making Mac iChat video work with an AIM account

After months of frustration, Yahoo technical and I figured out how to video conference using:

• Mac OS X 10.4.10 (Tiger)
• iChat (3.1.8)
• our AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) Account

For reasons we don't understand, the default AIM server setting doesn't work.

the fix that worked for us

1. Open iChat preferences and click on the Accounts tab
   
2. Select your AIM account
3. Click on Server settings
4. Change the default port (5190) to Port: 1080 (at the top - no need for a proxy server)
   
5. Restart iChat

[This also works for .Mac accounts - free or paid. Change the default port from 5060 to 1080.]

Yes, we have Apple's firewall on, and a Netgear router firewall in action.

solution for Photoshop CS3 crash / freeze problem

After I did the last round of software updates to Adobe's Creative Suite 3 Web Premium edition, PhotoShop CS3 Extended cease to act like the PhotoShop program I have used for years. This is on a MacBook 2 GHz Intel Core Due with 2 GB RAM.

symptoms

1. Try to open an image file and PhotoShop crashes
2. Try to save a new file and PhotoShop crashes
   
3. Try to save an image opened in PhotoShop from Bridge and PhotoShop crashes

self help

After verifying the the disk permission did not need to be repaired and that the hard drive itself was fine, I reinstalled (repaired) PhotoShop CS3 and updated it. Same symptoms. And updating produced this error message:
"Updating cannot be applied to a product. Adobe Version Cue Client 3.1 failed to install. Reinstall the product and try again."
Reinstalling PhotoShop AND Version Cue produced the same error message and PhotoShop crashes.

Adobe tech support

• The first call to Adobe's Saturday tech support was useless. I will forgo the details here.
• A search through Adobe's Knowledge base lead to a ten-page 8/10/07 Technote on "Troubleshoot system errors or freezes in Photoshop CS3 on Mac OS." After going through the beginning and some intermediate trouble-shooting steps, I stopped at #17 (Optimize hard disks) after reading Adobe's disclaimer about not supporting third party disk utilities. I haven't found a disk utility beyond Apple's Disk Utility that I trust.... I finished my need-it-tomorrow photo editing and printing using Apple iPhoto '08 and decided to worry about PhotoShop on Monday. (iPhoto's a decent program, especially in a pinch.)
  
• The second call to Adobe's tech support on Monday was also fruitless. I waited for 20 minutes in the "long cue" to talk to Christopher who suggest that there might be a software conflict. He recommended that I try turn on the computer in Safe Boot mode (hold the shift key while turning the computer on) to eliminate software conflicts. And if that didn't work, create a new admin account and try a safe boot again, opening PhotoShop in the new admin account. I asked for a case number to avoid the long wait should I need to call back.

solution

• The third call to Adobe's tech support on Monday was a bit frustrating, but did solve the problem. The frustration: my case number disappeared into the ether, so I had the long wait again, after an Adobe customer service rep verified my Adobe username and PhotoShop registration; he also provided my Adobe Customer Number - a good thing to know when you call Adobe's tech support.
  
• I repeated everything to Joel who solved the problem and patiently answered all of my questions. He recognized this as a Version Cue issue and directed me to:
  Hard Drive > Library > Applications Support > Adobe > Abobe Version Cue CS3 > Client
  and had me move the 3.1.0 directory to my desktop.
• I rebooted out of safe mode (no Internet connection to run an update) and updated the entire suit using Adobe Updater5 in the computer's Utilities folder. (Updater 4 was still there but we ignored it; Joel did not want me to remove it.)
• While all the software was updated yet again, we talked about Version Cue long enough for me to realize that I did not need it. We also talked about plan C... or D? Uninstalling the suite. Using Adobe's powerful clean up script, which sounded a little scary... We discussed the best way to uninstall the software - from the disk, not the uninstall utility, though I'm not sure why.
  
• Thankfully, although there was an ambiguous error message, Version Cue seemed to update successfully.
• Joel mentioned there was a doc on Adobe's site that dealt with this very issue: KB402521. Unfortunately, my "search of Entire Site for KB402521 did not match any documents." So I thought it best to blog this solution so it can be found.
  

PhotoShop seems to work now. I opened, edited, and printed an image successfully. I haven't verified all of the other programs yet, but I'm hopeful that they will work as expected. When I have some time, I plan to uninstall Version Cue.

for Sprint, breaking up is hard to do

My Sprint Sanyo SCP-7300 cell phone sat on my desk going in and out of roaming on its own – without even being moved. Reception was better on my old Sanyo cell, but its screen melted down about 6 months before my Sprint contract ended.

Although the old Sanyo was the only Sprint phone I used in 5 years, when it broke I discovered that I would have to extend my Sprint contract for another 2 years to take advantage of the "free phone" offered with my most recent contract. Why? Because I didn't get my free phone during the first 3 months of the latest contract, one that I slipped into in order to change my rate plan. This explains why there are so many functioning used cell phones on eBay....

Because Sprint reception is so spotty in my office, home, and community - moving in and out of roaming by going to a different room or crossing the street - I bought the used 7300 on eBay and waited out the months until mid-July 2007, the end of my Sprint contract.

Which carrier to choose? Many local friends and business associates praise Verizon's service, so, initially, I planned to switch to Verizon.

Then the iPhone publicity started. And AT&T's website suggests excellent or good mobile service in my area. A week before my Sprint contract expired, and a week after the iPhone's debut, I bought an iPhone at cost in an Apple store without standing on a long line and after trying the phone to see if it lived up to the hype. My iPhone remained unopened until one day after my Sprint contract expired.

