd[6818]: No pre-backup thinning needed: 100.0 MB requested (including padding), 351.15 GB available
Mar 11 17:38:24 Username com.apple.backupd[6818]: Copied 5910 files (13 KB) from volume Macintosh HD.
Mar 11 17:38:42 Username com.apple.backupd[6818]: Starting post-backup thinning
Mar 11 17:38:42 Username com.apple.backupd[6818]: No post-back up thinning needed: no expired backups exist
Mar 11 17:38:42 Username com.apple.backupd[6818]: Backup completed successfully.
Mar 11 20:34:44 Username com.apple.backupd[7071]: Starting standard backup
Mar 11 20:34:44 Username com.apple.backupd[7071]: Backing up to: /Volumes/Time Machine/Backups.backupdb
Mar 11 20:34:53 Username com.apple.backupd[7071]: No pre-backup thinning needed: 100.0 MB requested (including padding), 351.09 GB available
Mar 11 20:36:48 Username com.apple.backupd[7071]: Copied 15686 files (921 KB) from volume Macintosh HD.
Mar 11 20:37:07 Username com.apple.backupd[7071]: No pre-backup thinning needed: 100.0 MB requested (including padding), 351.08 GB available
Mar 11 20:38:26 Username com.apple.backupd[7071]: Copied 6064 files (14 KB) from volume Macintosh HD.
Mar 11 20:38:44 Username com.apple.backupd[7071]: Starting post-backup thinning
Mar 11 20:38:53 Username com.apple.backupd[7071]: Deleted backup /Volumes/Time Machine/Backups.backupdb/Username/2012-03-10-191732: 351.10 GB now available
Mar 11 20:38:53 Username com.apple.backupd[7071]: Post-back up thinning complete: 1 expired backups removed
Mar 11 20:38:53 Username com.apple.backupd[7071]: Backup completed successfully.
Mar 12 13:16:46 Username com.apple.backupd[683]: No pre-backup thinning needed: 155.7 MB requested (including padding), 350.57 GB available
Mar 12 13:19:16 Username com.apple.backupd[683]: Copied 16359 files (94.5 MB) from volume Macintosh HD.
Mar 12 13:19:44 Username com.apple.backupd[683]: No pre-backup thinning needed: 100.0 MB requested (including padding), 350.47 GB available
Mar 12 13:21:20 Username com.apple.backupd[683]: Copied 6672 files (11.8 MB) from volume Macintosh HD.
Mar 12 13:22:07 Username com.apple.backupd[683]: Starting post-backup thinning
Mar 12 13:22:33 Username com.apple.backupd[683]: Deleted backup /Volumes/Time Machine/Backups.backupdb/Username/2012-03-11-123711: 350.50 GB now available
Mar 12 13:22:33 Username com.apple.backupd[683]: Post-back up thinning complete: 1 expired backups removed
Mar 12 13:22:33 Username com.apple.backupd[683]: Backup completed successfully.
Mar 13 14:00:08 Username com.apple.backupd[852]: Starting standard backup
Mar 13 14:00:09 Username com.apple.backupd[852]: Backing up to: /Volumes/Time Machine/Backups.backupdb
Mar 13 14:00:28 Username com.apple.backupd[852]: No pre-backup thinning needed: 100.0 MB requested (including padding), 350.31 GB available
Mar 13 14:02:56 Username com.apple.backupd[852]: Copied 17334 files (32.0 MB) from volume Macintosh HD.
Mar 13 14:03:30 Username com.apple.backupd[852]: No pre-backup thinning needed: 100.0 MB requested (including padding), 350.27 GB available
Mar 13 14:05:12 Username com.apple.backupd[852]: Copied 7392 files (107 KB) from volume Macintosh HD.
Mar 13 14:06:13 Username com.apple.backupd[852]: Starting post-backup thinning
Mar 13 14:07:10 Username com.apple.backupd[852]: Deleted backup /Volumes/Time Machine/Backups.backupdb/Username/2012-03-12-132122: 350.31 GB now available
Mar 13 14:07:10 Username com.apple.backupd[852]: Post-back up thinning complete: 1 expired backups removed
Mar 13 14:07:10 Username com.apple.backupd[852]: Backup completed successfully.
It's repeatedly copying about 15523 to 17334 files everytime it backs up now and I know these files haven't changed any.
Any suggestions?We've seen a few of these, for no obvious reason (I don't think any others had a permissions error, so it's probably not related).
Start with a "full reset" of TM, per #A4 in Time Machine - Troubleshooting.
If that doesn't help, try repairing the backups, per #A5 there.
If still no help, your installation of OSX may be damaged. Try installing the "combo" update, per Installing the ''combo'' update and/or Reinstalling OSX.
If still no help, try installing a fresh version of Snow Leopard (that won't disturb anything else), per the same article.
A few of the folks that were having this problem solved it with a fresh install of OSX and installing the 10.6.7 "combo" instead of the 10.6.8 version. For some others, however, that didn't help. -
Time Machine repeatedly backing up whole disk
First backup was 480 Gigabytes. 4 days later after the normal small incremental backups, 424 Gigabytes are backed up. Then next week or so another almost full back will occur, repeating until the 2Tb disk is full. This has been a continuing occurrence ever since Snow Leopard update, last year or so.
I have had reformatted the external backup disk many times and started afresh, after deleting timemachine preferences. The internal HD is a replacement drive, after the original failed due to overheating, probably from these repeated massive backups.
I have tried various exclusions, which are randomly ignored, especially in the first backup, and tried having no exclusions at all currently.
Any suggestions to avoid these massive whole disk bakcups and only perform normal incremental backups?
Btw, I have also reinstalled Leopard and Snow Leopard, along with all the updates to 10.6.4.
Thanksblubot wrote:
thanks Pondini: i did the reset, but same problem happend again...(note i did not delete the primary backup from a few days ago
No, I didn't recommend deleting any backups; just the preferences file.
...therefore i hve not enough space obviously)...TM basically wants to do a complete backup, rather than incremental. my TM makes a backup of my Macintosh HD not the HOME folder...
How do you know it's your entire system, not just your home folder?
See #A1 in Time Machine - Troubleshooting (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum).
Copy and post the messages from the most recent backup here, along with the +Estimated size of full backup+ under the exclusions box in +System Preferences > Options?+
(if I have to do a forced shut down/pressing power button for 3sec on my mac (due to freezing) will TM interpret this as a system RESET and therefore initiate a full backup of the HOME folder?
No.
And doing repeated full backups didn't damage the first internal HD.
We see this on occasion. Sometimes deleting the preferences file fixes it.
On other occasions, the entire system is affected, and that's cured by reinstalling OSX and the "combo" update.
