Why pay for support to download ML?

[duggram]

Bought ML and started the download. My ISP dropped my signal mid download. Now the app store says in Purchases "An error has occurred...". Nothing I do restarts the process. I'm not allowed to repurchase it and the ML icon says "Waiting".

I sent a message to support and I quickly got a message from a support person saying, among other things, I would have to pay for support before I can get any help. Why do I have to pay for Apple support to get a product that Apple sold me?

Any suggestions on how I should proceed?

BTW I did search this forum for similar posts and didn't find any.

 

[miles01110]

Why don't you try calling them? E-mailing is an exceedingly poor way to get what you want.

 

[duggram]

Thanks for the reply. I don't have a phone number for them. When I go through their support help screens the only option I get is email. Do you know a way to find the correct support number?

 

[duggram]

I think i have this figured out. This is a problem when ever Apple comes out with a major upgrade. For some reason certain ISPs and modems are not compatible with large Apple downloads. It's a problem on the Apple side and they refuse to fix it. I always forget that if I want a new version of OS X I have to got to the Apple store or Best Buy to download it.

Last year I didn't have to down load 10.7 because it came with the new MBP I got. It's been two years since I've worked through this and I forgot about it.

My apologies for the false alarm.

 

[heisenberg123]

I think i have this figured out. This is a problem when ever Apple comes out with a major upgrade. For some reason certain ISPs and modems are not compatible with large Apple downloads. It's a problem on the Apple side and they refuse to fix it. I always forget that if I want a new version of OS X I have to got to the Apple store or Best Buy to download it.

Last year I didn't have to down load 10.7 because it came with the new MBP I got. It's been two years since I've worked through this and I forgot about it.

My apologies for the false alarm.

apples fault?

what crappy ISP or modem doesnt allow to download a 4GB file?

 

[duggram]

Wrong. I can download large files elsewhere. There is something about the protocol that Apple uses that doesn't get along with certain ISPs and modems.

However, now I've learned about a VPN called Hotspot Shield that takes care of the problem and 10.8 is now downloading. It's just going to take 3+ hours to do so.

 

[polotska]

If that’s accurate, I’d get a new ISP.

 

[duggram]

If that’s accurate, I’d get a new ISP.

Why? My ISP works perfectly. The only time this is an issue is with major Apple updates. I never have a problem downloading anything the rest of the year. Besides this ISP is free for us. If we change I have to pay for it.

 

[heisenberg123]

So you can download 4+GB files from other websites?

 

[polotska]

Why? My ISP works perfectly.

Apparently not.

 

[duggram]

Apple downloads stop at ~51 MB. I can download files larger than that from other sites. But I'm not sure about 4GB. I do know that I have 9 recent between 70 and 401 MB in my Downloads now.

It also just dawned on me that when I go through Software Updates that there are sometimes updates larger than 51 MB. I have not had any problems with these either in the past. It's just when I'm downloading the next major version of the OS.

Any suggestions? Hotspot is helping me now to get this download done, but I'm sure the same thing will happen next year and I'll forget about it then too.

 

[heisenberg123]

How many "next versions of OS" have you downloaded you said Lion was pre installed and nothing before lion was a download, so this sounds like the first time you had a problem

 

[duggram]

How many "next versions of OS" have you downloaded you said Lion was pre installed and nothing before lion was a download, so this sounds like the first time you had a problem

Leopard and Snow Leopard on my older MBP. Had the same problem with them. I was a Windows and Linux user for almost 20 years before I came to OS X.

 

[aristobrat]

I think i have this figured out. This is a problem when ever Apple comes out with a major upgrade. For some reason certain ISPs and modems are not compatible with large Apple downloads. It's a problem on the Apple side and they refuse to fix it.

OK, in your other thread about this issue, there's another Qwest 2wire user who had zero problems downloading the update.

On the Apple Support Site here, there was a 2wire user that had the same problem as you, but ended up borrowing his next-door-neighbors wireless router, replaced his wireless router, and then the download worked.

Update: Looks like Qwest has sent firmware updates to 2701HG-D 2wire modems that can cause a problem with large downloads. Some folks have had luck getting the modem replaced for free, others haven't. link

 

[duggram]

Aristobrat, thank you for looking into this. However, if you look further you will find that the problem with those modems has to do with the protocol that Apple uses. Both sides have addressed this problem elsewhere and it's a stand off. Keep looking you'll find it.

However, as noted above I only have this problem on Apple OS updates. Anything else from Apple downloads without a problem. I've found a work around that is working (and I can always go to the Apple store which is an OK thing). I'm happy.

 

[heisenberg123]

Leopard and Snow Leopard on my older MBP. Had the same problem with them. I was a Windows and Linux user for almost 20 years before I came to OS X.

those were both before the Mac App Store

 

[kaielement]

I have a crapy isp that would slow my speeds down if I tried to dl a 4.5gb file no matter where it came from. Even if I never go over my monthly cap of 17gb a month. Luckily for me I went to an apple store and dl it using their wifi and it took about 20 min.

 

[Soundflunky]

Dan Benjamin of 5by5 podcasts has a similar problem. He can't download any large file from Apple but otherwise his connection works perfectly.

 

[duggram]

Dan Benjamin of 5by5 podcasts has a similar problem. He can't download any large file from Apple but otherwise his connection works perfectly.

I know I'm not the only one with this download problem.

iisforiphone, doesn't matter what it was called at the time. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work.

 

[boomhower]

I can download large files from Apple just fine, they are just horrible slow. Roughly a third of the speed of my cable connection. Other sites have no issue running at half or a little more.