The inexplicably missing iDVD

My blog has been Googled again.
What's going on?
Are the forces of good and evil fighting over free speech in the Internet?
Is there hope? I hope so.
Anyway, thankyou to whoever has googled my blog again.
Thank you very much

As of yesterday, I've realized that my whole blog has been ungoogled.
I don't know whether to feel angry, worried or flattered.
One thing for sure: I have lost many hours with all this and I am the one who should be mad and compensated and instead end up being affected in my personal work which has nothing to do with the whole affair.
All I was doing was expressing a legitimate complaint.

I've just realized that GarageBand also went missing.
And of course nowhere to download it from neither to be found on Apple CDs
They are working really hard to downgrade Apple's reputation as a trust-worthy company.

These people from Apple think that the solution is to purchase iLife.
The problem is I don't want iLife, i want the iDVD that i paid for.

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I have never got the iLife software discs bundled with my computer.
I've just got macosx 10.3 with iDVD included.
In order to have iDVD reinstalled I have to reinstall the whole system anew, thus losing all preferences ( a real nuisance )
Do you have a better solution for me?
Do you understand what I am saying?
Am I tired of all this?
If you sell software, you have to provide support for it.
warrantyinfo@apple.com wrote:

>Dear Apple Customer,
>
>Thank you for your email.
>
>The iLife software discs bundled with your computer are for the purpose of reinstalling the included software if ever needed.
>
>We suggest that you reinstall the software.
>
>For further assistance, you will need to contact Technical Support.
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The whole thing is just a joke.

Now comes the better part.
Read the e-mail sent by Apple trying to justify themselves.

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Dear Rafael,

Thank you for your reply.

We are sorry for the inconvenience and understand how frustrating this must be.

We understand your issue and the importance for you to have iDVD re-installed on your computer. However we do not have the technical expertise to help you do so. Please, contact our technical support line at 902 151 992, so our technicians may assist you and provide an adequate solution for the issue.

Best regards,

Apple Online Services Support

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902 numbers in Spain are not free, you know, and I shouldn't have to call any numbers or send any faxes (especially when dealing with a hightech company like Apple) to get back some I have already paid for.
If you do not have the technical expertise to help, then who does?
You'll have to excuse me but all this sounds like a lot of crap, to put it lightly.
Just give me back the damned piece of software that you've already charged me for.
It is as simple as sending it by email or providing a download site.
From what I see in mac forums I am not alone with this problem, but you can be certain that I am not spending any more time and money with you.

So it seems that right in 2005, Apple, a company known for all its technological innovations and for being ahead on all new trends in Internet and what not, asks you for The proof of Purchase of your Apple computer by fax. No, you can not simply scan it and send it by e-mail, or take a screenshot, or allow Apple technicians hack your computer to figure it out. The proof of purchase must be sent by fax. And then, what? Wait for 2 or 3 weeks, I guess, and by that time my camera will be filled up and so will be my hard drive with video footage that should have been DVDed and put out of the way.

But who cares? After all I am just another idiot that thought that by paying for software that would get him technical support in case it was needed.
Is Microsoft behind all these new policies? I am afraid so, because I have worked with macs for 15 years now and I have never seen anything of the kind.

And still they have the nerve to come up with comments like:
Microsoft operating system chief Jim Allchin said, "Open source is an intellectual-property destroyer. I'm an American, I believe in the American Way. I worry if the government encourages open source, and I don't think we've done enough education of policymakers to understand the threat."

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer called open source software a "cancer that attaches itself in an intellectual property sense to everything it touches."

Even founder Bill Gates weighed in with his own rhetoric saying that open source was created with the belief that the business of software should not even exist.

Yeah, right. But the truth is that while Microsoft directed Apple charges money for software that doesn't work (not to mention wxp), Linux gives it away for free and you can always get support from down-to-earth docs and helful forums and maybe contribute to create better useful software. That is very american, in my opinion. At least the America I like.

It ain't over yet, but I don't think this is going to be resolved to my satisfaction (remember I am the paying customer).
Below mail sent by Apple trying to justify the unjustifiable and my answer.
I am glad I started this blog. Keeps me from going totally insane.