Sometimes it's something corrupted in the home folder object, causing it to be backed-up completely each time, but things outside the home folder and in a different home folder are not affected.
That's why I'm suggesting that after deleting the preferences file via the "full reset" you exclude your home folder, create another if you don't have one, and see what happens to the new one. -
Wifi connecting loops repeatedly back to start (unlock) page
I've had the Samsung Galaxy 10.1 for a month and recently when I try to connect to a wifi network, it repeatedly cycles back to the start (unlock) page. Samsung tech and Verizon have not provided an answer so far. I have tried "forgetting" all old networks, rebooting router, re-entering network and security code, updating software and multiple combinations of this. Others have had this problem (posted on youtube) but have not posted a solution. I would hope that restoring factory settings is not the only answer as would lose apps, data, pictures, and kindle books. Have others with this problem found a solution? I cannot use wifi as it is.
I have had the same problem with my GT7 - no answers from Verizon, but have learned through many blogs that there is an issue with their not being able to connect to Belkin wireless routers (my kind). There are things to try like changing the channel, or connecting without a password, but those have not worked for me, either. If you have Windows 7, an option is to tether onto your WiFi via Win7's home network setup (you'll have to look it up if you don't know how). That worked great for me. But, with the last Android update, that isn't working either, now : ( , but I haven't had time to troubleshoot to see if I can get it working again.
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My iphone 4S wont stop "talking." everthing i touch is repeated back to me. How can I fix?
My iphone 4S won't stop "talking" to me. Everytime I press something the SIRI voice repeats the action I just took. When I go to access something, I have to press 2x. I think something got inadvertently changed in settings. To me, what's going on looks like it would be helpful to someone who is visually impaired. How can I fix this?
Hi janine,
You need to scroll down to get to General. With Voice Over on, you scroll with three fingers.
So, Tap once to select the Settings icon, tap twice to "activate" it
Use 3 fingers to scroll down to General
Tap once on General to select it, two more times to activate it
Use 3 fingers to scroll down to Accessibility
Tap once on Accessibility to select, two more times to activate
Then tap once on the Voice Over option to select, two more times to turn it off
Cheers,
GB -
I have a 6th Gen ipod nano that will randomly cut songs off before they are finished. It also will randomly replay a song before moving on to the next. Why?? Help!!
Hello timnpaige,
Thank you for the details of the two issues you are experiencing with your iPod nano. For issues like this, I recommend resyncing the music to your iPod.
If you are syncing automatically, resync content to the iPod by unchecking "Sync Music" and clicking "Apply," then checking "Sync Music" and clicking "Apply" again.
You can find the syncing steps in the following articles:
iTunes 11 for Windows: Set up syncing for iPod, iPhone, or iPad
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH12313
iTunes 11 for Mac: Set up syncing for iPod, iPhone, or iPad
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH12113
If songs are still not playing in the correct order, I recommend reviewing this article next:
Troubleshooting songs that skip
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3217
Thank you for posting in the Apple Support Communities.
Best,
Sheila M. -
WAP4410N - Understanding roaming, WDS, repeater, bridge
Router: Cisco WRVS4400N secured with WPA2
WAP: Cisco WAP4410N
Router was working well but signal too weak in distant rooms.
So, purchased a WAP4410N but am unsure about AP configuration. From reading the docs, I understand these to be the relevant choices:
1) Access Point -- Wired connection through built-in Ethernet port. (Not Desired)
2) Wireless WDS Repeater
3) Wireless Client / Repeater (What is difference from WDS Repeater?)
4) Wireless WDS Bridge
Desired Result:
Simply extend the network. As a laptop is carried from room to room, laptop should switch to the strongest signal seamlessly, without user doing anything manually. No matter where I am, laptop should see entire network. Also, I prefer that the WAP not require a wired Ethernet connection (that is, I would like the WAP to receive/repeat the router's wireless signal No Ethernet Cable Required).
1. Which of the above 4 settings is best for achieving desired outcome?
2. What should the SSID be on the WAP? Same as on the router?
3. Should both the router and WAP be on the same channel? (I suspect not, but included docs sound like they should be..?)
4. Should both the router and the WAP have the same wireless security setting (WPA2) and passphrase?
5. On the router, under the Wireless menu --> WDS submenu there is a checkbox: "Allow wireless signal to be repeated by a repeater". I assume this must be checked?
6. I understand that Microsoft's built-in Wireless Zero Configuration service does not disambiguate APs which share the same SSID and may not always roam with the strongest signal.*** We need to move from area to area and seamlessly retain the network signal. Is this still a problem in Windows7? Is there a workaround for XP's WZC deficiencies?
Is there anything else I should know?
*** http://www.wi-fiplanet.com/tutorials/article.php/3628576Hello bcmitsupport,
I am glad to hear you got it working. I did notice though that you said the WAP4410N was wired. If the repeater is working correctly you should not have to have it wired.
If you do have the option of using a wired connection then I would recommend the following-
AP mode is AP
Same SSID
Same Security
Different wireless channel (1, 6, 11 are the non overlap channels)
This provides the strongest signal and speed between both wireless points.
If you are interested in trying the repeater mode still I recommend the following-
AP mode is WDS repeater
Same SSID
Same Security
Same wireless channel
On the router enable 'allow this signal to be repeated'
Make sure you are using both wireless MAC addresses for the wireless *NOTE: the MAC listed on the router is not always the wireless MAC. this can be found in the wireless section of both devices.
Here is the key part, if you are using both as a repeater and the AP is wired, you will know it is working when your network goes down. This is because the AP is repeating the signal back to the router over the wire and getting it repeated back out over the wireless until the network goes down.
To further answer your orginal question-
WDS mode provides a better connection as both devices are 'aware' of each other and is more of a switched connection. When using client/repeater, the AP is actually acting like a client to the orginal signal and simply relaying messages across as if it was from the AP.
WDS bridge is simply a way to configure a wireless bridge. A bridge is not designed for clients to connect wirelessly but to create a 'wireless cable' so you can connect your wired computer wirelessly.
Ultimately the best connection is a wired one as it does not diminish the signal. A repeater has half the range and half the speed as it has to repeat both in and out. -
Hi,
I got a Macbook Pro with Leopard about three weeks ago and have been using iChat for AIM and Google Talk. I have not had any problems with the Google Talk account, but my AIM account has started doing something odd in the last week or so. My friends complain that whatever they say is repeated back to them with my response. For example:
Friend: Hey, what's up?
Me: Hey, what's up? Not much, you?
So, whatever they say shows up in line with what I'm saying. This is really annoying, but I don't see it happening, and it doesn't happen right away when I sign on but it eventually starts up no matter what.
Does anyone know how I can fix this? I am new to Macs, so I would really appreciate any kind of advice.
Thanks!
