See One, Do One, Teach One

Many, many users are now experiencing Blue Screens of Death when upgrading to iTunes 8. Often the BSOD will occur after reboots or after plugging in a device such as an iPhone via USB.

The BSOD will note the error is with usbaapl64.sys.

Here are some potential fixes and work-arounds.

Most of the problems are related to Logitech and HP drivers. Uninstall iTunes 8.0 and then uninstall any logitech and HP drivers on your system. Then reinstall iTunes 8.0. Of course, the downside of this is that your logitech and HP hardware will not work without the drivers.

Often just disconnecting the HP or logitech device from the computer is enough to prevent the error without uninstalling the drivers. Moving your USB device or Apple device to different USB ports may work for some people as well.

With an error this large, I imagine Apple will release a fix soon. Until a fix is found you can downgrade your itunes to an older version. However, it’s a tricky process.

1. Uninstall all Apple Products including quicktime, apple mobile device support, and iTunes.
2. Download and install older version of iTunes 7.7.
3. Go to your iTunes music folder
4. Backup (or rename) your iTunes Library.itl file and then delete it. By backing up this file in a safe place you will keep your iTunes 8.0 library intact.
5. Open the Previous iTunes Library folder
6. Copy the most recent .itl file to your main iTunes music folder and name it iTunes Library.itl
7. Start iTunes
8. Deauthorize and then Reauthorize computer (if you don’t, you will have to reinstall all the apps onto your iPhone). You can find this option through the Store Menu.
9. Sync with fingers crossed

Updated: Activation servers are back up and working. Upgrade at will.

With people across the country slamming the iTunes servers, new iPhone users and upgrading users are commonly seeing the following error:

“We could not complete your iTunes Store request. An unknown error occurred (-9838)”

Alternatively you may receive this error as well:

“iPhone activations are unavailable at this time”

Sadly, this may render your phone unusable!

Calls to Apple support suggests that this a problem with their servers. This is similar to Apple’s activation problems during the first rollout. Just do not upgrade or activate your phone at this time. The iPhone must reconnect to activate initially or to reactivate after the software upgrade.

For those who are currently getting the 9838 error. Keep trying. Once you get punched through the server, your activation should complete. Closing any application that may be in the activation/upgrade chain may help as well. Therefore, if you are trying to activate/upgrade, have all applications closed except iTunes.

With the information that is currently available, the second version of the iPhone will not be cheaper. Yes, you pay less on day one. However, the planned rate increases will cost users more over the price of the contract.

Without a plan, iPhone Version 1.0 was about $400.
Without a plan, iPhone Version 2.0 will be about $200.
Day one savings of about $200.

Data plan for iPhone Version 1.0 was about $20 with some text messaging.
Data plan for iPhone Version 2.0 will be $30 probably without text messaging.
$10 per month over the mandated two years yields an extra $240 dollars. With SMS will probably at least cost $5 more a month.

Over a two year plan, the new iPhone version will cost users at least $40 more than the old iPhone.

For somebody buying an iPhone for the first time, it may not be a killer cost. $40 more to get GPS and 3G speeds is not bad. However, many users will not fall into 3G coverage even if they have a 3G capable device.

I am not saying that the new iPhone is not worth it. I am certainly impressed with my original version. The press, however, should not just swallow Apple’s PR that the new iPhone version is ultimately cheaper.

(Oh, and it would be a mistake to think that one could buy one and unlock it without signing up for an AT&T account. Devices will not be sold without activation anymore.)

My father is wanting a new computer, and I am trying to help him decide what he really wants. To refresh your memories, my father is retired and currently is using an XP desktop. I have already discussed laptop versus desktop. Next, we need to decide what OS to use.

Ubuntu is not an option. Even though it is quickly progressing as a mainstream OS, Ubuntu still requires too much tinkering under the hood. It will continue to get more popular, but it is not ready for primetime yet.

XP seems to be the easy, logical choice. Dad is already comfortable with much of XP’s interface. If he decides to use a laptop, he is going to be learning about networks, trackpads, and a whole bunch of other new stuff related to that. Adding a different operating system on top of it all might be too much. All of his old programs and hardware will still work fine. Plus, he can always decide to upgrade to Vista at a later date.

However, if my father is wanting a new computer, he is probably not really enjoying his current computing experience. He has already asked me about upgrading to Vista when it first came out. He certainly seems to be anxious for a change.

A switch to Vista would give most of the advantages of XP. (Vista Video Part 1 Here and Part 2 Here) For the most part the interace is very similar. In fact, you can even switch Vista back to an XP look. Most of his current software and hardware is likely to work too. On the down side, Vista only improves the user’s experience on a few fronts. Some of the changes to the user interface are confusing. Vista contains a lot of annoying bugs. Plus, Vista is treated poorly in the community, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Vista fades quickly much like Windows Millennium did.

