Mac Pro Woes
Thursday, November 06, 2008
I bought a Mac Pro recently, including an AirPort Extreme card so that I could connect to my existing wireless network. (I use a cable modem through Cox.net, and a Netgear Wireless-N Gigabit router (WNR3500)). My PCs, iPhone and MacBook Pro all connect fine. But this Mac Pro just refuses to see the network. Ideally, I would just tether it to the router directly, but the room where I have my computers does not have a cable outlet (I turned the dining room into the study, and don't feel like putting a cable outlet in here, and explaining that to the next buyers).
I was able to lug the Mac Pro up to the router and connect it directly, so that I could run software updates. When the updates did not yield any changes in behavior, I purchased the 802.11n Enabler, which says it is for all Macs with Airport Extreme except the 17-inch 1.83GHz:
- "If you have a Mac with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor (except the 17-inch, 1.83GHz iMac) or a Mac Pro with
AirPort Extreme, you can enable it to access an 802.11n wireless network using the AirPort Extreme 802.11n Enabler
software."
So I gladly coughed up the $1.99, thinking that my card was being recognized and seemed to be scanning for networks, but wasn't "enabled" to see my 802.11n network. However when I tried to install this on the Mac Pro, I got an error message, "Your computer does not meet the hardware requirements for this update." Thanks for making me pay $1.99 for a useless download, Apple.
Next I thought, hmm, maybe it's my router. I updated the firmware on the router, reconfigured it dozens of times, and every time, all the computers in my house could see it, except the Mac Pro. So I went out and bought an AirPort Extreme Base Station (802.11n), thinking that it would resolve any incompatibilities between the Mac and the network. That was foolish, as the situation became worse; the AirPort Utility doesn't actually support the exact configuration this connection seems to require, so I was able to connect via my MacBook Pro, but only if I cabled to the router directly. If I connected wirelessly, the MacBook Pro could connect to the network, but DNS didn't work, and no changes I made to the base station would get it going. I googled on this problem for hours and eventually gave up. (Of course the disc that came with the router has the above-mentioned enabler software. Go figure. For those who need it, we'll charge $1.99; for those that probably don't, we'll give it to them for free.)
So, I switched back to the Netgear router, and once again all of my computers and devices are happy, except the new machine. I am stuck and not sure what to do next.
Now, I would call Cox directly for technical support, but 1) they don't know anything about Macs at all, and state that they are unsupported; and, 2) they are not very helpful if you are using any 3rd party router, either. They assume that everyone should have exactly one Windows computer, preferably fairly recent and made by Dell, and that they should wire it directly to their cable modem. Who would ever need more than one computer? Besides, since I was able to hard-wire to the router and get out, they will say, "Hmmm, not our problem. That'll be $250 please."
I am fairly certain there is something in the Mac Pro that is preventing the network from becoming visible to the AirPort Extreme card. Bios? Firewall? Some other subsystem? The AirPort Extreme cards are slightly different makes (the one that doesn't work blames itself on Broadcom). Is there a way I can check for a firmware update on that card? Here is a comparison of the two machines:
| The Bad Mac, which cannot see the network |
|
The Good Mac, which can see the network |
|
Does anybody know what else I can check?
Adventures with Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2
Thursday, September 18, 2008
I have a machine at home that is running the 32-bit version of Windows Vista Ultimate. What a piece of crap. I am running it mostly because I have a few essential programs on here that I have been too lazy to port and configure on another machine before ripping everything out from under this OS. (I'm also dreading re-activating items like Adobe Creative Suite 3 on new hardware.) Is anybody out there actually liking Vista? And I mean anybody whose paycheck doesn't originate from a Redmond address?
Anyway, this isn't really about Vista, or maybe it is, but I just had to get that off my chest.
For work, I needed to test one of our web interfaces using the recently released Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2, as they have changed a lot of rendering and other code that ultimately breaks various aspects of AJAX, prototype.js, and even some basic CSS (usually due to hack workarounds that were kludged to make IE7 actually behave correctly in the first place).