AminaHi Ralph,
I was just thinking, when you use an AIM screen name you have set preferences for on the AIM site using a PC, would they conflict with preferences you set on iChat logged in with your AIM screen name?
I think you stay logged into the AOL network until you select the log out button on the AIM or AOL site. Quitting iChat or logging out of AIM in the iChat application doesn't log you actually out of the AOL network.
Maybe this could be the problem, you can set a lot of preferences on the AIM site.
Sorry for jumping in.
M. -
MozBackup backs up deleted Thunderbird account, subfolders, & emails
There is no support forum for MozBackup and my two emails to the developer have gone unanswered for months, so I am posting this here.
MozBackup habitually backs up a Thunderbird account that I deleted, including the subfolders and emails that existed in that account. The account was deleted in Thunderbird and appears to no longer exist there, yet it is repeatedly backed up. MozBackup says it is backing up "Mail\name of deleted account\name of subfolder of deleted account\name of deleted email in that subfolder." A restoration restores the old account in its entirety, with all emails. An upgrade to the most recent stable version of MozBackup, 1.5.1, makes no difference. Various Thunderbird upgrades make no difference. I'm currently using 24.4.0.
How do I get rid, entirely, of this "ghost" account?open the profile Help menu (ALT+H) > troubleshooting information.
click on the open folder button and then close Thunderbird.
In the explorer window open the mail folder, then you will need to manually delete the entry there for your old account. Note that accounts are a folder using the server name of the account. A numeric suffix indicates multiples of the same thing. although it could be Bill@gmail and Bob@gmail and Fred@Gamil would be googlemail.com googlemail-1.com, googlemail-2.com so a duplicate is not automatically a duplicate. -
I decided to create an iCloud backup of my phone & pad. Both devices are plugged into my iMac, and both can use the Wi-Fi that my iMac is connected to.
The first thing I did was go into iTunes, click on the iCloud button and press "Back Up Now". Both cases repeatedly backed up to my computer, even after rebooting.
Then I went into my iPhone, set it to back up to iCloud and repeatedly tried backing up, without it ever getting past the calculating stage.
Then I went to my iPad and tried the same thing. It asked me for my AppleID, which I entered, but it didn't accept. I switched to my iCloud password, and that worked. It started backing up. After a while it failed, and trying again had the back up work. I turned off iCloud Backup and checked in iTunes and saw the iCloud backup listed.
I never got a logon prompt with my iPhone, which is currently set to back up to the cloud. I don't want to leave it that way, as I don't want it starting sometime when I'm not in wi-fi range (my data plan is limited).
All of my software is up-to-date.i tried something else: instead of deleting the backup after i reset my network settings, i let it continue with the incomplete backup, and it managed to finish backing up, and everything seems ok. i guess i'll find out the next time it tries to do an icloud backup.
i am still curious if anyone out there has had this problem, or is able to provide any insight! -
About (not) getting help for Design Premium CS4 [very long post]
If what i've heard on numerous occasions is true, and I really hope it is, Adobe spends a lot time, energy, emotion and effort on their Customer support system. In an effort to provide a bit of insight "from the trenches" I've spent the last hour sifting through Adobe's website trying to find an email where I could send a bit of critique regarding the quality of Adobe's Tech Support and I've come to the conclusion that these forums are a paying customer's only outlet. As part of my job training, I take a lot of notes whenever anything gets done over the phone. This then is a full transcript of the arduous process I had to go through in order to try and fix the infamous "licence has expired" issue. I'm not necessarily looking for feedback, I just want somebody at Adobe to see this and realise how much money is being wasted on a very dysfunctional "Support Service".
Adobe tech support notes:
How can the ball be dropped to this extent?
Friday, April 2nd
10:00 Installed the suite on the office's new design computer after using the trial editions until they expired. None of the programs in the suite will run because the licence is "expired".
11:30 Not knowing if it might somehow be related to there being leftover files from the trial editions (which I didn't uninstall) I uninstall everything and install again.
13:10 I receive the same error message. Tech support principally led to a waste of a day due to the way that Adobe's databases seem to catalogue customers. According to Jay Lopez, our suite wasn't registered to my boss (Doc) it was registered to Ken Schoepp, who hasn't worked here in about 8 years, since he was one of the earlier names connected to this address. It took about 2 hours and 2 transfers to figure this out.
15:30 I finally get transferred to tech support.
15:51 TS answers.
It takes 2 hours to assess what the problem is and suggest that I should do a full uninstall and reinstall of the suite, regardless of the fact that I did that before calling TS. 2nd installation fails to solve the problem whereby the suite won't load up (as expected). I'm given some instructions as to what files to remove that may contain registration information and could possibly prevent the program from running. Tech support hangs up as their shift is soon over but they assure me that this thrid installation of the day should fix the problem. To speed up the installation I copy the files onto the HDD.
17:15 For some unknown reason, Setup.exe crashes crashes at about 65% of initialisation. That's right, the installer can't even run!
Tuesday, April 6th
8:37 Calling TS
8:45 Don answers
8:51 Get informed that I was somehow routed to CS instead of TS. The case id I provided requires solutions that he can't provide, Don will transfer the call to TS.
8:53 Jitesh gives me a new case id before putting me on hold as he reads the case file.
9:05 Informs me that since my call deals with an installation issue I need to be transferred to another department. In response to my comment that I've already been misrouted twice today Jitesh says he will contact the department personally in order to transfer me more quickly as I'm already in their service.
9:13 Just before hanging up Jitesh mentions that there are only 12 calls ahead of me in the queue.
9:19 Rohan Subba answers. After reading the file he asks if I would accept sharing my desktop in order for him to look at the root of the issue using Acrobat Pro Meeting.
9:26 With files installed, logging in to "adobesupport.na5.acrobat.com" as guest.
As things are not working as expected, Rohan places me on hold as he goes to look up solutions.
9:31 Back from checking resources, try them out, still don't have access to some files due to lack of permissions.
9:36 Comes back with instructions on how to setup the Windows7 super admin account which should give me full access to the locked out files.
9:42 Logged in as admin. More hair pulling as we try to configure the permissions properly.
10:02 File sharing finally works and he downloads the installation log files. As we attempt to change permissions to access other files I ask why it is has taken 13 hours of TS and 4 techs before someone suggests using Adobe Connect Pro Meeting since it seems like a great way to gain access to files. Rohan's answer: Due to the solution chain, TS had to try other options before going for the ACPM.
Over the next hour we try various things to get rid of the files that are blocking the re-installation of Premium Suite. I'm instructed to download the "Windows Installer Cleanup Utility" and "adobeCS3cleanscript" even though I'm running CS4. The trial versions I was using were also CS4. I'm assured that the CS3script works just fine for CS4 removal. It gets run with option 1, once, and twice with option 2, rebooting between each pass.