Changing to an Apple system with OS X would be a big leap. (OS X Movie Tour here.) OS X is a much better, much easier (but also very different) interface than windows. Most day to day activities are more simple on OS X, but learning a completely new operating system is tough. Spyware, viruses, and bugs are much less of a worry on the Apple system. However, much of his current hardware and sofware are unlikely to work. Many of the day to day activities such as editing and printing pictures would need to be retaught and relearned. Most of the games and software that he uses now, he would have to give up. (Parallels or Boot Camp would be way over his head.) The lack of a nearby Apple store for training keeps things tough. If dad can get over the hump and learn OS X, his overall experience is likely to be better than with a Microsoft system. That hump just seems to be large.

If dad was not already comfortable with an operating system, I would suggest starting with OS X. However, now that he knows XP, should I reinvent the wheel?

Any suggestions?

The journey starts off innocently enough…

To: “David Kirk”
Subject: Lap Top
Date: Wed, 16 Apr 2008 09:41:18 -0400
MIME-Version: 1.0

I am going to get a laptop. I need your help on what and where to get .

Dad

My father wants to get a laptop. I have that feeling that a parent gets when a child asks for a car or a bike or whatever. What appears to be a simple task is really a challenge to find the perfect fit.

photo credit: Andrew*

Easy answers exist. If I were a zealot one way or another, then I would tell him to get whatever is my favorite device of the moment. I could be lazy and just send him a bunch of links and then hope he figures it out all on his own. Easy answers would lead to confusion and frustration for both of us — especially with parents living 13 hours away.

Dad is currently running an XP box with broadband, printer, scanner, and a couple of digital cameras. He learns well through step-by-step directions but can stumble if new obstacles are thrown his way. He transitioned away from AOL easily enough. However, storing, editing, and retrieving photos in an efficient way still seems challenging.

Just when I think Dad’s system is running well, he wants a laptop. Of course, he does. Everybody wants a laptop. My desktop is used less and less since I started with my laptop. My wife is the same way. A laptop, however, introduces a whole bunch of new challenges.

To work well, a laptop needs a wifi network. To exchange files between a laptop and desktop is not painless or intuitive. Using a scanner and a printer with a laptop has unique challenges too. To top it all off, I have to decide if now would be a good time to introduce Dad to the world of Apple and OS X.

I wanted Dad and me to sit down over some adult beverages and discuss this; however, he is excited to get started. Anxiously, I have been pondering my plan, and I hope I have found the correct path. I am going to tackle each potential decision as a separate blog post. I will try to weigh the strengths and weakness at each step to help Dad make his choice. Hopefully, my blog readers will chime in with additional information as well.

Here are a few examples of planned posts:

• Laptop versus desktop
• Apple versus Microsoft
• Save or ditch the desktop

I will start each post from a beginner level and expand into our normal geek territory. If interesting comments appear, I will amend and edit my posts to reflect new ideas as well.

My father was key into getting me into computers. I get my technology-loving side honestly. Help us find him the best system.

I will blog these entries as computer4dad if you want to keep up with the series.

Technorati Tags: computer4dad, laptop vs desktop, os x vs vista

While browsing my buddy arn’s MacRumors site, I chuckled at hp throwing money away at adsense on his site…

You might want to work on your adwords campaign there, HP.

Many people have assumed that once the official SDK was released that jailbreaking would die. I believe that the jailbreak process is something that will be linked to the iPhone for eternity. As long as Apple limits absolute and complete control, the jailbreak community will continue to flourish.

Let me take a step back for those less geek-inclined. Programs can be developed for the iPhone through two different methods. The official SDK that is being released by Apple will eventually allow programs to be released to users through iTunes. These applications can be purchased much like users purchase iTunes music or videos. Prior to the release of the official SDK, unofficial methods that were not approved by Apple were used to develop software for the iPhone. In order to use these applications, the user is required to “hack” or to jailbreak the phone. So now, two different, incompatible styles exist for iPhone application development — the official SDK and jailbreak methods.

Where is all the code being developed with the official iPhone SDK? As far as I can tell, there is only one SDK app, other than the examples, that can be found in the wild. Tons of jailbreak code and examples can be found. One of the reasons behind this is that the official SDK will allow programmers to make cash from their applications. Once money is added into the equation, suddenly people are less willing to show source code to the public.

One would assume that the promise of coding for dollars would make jailbreak methods die a quick death. However, it has not. Why? Here are the reasons that jailbreaking will be around forever.

