rather angry at apple, hp, maxtor.....

[macOSX-tastic]

hi everyone.

thought i would let you in on a little rant that i have been having since i recieved my powerbook almost a week ago.

the powerbook, the mighty mouse, and the wireless keyboard work flawlessly. there are no problems whatsoever.

however, there is the other side of my apple store order, nicknamed the evil twin. this side incorporates a maxtor onetouch drive, and an HP 2355 all-in-one printer.

after i set up my account on OSX, i decided to avoid problems later, to follow all the instructions as they were printed. WHAT A MISTAKE TO MAKE.

the maxtor drive software, which coincidentally isnt made by maxtor at all, (it's made by dantz), causes the system to kernel panic whenever the HD is connected via firewire. after 3 calls to apple support and an archive and install of OSX, i finally get it working as a stand alone drive without the onetouch backup facility. D'oh!

next. the HP PSC 2355. connect and configure the printer fine, but cannot get the all in one software to recognise the printer! on the software assistant, get the message 'no devices found', even when i rescan USB, and with a newly purchased cable.
i contacted HP through their technical support email service over 24 hours ago, and still no reply.

i will be phoning apple tomorrow to let them know about my obvious concerns with spending £2000+ on new hardware that doesnt function properly together. i'll tell you one thing.....im glad the call is free.

i have been working these problems for 5 straight days now, and am getting tired and fed up. the only thing that actually seems to work ok is the actual powerbook, MS office software, and the KB + Mouse!

has anyone else had any of these problems that plague me so?

or any advice?

thanks, im glad that i got it down in writing.

tastic

 

[26139]

Wait...

hi everyone.

thought i would let you in on a little rant that i have been having since i recieved my powerbook almost a week ago.

the powerbook, the mighty mouse, and the wireless keyboard work flawlessly. there are no problems whatsoever.

however, there is the other side of my apple store order, nicknamed the evil twin. this side incorporates a maxtor onetouch drive, and an HP 2355 all-in-one printer.

after i set up my account on OSX, i decided to avoid problems later, to follow all the instructions as they were printed. WHAT A MISTAKE TO MAKE.

the maxtor drive software, which coincidentally isnt made by maxtor at all, (it's made by dantz), causes the system to kernel panic whenever the HD is connected via firewire. after 3 calls to apple support and an archive and install of OSX, i finally get it working as a stand alone drive without the onetouch backup facility. D'oh!

next. the HP PSC 2355. connect and configure the printer fine, but cannot get the all in one software to recognise the printer! on the software assistant, get the message 'no devices found', even when i rescan USB, and with a newly purchased cable.
i contacted HP through their technical support email service over 24 hours ago, and still no reply.

i will be phoning apple tomorrow to let them know about my obvious concerns with spending £2000+ on new hardware that doesnt function properly together. i'll tell you one thing.....im glad the call is free.

i have been working these problems for 5 straight days now, and am getting tired and fed up. the only thing that actually seems to work ok is the actual powerbook, MS office software, and the KB + Mouse!

has anyone else had any of these problems that plague me so?

or any advice?

thanks, im glad that i got it down in writing.

tastic

So you are calling Apple to tell them that while their products work, the other ones don't? You sure that's Apple's fault and/or problem?

 

[CanadaRAM]

If your Retrospect software is kernel panicking, it is either incorrectly installed, or needs an update for your OSX version. Delete it, check the Dantz website, and reinstall with updates as indicated.
http://www.dantz.com/en/support/updates.dtml
http://kb.dantz.com/display/2n/articleDirect/index.asp?aid=7971&r=0.678692

What happens if you go to Applications, Utilities, Printer Setup and try to Add a USB printer? Does it offer to add the HP?
The latest installer is available here
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...lc=en&product=422000&lang=en&y=6&cc=us&os=219

HP FAQ
Mac OS: Printer not detected in Setup Assistant After Upgrading to driver v7.3.1
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...00&os=219&lang=en&y=6&cc=us&docname=c00474307

MAC OS X: Uninstall and Reinstall Printer Software after a Major Mac OS Upgrade
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...00&os=219&lang=en&y=6&cc=us&docname=c00415082


So: It took me less time to look this up on the Web and copy the info here than it did for you to write your initial post.

Advice: Never install from the CDs in the box, they are guaranteed to be out of date 'cause they were manufactured 3 months or 6 months ago - always go to the web site for the latest versions

 

[pknz]

Make sure you update all the software you can before breaking a sweat.

Update Mac OSX
The printer software, and if available the Maxtor one aswell.

My HP printer was a bit berko before HP released new software for it, works like a charm now.

