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CED Help Desk
412-D Poe Hall
CED_Help@ncsu.edu
515-1760
College of Education
NCSU
last updated
8.24.2006
Battery Exchange Program for iBook G4 and PowerBook G4
August 24, 2006
Apple has issued a recall for
certain batteries sold with 12-inch iBook G4's, 12-inch PowerBook G4's
and 15-inch PowerBook G4's from late 2003 through August 2006. Under
'rare circumstances' the affected lithium-ion batteries can overheat.
(These batteries were manufactured at the same Sony factory as the
batteries Dell has been recalling because of risk of fire: https://www.dellbatteryprogram.com/.)
To check if your iBook or PowerBook battery is subject to the recall, go to Apple's "Battery Exchange Program iBook G4 and PowerBook G4" page (https://support.apple.com/ibook_powerbook/batteryexchange/) and follow the instructions for finding your laptop and battery serial numbers. Enter the numbers in the appropriate files and click the 'Continue' link. The resulting page will tell you if your battery is subject to the recall. If it is, follow the instructions and Apple will send you a new replacement battery. Do not throw out your existing battery; you will need to send it back to Apple when the replacement arrives.
Not all batteries with serial numbers within the ranges specified on Apple's exchange page are subject to the recall. Only those batteries manufactured at the particular Sony plant may have the defect. You will need to enter your notebook and battery serial numbers in the on-line form to determine whether your battery has been recalled. iBook G3 owners please note that if you recently purchased a battery for your computer, you also need to check your battery's serial number to see if it is subject to the recall.
If you have difficulty locating the serial numbers or would like the computing staff to do it for you, please reply to this email and we will schedule an appointment with you when we can check your computer. For full information about the recall see Apple's page (https://support.apple.com/ibook_powerbook/batteryexchange/).
To check if your iBook or PowerBook battery is subject to the recall, go to Apple's "Battery Exchange Program iBook G4 and PowerBook G4" page (https://support.apple.com/ibook_powerbook/batteryexchange/) and follow the instructions for finding your laptop and battery serial numbers. Enter the numbers in the appropriate files and click the 'Continue' link. The resulting page will tell you if your battery is subject to the recall. If it is, follow the instructions and Apple will send you a new replacement battery. Do not throw out your existing battery; you will need to send it back to Apple when the replacement arrives.
Not all batteries with serial numbers within the ranges specified on Apple's exchange page are subject to the recall. Only those batteries manufactured at the particular Sony plant may have the defect. You will need to enter your notebook and battery serial numbers in the on-line form to determine whether your battery has been recalled. iBook G3 owners please note that if you recently purchased a battery for your computer, you also need to check your battery's serial number to see if it is subject to the recall.
If you have difficulty locating the serial numbers or would like the computing staff to do it for you, please reply to this email and we will schedule an appointment with you when we can check your computer. For full information about the recall see Apple's page (https://support.apple.com/ibook_powerbook/batteryexchange/).
eMac Repair Extension Program for Video and Power Issues
July 3, 2006
Apple announced
the eMac
Repair Extension Program for Video and Power Issues.
Some eMacs sold between April '04 and June '05 may be experience a component failure causing video and/or power problems. If your eMac has scrambled or distorted video, no video, or no power, go to the repair extension page to determine if it is eligible for repair, free of charge.
Some eMacs sold between April '04 and June '05 may be experience a component failure causing video and/or power problems. If your eMac has scrambled or distorted video, no video, or no power, go to the repair extension page to determine if it is eligible for repair, free of charge.
iMac G5 Repair Extension Program for Video and Power Issues
August 19, 2005
Apple announced
the iMac
G5 Repair Extension Program for Video and Power Issues.
"If your iMac G5 is exhibiting any of the symptoms listed below and your computer's serial number is within the noted ranges, your computer may be eligible for repair, free of charge. If Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP) determines that your iMac G5 computer is eligible as part of the program, the repair will be covered by Apple for up to two years from the original date of purchase even if your iMac G5 is out of warranty. This is a worldwide Apple program."