1. Official SDK has coding limitations. The SDK will never allow full access to the iPhone’s complete capabilities. Cellular VoIP, background processes, wireless synchronization — these are just a few of the multiple limitations in the official SDK which are being explored (or exploited) with jailbreak code.

2. Users are passionate about hacking and unlocking their mobile devices. I think seamonkey420 hacks or mods a mobile device about once a week. Like tattoos, clothing, or jewelry, cellular devices are now part of a person’s style. Making the phone unique or using it in a locale where it is not supposed to work is part of the mobile hacking drive.

3. Until the iPhone is carrier independent, jailbreaking will be required. Lots of countries do not have an iPhone carrier. Unlocking the phone is tied directly to jailbreaking. People will pay good money to be able to use their phone with whatever cellular service they want. As long as jailbreaking is tied to cellular independence, it will continue to exist.

4.People will want apps that Apple will not allow. Free music, free “pictures,” and streaming technologies are all examples of applications that Apple will be unlikely to ever allow. AT&T (or whoever the iPhone carrier of choice is) cannot allow bandwidth to be drained from the system.

5.Apple may limit or repress application distribution. Applications with encryption may not be exported out of the United States in certain circumstances. Apple may require that apps have extensive testing prior to release. Such a process may prevent hobbyist programmers from joining the game. Apple could even require that applications not be distributed for free. The way Apple handles the iPhone application distribution could really change how excited developers are to use the official system.

I am sure there are other reasons that the process of jailbreaking will continue to exist. I do believe that the official SDK will gain traction. If iTunes allows small programmers to make money the way it has allowed small musicians to compete in the music marketplace, it will be successful.

Although Apple has little desire to make the official SDK compatible with the unofficial methods, the converse is unlikely to stay true. The unofficial methods will eventually develop and absorb SDK compatibility. That way if an app developed with the official SDK is denied access to the public through iTunes, it can still be released through alternative, jailbreak installers. If there are two ways to code something, most programmers will choose the official methods to keep their options open for later release.

Although Apple is finally opening up the iPhone platform to application development, the unofficial jailbreaking methods are not going to disappear. The terms “iPhone” and “jailbreak” will be forever linked in history.

Technorati Tags: sdk, iphone, apple, itunes

I downloaded the new HandBrake for both XP and OS X today. I have been exceptionally impressed. I am currently ripping some of my DVD library on both systems and thought I would give my initial impressions.

This version of handbrake is dramatically faster. I have not seen benchmarks between the two version but the upgrade is not subtle. Within OS X on my MBP I am seeing my fps increase from the mid twenties to the mid thirties using my typical encoding settings. On my underpowered Vista box, I am seeing increases going from the low teens to mid twenties. There is no doubt in my mind that this version of handbrake is much faster.

Installation on OS X was a snap. Drop the app file into the applications folder and allow it to overwrite. HandBrake on the mac will gladly rip many DVDs even with copy protection.

Installation within Vista was a double click away. My first attempt at coding within vista failed however. As usual, running HandBrake in administrative mode fixed that. HandBrake for windows does not rip copy protected media.

The Vista version of the graphical interface still does not have the picture preview function. I find this essential in trying to pick deinterlacing settings for my old home videos and DVDs that are interlaced.

Technorati Tags: handbrake, fast, vista, apple, os x

More feature disappointments for the new version of Apple TV.

No Video Playlists.

One of the amazing features on the audio side of Apple TV is the ability to play audio playlists. Select a playlist full of songs and you can listen all day. Why not the same for video?

A local wine company displays a video of visits to the wine country using the Apple TV. Shouldn’t they be able to have a playlists of videos from multiple trips running? I would love to have a continuous run of music videos, for example.

Obviously, this is something that can be updated in future revisions.

No Sharing.

Oh, if you have more than one Apple TV, you are not going to be able to share rented content between them. If you rent something on your Apple TV, that content is locked to that device. You can not bounce it back to iTunes or transfer it to any other device.

If you rent it on iTunes, you can bounce it where you need it. Just remember that iTunes rentals will be lower quality than direct-to-device rentals.

The initial version of Time Capsule will not allow streaming directly to Apple TV. It is uncertain if this will be something that will be allowed in future versions or not.

Despite direct to device renting available, Apple TV continues to be dependent on iTunes for synchronization. If (and it’s a big if) the Time Capsule can be used as network storage, it should be theoretically possible to use it to store the iTunes library externally.

External drive (air disk) -> computer with iTunes -> Apple TV

However, most people agree that currently iTunes does not handle network shares smoothly or consistently.

The dream of dumping all the media on an external device and using it without an additional box is still a far dream away.