11:01 Realisation sets in. "I'm sorry, I cannot resolve this issue and I will escalate your call to Tier 2 TS". Initially he asks if Thursday is good for the follow-up call but I inform that I will not be there on that day and that I am the only one at the office who can handle these types of technical calls.
11:05 Comes back on the line and informs me that T2 TS will contact me on Friday.
Spent the remainder of the day reading online, chasing possible solutions. Found out about a hidden option 3 for Cleanscript, run it twice, still no improvement. Having been shown the location of the installation log I sift through it and research 1) where each of the offending registry key is, 2) how to change permissions to the offending keys so I can delete them. Thanks to google and other people who've had the same issues I'm having and followed by blogging about it.
In total, 22 registry keys blocked the installation. Because each key would cause the installer to lock up and quit It took 6 hours to run the installer 22 times until it crashed in order to find and eliminate each one. When they were all taken care of, only 4 Premium suite modules wouldn't install: Flash, Flash Player, Acrobat and Air.
Progress at last.
Thursday, April 8th
Mesum, a resolution specialist, calls work asking to speak to Doc about our case. According to him there is no mention of a contact person (me) or a date for a call back. When asked probing questions about these discrepencies Mesum says that seeing as how Adobe TS are trained to exacting standards and that note taking is a very important part of the job there is no way that this break down happened on their end. If the information my boss is referring to is "not in the file" then it MUST be false. The obvious answer, according to Mesum, is that whoever made the appointment with Adobe didn't take down good notes. As a T2 specialist he "...makes it a point to always return the call at the arranged time". I don't have the notes regarding everything that was said that day but from talking to Doc on the following day I gather that Mesum made other comments to bring into doubt the quality of Aararat's (the company I work for) training, their note taking skills and the quality of their employees. Not once did he take any hint of responsibility for the communication screw-up. Mesum will be calling me back on the Friday (as was originally written down in our file) and provides a new case id before hanging up.
Friday, April 9th
12:01 Mesum call and wastes no time in trying to resolve the issue. I inform of the progress I made yesterday (independently).
12:08 Error :2 shows up again. Instructs me to clear the temp folder, the cache and to verify that the print spooler service is enabled. It is.
12:21 While the system is rebooting, Mesum mentions that the "very detailed conversation" he had the previous day and asks if I have been briefed about it. I explain that I have been briefed (neglecting to mention that I am the one who made the appointment and took copious notes about all my TS conversations, including this one) and that I hoping to get this issue resolved once and for all. Mesum makes a grandstanding comment about how "he makes it a point to always return the call at the arranged time as these calls are very important and it is crucial that they get resolved". He then goes on about the lenghts Adobe has gone to in order to create a support chain to make sure that if an issue is unresolved on either end of the chain, that this lack of resolution can be tracked down.
Error:2 indicates that we are still having registry blockage issues. In response to my question whether there might be a full list of the registry keys that Adobe Premium suite injects during an installation Mesum responds that techs have been given very strict and specific instructions about tampering with the windows registry (which is odd considering 3 days prior a tech dove right into registry editing) he proposes that I instead uninstall Flash, Flash player and Adobe Air.
13:07 Since the uninstaller won't run for just the 3 modules, Mesum asks that I uninstall everything once again. I am then to only start by installing Acrobat first, and only Acrobat, before installing the rest of the suite. Because this process will take a long time and Mesum has other calls to make he leaves me to this numberless installation being fairly certain that this will solve the issue. He adds that such problems are very frequent with Acrobat. Should his proposed course of action not solve the issue I can type up a follow-up response by going to www.adobe.com/go/supportportal. I am to expect a follow-up call on Monday.
13:22 Because I was really not looking forward to going through another round of uninstalling and reinstalling, I attempt to run flash one last time prior to starting the cycle. Run into error:5
reboot
13:29 Error:5 again. Time to uninstall once more.
13:35 Error while uninstalling. Nothing to do but click continue and see how it goes.
13:53 Uninstall finished with problems, running it again. Adobe Sing is still showing as an installed component.
13:55 Uninstall with errors. Flash Plug-in will not uninstall. Running Uninstaller again.
13:59 Uninstaller fails again. Decide to go and manually delete files and folders inspecting each one by one.
Spent the rest of the afternoon going through the install logs like I did on April 6th, unlocking ownership and deleting corrupted keys one at a time.
18:08 The whole Suite finally installs except for Flash and Indesign.
18:47 After hunting down more keys, the installer completes with errors but at least all the programs are installed. Acrobat, Air, Flash plug-in are still not installed properly.
Monday, April 12th
8:20 Call tech support
While on hold I try to find my ticket on the support portal using the case id's I've been given. None of them show up on the system. Basically, I'm stuck to using phone support.
9:23 TS answers. Sanjay
9:28 After Sanjay has verified the case id, I provide him with an update to the file regarding what I've done since I hung up on Friday, describing the new issues.
9:34 Placed on hold
9:42 Comes back and explains that this issue will require more consultation with his seniors. To make sure that he looks up the right issue I repeat the exact problem I would like him to research. Three times he repeats the information back to me just a little differently. Finally on the 4th repetition of the problem I'd like addressed he "gets it" and thanks me for "providing that pertinent information".
What I don't understand is that I repeated the same information that he repeated back to me 4 times before he seemed to understand what his notes told him he should be researching. From the heaviness of his accent I suspect that their was a bit of language barrier here.
9:48 Places me on hold
9:59 Comes back with a possible solution.
10:08 As his solution requires me to delete files I don't have access to due to lack of permissions, his solution can't be applied. He places me on hold.
10:11 Comes back, with another possible solution.
10:17 Still not working. I ask how I can change administrator settings for specific files and he needs to go check articles again. Shouldn't this type of knowledge just come off the top of his head if he's in TS? Sanjay just walks away at this point, not asking to put me on hold nor placing the call on hold. I can hear conversations in the background the whole time.
10:24 Comes back, thanking for staying on hold (even though I wasn't). This time he asks me to look for specific adobe folders. I can't delete them because I'm supposedly not an administrator, even though I'm logged in using the enabled super-admin account. He tells me I need to type a very specific command at the command prompt to reset the admin account. I thought that's what he was going to research the last time he left so I ask what I have to type at the command line to do this. Sanjay doesn't and asks if he can put me on hold again. I politely and calmly answer that no, I don't want to be put on hold. Every time I've asked him a question he's had to go in order to talk to his seniors (as he calls them). If possible, why not escalate my call and put me in touch with one of these seniors or a manager in order to minimise the amount of time I will be placed on hold. He puts me on hold.
10:34 Ashima comes on the line. Unlike Sanjay, she sounds confident and authorative.