 

[macOSX-tastic]

i regarded it as apple's fault and/or problem because they sold me every peice of hardware. all off the apple store online. in this case, i would have it expected it to work no problems.

i have spent a long time trying to find the correct drivers on websites but to no avail, thanks for the links. i dont want to make a fuss, but can you at least see where im coming from? it just doesnt feel right to have to gol out and get drivers and patches and updates and things when you buy something new.

after all, it is my first buying experience, so ive never really had this problem before.

thanks for your help anyway guys, i appreciate it.

tastic

 

[eva01]

of course you have to download updates right after you buy something, they don't change the OS discs every single time there is a minor update to the system.

Just play with it, it will eventually work

 

[macOSX-tastic]

PKNZ, where did you get your updates from? i am currently downl;oading the latest vesion of the installer, 7.0. its a 108MB file.

tastic

 

[Sun Baked]

i regarded it as apple's fault and/or problem because they sold me every peice of hardware. all off the apple store online. in this case, i would have it expected it to work no problems.

i have spent a long time trying to find the correct drivers on websites but to no avail, thanks for the links. i dont want to make a fuss, but can you at least see where im coming from? it just doesnt feel right to have to gol out and get drivers and patches and updates and things when you buy something new.

after all, it is my first buying experience, so ive never really had this problem before.

thanks for your help anyway guys, i appreciate it.

tastic

So if you bought all this stuff from Wal-Mart or CompUSA you would be lighting up their phone lines instead?

Apple is selling stuff from other people like CompUSA, to earn more profit and take a bit of business away from CompUSA -- doesn't mean all the crap will work well.

Apple still sells the Norton crap at the store, and that'll create problems far faster than any MS product for Mac OS X.

Don't know if they've fixed the one-touch USB all-in-ones drivers from HP, but they along with the Norton crap were two of the first places to look for major system slowdowns for a long time.

 

[jsalzer]

From the Online Store

"Note: Products sold through this Web site which do not bear the Apple Brand name are serviced and supported exclusively by their manufacturers in accordance with terms and conditions packaged with the products. Actual print speeds will vary depending on computer and type of document printed. Apple's Limited Warranty does not apply to products that are not Apple-branded, even if packaged or sold with Apple products. Please contact the manufacturer directly for technical support and customer service."

I know it's frustrating. Especially with HP. Cups? Gimps? Postscript? Just let me type in my printer type, my OS, and give me a driver that works!

That's why I'll happily keep giving money to Canon.

I don't know much about Retrospect. I tried it once (it came with something I bought - probably my external HD), but it scared me that you'd then need Retrospect to get your info back. At least from what I saw. That's a committment to a proprietary format that I wasn't willing to make.

Anywho - point is, it bites when things don't "just work" as we so often pretend they do. You'll eventually get a good feel for what to try when things don't work, and it's generally easier to do than in Windows (where there are 4 different places where you can specify which tray to print from - and it's the last one you look at that's defaulting the wrong way.) But don't bother Apple with it. HP and Dantz are the sources of your pain. Make them give you their time. You paid them for it.

 

[Heb1228]

Acting like you're mad at apple for other companies products not working is pretty ridiculous. It doesn't matter if you bought them from the apple store or from jim bob in a street-side rolling cart.

Downloading updates is a part of using any computer. Get used to it.

You need to look at this as a learning experience so you'll know better what to do next time. Don't get mad at the companies (HP, Danz)) because you can't figure out how to use their product. Sure, they probably could make them easier to figure out, but once you learn how to deal with this kind of stuff, you can usually find the answers quickly.

As an example, CanadaRAM's post, he found probably all the information needed to fix your problems in about 5 or 10 minutes. Don't get mad. Learn from it.

 

[beatle888]

i regarded it as apple's fault and/or problem because they sold me every peice of hardware. all off the apple store online. in this case, i would have it expected it to work no problems.

i have spent a long time trying to find the correct drivers on websites but to no avail, thanks for the links. i dont want to make a fuss, but can you at least see where im coming from? it just doesnt feel right to have to gol out and get drivers and patches and updates and things when you buy something new.

after all, it is my first buying experience, so ive never really had this problem before.

thanks for your help anyway guys, i appreciate it.

tastic

i think we all understand. i here exactly were your coming from. it makes apple look bad when their suppose to be catering to pros AND newbies (not implying that your a newbie) computer users. they should make sure their systems and os work perfectly with the hardware they promote ON THEIR SITE especially.

someone will be able to help you here at macrumors. did you check the cables?


Edit: wow i guess most here DONT understand....he already said he did the updates.

i should of added "people USUALLY will be glad to help you here at macrumors.