Since I already had IE8 beta 1 installed, I figured, what is the harm in upgrading to the latest beta, since I had pretty good luck so far? So, I download the file from the above link, and lo and behold, I get this when I try to run it:
Unknown Publisher? Seriously? I downloaded this file from Microsoft.com, onto a Microsoft operating system. What gives? I do some searching online, and I find that one way around this (allegedly!) is to turn on Data Execution Prevention for all programs and services except those I select. Which requires a reboot; fantastic! I love changes that require reboots. I thought Bill Gates promised years ago that he was going to reduce the number of reboots, when in fact the number of reboots has increased (at least on desktop operating systems; I am quite happy with Windows Server 2008).
Anyway, I do this, and then I turn DEP off for the file "IE8-WindowsVista-x86-ENU.exe"... but this shows up as "Self-Extracting Cabinet" in the list, and I thought this was just a problem with the location, so I try it on two different drives, and I end up with two identical entries in the list. Now, if I wanted to turn one of these off (pretend they were actually two different source files for a second), how on earth would I know which one was which?
So anyway, I click OK, and then reboot again just to be sure (thanks again, Bill!). And now I go to run the EXE, and even right-click, Run as Administrator. (It is also fair to note at this point that I have long disabled User Account Control, since I am local admin, I am the only one who logs onto the machine, I don't install any crapware that doesn't come with very high recommendations, and I don't frequent barnyard sex sites.)
Now I get warned again that the publisher is unknown and could not be verified, and that the file does not have a valid digital signature. I'll remind you again, that this is a file published by Microsoft, downloaded from Microsoft.com, and running on a Microsoft operating system.
Yes, I get it already. Microsoft doesn't know who Microsoft is, and doesn't think I should trust them. I click Run anyway, and it gets even better. I get an APPCRASH! How fun for me!
I could just close the program, or close the program AND check online for whatever brave solution they might have dreamed up for me, but I decide to debug instead. I have Visual Studio 2008 installed, maybe something there will give me a clue? At which point I get this error dialog:
Ignore is greyed out for some reason. So I can choose Break or Continue. I don't feel like taking a break, I want to continue installing the software, so I opt for the latter. Oh, the same popup comes up again. And again. And again. Wash, rinse, repeat. Ok, I'll try to break. But that just dumps me into disassembly:
And as a SQL guy, that pretty much puts me at the limit of my "horribly written Microsoft application debugging skills." Sorry, but I don't know what is trying to happen at address 01003783, with pop and ss. So, I quit debugging, and this time choose the option to "Check online for a solution and close the program". I get this dialog for a few seconds:
And then it just up and disappears. No error message, no result screen, not even a "sorry we didn't find anything" message. Just a total vanishing act. Not sure what it checked online (and did not feel like engaging a network monitor to figure it out), but it sure didn't tell me about any solutions it might have come across.
I thought that maybe the file got corrupted by IE8 beta 1, so I downloaded it with FireFox instead (after removing all traces of any IE8*.exe files from my machine). I downloaded it, excluded it from DEP, got the same warning as above about the publisher, and when I let it continue, I had a different problem:
So at this point, I give up. (And yes, I tried downloading the file multiple times, but haven't tried downloading it from another operating system and copying it over. Which I may try tomorrow.) Maybe I will go practice my nunchuck skills, or computer hacking skills, or shading upper lip skills... in the meantime, if you have a creative way around this problem, please drop me a line at my gmail account, username "aaron.bertrand"...
SQLBlog : Keeping sysdepends up to date in SQL Server 2008
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
I wrote a pretty extensive article about keeping sysdepends up to date in SQL Server 2008, using new dynamic management views and a simple DDL trigger.
SQLBlog : Pushing for more tools-related fixes for SQL Server 2011
Monday, August 25, 2008
This is just an addendum to the list I published on the 20th.
