Too Many Problems

Question

Too Many Problems

I'm trying to help a friend solve several problems with her new all-in-one iMac. She has Tiger, which came on it. I think her CPU is 1.7 GHZ (The problems are not on my computer, whose info is automatically attached to my posting.)

Problem 1: She is having problems printing with her Epson 740. I added the printer in the Print Center, making sure it was selected in the Print dialog box from each application I tried to print from. When I click Print, the Queue window shows the name of the print job, it looks like it is going to print, but then Stop Jobs becomes Start Jobs. I've tried deleting the document from the queue, deleting the printer and re-adding it, restarting, fixing disk permissions, unplugging and replugging in the printer, turning the printer off and back on, but nothing has helped. Nothing will print, and no matter how or in what order I delete the document from the queue and click start jobs, it won't print. I've also looked at the Apple support site's printing documents, but I've tried everything suggested. The only thing I've not tried is software update, but she has a modem (56k) that will connect only at 28000. The file is way to big to download at that speed.

Problem 2: Mac Help won't load. I've tried reinstalling the software from the CD, but when the Mac Help window appears, nothing is clickable, and if I type in a question, the spinner just sits and spins, nothing happens. I've tried fixing disk permissions, and running Disk Warrior 3.0.3 (latest version).

Problem 3: Her keychain appears to have no password, and when I try to put one in, it asks for a password. If I type in her administrator password, a message comes up saying that is the wrong password. I've looked up how to change passwords on the Mac support site, but the documents don't address this issue.

Any help will be appreciated.

Posted on Nov 15, 2005 3:15 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Best reply

littleshoulders

Level 6

9,540 points

Nov 15, 2005 4:43 PM in response to Dorothy Barnett

Hello Dorothy,

First of all, Welcome to the Discussions!

In regards to problem #2:

First keep in mind that with a dial-up 28000 kbps will download Mac Helps "Help" very slow (so this might be an indication of the spinning beach ball. I would definitely try deleting the recommended Help .plist files by following the advice found in Dr. Smokes excellent FAQ: Troubleshooting Help Viewer and/or following the other advice found there.

Hope that helps some,

littleshoulders [:-)

Reply

Answer 2

Nov 15, 2005 5:05 PM in response to Dorothy Barnett

These new forums don't appear to be up to speed.

Try this question in the iMac G5 section.

(My guess - old printer software and a "tigger" OS that needs to be reinstalled ... preferably on a clean drive.

Reply

Answer 3

jlg1985

Level 1

90 points

Nov 15, 2005 5:08 PM in response to Dorothy Barnett

Hey Do-Do! Are you making sure that the Epson 740 Printer is selected. Sometimes if there was a different printer used - print prefences will automatically revert to the last printer used. Make the Epson 740 the default printer.

Before selecting "print" have you made sure all of the printer settings are those that refer to the Epson 740? Make sure that even the default paper size in print setup is that of what you need.

Sometimes a 4x6 photo print is selected inadvertently instead of a 8.5x11 (US Letter) because that format is what may have been printed last. I hope this makes sense to you, I'm sorry if it doesn't or if it's confusing.

If you have broadband, perhaps you have a USB "thumb" drive also referred to as USB "key drive" or any portable drive for that matter. If you do have any of these, download the latest printer software (drivers) directly from Epson' web site and transfer the file(s) to the iMac.

This will be much faster than any dial-up connection. Broadband would make a great gift for for Christmas too!

For those of us that have it, we're spoiled with it aren't we? How did we ever live without it, better yet how did we live without the internet for that matter? It's changed our whole way of life.

Anyway, I would run any uninstall software for the printer to remove any remnants that might be left from the previous installation attempts, after successfully running the uninstall, REBOOT the system, then try a clean installation of the new drivers. I hope it works.

Good luck! Jim

Reply

Answer 4

Nov 15, 2005 6:13 PM in response to littleshoulders

Hmmm, I don't understand -- I don't have to be on line to access Mac Help topics on my own computer, so why should she have to be on line for the same info on her iMac?

However, thanks for the suggestion about the Help .plist files and the link to Troubleshooting Help Viewer. I will follow up on these suggestions on my next visit to her and her computer.

