This is actually a good thing.
The MBP was in for service again today, as the previous attempt didn’t fix it. This time it failed the graphics processor test, with a bad NVIDIA chipset. (This is what we suspected the first time.) Now that we have a diagnosis it’s getting fixed for real, and it’s under a recall. Hopefully it won’t cost me a cent.
That red bar sure looks scary though, doesn’t it?
August 10 – Blogging may be light for a while. The faithful MacBook Pro gave up the ghost this evening. From a little Googling, I think the NVIDIA chipset has failed. This is where being a Yankee and never disposing of anything pays off. I was able to boot the MBP into Target Disk Mode and connect it to the old MB12″. The 12″-er is sick in its own right, but hopefully it will live long enough to transfer my data to a USB drive.. The process is running now. (Yes, I have backups, but this will be simpler if I can make it work.)
So options going forward are to repair, replace, or do without. Repairing may be possible, but likely expensive. Replacing with another Apple is out of the question, as I refuse to pay $2k for another laptop. It was nice while it lasted, but it didn’t last 4 times as long as a $500 laptop.
I know Windoze machines are cheap these days, but I strongly dislike Microsoft.
I’m blogging tonight from an old desktop running Ubuntu. I’m thinking that’s the best option for now. If I can survive in Linux, I may look for an inexpensive laptop to run it. SFSG, it recognizes the camera. . .
I had to make a brief visit to the Apple store today. After my errand, I stopped in the food court for a quick lunch and used free the WiFi to check my email. As I was finishing, I noticed I wasn’t the only one.