"Affected systems will exhibit one of the following video- or power-related symptoms:"
"If your iMac G5 is exhibiting any of the symptoms listed below and your computer's serial number is within the noted ranges, your computer may be eligible for repair, free of charge. If Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP) determines that your iMac G5 computer is eligible as part of the program, the repair will be covered by Apple for up to two years from the original date of purchase even if your iMac G5 is out of warranty. This is a worldwide Apple program."
"Affected systems will exhibit one of the following video- or power-related symptoms:"
- Scrambled or distorted video
- No video
- No power
Norton AntiVirus 10 Available
Norton AntiVirus 10 for Mac OS X is now available for download from the NCSU AntiVirus Resources page. This update resolves the compatibility issues between NAV and OS X 10.3.9 and 10.4. It can be installed over top of Norton AntiVirus 9.
If you are still running Norton AntiVirus 8, you will need to uninstall it before you can install NAV 10. To do so, use the NortonUninstall.command utility, available for download.
iBook & PowerBook Battery Exchange
May 20, 2005
Apple is
again recalling several batches of batteries which could overheat,
possibly becoming a fire hazard. The recalled batteries are used
with 12" iBook G4s, 12" PowerBook G4s, and 15" PowerBook G4s sold from
October 2004 through May 2005.
Please check the model and serial number of your iBook or PowerBook battery against the numbers on Apple's Battery Exchange Program page as soon as possible. If your battery is one that needs to be replaced you can either fill out the exchange form yourselves or bring your laptops by and we'll take care of it.
For more information, see US CPSC.
Please check the model and serial number of your iBook or PowerBook battery against the numbers on Apple's Battery Exchange Program page as soon as possible. If your battery is one that needs to be replaced you can either fill out the exchange form yourselves or bring your laptops by and we'll take care of it.
For more information, see US CPSC.
Norton AntiVirus Compatibility Issues
The recent upgrades to Mac OS X 10.3.9 and OS X 10.4 have both introduced compatibility issues with Norton AntiVirus 9.
(Almost) Free Upgrade to Tiger (OS X 10.4) for Recently Purchased Macs
April 29, 2005
Apple officially released
OS X 10.4 Tiger today. If you purchased a Mac on or after April 12th
2005, you can get an upgrade to Tiger for only the cost of the media
($9.95).
See Apple's Tiger Up-To-Date Program page for details. (CED users should contact their departmental purchase agents.)
Home users who plan to upgrade their systems should take a minute to review the recommended procedures for upgrading your system and read ITD's best practices for upgrading to Tiger.
See Apple's Tiger Up-To-Date Program page for details. (CED users should contact their departmental purchase agents.)
Home users who plan to upgrade their systems should take a minute to review the recommended procedures for upgrading your system and read ITD's best practices for upgrading to Tiger.
Safari & Java Issues After Updating to OS X 10.3.9
April 19, 2005
After updating to OS X 10.3.9, some Mac users have experienced problems with Java-enabled web sites causing Safari to quit. Apple has posted a Knowledge Base article with solutions to this issue.
April 21, 2005
Apple has released an update to fix the Java problems introduced by the 10.3.9 update. The fix is available through Software Update or as a standalone download.
Also, some Mac community web sites have begun reporting problems with Mail (exceedingly slow, spinning pinwheel upon checking mail, fails to quit) after updating to 10.3.9. We've seen an instance of this in the College, as well.
Tiger (OS X 10.4) Release Announced
Mac OS X 10.4 becomes available April 29th. College Mac users who purchased a license of Mac OS X for their departmental computer through the AMP agreement (or purchased the license under the old TAP agreement and renewed it under AMP) are eligible for a free upgrade to Tiger when we receive the media. For more information, see the ITD Mac Support page.
Microsoft Office 2004 Service Pack 1 Released
October 12, 2004
See Microsoft Updates page for information and links.
15" PowerBook G4 Display Repair Program
September 2004
Apple has
announced a repair program for 15" PowerBook G4s that experience a
problem with faint white spots appearing on the display. If your 15"
Titanium or Aluminum PowerBook has this problem, check your computer's
serial number against those on Apple's
PowerBook G4 Display Repair Extension page to see if it qualifies.