 

[Fukui]

someone will be able to help you here at macrumors. did you check the cables?
i should of added "people USUALLY will be glad to help you here at macrumors.

Well, I've had the same problem with HP and USB not showing up.
Using System Profiler, not even the printer shows up as anything,
even using USB Prober I get nothing...

I'll never buy an HP printer, at least an AIO again... thats the only advice I can say sorry...

 

[California]

Yeah, I could never figure out/fully understand or trust that Dantz retrospect stuff either. Got rid of it. As for HP, I've had only wonderful experiences with my HP printers and miss the one I bought last year and gave to my mom for her iMac as I thought I needed an "all in one" HP. but I still can't figure out how to recieve faxes and I have noticed that it has to stay "on" all the time in order to recieve through the computer. This does something wiggy to my machine -- I think eats up CPU when I am not even aware of it. Don't blame HP. It's the function of the all in one to be a bit buggy until we, the consumer, either read through the manuals (my case) or just get the right info from our international brethren in India off the HP customer service number. Make the 800 call (if they've got 800 numbers in UK?

 

[macOSX-tastic]

i suppose the first reaction is to get mad at apple....

but ive got the maxtor working as a stand alone firewire drive now, without the help of dantz.

i also went through a long and painful process of deleting system files using instructions from the HP website, downloading the latest driver and installing i, and now the printer works fine.

its not that im mad about having to update my computer, thats not what bothers me...and to be honest, saying 'get used to it' is not all that helpful. the people on macrumors who are willing to go and find, then post links out of their own time are infinitely better at solving the problem at hand (thanks.)

its the fact that when apple release a major upgrade to their OS (i.e. panther>tiger) i have the opinion that it is their responsibility to work alongside companies such as dantz and HP to make things work before selling them, and packaging them with their products. if the software that i got was 6 month old, and the new os was released 4 months ago, and they are selling me these two components together, that represents incompetence on the part of every company involved. yes, you can download updates, but what will someone do if they didnt have the internet? go through the long process of ordering CD's?

the guy i talked to at applecare treated the situation like it was very much apple's fault. he was apologising all over the place. but i guess he has to, thats what customer service is about.

you would have to back through apple to get a replacement product anyway.

apple is a business, but as has been frequently said before, they need to cater effectively to their customers. i remember when almost every iPod 3G owner on macrumors was hopping mad at the fact that apple updated to 4G and left the 3G'ers in the dark with regards to software and support.

every post in this thread makes logical sense, in its own way; i guess it depend which way you look at it, as it can be apple's fault for selling you the stuff, the companies' fault for not updating the software and leaving their products in warehouses for months on end (sad but true) or it could be my fault for buying the stuff and creating the problem in the first place!!

anyway, it doesnt matter now as its all sorted.

tastic

 

[MacSA]

.........If i spent £2000 on hardware from the APPLE STORE... I would expect it to work together properly out of the box - it's not like it came from shady hight street shop. If I were you I would ask for a refund on the external hard drive and look for a different one.

 

[za9ra22]

Acting like you're mad at apple for other companies products not working is pretty ridiculous. It doesn't matter if you bought them from the apple store or from jim bob in a street-side rolling cart.

Downloading updates is a part of using any computer. Get used to it.

You need to look at this as a learning experience so you'll know better what to do next time. Don't get mad at the companies (HP, Danz)) because you can't figure out how to use their product. Sure, they probably could make them easier to figure out, but once you learn how to deal with this kind of stuff, you can usually find the answers quickly.

As an example, CanadaRAM's post, he found probably all the information needed to fix your problems in about 5 or 10 minutes. Don't get mad. Learn from it.

First things first: if I buy something from any source and it doesn't work, I go back to that source, whether it be Apple, Walmart of who ever else. Who else would I go to?! In this instance, if Apple sell a product from another company it implies that it works with Apple's systems. Experts may well know better, but the rest of us don't and have no way to.

Secondly: Downloading updates is NOT a fact of life. There are plenty of people still on dialup access where downloading a 100+Mb driver update is an impossibility. Personally, I've never found any problem with the drivers supplied on CD with equipment, but I would regard anything that doesn't as unsatisfactory if it requires access to large downloads in order to function as described.

Thirdly: It is not the user's fault if products don't work easily. That's a cheap excuse made by manufacturers for badly designed products or poorly assembled user instructions. That we all have to learn this stuff goes without saying, but as the people providing these goods and services, it should be beholden on the manufacturers and vendors to ensure that products are fit for use, not on the consumer to be sufficiently experienced in advance of their purchase that they know the answer to everything.

 

[kalisphoenix]

Dantz? Dantz? ****, man, GNU TAR!

</obligatory UNIX geek post>