iMac 1 TB Seagate Hard Drive Replacement Program

There's absolutely no negativity here. The point of a forum is for people to look for help state their frustration with others with similar issues. I don't know what your Apple certifications have to do with me wasting my time taking my iMac once again in for service but as you make your living supporting Apple, I make my living USING my iMac. The email might not concern you, but it might others. You have to look at this in others shoes, also. Just like the gentleman above that is unable to drive to his Apple store to fix something that he wasn't responsible for. Not look at it as if everything if pretty awesome and I'm supposed to feel great with the thought of my working on a client project on Illustrator and my HDD failing suddenly and me not be able to finish the clients work until I get my iMac back. There's no resting easy here.

Will Apple pay for all these DVD's people use to backup? And dropbox? Last time I remember, you have to pay for dropbox over 2gb.

Like I said before, we all backup. It's normal to do it. It's the process of restoring everything. Sitting at my iMac reinstalling my Adobe Creative Suite, restoring my settings, restoring my iTunes, restoring all my apps. And all we get is a "We apologize for the inconvienence." Why not "Hey this is our fault, bring in your iMac, we'll image your drive and replace everything like it was!" Why is it our job to reinstall everything?

How do you back up?

A full system restore from Time Machine is lengthy, but a simple process.

So is restoring from a "clone."

iTunes goes onto DVD's AND my external HDD, the longest of everything are my creative suites of which I have to deactivate first and then uninstall and reinstall. My external hdd isn't large enough for time machine. So I have to reinstall all my settings and drawing tablet software also. Then redownload all my App Store items, which takes up bandwidth, sadly I have comcast which has the stupid cap of 250gb which is shared in our home with other computer users for the month.

Its mainly not even my software, I'm fine with doing it, I'm use to it by now, but the OS, really? Oh well.

shadyjoker, I'm a little puzzled.

You depend on a computer for your livelihood, yet you have no redundancy plan in case of hardware failure.

You are concerned that you'll have to buy an external drive, so you also had no backup plan, other than assuming you'll get total 100% hardware and software availability. For $1,400. Businesses spend millions and don't get 100% availability.

And you're assuming you will never make a mistake that destroys data that you'll have to spend time recreating.

You don't want to spend your potentially revenue-earning hours on management of your computer system, but you don't have a plan which allows that management to be done without distracting you from earning income.

There's a lot of inconsistency in these expectations, if you don't mind me saying so.

Wow!

Have you considered getting a BIG external HD?

"My external hdd isn't large enough for time machine"

What were you thinking?

I'm a freelance graphic designer. I never said I owned an enormous business, I said it's how I make a living. Who told you I have no backup plan, have you read anything I wrote. I told you I have an external HDD, and I do Dropbox backing up of my current client work as a double backup.

I said I need a new external because I don't backup things that aren't seriously important since my HDD isn't that large to fit HD Flip videos, etc. I have my priorities. So I have no clue of what "inconsistencies" you're seeing.

And I never said me and others don't make mistakes. I apologize for not being able to afford a plan for management in case something happens, which the only there would be another computer standing by. Really? I'm sorry I don't make what you make, apparently you are more prepared than me in cases where Apple recalls hard drives, congrats.

I'm covered in backups in case anything happens. I'm not covered hardware wise though. Even if I were, Adobe only allows a second installation on a portable, no desktop, unless I purchase another license, which either is not in my budget being that I'm a student at the same time.

We have a MacBook Pro in the household but that's used full time by another family member.

So thank you for your list of inconsistencies you noticed in my posts.

What was I thinking with what?? You keep posting gibberish as if you know my entire desk by heart. I didn't buy my external AFTER the brand new iMac I bought this year. I bought a while back while I was still using my old windows notebook. "What was I thinking" what I was thinking was hmm this looks like its not my budget, sold!

No I considered getting a SMALLER one than I have now. Actually, I even considered just living with a 4gb flash drive. With a cool keychain attachment. Makes sense, right?...

Until you want to do a restore. 😟

With a single drive large enough to back up everything (or at least everything on your internal HD), either with Time Machine or one of the "clone" apps, either full or partial restores are fairly simple.

By the way, most of the time I was speaking of the entire situation in general. Not just my position in it. It's not fair to those who can't or don't have the time to deal with an entire HDD replacement. Bringing a heavy box to a store filled entirely to every square foot of people who are just there to play with the iPads and iPods isn't easy for some. For SOME.

I never said I hate that theyre doing this, I think its great theyre doing it. And I'm truly appreciative. But there's other things involved that couldve done to make it easy for us. Especially since its a for only a select few that have the problem.

Pondini,

I wish every single day I had an external hooked up nonstop to my iMac. I'd love that. But there's other bills that come first for me, especially school loans, etc. One day I'll be able to easily use Time Machine off one single huge HDD (if I need to, hopefully not.)

Shadyjoker, please just stop talking. You have said enough.

Externals are cheap and you are a fool to not have one. You can find 1TB drives for under $50 on slickdeals.net or newegg every week. If you can't afford that, maybe it's time to pick a different profession.

Here's a 2TB option for $79 if you really need a "single huge HDD".

http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?t=3134316

The point of my post? Stop complaining and be proactive about the inevitable failure of your hard drive. Disc failure WILL happen regardless of whether or not you purchased a lemon from Apple, and YOU will be the one to blame for the added time it takes to get back up and running, NOT Apple.

Why are you so frustrating and telling me to stop talking. Nobody forced you into this discussion and to look up prices for me. Everyone keeps directing to the issue of backing up when I've said plenty of times already thats not my main issue. I don't mind backing up as its already DONE. I wouldn't even mind buying a new external.

If you took the time to read all the posts, you'd actually have some sort of comprehension of what I wrote instead of coming in here telling someone to shut up as if you have the final word in everything and are the genius of geniuses.

I wrote in here upset that I have to once again take in my iMac that was already a warranty replacement for service. I don't enjoy sitting in front of a computer reinstalling things AGAIN WHEN I COULD BE WORKING. STOP BRINGING UP THE ISSUE OF BACKING UP, IM OVER IT. I had a sony notebook for 6 years, I know what the "inevitable failure" of my hard drive is. I've come to terms with HDD failures.

By the way, I never said this was a lemon from Apple. I actually said I'm happy they're doing this program. They could've kept quiet about it.

Suggestion: Dont surf the discussion board looking for people to ask to stop talking simply because you think you might know more.

Point of your post? None. You misread everything I wrote if you even read it. You're a fool for not reading that I did have an external, just not big enough to keep constantly connected to back every single thing up. And I know MANY people who do not own an external HDD. Are you implying they are all fools? I dont even think my parents know what an external HDD is. So please don't come upon the discussion suggesting I find a better profession. I suggest you find a better thing to do at night.

Also, you should have the decency to hear what others have to say instead of calling them fools. It's a discussion board. You don't know my history with Apple to understand my frustration.