Wow, it's been a while.

My mom's iMac went recently went through a bout of Kernel Panic. My step-father called me one day because it kept crashing. I drove down to their place and did a little investigation...I couldn't find anything blatantly wrong.

So, I backed up and did an Archive and Install of Panther. Everything was fine until the January 26th Security Update. Then, WHAM! -- Kernel Panic. Hmm.

I started using Safe Boot and the machine was fine. Hmm, again.

AppleCare to the rescue. We called and scheduled an appointment for someone to come out and look at the machine. WOW! I didn't know AppleCare would actually send someone out to the house.

(Fast-Forward to the AppleCare tech coming out.)

The AppleCare tech starts giving my step-father a hard-time. He's saying that it's a software problem and AppleCare doesn't cover software problems. So my step-father calls me and I get on the phone with the tech...

• I kindly explain to him that everything was fine until the Security Update.
• He begins to argue with me that it's a software issue.
• I again explain to him that there wasn't a problem until the Update.
• He says he needs the original keyboard and mouse. The problem is because of the wireless (non-Apple) keyboard and mouse.
• I try to explain that's not the issue.
• He informs me he's been working for Apple for 7 years and that I must have installed some third-party software which is causing the problem.
• I explain to him I've been programming OS X since 1999 (I didn't want to really get into it) and that I haven't installed any software which required Authorization. I explain that no software has been installed which would have altered the Kernel.
• He argues that he needs the original keyboard and mouse, along with Panther discs, and hands the phone back to my step-father.

So, my mom drove over to my house, picked up an original keyboard and mouse along with the Panther discs.

About an hour later I got a call from my mom: "...The computer is working fine now. The technician replaced something called the Logic Board. Oh, and he apologized..."

So, what's happened in the Jan 26th update? Anyone have any insight?

Now, I understand that it's tough to be a customer service technician. There are so many different levels of experience you run into**. But, I also feel you need to leave your ego at the door when walking into someone's home and listen to them. You're there for a reason and they know the reason.

** I called DirecTV the other night, went through an automated system and one of their solutions was "...you may not have turned on your television set."
10:36:05 AM  talkback:[]  #