The iPhone exceeds my expectations - from the initial setup to ease of use to features I never thought I would need but now use and love. Reception is great; I get 4 or 5 bars around my office, home, and community. The iPhone feels so much like an elegant mini computer that I wonder if I will even lug along a laptop when I travel. I could go on praising the iPhone, but that's not what this post is about.

A few days ago, I received my final Sprint bill - for 15 cents for 1 SMS text message. : / I used to pay my Sprint bills online. Sprint let me login to my old account and see the advertising, but I discovered that I was no longer authorized to pay my bill online. Okay....

I tried calling the customer service number on my Sprint bill. I couldn't connect to a human Sprint representative until I revealed my old Sprint phone number. I finally got put on hold, with a message saying that there was a 20-minute wait. Okay...

I put the call on speaker phone and got back to work. For a while, muzak played and there was an occasional apology for placing a valued customer on hold. Eventually, the muzak and apologies stopped. One hour and 38 minutes later I realized that while I had not been disconnected, Sprint billing did not want to talk to me. So I hung up...

Rather than spend a lot of time figuring out how to talk to a human being at Sprint to see if I can transfer 15 cents from my checking account over the phone (or if they might waive the fee? Unlikely!), I decided to spend less time writing this post, and write a check to Sprint for 15 cents and mail it to Sprint with a 41-cent stamp.

I'd hate to have my credit ruined because I defaulted on my final Sprint bill....

Intego's Virus Barrier rewriting permissions?

Good Macintosh maintenance includes repairing disk permissions with Apple's disk utility software after installing or updating software, including system updates.

A few weeks ago I noticed that every time I repaired my ol' G5's disk permissions there seemed to be a set of permissions that needed to be repaired again and again: the activity monitor, keychain access, and ODBC administrator. Disk utility could repair the permissions, but the repair only lasted until the system re-booted.

I consulted with my #1 Mac tech support guru, a technical yahoo who admittedly dislikes anti-virus software. After examining the problem and the activity monitor, the guru suggested that we remove the Intego Virus Barrier x4 software and see what happens.

Once the latest version of Virus Barrier software was removed, the problem disappeared: the disk permissions stayed repaired.

I'd been using Intego's Virus Barrier x4 software for months without this or really any problem. It appears that after the latest (March '07) update, Virus Barrier x4 kept changing permissions in the root directory of my Mac.

Here's the disk utility disk permission repair report that kept returning until Virus Barrier x4 was removed:

Group differs on ./Applications/Utilities/Activity Monitor.app/Contents/Resources/pmTool, should be 80, group is 0
Owner and group corrected on ./Applications/Utilities/Activity Monitor.app/Contents/Resources/pmTool
Permissions corrected on ./Applications/Utilities/Activity Monitor.app/Contents/Resources/pmTool
Group differs on ./Applications/Utilities/Keychain Access.app/Contents/Resources/kcproxy, should be 80, group is 0
Owner and group corrected on ./Applications/Utilities/Keychain Access.app/Contents/Resources/kcproxy
Permissions corrected on ./Applications/Utilities/Keychain Access.app/Contents/Resources/kcproxy
Group differs on ./Applications/Utilities/ODBC Administrator.app/Contents/Resources/iodbcadmintool, should be 80, group is 0
Owner and group corrected on ./Applications/Utilities/ODBC Administrator.app/Contents/Resources/iodbcadmintool
Permissions corrected on ./Applications/Utilities/ODBC Administrator.app/Contents/Resources/iodbcadmintool

Palm Pilot batteries and hard reset

Try a hard reset on your Palm Pilot if the battery does not hold a (full) charge.

Last week I was away for 6 days with my Tungsten T5 running off its battery. Had my appointments, contacts, an alarm clock (World Clock) and played Suduku once a day. No problem -- returned home with a 50% battery charge.

Plugged the Palm into my computer and power strip when I got home to charge it up. Synchronized the Palm with the desktop without a problem. Then I downloaded the Daylight Savings Time Update for Palm OS. I didn't read down on the directions about resetting your device... at least the first time.

Later the Palm alerted me that the battery was dangerously low and should be plugged in to charge. It was plugged in - to my computer and power strip. Then I tried charging the Palm on the outlet in the bathroom – without any success.

I bought the extended 2 year warranty; it ended in January 2007. No comment. Not really relevant.

I called Palm tech support for help. I asked if there was anything I could try to get the battery to hold a charge. Sorry, no. Steve told me that it would cost $199 to replace the battery, and for that money I might want to buy a new Palm. Palm would give me 20% off the price of a Z22 ($99 USD), E2 ($199USD), T|X ($229 USD) or LifeDrive ($399 USD) from the Palm site. Steve gave me as special upgrade code.

Before replacing the T5, I had to do some troubleshooting on my own.

• A Soft Reset brought the Palm back to life. Excellent! But the battery would only charge 50%. Not satisfactory.
  
• I had synced the Palm with my desktop, so decided to try a Hard Reset. Erased everything and went back to the factory default settings. Synchronizing bought everything back to the Palm just like it had been. And the battery is now charged 100%.

Now that the battery is fully charged, I applied the DST updater. Seems fine.

Tomorrow I'll check to see if there are any other updates needed.

Resetting your device in a variety of ways:
http://www.palm.com/cgi-bin/cso_kbURL.cgi?ID=887
Palm DST updater:
http://www.palm.com/us/support/downloads/dst_palmos.html