New
Mac OS X License SubscriptionThe TAP Mac OS X license agreement is coming to the end of its three year cycle. A new agreement called AMP will be taking its place. See ITD Macintosh Support for more information.
Security Updates
Sept 7, 2004
Apple has released a new security update (Security Update 2004-09-07) that is available via Software Update or for download for Mac OS X 10.3.5, 10.3.4 or 10.2.8.
A list of Apple's most recent security updates can be found here.
15" PowerBook G4 Battery Recall
August 2004
Apple is
recalling several batches of batteries which are prone to overheating
and possibly becoming a fire hazard.
Please check the serial number of your PowerBook's battery against the numbers on Apple's Battery Exchange page as soon as possible. If your battery is one that needs to be replaced you can either fill out the exchange form yourselves or bring your laptops by and we'll take care of it.
Please check the serial number of your PowerBook's battery against the numbers on Apple's Battery Exchange page as soon as possible. If your battery is one that needs to be replaced you can either fill out the exchange form yourselves or bring your laptops by and we'll take care of it.
MP3Concept Trojan Horse
April 2004
At this date, the MP3Concept Trojan is merely a
proof-of-concept that was posted to a newsgroup to show how a file that
appeared to be an MP3, could in fact be an application which a user
might unwittingly launch. Although the technique used to create
MP3Concept is novel, the ability to disguise an application or script
as a document is nothing new. (A common joke back in the days of System
7 was to take the Shutdown script and rename it "Macintosh HD," paste a
hard drive icon onto it and lay it out on the desktop where,
inevitably, someone would double-click it to open the hard drive and
end up shutting down the computer.)
While
MP3Concept is not "in the wild" and does not carry a malicious payload,
Symantec has released
updated virus definitions
for Symantec/Norton AntiVirus that will
detect and remove this trojan.
While much of the initial coverage of MP3Concept was hype and/or misleading, you should take the following things away with you:
1) It's never been safe to double-click an attachment or downloaded file from an untrusted source, even for Mac users.
2) While MP3Concept (or other Mac trojans) might appear to be a document while in Icon View, in List View the Finder reveals it to be an application. This technique can be used to double-check documents you receive before you open them.
3) Keep your antivirus software up-to-date!
4) Turn off the Open safe files after downloading option in Safari's preferences to prevent Safari from automatically launching files it thinks are PDFs, MP3s, etc.
For more detailed information regarding MP3Concept and the coverage it received, see TidBITS.
Update:
Fake
"Word 2004 Demo" Deletes User FilesWhile
MP3Concept is not "in the wild" and does not carry a malicious payload,
Symantec has released
updated virus definitions
for Symantec/Norton AntiVirus that will
detect and remove this trojan. While much of the initial coverage of MP3Concept was hype and/or misleading, you should take the following things away with you:
1) It's never been safe to double-click an attachment or downloaded file from an untrusted source, even for Mac users.
2) While MP3Concept (or other Mac trojans) might appear to be a document while in Icon View, in List View the Finder reveals it to be an application. This technique can be used to double-check documents you receive before you open them.
3) Keep your antivirus software up-to-date!
4) Turn off the Open safe files after downloading option in Safari's preferences to prevent Safari from automatically launching files it thinks are PDFs, MP3s, etc.
For more detailed information regarding MP3Concept and the coverage it received, see TidBITS.
May 2004
Another
example of the risks of downloading files from untrusted sources like
peer-to-peer file sharing networks. The real 30 day 'Test Drive'
version is available for download
from Microsoft.
DHCP Vulnerability in OS X
Dec 8, 2003
A
vulnerability exists that could allow someone to compromise your Mac
by setting up a malicious DHCP Server. Although not very likely, Mac
users are strongly
encouraged to fix this vulnerability. Because we are not using a
directory service in the College, you can protect your computer by
simply changing
your Directory Access setting as described
here.
Panther (OS X 10.3) FireWire Issue
Nov 10, 2003
An
issue exists with OS X 10.3 connected to external FireWire hard
drives that can result in the loss of the data on the FireWire drive.
