Just got off the phone with applecare... question.

Ok guys,

So I recently moved down to the beach and in my move my macbook pro box, restore software, and goodies were either a stolen somehow, or just misplaced.

So I purchased idefrag a bit agobBUT I need my restore disc to boot from. No biggie right, I'll pay the $40 or so bucks to get replacements through applecare.

Call up applecare, give them the serial number, pay the $40 and get them in the mail the newt few days. Well, I get one disc, which is just a copy of what I could have bought in store for $29.00, so a bit of a rip off.

I didn't get my two discs that I originally had for this machine.

I then try to boot from it (holding down C) and get the the grey apple screen but then there is NO progress from there. I then make a genius bar reservation.

He informs me that the build model of this machine wont boot from what they currently sell (SL discs) so he contacts apple and orders me what he says will work.

I then get a "15" macbook pro OS X install DVD" in the mail. I insert this, boot up, hold down C and it just boots to my desktop as usual.

Apple just told me on the phone that BOTH those discs should have worked and I may have a problem with my optical drive or logic board, but everything I read online is that I'm just not getting the right version of SL.

Which one is it?

If you buy the retail SL disc it should work on ANY Intel Mac. Retail discs are not machine specific at all, so the $29 disc should be perfectly fine.
The advice about the optical drive or logic board seems to be about right.
One solution, if it's the optical at fault, would be to put SL on to a USB stick, and install it from that, provided your drive will read it.
If it's the logic board, then it's expensive.
To be hinest, if you have Applecare, I'd get it off to Apple to look at.

Try holding the option key down if holding down 'C' does not work.

And I don't know, but have seen a few reports that the SL retail discs that have a version older than the version that shipped with your Mac, will not work.

thanks guys.

I tried booting up and holding down option but it only gave me my internal drive as an option to boot from.

bobtomay said:

Try holding the option key down if holding down 'C' does not work.

And I don't know, but have seen a few reports that the SL retail discs that have a version older than the version that shipped with your Mac, will not work.

Click to expand...

Interesting, and annoying I guess, but I would have thought that if the OP only just purchased SL it should be fine.

bobtomay said:

And I don't know, but have seen a few reports that the SL retail discs that have a version older than the version that shipped with your Mac, will not work.

Click to expand...

I have a Snow Leopard retail disc that does not work in my MBP. I believe it is 10.6.0, but the MBP I have was released with 10.6.3.
So, this information is correct.

As 6string says you cannot go backwards with operating systems alas. Back to the Genius Bar and kick up a ruckus. Ask them if a new Snow Leopard disc will boot the MBP and ask for a demonstration.

thanks guys!

Luckily I have one not more then two miles away!

All is well.

Came across a GREAT genius at the apple store who tested teh discs I was originally sent, told me they had no idea what they were doing and proceeded to search the ENTIRE store for a 15" macbook pro that was returned (same specs as mine) and gave me the restore discs from that.

Tested them there at the store and it worked just as it should have.

I even got the little black booklet that houses the DVDs, manual, stickers and cleaning cloth out of the deal!

great guy.. almost made me want to buy the new macbook pro then and there.

Excellent result.

These are the sort of stories I like to hear about customer support.

Having spent a couple of years working phone tech support for both Dell and Microsoft years ago, I was always upset with both of them that their outlook was to maintain a certain average time per customer rather than actually helping the customer. I quit MS over this issue. The Dell call center I worked in overlooked my average times after awhile when I started pulling in the highest customer scores of anyone in the center. One of the guys I sat next to had the lowest average time per call consistently and I'm not sure that he ever actually helped fix anyone's issue.

All I can say is that you either care or you don't.... the bottom $ means everything to the majority!
I and most of you here do this for nothing, for free, or whatever you want to call it!
Why we eventually choose to work for ourselves, is for a good reason!
Apple is a really cool company, and although not perfect, I see as something closer to what I think is the way I'd like it to be.
Much as is Richard Branson and virgin (agree or disagree), etc.
Ok, I'm blabbering so I will leave it there

whitehorse84 said:

All is well.

Came across a GREAT genius at the apple store who tested teh discs I was originally sent, told me they had no idea what they were doing and proceeded to search the ENTIRE store for a 15" macbook pro that was returned (same specs as mine) and gave me the restore discs from that.

Tested them there at the store and it worked just as it should have.

I even got the little black booklet that houses the DVDs, manual, stickers and cleaning cloth out of the deal!

great guy.. almost made me want to buy the new macbook pro then and there.

Click to expand...

A guy like that deserves a call to the store manager just to let him know he has a star performer...