Reply

Answer 5

Nov 15, 2005 6:15 PM in response to littleshoulders

Thank you for the welcome.

Hmmm, I don't understand -- I don't have to be on line to access Mac Help topics on my own computer, so why should she have to be on line for the same info on her iMac?

However, thanks for the suggestion about the Help .plist files and the link to Troubleshooting Help Viewer. I will follow up on these suggestions on my next visit to her and her computer.

Reply

Answer 6

Nov 15, 2005 6:19 PM in response to littleshoulders

That was strange -- when I clicked on Post Message, I got an error message. So I posted again. Got the same message, so came back to the forum a different way, only to find that both postings are up...!

Reply

Answer 7

Nov 15, 2005 6:23 PM in response to David Jenson

Remember that this is involving a new computer -- no old software on it. Epson has no update for OSX for this printer, but it is in the list of supported printers. And I did reinstall the OS. But not a clean install -- that I may have to try.

Reply

Answer 8

Nov 15, 2005 6:32 PM in response to jlg1985

Well, I don't think I like being called a Do-Do. You don't know me and I don't know you, so why do you call me that?

And you didn't read my post very well. I've already done all the things you suggested.

My friend doesn't have broadband, and where she lives, there is no access at this time.

And if you want to give me Broadband as a Christmas present, I'll gladly accept it. Meanwhile, it is outside my retiree budget.

I am open to other suggestions.

Reply

Answer 9

Nov 17, 2005 3:09 AM in response to Dorothy Barnett

I don't think he meant it that way, Dorothy.

Maybe he has an Aunt Dorothy that he calls "Aunt Do-Do?"

I would have taken exception to it, too, but the rest of the post doesn't seem disrespectful.

Sometimes we need to think exactly how things will look or seem before hitting the "Post Message" button.

Reply

Answer 10

Nov 17, 2005 9:30 AM in response to Ronda Wilson

That may be. I tried to keep my reply gentle.

Anyway, the problems are all resolved. I burned a CD with the updates that I had downloaded on my computer and loaded them onto hers. Meanwhile, I did what was suggested by littleshoulders with regards to Mac Help, and I deleted the printer from the queue. Then I installed the OS updates. When I restarted, the printer was already listed -- I didn't have to add it. So, now the printer works, and so does Mac Help.

Mac Help helped me figure out what was going on with Keychain, so now my friend is back in business, and happy. Me too.

Reply

Answer 11

Nov 17, 2005 9:43 AM in response to Dorothy Barnett

Anyway, the problems are all resolved. I burned a CD with the updates that I had downloaded on my computer and loaded them onto hers. Meanwhile, I did what was suggested by littleshoulders with regards to Mac Help, and I deleted the printer from the queue. Then I installed the OS updates. When I restarted, the printer was already listed -- I didn't have to add it. So, now the printer works, and so does Mac Help.

Mac Help helped me figure out what was going on with Keychain, so now my friend is back in business, and happy. Me too.

Reply

Answer 12

jlg1985

Level 1

90 points

Nov 23, 2005 2:00 PM in response to Dorothy Barnett

Dorothy, I'm sorry...DoDo is what we call my mother-in-law. DoDo is her day, she says, was short for Dorothy. sometimes they say Dottie, like Geena Davis in "a League of Their Own".

No harm was meant and could you please, please, please forgive me? It was supposed to be humorous anyway at the very least.

I hope you solved the problem too!

DROP DEAD GORGEOUS 17" PowerBook G4 1.67 High Resolution DL-SD Mac OS X (10.4.3) 2GB RAM; Final Cut HD; 500GB G-RAID HD; iPods: 1GB shuffle, 4GB nano, 60GB photo

Reply

Answer 13

Nov 23, 2005 2:18 PM in response to jlg1985

Apology accepted. I guess that's one of the problems with current technology -- we can't see inflections or eye-winks that may be included in the text.

My nick name is Dot. I've been called Dottie and Dort, but I've never heard DoDo before.

Yes, the problems with my friend's computer are resolved.

733 MHz PowerPC G4 Mac OS X (10.4.2)

Reply