10:44 After discussing what I'm trying to do she informs that not being able to delete files and folders is a Windows issue, not an Adobe issue. Even after I mention that a previous tech had helped me solve a similar problem in the previous week and try to reason that since it's Adobe uninstaller that caused this issue she sticks to her claim that it's a Windows issue and that she cannot help me resolve the issue. I am to contact Microsoft tech support in order to get help with this issue.
12:17 Call Microsoft technical support
12:23 Jacqueline answers. I describe the problem I'm having with managing permissions in Windows 7 and that I've been told that I resetting the admin account should solve this problem. She seems to agree and asks for my Windows serial number before we can start working on the issue. Upon finding out that I have an OEM version of Windows, Jacqueline informs me that I have 2 options: look online or pay 59$ per call on credit card for support as free support is not provided to OEM licences since they are typically only installed by resellers and assumed to be serviced by them. Sadly, this is not my case.
12:31 Having repeated my options back to Jacqueline to make sure I understood her correctly I inform her that I will terminate the call since I will not be paying for paying and therefore will go online for help. She sounds surprised at how quickly I made my decision, wishes me good luck and the call is ended.
13:30 Started researching a solution. I find what I need to know and apply it, managing to reclaim ownership of the files and folders. Run the installer again and everything installs now except for the Acrobat, Air and Flash plug-in.
Tuesday, April 13
15:30 Since I haven't received a call back from Mesum I try to find our case information on the Adobe Support Portal. I figure that Mesum probably needed me to contact him prior to today in order to confirm whether the solution worked or not. Logging in with the email address we used to register our software and log our support calls is unsuccessful. Either the password is wrong or the email is not active. Seeing as we have 2 other office emails with which Adobe products have been registered over the years I log on with them to see if we have pending cases on either of them. negative. Just to test something out I attempt logging in to the original email from another computer. While I can't log in I no longer get the message that the email isn't related to an active customer account, just that the password is wrong. Resetting password. Still can't login.
16:06 Starting LiveChat with Adobe to see if they can help. On hold.
16:12 Connected. explain the situation.
16:19 Says the password is reset from their side. Try it and doesn't work.
16:22 I tell Live Chat the reset didn't work, and wait for response.
16:29 He assures me it's been reset and that I should try again.
16:30 Try it to connect via two other computers. Fail. Inform him again. Wait.
16:36 Informs me I will need to call Phone Support. I ask if he can connect me.
16:38 No, he cannot connect me. There is no Live Chat Tech Support. Due to the amount of lag between responses I ask if how many chat sessions he works on at the same time.
16:41 Answer: three at a time.
16:45 Finish typing comment and suggestion about possibly reducing that number because the amount of lag time for simple requests is just too much.
16:46 Final response and goodbye.
16:47 Call Phone Support
16:50 Jerry in the Philippines. I explain the issues I've been having with our account and the failure to reset the password. Jerry puts a note in the file and that he'll look into it.
16:58 Puts me on hold as he goes to explore.
17:01 Comes back, can't see any issues. Asks me for permission to logon to the client account by using our email and password. I accept. He logs on and sees that there are in fact no pending cases that show up in our client account, even though we have multiple concurrent case id's showing on his side. He says he'll look into it.
17:07 Client login issue is unresolved but at least I'm getting transferred to TS.
17:23 Panpaj answers. I explain the situation and provide case id.
17:38 He provides a new case id. I have to describe the whole case history.
17:46 On hold.
17:52 Turns out I was transferred to the Acrobat specific TS. Seeing as how my installation problems aren't dealing specifically with Acrobat he can't help me. He will transfer me to general TS.
18:16 Animesh answers. explain the situation and provide case id.
18:20 Puts me on hold as he reads the file.
18:22 Repeats the problem as described according to the file.
18:30 Puts me on hold as he goes to find articles.
18:36 Asks me to share the desktop. Connecting to connectteam.acrobat.com
18:44 Upload of log file complete, reading over it.
18:48 Sharing screen caps of installation error messages. I've been thoroughly documenting each and every single one. Instructs me to download and AdobeCS4cleanscript. When I explain that I've already used the CS3 version I'm informed that the CS3 version should never be used to try and clean up a CS4 installation since it won't work.
18:56 I'm informed that TS closes at 19:00 and that he won't be able to finish this call. However, if I read article kb 401401 I should find some steps that will solve the issues that I'm experiencing.
19:01 While looking for the article I inform him that I can't access my TS updates on the Support Portal and that in a previous call Phone Support was not able to explain why. Might he have any idea why? He says he'll check it out.
19:05 "That's odd. I'll add this complaint to the file."
Animesh adds that If this knowledge base article does not resolve the issue, I should make sure to call back. He's added a note in the file to automatically escalate my call to Tier3 TS.
"What? There's a T3?" I ask. "Why has it taken 2 weeks to get this call escalated to tier 3?"
He apologizes if this taken so long to be escalated but there are definite checks and procedures that need to be followed before a call can be escalated to Tier 3.
April 15th
11:10 Starting new uninstall of CS4
11:20 Uninstaller error with InDesign.
11:31 Running CS4cleanscript, all options.
11:49 Completed running CS4cleanscript followed by a manual clean-up of remaining folders. Starting a new install.
12:04 Install error with Flash 10 ActiveX.
12:06 Install error with Flash 10 plug-in.
12:37 Installer finished, with errors.
12:53 Test launched every application in the Suite and they seem to be working in spite of the errors. So be it, I'm never calling Adobe TS again.
Questions and suggestions to Adobe
In spite of not having my issue corrected I must say that the politeness of every representative was exemplary.
While I realise software piracy is a big issue, why is it that pirates don't struggle with your DRM system yet legal users do? Either scrap your current DRM and replace it with something that will not cripple a system if an installation goes wrong or change your installers.
Software suites are convenient yes but there are now so many modules that come bundled with the suite that seem utterly pointless because the documentation for them is sorely lacking an "at a glance" explanation of features, benefits and purpose. Adobe Air, Sing, Version Cue and Bridge come to mind. Don't you think cutting down on module bloat would make interoperability an easier thing to manage and maintain?
As a user who has multiple hard drives in his system (one each for the OS, applications and project data) I don't like installers that place files all over my system without my consent. If an installer asks for a destination folder, ALL programs should go into that folder. Files and programs that are shared across the suite for added functionality or registration purposes should ask for a user-specified shared folder (in case there is one) rather than just go into the (assumed) default.
Why is the Support DB's search function so useless? I've tried (and tried, and tried, and tried...) to find useful solution articles but something is just plain wrong with your search algorithms. I've tested this. Pick an article at random, then do a search for it's title. Too often the search engine won't even find it. The only time searches work is if one has the precise number of the article, such as KB 401401.
