mac help, anyone?

[rootofnewt]

*sigh*

The iBook has a shifty ethernet card. The card is soldered to the logic board. Apparently, the solder joints can (and do) break. This makes connectivity difficult. So, while we need to get it fixed, I'm wondering if it would be cheaper to just buy airport express and a wireless card.

Seeing as how the Powerbook is dying and the iBook will be our only family computer, I'm loathe to send it away for Apple to fix and I have no idea what level they'd charge this repair as. The iBook is about a year and a half old and we were stupid and didn't extend AppleCare.

(Now, if the logic board was having certain problems, we'd fall into the class to get it replaced, gratis, before Dec 18 of this year. There are no obvious logic board problems, however, I'm tempted to use my mad telekinetoelectromagnetic evil power to make the logic board fail.)

Sometimes, I hate having cool, tiny computers.

The rest of the time, however, I am awash in elitist glee.

Comments

[redzshadow.livejournal.com]

Josh says he can resolder that for you. If you want him too. He has all the tools and skills baby! ;p

[anmorata.livejournal.com]

AppleCare has saved Gabe's ass more than once. I'm so, so glad he got it for his iBook.

Have you thought about posting this to appleworld?

[re-wired.livejournal.com]

depending on the model, going wireless will save you money. Also most of the new machines are all shipping with wireless, so its not exactly money tossed down the drain. The only problem at that point is weather or not that machine is using an express card, or a stanard card, as the standards are getting harder to find again(iirc)

[twilight-spirit.livejournal.com]

Can't you get a USB<->Ethernet adapter? I'm pretty sure I've seen them around at places like Staples. I don't know how the compatability runs on those devices with OS X, but I can't imagine you'd have any problems.

The Netgear FA101 should do the trick. It looks like Staples carries the FA120 which is the USB 2.0 version. IIRC, boy's iBook is a G3 so I don't think it has USB2.0 ports, but even so the USB spec is definitely backwards compatible from 2.0 to 1.1. Their online site lists it at $30.

Good luck.

[re-wired.livejournal.com]

If your going to be doing just websurfing/email etc thats fine, however if your going to be doing any kinds of data transfer, your going to want to make sure your using usb2.0. i dont remember specifically what spec that model has, but its an idea. The problem is, any port with heavy use can wear out, so to save future wear and tear on it, you still might want to concider a wireless solution.

As for compatability, I've no idea. It may or may not work.

[hellsop.livejournal.com]

seconding the wireless vote. That's even something that doesn't need the full expense of a Airport Extreme, though. You can probably find some near disposable 802.11b kit that will work with the Mac laptops. Some very universal cards are showing up for about $15 a pop.

[the-revolution.livejournal.com]

Dooooder. . I could fix that in like 15 minutes. You know that. .you've seen me do it. . I think.

[the-revolution.livejournal.com]

Ughah. . It's less than easy. Due to apple's heavy push for using their Airport wireless. .there is very little choice for mac wireless aside from the airport cards. IE most vendors do not produce mac drivers for their cards. (and if they do, they royally suck; NOTHING beats apple's built in wireless software.) There are a few 3rd party drivers that can be purchased seperately . .but they have licensing and all sorts of other irritating things. The apple solution is by far the easiest. You can find new apple airport cards on Ebay for 70-90 bucks. . around the price they sold for when new (not the 120+ some places are charging now)

Second note; USB NIC's should not be touched with a ten-foot-pole.

[re-wired.livejournal.com]

I've never seen you do it. >

[krasota.livejournal.com]

wireless cards cost $79 from *Apple*, free shipping.

[krasota.livejournal.com]

Aye. The Airport Express is 129 and works with existing an hub/router. I realize there are cheaper options, but I wouldn't have to worry about driver support at all. I'm looking into it, but is there any reason it wouldn't work with our d-link 704p, other than the fact that macs and dlink are notoriously poo-headed toward each other?

As far as cards, I'd rather stick with an airport card. Macs can just get tetchy and since the iBook is boy's computer, we'd be better off having something that will plug and play and cause very few issues. I have all day to research and tweak things, but this is boy's toy, the thing he relaxes with or records music onto. He likes it to work from the get-go. The combo of a the express + the card = just over 210. I need to call apple, but I'm pretty sure they'd knock this up to a higher level fix if I wanted to get the solder joints repaired, so that's still a cheaper option. Since we *will* buy a new computer within the year, provided our mortgage doesn't leave us destitute, our new iBook will come with a wireless card already, so it makes sense to start outfitting this machine--it's cheaper to get it repaired, even buying Apple products.

The only machine we have that's not able to go wireless is the XP machine boy uses for work. And that's CSC property and I think I'm technically not allowed to touch it. He probably has to fill out paperwork if he wants to open the case, anyhow. Would wireless connectivity affect the VPN at all? He uses it with that machine and that one alone.

I'm completely clueless about all the new computer stuff and I've forgotten most of the old stuff. Macs are good for people with fibrofog.

[the-revolution.livejournal.com]

Airport Extreme (802.11g) mini-pci cards used in the newer machines are 79$ from apple. used in G5 systems, Aluminum powerbooks, newer emacs and newer G4 imacs. .and in G4 powerbooks.

The discontinued standard PCMCIA.PC Card form factor 802.11b card is used in G3 ibooks, almost all G4 towers, titanium powerbooks, G3 bronze keyboard and firewire powerbooks, slotload imacs. .earlier flat panel imacs. .earlier emacs. . .these are priced between 70-90 .or as high as 120+ depending on the bozo selling them.