From: someone@anywheret.net   
      
   "Jim D"  wrote in message news:2018110521201575731-Not@ThisAddresscom...   
      
   > Yes, you are right of course.  There isn't a hard coded firmware in the   
   > chip that can be changed from a software update.  Not sure what the code   
   > is called now, EMI or something like that. It's the boot code the machine   
   > uses. That wasn't updated, that I know of, but the process LOOKED like   
   > that.  Apple has different screens with different " looks " that depend on   
   > how deep the update is. Very deep changes disable much of the system, so   
   > there isn't a lot of fancy graphics with them.   
      
   That's always scary! Or to put it another way, it does NOT Encourage me to   
   'update' the system, because once, after an 'update', read as CHANGE(s) to   
   windows 10, my computer, the only one I've got, would not boot...there was   
   mostly Nothing I could do, except cycle it a few times through forced   
   shut-downs followed by start-up attempts...Finally, like on the third try,   
   it started doing something which I recognized as installing things as I'd   
   seen it do in past 'updates'...and Then, it Finally booted and ran the   
   operating system. I suspect that initially, somehow, something didn't get   
   installed, which guaranteed a Serious problem trying to boot after it was   
   normally shut down...talk about Scary!   
      
   So far, thankfully, that kind of incident has not been repeated, but it   
   still raises the question: Is 'updating' Really THAT 'necessary', as to   
   'justify' such a RISK???   
      
   There's an old saying; If it's Not Broken, then DON'T 'FIX' IT!!!   
      
   Sounds like very sound advice to me!!!   
      
   > In any case is wiped the drive out as a usable drive.  Didn't harm the   
   > actual hardware, just scrambled the directories, or the boot sector or   
   > something in such a way as the thing became unusable. And the fix ... the   
   > reformat .... destroyed any data I had on the drive.   
      
   I'd sure like to know what crApple has to say for themselves!   
      
   I'm sick and tired of NOT being told Precisely What is to be done in those   
   so-called 'updates' and Precisely WHY...Before I *agree* to do it, or NOT!!!   
      
   Being Fascists/Corporatists, they don't care about anything but themselves   
   and their Root Of ALL Evil, and that's a De Facto Conflict Of Interest, and   
   on Principle alone, a very good reason for NOT TRUSTING them, with ANYthing,   
   much less the results of your precious hard work in the form of the data on   
   *YOUR* computer! Just because they built it doesn't make it 'Their'   
   computer, or give them ANY Valid Claim to do what they want with it, much   
   less without so much as even Explaining their Reasons, and Motives to you   
   First so *you*, NOT *them* can Decide whether to proceed or Not!   
      
   To really appreciate just how Disgusting and Horrific, and Rights-VIOLATING   
   that situation really is, imagine having a brand new house built, or even an   
   old one thoroughly renovated. It looks great and seems the perfect place to   
   live, until one night strange sounds are coming from downstairs, the   
   basement, attic, etc.   
   It sounds like several people moving about doing things and you know that   
   you Never Invited anyone...and they didn't even ring the doorbell, they just   
   came in! Then you actually manage to see them, and when you ask them why   
   they're in YOUR house uninvited, they briefly mention that they're from the   
   company that built/renovated your home and that they're 'updating' it,   
   installing this, removing that, Changing things that ONLY they know about,   
   without seeing any reason for explaining ANY of it to you...talk about a   
   Halloween horror story...yet that's Precisely what so-called 'updates' are   
   doing Every time, ALL the time...I call it at least, TRESPASSING, at most,   
   INVASION...and in general, CRIMINAL, whether it's YOUR home OR YOUR   
   computer!!!   
      
   > They don't care. They really don't.   
      
   That's precisely why more and more, I keep getting closer and closer to   
   where I really don't care to *participate* in any more of Their so-called   
   'updates'!   
      
   > I suppose they expected me to cry a little then head off to the genius bar   
   > ????   
      
   What's the genius bar?   
      
   > No. Not yet.  Although, they probably could have salvaged my data if I   
   > had.  For a pretty penny, that is.  A pretty penny indeed.   
      
   They are Responsible! They should PAY to Fix what THEY DID!!!   
      
   > I didn't do anything magic.  Once it was obvious it wasn't gonna boot.   
   > I found an older external drive with a system from that machine on it.   
   > Booted from that.  Ran diagnostics from that ... realized the internal   
   > boot drive was toast.   
      
   It's hard to imagine that you were the only one to fall victim to their   
   Stupid 'updates'. I wonder how many others had the same problem, perhaps a   
   class action lawsuit might prevent future problems like that...by Making the   
   Bastards care!!!   
      
   > I actually spent 3 hours trying to reinstall the os using what they   
   > call " firewire target mode ". That lets me see the drive from another   
   > machine. As I said, that took nearly 3 hours .... then failed.   
      
   > I was tired, it was late, I reformatted the drive and then went online,   
   > found and downloaded the correct os, and reinstalled that.  Took about   
   > 6 hours total.  Spent the next two days putting my data back.   
      
   So at the usual rate of around 100 bucks an hour, it seems you're Owed quite   
   a bit!   
      
   > All in all, it was ok. Only down side I see is that the firewire thing   
   > disabled the internal fans while it was processin. I didn't realize   
   > that right off.  These laptops run very hot and that couldn't have been   
   > good for it.  Oh well. Plan is to buy a replacement in Jan or Feb when   
   > the 2019 models come out.  So if it lasts till then, it doesn't matter.   
      
   I was given my Dell notebook computer, with windows 10 already on it, by my   
   church, but when I Finally get around to building one once again, it'll run   
   Linux!!!   
      
   > if there are two, it's not a monopoly. It's a cartel or something ....   
   > not sure what you call it when businesses agree to work together to   
   > screw the world.   
      
   It's a Conspiracy! And that's one of the things that fuels Monopolies.   
      
   > Yeah. There's a lot of good on the web, and I am there too. But this is   
   > so cool, in that you can't get whacked, banned, blocked ... by some one   
   > whe just doesn't like what you have to say.   
      
   Those whose idea is that only they should be heard, probably because they're   
   'better' than everyone else.   
      
   > It was funny once.  Not now.   
      
   It's like most things that *used* to be great, but now they SUCK!   
      
   > We do a lot of those. I like them. They're not as bad as some imagine.   
      
   I remember relatively recently, at an 'assisted living' center a couple of   
   miles from my home, when I stopped in and noticed an old baby grand piano,   
   and of course had to play it, that even though it was horribly out of tune,   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)