The amount of checks and procedures required for service escalation needs to be streamlined in order to speed up the process. It took too long to get to the right Tier. By the time I was finally escalated to Tier 3 your support services had eroded all of their credibility.
Practices and procedures (P&P) need to be more uniform. I have one tech telling me to use one version of clean script and claiming it's fine whereas another claims that only the CS4 script would work to resolve my issue. Why is this? What does this reveal about levels of training? There is also large gaps in the knowledge of individual representatives. As should be expected, some representatives knew exactly what to do and how to do it without having to resort to articles every 3 minutes. Others, such as Sanjay, either need to be retrained or let go. His lack of knowledge was thoroughly exasperating.
The case id system needs to be reworded. Over these 2 weeks I was given 4 case id's, none of which ended up showing up in the support portal for follow-up. Furthermore, note taking seems to be a problem because there was a lot of information that just never seemed to make it "in the file".
Why do calls get transferred to the wrong department so often?
In Closing
Due to having more pressing matters to attend to at work and seeing as how I could not afford to spend any more time fixing the harm that was brought on by carrying out the suggested "solutions" I have not called back since April 15th. The suite runs "with quirks" and will stay that way until I rebuild the system because it seems that the only solution that remains regarding the installation woes is to wipe the drive and start from scratch.
Thank you for reading this whole transcript. I hope it helps you improve your customer service experience.
Marc-Andre RenaudThank you for the sympathy and the information about the Adobe.com forum Michael.
I posted here because, to be honest, for a company that's acknowledged their installers and updaters and support needs some work, they seem very determined to obfuscate the means by which users can provide direct feedback to the company. Much like you, I've also noticed a trend in CS5 installations that mirrors the issues that were present in CS4. it's a sad state of affairs.
As for my installation, you are also quite right to say that a clean install would have been a lot faster than what I went through with TS and it was actually my first idea. Before calling TS I'd actually read through the forums and noticed that a large number of users who were faced with my situation had no other choice but to reformat. I was just giving Adobe the benefit of the doubt and wasted 2 and a half weeks through that course of action...
What makes this situation even more frustrating is that the installer failed on a fresh system. It was a custom-built design machine, assembled and configured by myself. The only software that had been installed on it prior to Design Premium was Firefox, an FTP client and the start of my problems, trial versions of various CS4 programs. I used trials just long enough to retire the previous design computer so that I wouldn't contravene the EULA's stipulation of not running more than one instance of software at the same time on different machines. Turns out being honest once again penalised a legal customer.
If there is just thing users should learn from my far from unique tale of failed tech support it's that if you ever run into a problem with the installation, don't bother calling TS, just reformat and start from scratch. It might seem like it'll take longer to get going again, but in actuality, it's the opposite. Reformatting means you'll be up and running in about 1 or 2 days rather than 2 weeks.
Marc -
The interface is terrible and can't be changed. Every application in the suite locks up/crashes nearly constantly on any machine it is used on. The activation process is terrible and wastes hours of any support/IT dept's time. From a 'privacy
standpoint', the software is seemingly criminally intrusive. It is clearly a product that should never have been released and is so far from functional that it can't be repaired by any 'service pack', 'hotfix', or 'patch'. It needs to be completely
scrapped.
The only 'redeeming quality' of this software is that the guy who was in charge of creating it is gone from Microsoft. (Unfortunately, he is now President Obama's appointee for running the attempt at repairing the 'healthcare.gov' website...
out of the frying pan... )
When the software is installed using one profile (domain or machine account) and a different profile tries to use the software, it requires 're-activation' - which often fails because the software believes it has been installed multiple times. (This is particularly
frustrating because it has to be installed by an administrative user, but most of the time, the person who 'uses' the software is not the 'administrator' - so it is almost always being 'installed' using one profile and 'used' using another profile).
The necessary intrusion into privacy created by the requirement of a "Microsoft Account" to use the software is seemingly criminal.
The tracking of, and installation of licenses is absolutely ridiculous.
An example:
Many of my clients have many users and many computers (up to 75 or so).
I could create a "Microsoft User Account" for each 'user', but these machines get moved between users, and the software license is tied to the 'machine' and not to the 'user' so as soon as that happens, the licenses and the users are no longer
in line and become impossible to track.
I could create a "Microsoft User Account" for each 'computer'... and I can't even count the ways this would be a nightmare to try to track.
I actually did that up front for one client, and created Exchange email boxes for each computer so that "prove you are really you" emails from Microsoft could be received managed, and responded to, and passed out second usernames and passwords
to all of the users so they could "log-in" to their Office 2013 software, and created a database of the 'computer usernames and passwords' so I could track this... unfortunately, this confused the users (as it rightfully should) so they would change
the passwords for their computer's 'Microsoft User Account' thus locking me out and invalidating my database, ... and... CLUSTERF#%K!!!
As a 'best - worst case', I have had to create a single 'Microsoft User Account" for each of my clients' businesses so I can install and activate Office 2013 products. This is a whole new set of "Awesome Stupidity".
Now, I can put a new computer into a client's office and install their new license key for their oem Office 2013, and it shows up in the 'business's Microsoft User Account'. Then when I give the machine to the user, I get to 're-activate' the software
(hoping that it doesn't tell me to piss-off - which happens about 40% of the time. This is a process that can only be described as a "feat of engineering created by a group of monkeys whose former jobs included 'janitor at MAD magazine headquarters'
or 'beer-pong referee').
It starts with two hours of pressing phone buttons and ultimately talking to someone who tells me "yeah, nothin' I can do about that I'm just here for product activation" (which, incidentally, is done by machine until you pass through MS's ridiculous
labyrinth of repetitious keystroking until the machine is convinced you are just too stupid to punch in the right numbers and allows you to talk to a person... who then asks you for the exact same set of numbers and repeats back the exact same responding set
of numbers and acts dumbfounded when it still doesn't work - since it didn't work the first six times you punched or said it into the phone) followed by "I need to send you to the support group... but because it's 6:30 pm (in a process you started at
3:00pm) they are gone for the day and you'll have to call back on Monday morning"
At some point in the process, you get to log into the "Microsoft user account" and 'roll the roulette wheel of stupidity' by trying to activate the right software from a list of 40 different lines that all say "Microsoft Office 2013 Home and
Business oem", but none give any indicator or differentiating factor like for instance: license key, date installed, license key last 4 digits, mother's maiden name, phase of moon when software was first activated, color or type of blood of the user's
paperboy's dog's previous owner... NOTHING... RANDOM FREAKING STAB IN THE DARK - pick one, any one, hope its the license you are trying to install onto this machine, 'cause if not, you very well may kill the product on some other machine.