Data loss occurs when a computer running Panther is restarted with the
FireWire drive connected. The drive works fine in Panther before the
restart, but becomes unusable after the restart because of damage to
the drive’s directory. Disk utilities (Norton Utilities,
DiskWarrior,
etc) are unable to repair the disk’s directory, though the Data
Rescue
may recover (some of) the data. Reformatting the drive allows it to be
used again, but it can be damaged again if left connected while the
computer is restarted. Unmounting and disconnecting FireWire drives
before restarting/shutting down is recommended.
According to Apple and Oxford Semiconductor, this problem is limited to FireWire 800 hard drives using the Oxford 922 bridge chip-set with firmware version 1.02. A number of FireWire drive manufacturers (Club Mac, Firewire Depot, FireWire Direct, LaCie, Other World Computing, WiebeTech, etc) have posted firmware updates. Firmware updates should only be applied to the specific models recommended by the manufacturer.
FireWire 400
According to Apple and Oxford Semiconductor, this problem is limited to FireWire 800 drives. However, MacFixIt has received a number of reports from people who experienced the same problem with FireWire 400 (Oxford 911 chip-set), and have issued the following recommendations:
According to Apple and Oxford Semiconductor, this problem is limited to FireWire 800 hard drives using the Oxford 922 bridge chip-set with firmware version 1.02. A number of FireWire drive manufacturers (Club Mac, Firewire Depot, FireWire Direct, LaCie, Other World Computing, WiebeTech, etc) have posted firmware updates. Firmware updates should only be applied to the specific models recommended by the manufacturer.
FireWire 400
According to Apple and Oxford Semiconductor, this problem is limited to FireWire 800 drives. However, MacFixIt has received a number of reports from people who experienced the same problem with FireWire 400 (Oxford 911 chip-set), and have issued the following recommendations:
- For affected
drives (FireWire 800),
check
your drive manufacturer's web site for firmware updates.
- If you are concerned about using drives that are not officially affected (FireWire 400), unmount and disconnect the FireWire drive before shutting down or restarting your computer.
- Backup your data.
- If your FireWire drive has been damaged by this problem, be aware that disk utilities (Norton, DiskWarrior, Disk First Aid) may make things worse in terms of retrieving data. Do not use your utility's "repair" function until you've used its "preview" or "verify" function to make sure it will actually restore your files.
128GB Storage
Limit
Some users also report that under Panther, 160GB and 200GB FireWire drives have been limited to 128GB of space. Manufacturer firmware updates appear to resolve this problem.
Mac OS X 10.3.1
The 10.3.1 update addresses the FireWire 800 issue.
Note: "Apple has identified an issue with external FireWire hard drives using the Oxford 922 bridge chip-set with firmware version 1.02 that can result in the loss of data stored on the disk drive. Even with the improvements available in this update, Apple recommends you update the firmware on your FireWire drive. Please contact your drive manufacturer for more information."
Some users also report that under Panther, 160GB and 200GB FireWire drives have been limited to 128GB of space. Manufacturer firmware updates appear to resolve this problem.
Mac OS X 10.3.1
The 10.3.1 update addresses the FireWire 800 issue.
Note: "Apple has identified an issue with external FireWire hard drives using the Oxford 922 bridge chip-set with firmware version 1.02 that can result in the loss of data stored on the disk drive. Even with the improvements available in this update, Apple recommends you update the firmware on your FireWire drive. Please contact your drive manufacturer for more information."
StuffIt
8.0.1 ... Fixes app
launching
issue
Oct 5,
2003
Aladdin Systems has
released
StuffIt 8.0.1 which fixes a problem where
archived applications unstuffed with Expander 8.0 may not launch
because the UNIX execution bit was not being properly set.
Norton AntiVirus 9 ... Enabling journaling causes kernel panic
Nov 20, 2003
In OS
X 10.3, using Disk Utility to enable journaling on a volume which
has NAV 9 Auto-Protect enabled will cause a kernel panic.
According
to Symantec,
to enable journaling on a secondary disk, you will first need to
temporarily turn off Auto-Protect.
(The NCSU
Symantec
AntiVirus site
currently distributes NAV
version 9.0.1 for Mac OS X.)