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My concern with the iDVD application is that it doesn't exist any more in my computer.
Maybe iDVD is a feature of iLife, but it was in my computer when I first installed the system, and then misteriously dissapeared.
There is no way to find a standalone installer for iDVD, so that lets me with the only option of doing a clean install from the original CDs that contain the iDVD app, that you now say is part of iLife.
I don't want Apple to provide technical support for iLife via email, I just want Apple to get MY iDVD back. Why? Because it was part of the system bundled with the brand new computer I bought, and I have been using it and a large part of my work now depends on it.
So, it is more than a concern and I think that I am entitled to some kind of support.

warrantyinfo@apple.com wrote:

>Dear Rafael,
>
>Thank you for your email.
>
>We understand that you have a concern with the iDVD application. Please be advised that iDVD is a feature of iLife. Apple does not provide technical support for iLife via email.
>
> Apple provides technical tips and troubleshooting steps regarding iDVD at . For additional assistance, you may contact Apple Customer Support (within Spain) at 902 151 992.
>
>Best regards,
>
>Apple Online Services Support (U.S.)
>
>
>You can also search through thousands of technical articles by entering a few descriptive words in the Search box at .
>
>EB
>
>Customer First Name : Rafael
>Customer Last Name : Martinez-Minuesa
>email : rafaminu@netscape.net
>Web Order # :
>Support Subject : Warranty Issues
>Sub Issue : Serial Number not Recognized
>Comments : I upgraded the system a couple of weeks ago and its now that I realized that I am missing iDVD.
>
>I have 1.25 GHz PowerPC G4 1 MB L3 cahe, running Mac OSX 10.3.2.
>
>I tried to reinstall iDVD from the Panther CDs but it is not in any of the CDs.
>
>I've got two CDs, and the "Restore DVD" only have PDFs in several languages that says: "To restore your computer's software, insert the CD labeled Software Restore 1 and double-click Software Restore.pkg." .
>
>I've got only two CDs when I bought the computer from: http://www.proyectomac.com/, and they don't have the "AdditionalApplications.pkg" that apparently contains iDVD, Apple Works (I was counting on it, according to the publicity in your website that says you get all those applications bundled when you buy a new Mac, as I did), neither the X11 app. The manager at http://www.proyectomac.com/, said that because it was a special promotion. Is this so? If yes, why don't you point it out before the computer is sold?
>
>Anyway, how I can get iDVD back, taking into account that I don't have the Mac OS X Installation disc 2, that contains "AdditionalApplications.pkg".?
>
>I have already tried to do a customized software restore from CD1, only to get my system back in time. Now I have to update it again, but no trace of iDVD.

My iDVD app, that I need so dearly, and that was part of my System is gone.
So my only option seems to be to reinstall the system and loose all your prefs and spent a few dozens of hours setting everything up.
I hope not, and I wrote to Apple Computer, who I am sure will provide me with a solution since I am paying customer. Right?

Here are links to people with the same problem:
http://www.macosx.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-34212.html
http://forums.macosxhints.com/archive/index.php/t-17256.html

Below is the mail sent to Apple Computer about Missing iDVD.

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I upgraded the system a couple of weeks ago and its now that I realized that I am missing iDVD.
I have 1.25 GHz PowerPC G4 1 MB L3 cahe, running Mac OSX 10.3.2.
I tried to reinstall iDVD from the Panther CDs but it is not in any of the CDs.
I've got two CDs, and the "Restore DVD" only have PDFs in several languages that says: "To restore your computer's software, insert the CD labeled Software Restore 1 and double-click Software Restore.pkg." .
I've got only two CDs when I bought the computer from: http://www.proyectomac.com/, and they don't have the "AdditionalApplications.pkg" that apparently contains iDVD, Apple Works (I was counting on it, according to the publicity in your website that says you get all those applications bundled when you buy a new Mac, as I did), neither the X11 app. The manager at http://www.proyectomac.com/, said that because it was a special promotion. Is this so? If yes, why don´t you point it before the computer is sold?
Anyway, how I can get iDVD back, taking into account that I don't have the Mac OS X Installation disc 2, that contains "AdditionalApplications.pkg".?
I have already tried to do a customized software restore from CD1, only to get my system back in time. Now I have to update it again, but no trace of iDVD.
And I have 2 DVD waiting in line to be burned.
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OK, I have an answer from Apple (sorry , from .mac, they are completely different companies, didn't you know), and as I thought it provided no solution and led me to a dead-end. Oh yes, I forgot! I could spend my money on buying iLife, so I can get iDVD again, paying twice for something that came bundled when I first installed the computer from the original disks. The solution, just as I feared, seems to be to format and reinstall the system and loose all your prefs and spent a few dozens of hours downloading, upgrading and setting everything up.

Below is the mail sent from Apple Computer (sorry , from .mac) about Missing iDVD.
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Dear Rafa,

Thank you for contacting Apple.

.Mac Support answers questions exclusively about the .Mac collection of software and services.

For assistance with Apple products other than .Mac, please see the AppleCare support website:



You can also find solutions to many issues in the Discussion Forums for your specific product:

For a general approach to troubleshooting Mac OS X, see the following Knowledge Base articles.
Sincerely,

The .Mac Support Team
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So I went to the URL
as told, and I try to register in order to get support but Apple does not recognize my machine's serial number and they ask me for The proof of purchase by fax.

All this to get my iDVD back, that went missing when I updated the system.
Man, you are pathetically obsessed with money if you have to resort to trick people into buying iLife in such as sleazy way.