So through the process, the lucky support staff person gets' to waste roughly an hour and a half on average for every Microsoft Office 2013 installation. I have actually had to start telling my clients that they are going to likely have to pay an extra
$100 or so per machine in order to get their new Microsoft Office software which comes on their new computer activated - that number tends to work out roughly accurately - except that it is a terrible way of trying to 'please a client'.
Oh,... and did I mention... "THE SOFTWARE CONSISTANTLY FAILS"!?!
A client tries to open a document that they have been using for 8 years and Excel doesn't say "Hey, I don't know how to deal with some element of the file that you put in here using Excel 2003, or Office 2010 (both products, by the way, which worked
great) - no... instead,... it crashes. Doesn't really do any damage to the file it choked on, but the work you'd been doing on three other files which you also had open,... yeah,... that work is gone.
Yeah,.... over time, I have developed a pretty consistent spiel for client's needing new computers that goes over how absolutely terrible Office 2013 is, and explains that our options are further limited by Microsoft's yanking of all Office 2010 or previous
products from market availability, and explaining the merits of both LibreOffice and OpenOffice, as well as their drawbacks. I also have a strangely static response explaining how "larger companies are not burdened by these issues because they are
able to use MOPL which allows them to downgrade their productivity software to Office 2010 so they can continue to function happily, but this is really not a cost effective solution for smaller companies who primarily buy oem Office products with their replacement
computers".
Unfortunately, many clients still decide they want to go with Office 2013 because they apparently believe "it really can't be that bad". The value in my 'presale descriptions' are only really realized when they come back to me a week, two
weeks, or up to a month after the new machine is in place and say "wow,... you were right". The place I am left open for any further problems is when I don't impress upon them beforehand just HOW BAD OFFICE 2013 REALLY IS. In that case,
they still come back to me as though I have done something wrong foe selling them this piece of $#!% software and I have to remind them of our previous discussions.
Strangely, far too few heed the warnings and buy the software anyway - but the discussion has saved many clients the costs of Microsoft Project, because the discussion of LibreOffice and OpenOffice nearly always leads to at least a small philosophical conversation
about 'Open Source Software' in general, and my absolute favorite descriptive analogy in that discussion is to compare Microsoft Project at $600 v. ProjectLibre at $0 - and then further describe the costs of licensing and implementing the associated back-end
server solutions, etc.
This is a saving grace for me, because even though the client has been saddled with Office 2013, they have also saved substantially on Project and it is a rare (but granted, not absolutely absent) occasion that ProjectLibre is lacking some feature or function
that they actually need or want to use - and on those occasions, finding out has cost them absolutely nothing in software purchases.
Its not surprising, I suppose, that clients have grown to accept Office as a required 'cost', but still choke heavily on the price-tag of Project every time they have to buy it. The interesting thing to watch over the coming couple of years will be
'how many businesses stop accepting MS Office as a 'required cost' due to the failing of the software itself and the fact that most are being burned, at least once, by purchasing the software "against technical advice" and are learning, merely by
virtue of HOW BAD Office is, that there are other options out there that both cost less and work better... I mean,... LOTS BETTER.
How many businesses that are used to accepting the cost of Microsoft Office as a cost of doing business will be moved over to open source options and satisfied by them by the time Microsoft releases its next version - which will, presumably work - such that
they will no longer justify the cost of Microsoft's offering even if it is 'superior' to the open source offerings because the open source offerings are plenty sufficient and include a price tag of $0 and an installation/implementation time that is much, much
shorter than Microsoft's offering.
If Microsoft doesn't make some dramatic reparations, and do it soon, I expect their market share will be reduced in this area by a very significant margin.
I am suggesting either a 'Complete Recall' of Office 2013 including an 'uninstall 2013/install 2010' process driven by the automatic update engine, or at the very least, a free and easy downgrade rights offering for anybody who has already purchased 2013
and anyone who purchases it between now and the time the next "functional product" is released.I understand the inconvenience you are experiencing when working with Office 2013.
If you have any feedback about Office 2013 product, click the and submit to Microsoft.
Microsoft will decide how to fix the problem for all customers.
For the activation mechanism, it intends to protect customers of their rights and interests.
For a retail version of Office, if it was purchased with a disk, Microsoft account is not necessary during the installation.
For volume license of Office, refer to the following link to deploy Office suites can be much efficient:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc178982.aspx
For the problem Office 2013 keep crashing, check the following link to check:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2813143/en-us
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2758592/en-us
Thanks,
Tyor Wang
Forum Support
Come back and mark the replies as answers if they help and unmark them if they provide no
help.
If you have any feedback on our support, please click
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Why is there missing info in the windows address book fields after syncing iphone 4 contacts?
I am reaching the end of my rope trying to deal with syncing/backing up contacts and other "non copyright protected" content from my iphone 4 and my desktop (and preferably my laptop as well). I've spent literally days trying to solve this problem with ultimately no solution. So, cutting through my MULTIPLE issues and focusing on one primary I need help backing up my contacts from my iphone 4 to ANY computer. Here is what I am working with:
A relatively ancient (5yrs) Window XP desktop with virtually no contacts in Windows Address Book and with only the native Outlook Express on it.
An iphone 4 ios 4.3.1 that was initially and is still setup/synced with the above XP box (minus checking the sync contacts box).
An iphone 4 contact list that is primarily populated by about 200 contacts transfered from an old ATT SIM from the previous ancient phone.
A new Windows 7 laptop that I would love, love, love to use in conjuction with the XP for syncing/backing up not protected, personal data and iphone purchases.
So, with that in mind I have been syncing my phone with the XP w. the "manual manage music..." box checked and all other syncing options other than apps unchecked. I wanted to backup by contacts for emergency recovery and to allow sycncing for the increasing business contacts. Should be easy right? Not so much. I tried clicking the "sync contacts w/ windows address book" option and then synced. I go to WAB and the contact list is there. However, if I look w/in each contact the fields are not filled in. If it was a contact that had name, number, address on my phone the WAB version has the name listing but nothing in the number/addy fields. Now, this is true w/ virtually every contact and most were from that SIM transfer. HOWEVER, contacts that I added ON the iphone (ie manually w/ the phone) DO have complete information.
