Can't Get To Front Row...

Check if you've got the Front Row application.

It should be under System/Library/Core Services

An "Archive and Install" will affect Front Row. This replaces your "System" folder with a new copy. (As *** pointed out, Front Row lives inside your "System" folder.)

However, I was made to understand that Front Row is installed automatically with an iMac G5 with the built-in iSight. Only the Intel-based Macs need to re-install Front Row from the bundled software installer. Perhaps there is an option to enable from the Mac OS X installer for your Mac...

-Doug

You can re-install it from the original OS X Install discs that came with the Mac.

Insert Disk 1 and double click the "Install Bundled Software Only".

Follow the instructions. After selecting the install destination, click on the Customize button and you should find Front Row as one of the options.

Front Row is not an option under the bundled software installer for an iMac G5 with the built-in iSight. It's only an option for an Intel-based Mac that came with Front Row. The iMac G5 Mac OS X installer should re-install Front Row with Mac OS X.

We haven't heard back yet whether or not Front Row is present in the /System/Library/CoreServices/ folder yet or not. If it is there, hopefully a software update might be enough to revive it. If it isn't there, we might have to find someone with one of those models who can remember how it gets installed. It's possible if you only re-installed Mac OS with the Mac OS X installer, Front Row is skipped. For the iMac G5s, you may need to enable the bundled software option from inside the Mac OS X installer.

-Doug

Doug, my mistake. Thanks for clarifying.

Unfortunately, I don't have an iMac G5 with a built-in iSight at home. I did a search here in the Front Row forum looking for a report from someone else with one of those Macs who needed to re-install Front Row, but I didn't find one.

If you had an Intel-based Mac, you can use the "Install Bundled Software Only" option on the original Mac OS X install disk to re-install Front Row. But, from previous topics I've read here, Front Row does not appear in the "Customize" screen for the G5 iMacs.

If I had to guess, there'd be an option in the Mac OS X installer itself. But since I don't have one of those Macs, I couldn't test it myself to find the screen or check box. We do have one at work, but I'm not sure I could find the install disks for it and test it there. (I'd have to interrupt someone at work too!) We install all our Macs from a FireWire hard drive that has a standard bundle of software and Mac OS X. So, the install disks themselves are not usually important. I may have time on Monday to do a little search for it if no one else responds here.

-Doug

I haven't had a chance to go over to the other building where the iMac lives, but I did find the install disk. Without the right model computer, of course, you can't run the bundled software installer. However, doing a little bit of digging around inside the disk I found the bundled software.pkg file and the one from iMac G5 does not appear to include Front Row in the preference file that lists the options. I looked at an install disk and the bundled software.pkg file from our Intel-based Mac mini and Front Row was clearly an option on that preference file. I will take the CD with me tomorrow to the other building where I have a meeting. But, in the mean time, I believe Front Row needs to be installed on an iMac G5 with the built-in iSight when you're installing Mac OS X. It doesn't appear to be an option in the bundled software.

-Doug

I am having a similar problem to Doug in this thread. However, I do have the FrontRow application in my System/Library/CoreServices folder. If I double click on it, I get the following output in my Console:
Aug 31 01:57:52 FrontRow[890]: Message Handler Installation Failed: bootstrap checkin(): 0x44c: Bootstrap not privileged\n
Aug 31 01:57:52 FrontRow[890]: No Remote Present - Exiting

I have the remote right by me, and I did check that it is working by pointing it at PhotoBooth and getting a strong light read out there. Cmd-Esc does not work. Pushing menu on the remote does not work, and launching by double clicking the FrontRow application produces the output above. (Keystrokes and remote do not output anything to the console).

Any ideas?

Thanks.

Sorry, but I thought I had found the original instal disk for the iMac, but it was not the correct version. We don't always keep the disks around because we usually install Mac OS X at work from a Firewire Hard drive and a disk image that has all our software and network settings pre-configured. Since we only have one of those types of iMacs and 350 other Macs, the chance of finding that one disk is not good.

-Doug

You can't double-click on Front Row to get it to run. You must use the key command or the remote. Which version of Front Row is installed? Have you run the Software Update to make sure it's current? (It should be version 1.3.1 now.) If you use the Accounts System Preferences to create a new user, log out and log in as the new user can they open Front Row? Your trouble is a bit different from the original subject, as rockstar2484 doesn't have Front Row installed. We were trying to figure out how to get it re-installed on an iMac G5 with a built-in iSight. So, it might be best if you started a topic of your own.

-Doug

I didn't expect the click on the icon to work, I just wanted some more diagnostics (and I can't it via the console). You're right about hijacking the thread, so I'm going to piggyback onto another topic that is more like mine, than this one is:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1113777&tstart=0