SQLBlog : My Management Studio wishlist for SQL Server 2011
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
I compiled a list of tools-related items on Connect that I hope they deal with in the next version of SQL Server, roughly slated for 2011.
Random Thursday thoughts
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Mark Spitz, once the star, now just another cry-baby. I didn't know that you could only go to the Olympics if you were invited... { read the story }
Federer lost today; to James Blake, of all people -- he almost always loses when it matters. To Blake: congrats! To Federer: boo hoo. Sorry, but it's about time he gets a taste of what mortality is like for the rest of the humans on the tour. And the NBCOlympics.com site had me scared on Tuesday; a results page initially showed Lleyton Hewitt winning 6-1, 6-2... when of course, as I was glad to learn from other sites, it was the other way around. They have since corrected it (I have a screen shot as evidence if you really want to see it). Nadal won again today.
"someone" sent a very funny video advertising health insurance of some kind; I'll let you watch it rather than spoil it for you.
Olympic Fever
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Yep, I've got it. Just watched the American relay team "smash" the French team. They're not talking much now, are they?
Anyway, the games are very exciting, of course. But, I always drift to analyzing the subjective parts of each sport, especially volleyball. I know the setting rules have relaxed over the years, but some of these setters are putting up absolutely ugly sets, and I haven't seen a single carry or double contact called yet. And in one of the periods where different events were on four different channels simultaneously, I watched about two minutes of basketball, and counted two double dribbles, an up and down, and a travel... none of them called. The boxing, too, has already been full of controversy, where a fighter has dominated a round and come away with 0 points...
Ah well, what can you do?
I know, you can admire these cool stadiums and natatoriums and birds' nests and cubes that they built in Beijing -- they really are very cool. Just try not to think too much about the fact that they will be converted into prisons and concentration camps the day after the games are over.
SQLBlog : Express now comes in small, medium and large
Friday, August 08, 2008
Briefly explained the differences between SQL Express, SQL Express with Tools, and SQL Express with Advanced Services.
SQLBlog : SQL Server 2008 has RTM'd
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Wanted to be among the first to break the news that SQL Server 2008 would be available soon.
SQLBlog : New Kid On The Block : SQL Server 2008 Web Edition
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Talked a little here about a new edition that is available with SQL Server 2008.
Where does the time go?
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Yes, I have been noticeably absent; sorry. Quite busy, but thought I would pass along some comments about these two stories.
The Packers want to pay Brett Favre $20 million to not play. (If he won't take it, I will!) What is wrong with this picture? I know I am not privy to all of the details, but this seems absurd to me (and not just because I wonder if this does, or should, count toward the salary cap). Clearly the guy wants to play football. If you don't want him to play for you, then let him play for someone else. Seems like a simple decision to make.
{ read the story }
And from the random acts of violence department, how would you like to get on a Greyhound bus across the country, fall asleep peacefully to your iPod, and wake up without a head? That's exactly what happened to some poor kid on a bus in Manitoba yesterday.
{ read the story }
What on earth is wrong with people?
Sunday, July 20, 2008
I came across this poor beagle today: { Read about JJ }
Now believe me, if I didn't already have two rescued beagles in my house, I would be up there in a heartbeat. But better yet, I'd like to run into the original owners who let this happen in the first place. With a snowplow.
Seriously, how does this happen? You didn't notice FOR TWO MONTHS that your poor dog was walking on three feet? Egads.
I was telling "someone" earlier today, that I am so much more sensitive to how people treat animals, compared to how they treat each other. Do you remember the original American Psycho, with Christian Bale? In one of the first violent scenes, where he kills the guy in the alley, I remember sitting there, unmoved. But then he kicks the poor dog to death, and I almost cried. Am I a big wuss? Maybe. A softie? Sure. Do I think that dogs deserve that kind of treatment far less than most people do? Without a doubt.