So, what do I do to make an actual, complete backup of all the contacts on my iphone w/o having to manually reinput all of the real information?? I'm frankly terrified that in trying multiple solutions I will lose all my phone contacts which at this point in my life would be absolutely devistating (ie I would probably lose my job). If it is a matter of newer hard/software I would gladly sync to the new Win 7 laptop instead but there I run into the other aggrivation of apple making it so bloody difficult to use one ios device with more than one personal computer. I'm dumbfounded and frustrated on soooooo many levels and would send countless good vibes to anyone who can help! Advice? Solutions? I'd promise my first born but who wants that these days...? Help, please! ;-)
BTW, sorry for the long wind but I'll add on my "optimal solution" if anyone is feeling especially helpful and has an answer:
I'd like to be able to plug my iphone into both my XP desktop and my Win 7 laptop and sync/backup to both freely (that is after all the real intent of syncing, non?) I don't care about music, videos, or other protected content. I manage that manually and frankly, I can do without having on the iphone as long as I can accomplish being able to sync/backup/restore all the iphone stuff like apps, settings, personal info, and contacts to both the desktop and the laptop. The purpose is that I need to be able to use and recover everything (on the road or at home) if either my laptop or my iphone dies/disappears. But, understanding impermanence as it relates to portable devices, I want a solid backup of everything at home waiting on my desktop. Is that really too much to ask apple???Seriously folks? I know it was long but I added all info to negate a need for endless back/forth clarifications. No answers???
FYI, i tried syncing contacts to google/gmail and it was a total clusterF as well. No gmail contacts, synced iphone, gmail contacts populated w/ all info but w/lots of repeat entries. Used seek and merge repeats in gmail and then resync but no such luck. Lots of iterations and nothing but fails. Seems everytime the phone and the gmail lists are "as desired" a new sync puts a ton of repeats back into gmail or onto phone. Still perplexed and still needing help....
pretty please.... -
When I think about the times I ever complained about AT&T's spotty service, it makes me want to go back in time and tell 2012 me that Anna Kenrick is going to sing a song and the line "you're gonna miss me when I'm gone" is going to haunt me as I remember the days when that spotty AT&T service was my only cell phone related dilemma.
Where do I start? I signed up for Verizon thinking wow, I can have service anywhere and I don't have to use a SIM card anymore. Neat! I foolishly believed my life was going to become easier.
Two days after I signed up for Verizon, I started receiving these weird calls. About 6 or 7 times, daily, I got all sorts of numbers calling me. I usually don't answer unknown numbers. But after 3 days, straight, of my phone ringing off the hook, I started answering these calls. About 4 billing agencies, 2 doctor's offices and a lawyer. All for the same woman. My favorite phone calls were the ones from an automated service that didn't ask me whether I was or was not this woman, it was simply just a machine that called to let me know they were trying to reach her. No contact number, no connecting customer service to say "hello, i am not _____." I called all these numbers back and told them I wasn't this woman, and I still received phone calls for her, daily, at least 3 times a day. Now, from what I've learned from friends who work for phone companies, there is a general rule that companies wait so long before releasing a phone number back into circulation, so things like this do not happen. It's kind of hard for me to believe there was any thing like that with this number because would these 6 places honestly be calling a disconnected number for an entire year (or however many years is policy for that company)? So I finally decided to call Verizon and ask what could be done because at this point I was being harassed by all of these daily phone calls. I was told the only way to fix this was to change my number. Annoying, but fine. So I agreed until I was informed that I would have to pay a $100 fee. I was taken aback and asked, "so, even though I have no control over the fact Verizon dispensed me a phone number that had obviously not been taken out of circulation long enough, and now i'm being harassed by all these calls daily, the only 'help' I can receive is by paying a fine and going through the annoying task that is getting a new phone number?" I angrily declined. I still receive phone calls for that woman to this day (one year later), although thankfully it is only about once a month now.
I'm a secondary line on my sister's account. I had no issues paying my half of the bill the first few months. Then something changed. It seems that every single month I have some type of issue with paying the bill. I use more or less the same usernames and passwords for most sites. And I have a notebook in my apartment with usernames and passwords. I write them down every time I make an account for anything. So why is it that one day when I try to log into my verizon account, my username isn't correct? Okay, please e-mail me my username verizon. I go back to the log in page, "correct" username, and now my password is wrong. Really? My password that I use for two other sites, that is written in my notebook, that I haven't changed since I made the account, isn't working? That's strange. E-mail me my password please, verizon. Wow, now somehow both my username AND password are incorrect! How crazy this world is. So I had to ask my sister if I could pay my half of the bill using her account (yes, on her account right now, because my password and username are both still somehow incorrect), which was working fine. But yes, you guessed it, only for about 3 months.
Like today I had a lot of fun trying to pay my half of the bill. I called, logged in through my sister's account since I can't log onto mine, and made the annoying quest through the automated service until I finally reached the payment options. I entered my debit card number, and waited. It repeated it back to me, but oops, I accidentally typed five 0's instead of four. So I re-entered it. Oh god, silly me, I did it again... Wow, a third time, Lindsey? You really need to work on your button punching skills. After the fourth time of it repeating back five 0's to me, I thought, "Hm, this obviously is a glitch. I'll just call back." So, my second annoying quest back to the payment options, two more times. TWO. MORE. TIMES. it repeated five 0's back to me. At this point, I angrily punched about thirty 0's into my phone to be connected to customer service.
I'm connected, and the woman informs me that I'm not on the account. Really? That's weird, considering I'm calling from my phone, which has an account, and I know all of the information for my AND my sister's account. She told me she had to call my sister in order for me to make a payment, even though I was trying to make the payment on my own personal verizon account (which I used to be able to do, even though I am the secondary line). So two minutes pass and the lady reconnects to me. She asks for a second time what I want to do. "Yes, I just would like to pay my half of the bill, but it will be on a separate debit card, not the one that is saved already." "Okay, let me connect you to the automated payment service." I can promise on my cat's grave that I have never lost my temper with any customer service, no matter how angry I have felt. But today was a day for change. I literally shouted "no" about ten times before telling her that I was calling BECAUSE the automated service wasn't working correctly (which I informed her of the instant I was connected). At this point the woman became obviously annoyed that I was angry and told me she would connect me to financial services. In which I was finally able to pay my bill.
That ^^^ is essentially what I deal with every single month. Every month it's like I have to fight to pay for a bill for something I don't even want anymore. I am counting the cursed days left on this contract because you better believe as soon as it's up, I am breaking up with you, Verizon, and throwing a ******* party in celebration of my freedom.I have never read so much information. There is no charge to change your cell number. However only the account holder can log in to My Verizon Web Portal http://www.verizonwireless.com and click on her second line (your phone should be shown)
I cannot fathom unless your sister gave you account access the ability to pay each line separately.
Just pay your sister and have her pay the complete invoice when due. Problem solved.
You could also to an assumption of liability on that second line on your sisters account. Call *611 or 1-800-922-0204 and make sure your sister is right there with you to do this. Then the line comes off her account and you can then set up your own account with verizon.
You can also switch to T-Mobile now and they will pay off that early termination fee and give credit for your old verizon device, but you have to buy a new phone over time payments from T-Mobile. Please note a hard credit check will be done by verizon if you break off of your sisters account for one of your own, and T-Mobile also does a hard credit check before they provide service. http://www.T-Mobile.com
Good Luck
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