iMac is home now

So, yeah... the iMac has been having problems. The least of which were spoken about in the last blog. Since then, the computer hasn't gotten much better. Corel Painter still couldn't start up and while I contacted Corel tech support, I never received an answer in their 'three to five' days via email.

On top of that situation, the computer kept shutting down. And when it was in sleep mode, I couldn't get it to wake up. After losing a project I was working on, I decided enough was enough and made an appointment at the Genius bar at the nearest Apple store. I packed it up in its box - which I still kept, even with the styrofoam, which was good because I'm not sure how else I would have carried it - and hauled it to the car. The Apple Store is in a mall and it was hell to carry that thing through the place to get to the store - we didn't know exactly where it was inside. The iMac is freaking heavy!!! Did you know that? I didn't... NOW I do. ITS HEAVY!

We passed a kiosk with cell phone covers and I have two hands on the handle and my arms are killing me and I didn't change my shoes because I had left right after work to go to the store to make my appointment and CLEARLY I am struggling to carry the box and the girl at the stand looks me in the eye and says, "Hi, what kind of cell phone do you have?" I mean, she was preparing to try and get me to come over so she can try and sell me some cell phone cover while I'm lifting this heavy ass box - and it was obvious I was having difficulty... I managed not to say, "Shove it up your ass you idiot!" or something equally classy and just said, "Sorry no, carrying something heavy!"

So, in the end, I managed to get to the Apple Store and Mom commented that it sort of smelled like sweat and I couldn't disagree. I don't know what happened at that store, but it went down hill. There used to be cleancut decently groomed employees... in their place was now, shaggy, scraggily looking people in ill fitting t-shirts. I can only guess a bunch of people needed jobs and they applied at the store and got jobs... I dunno. It was just sort of... bleh. They were all VERY nice I will say. They were polite. When I finally got to see my Genius, I was really tired, as we waited a half hour after my appointment time.

He checked out the iMac and opened it up and went through a bunch of tests, even with help from another Genius. Then he said he thought it was the power supply. This would cost about 170 some dollars with labor. If it wasn't the power supply, he said it might be the logic board which would hike the cost up to over 700 dollars. While this was a lot of money, it was still going to be cheaper than buying a new computer... though I had to admit, seeing all the shiny new computers, it was hard to not want one.

But I will also admit, that after a while... I didn't really want a new computer. It was... I dunno... The thrill was gone. Maybe it was the store.

Anyway... So I had to leave the computer there, hoping it was the power supply and not the logic board.

I got a call from the Apple store today that it was the power supply and the iMac was ready to pick up. After work, Mom and I headed back up and got to the store - this time with the box and a little rolling luggage cart thing because lugging the computer through the mall again was not happening. The greeting apple employee informed me I had to wait on line to get my computer back so I went to the register line and stood there for a bit... then got some padding things for the laptop I have... figuring I'd pay for the repairs and pay for that at the same time. Let me tell you, that register line was SLOW... I mean REALLY SLOW!

I have never waited so long on a register line that wasn't even long! It was ridiculous.

Before we get to the register, an employee came up asking if I was picking up something and I gave him my info so he could go in the back and get it. I got to the counter and told the guy we were waiting for my computer... So the WHOLE line had to wait till my computer came up. They weren't going to ring up anyone else till I did... They finally brought my computer and put it in the box and I packed it up and got it ready to go. I then handed the guy my paperwork so he could ring me up... and the little protection pack thing. We stand there for about 10 minutes and finally ask what the problem was. Apparently... you cannot ring up a repair and an item at the same time on their register.

That is freaking insane! I cannot believe that they would have it set up that way!!! So, since I'm paying by check, I have to write out two checks for this thing... I write up the first check and give him my ID.. another 10 to 15 minutes and he is ringing up the check. Mom and I are standing there as a line builds up behind us and are in complete disbelief that this is taking so long... Apparently, the guy working the cash register is a trainee... Then we have to ring up the protection pack... another 5 - 10 minutes... I felt like.. I don't know... Standing there while this line of people is building up behind us. I'd have felt bad, thinking that it was because of paying with a check, but we waited on line a long time too and I can't think that everyone ahead of us was paying with checks too. So clearly there was an issue with this system with the register. Which pisses me off because I love macs and think they are awesome and there is no reason for an Apple store to have that slow a system for ringing up stuff.

But anyway... we got back home and I hooked up the iMac again. So far, I think its working fine... we'll see. I'll be glad if it all works fine again. VERY happy. Pray that the iMac is fine and that I won't have to worry about it going wonky and not working again.