[iBook] Google Problem - Slightly OT

[Fred Stevens K2FRD]

Bonjour Mssr Bill! (Je suis un semi-resident de Labrador et je parle le Français un peu [tres le peu] mais je comprehen "Ou es le toilet?" si vous parle tres leuntemant. ).

My problem might be just a glitch to my combinations of software, hardware, and internet connection. My iBook's CD drive died several years ago and my external CD drive replacement (Firewire connected) is also getting old (bought in 2005) and thus my current DiskWarrior Disk (also 3.03) just might not be readable by anything I've now got on hand. I've had CD reader problems with simple music CDs - some are just not readable.

I'm not inclined to mess too much with the accounts on my Mac. Many years ago, I did so and really, really messed myself up. I now have my "Reinstall OS X", "Create Your Account", "Name", "Shortname", "Computer Name", and related passwords written and taped to the bottom of my iBook. I've gotten jammed up or have jammed myself up too many times costing me too many days of time trying to get myself functional again. Non-Mac third upgrades can be particularly ugly. I'm old enough to live with the status quo until unsupported or something goes severely haywire; for me, it's easier and more efficient to respond from a catastrophe than try to prevent one (yeah, I know, not logical :-D ).

I suspect, with little proof, my ISP, HughesNet Satellite is the root cause of my inaccessibility to Google. And HN has all sorts of spam blockers, firewalls, and other filters inline before my signal goes from the NOC (Natl Operations Center, my down/uplink center in Maryland) to wherever I want it to go. Google is supposed to lead me to wherever I want but as the Chinese and Iranians have decreed, Google is no longer permitted to go

Keyboard-wise, my keyboard still works but was worked over pretty good three years ago by my kitten Earthquake (aptly named) who decided my keyboard was a great place on which to play by picking up keys with her growing claws. She quickly learned, to a degree, that my keyboard was off limits by my judicious application of a water squirt bottle. Nevertheless, I still am having to punch in the bare Enter key button in lieu of the key, and my "A" key keeps needing to be reset onto its button.

While I've been an Apple/Mac addict since the days of IICs, IIGs (1980s generation, used to teach GUI in High School), have gone through a lot of Macs since then, have even by necessity suffered through Windoze DOS, 95 through XP, I still do not consider myself a computer expert (Why try to fix something which ain't broke?) so am reluctant to change nor upgrade currently working systems, applications, nor procedures. Been there, done it.

I think we're both in the same position: fix what's broke and don't try to improve what's still working.

FWIW, the nearest phone line or any other internet access is 25 miles away. Hence, my satellite connection. 3G cellphone service became available last year to my seasonal RV park but is marginal (typical of most west-of-the-Mississippi areas) plus I'm not willing to shell out an additional 50 to 70 bucks per month for an additional ISP on top of the 60/mo I'm already paying HughesNet. In more urban areas, I use wifi at motels or, if not satisfactory, I use iStumbler to locate a signal. If none available, I turn off my Mac and read a book. I'm trying to wean myself off the internet (but I still receive 100 to 200 emails per day).

Many thanks, Bill. From what you're telling me, the Google problem might very well be at my end. And that there seems to be workarounds if I choose to put the time into them.

Gotta love Montreal! Best little restaurants on the continent!

Fred
SW Arizona desert

At 11:36 PM -0500 11/2/10, Skygram wrote:
>Hi Fred,
>
>I don't have any direct answers to your questions. However I use an iBook
>600 and I use similar software and it all works very well. However I access
>the Internet via my telephone lines.
>
>I also use Tiger OS-X.4.11 with Disc Warrior 3.03 and it still works
>beautifully. DW version 3.03 is the latest version of this software.
>
>My suggestion would be to set up another "account" on your Mac as if you
>were setting it up for a new user. I would then reinstall all the software
>that are causing you problems to see if they connect properly to your
>satellite hook-up.
>
>I recently had problems with my keyboard. The numeric side had stopped
>working. I set up another account and now it all works perfectly in that
>account. However I still haven't figured out what is wrong with the other
>account, but it saved me buying a new keyboard. Now I have to get my brain
>working to repair the KB issue on my home base account.
>
>Bill
>Montreal