[Andy Edwards]

David,

when you did your full flush and fill, did you just use software update or did you go to the Apple downloads page and download all the updates? I’m asking as I have my Universal Discs for my old dual 2.0 G5 and want to completely re-install from scratch. This includes a whole new hard drive and 10.4.7+ updates that will be installed as well. Any pointers or tips appreciated.

Andy Edwards

[Andy Edwards]

[walter biscardi] “So at least I don’t have to go far to get it repaired.”

Don’t you just love REV. A products 🙂 Bleeding edge can have its problems, but the payoff can also be sweet. Hope you get things repaired soon.
I’m a couple months into my MacBook Pro laptop and have had my share of headaches which were eventually fixed by apple. This made me want to wait the MacPro towers out a few months.

Andy

[Andy Edwards]

And don’t worry about sending in your Live Type Data DVD’s or your Sound Track loops. Just send in the Install DVD’s of your programs.

Took me 7-10 days to get my new Universal Discs. Apple sends them via Media Mail which is not trackable or very fast!

Andy

[Andy Edwards]

Matt,

While your in here browsing, does Lacie plan on offering their own Express 3/4 slot card? Or are you letting other companies manufacture it to fit your drives?

Andy

[Andy Edwards]

You could also try SuperDuper:
https://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDuper/SuperDuperDescription.html

I use it as backup software to clone my drive before a system rebuild. Been very happy with it.

Big thing to remember here….test,test and re-test your drive clone before wiping out your old hard drive for extra space.

Andy

[Andy Edwards]

You did mean MacBook Pro laptop….correct? Regular Macbook’s don’t work so well with FCP 5.1 due to the graphics card in the laptop.

With regards to drive options:

SATA
https://www.firmtek.com/seritek/

or

https://www.sonnettech.com/news/press/pr2006/pr091206_express34.html

FIREWIRE
Not sure I would trust Lacie again after so many failures, but they might have fixed thier issues and some users have had decent luck with them.

I use a 500GB G-Raid for my 15″ Macbook Pro. Did have a hic up with it and had to run Discwarrior from an older laptop, but it is still cranking away.

Not sure if it is shipping, but you could look into a Sig FW Express card as well:
https://www.siig.com/product.asp?pid=1081&catid=128

Might help if you want to capture from a camera or deck to take a load off the FW bus and drives.

All of this hardware is still new, so expect a little learning curve with drivers and set up. A month or so ago there were complaints on the Apple board about the Express 3/4 slot not seating the cards properly, but it might have been solved.

Also invest in a cooling pad for your laptop. These MacBook Pro’s run really hot and you don’t want any over heating while on the road.
https://www.antec.com/us/pro_notebookcooler.html

Andy Edwards

[Andy Edwards]

yup, pretty sad they can’t figure this out. it has been months with this issue. Maybe they are hoping someone will buy them out and won’t have to fix it….

Andy

[Andy Edwards]

Sounds like your “launch services data base” is corrupt? Do you have
multiple icons in the open with menu? For example 3-4 icons for FCP or
Photoshop.

Do you have access to Cocktail OSX ? No, not the alcoholic type 🙂
It has a rebuild feature built right into the GUI.

Here is the command line process:
https://www.thexlab.com/faqs/resetlaunchservices.html#Anchor-3800

Andy Edwards
AE Digital TV

[Andy Edwards]

First off, what computer will you be putting all of this in? New MacPro tower? Older G5 Quad….?

What format will you be editing in? HD, DVCPRO HD, HDV, SD, DVCAM, DV?

Editing card: AJA KONA 3

Hard drives:
For true HD and not just DVCPROHD, you’ll be purchasing something in the Fiber card range: Huge Systems, Medea, G-Speed (not sure it is shipping).

For regular 8-10bit and DVCPROHD, a 5-10 drive SATA raid would suffice.

Plug-Ins:
For After Effects…depending on what computer you get, get the Nucleo Plug-in. ( https://www.gridironsoftware.com/ ) makes your rendering a whole lot quicker if you have a ram packed machine.

Just a little smattering of stuff. Search back in the archives as this comes up every few weeks and there are a ton of great posts on the subject.

Andy

[Andy Edwards]

I jumped into my 1.83Ghz MBP in the first few weeks of availability. Learned a valuable lesson of being an early adopter….never do it again! I acutally returned my first MBP back to the store for a complete replacement. The heat, the crashing, the rebooting, the battery life…you name it, I had it go wrong. On my second MBP, I actually had to ship it back to Apple for 7 new parts including new logic board and complete flush and fill of the OS.

Regarding the heat. I found that when I upgraded to 2Gigs of Ram, the heat got worse. Since I just got my 2nd MBP back, I have been gun shy to put the upgraded ram back in as the 512MB seems to run a little cooler. Overall I think the Core Duo was not meant to be crammed into a Apple laptop. Maybe the new Core 2 Duo chips will run cooler, but I won’t jump on that band wagon for a few months.

Make sure you have updated all the firmware (apple’s download page) and not just the software updates. The last one I did seemed to make the fans run a little longer, but kept it cooler.

Now onto the SATA 3/4 express options for your MBP. Read up on some of the reveiws in the apple forum or over on barefeats. The cards do not seem to be up to the task, but it has been a month or so since I read up on the problems.

One thing you could do to cut down on the heat if you are using your MBP in a office or home setting and not only on your lap….buy a cooling pad:
https://www.vantecusa.com/p_lpc401.html

Sitting in the wings for the “Rev B” MacPro towers.
Andy Edwards