Internet Tips and Traps

December 2007

Apple's new cutting-edge OS has hit the shelves, but not without a few issues. Bugs and software go hand in hand, and Apple is not immune. While this new OS is the most advanced operating system ever made, it does have a few hiccups. Here's the latest word from the street.

Wireless connectivity is still an issue with some wireless networks, especially with those using the LEAP encryption protocol. Customers have reported having to re-enter all information for the network each time their computers awake from sleep mode or after restarting – IP addresses would be reassigned, but still wouldn't connect to the network. Apple released two patches to address the issue, followed by patch 10.5.1, with which some users reported success. Other users have reported that restarting the computer a few times or turning the AirPort card off and on for a few seconds resolves the issue.

The second major issue is that the system's "root" user has been set from Administrator status to a Standard User. This is a major issue for users who only have that user on their computer, as it made it impossible to update the computer or install software. Currently the only workaround is to boot the computer into Single User mode and execute commands via the terminal to change the settings. There are several articles on the Internet with more details on this little gem.

Some users are also reporting that after a install failure – because of a printer driver or some other peripheral – they had trouble removing the CD. They reported needing up to 30 reboots to eject the disk (in addition to fears of having lost everything on their drives in the process). This, however, has not been the case. After finally getting the computer to release the disk, Leopard would start up and work just fine. So patience is a virtue!

Updating to a new operating system is always a huge step. Carrying over old settings and programs makes it a challenge for even the best of operating systems. If you can, it's always best to perform a clean install. Thanks to early adopters, Apple will be able to get moving on solutions and squash these bugs as they arise. So keep at it!

courtesy of Go Daddy's Staff Tech Alert

This is what it means...

December 2007
December 7 2007: 7:18 PM EST

CompUSA to close all of its 103 stores...

The consumer electronics store will run store-closing sales during the holidays to get rid of inventory. Consumer electronics retailer CompUSA said Friday it will close its stores after the holidays following sale of the company to an affiliate of Gordon Brothers Group, a restructuring firm. CompUSA operates 103 stores, which plan to run store-closing sales during the holidays. Privately held CompUSA, controlled by Mexican financier Carlos Slim Helu's Grupo Carso SA, said discussions were under way to sell certain stores in key markets. Stores that can't be sold will be closed. Gordon Brothers will also try to sell the company's technical services business, CompUSA TechPro, and online business, CompUSA.com.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Dallas-based CompUSA has struggled for nearly a decade with falling prices on personal computers, its most important product, and competition from big-box retailers such as Best Buy (Charts, Fortune 500).

Helu took the company private in 2000. The chain went through several CEOs and tried different turnaround strategies, such as a move this year to focus on core customers such as gadget users and small-business owners. CompUSA closed more than half its stores this spring and got a cash infusion of $440 million to restructure.

During the wind-down, Weinstein and Stephen Gray, managing partner at CRG Partners, will run the company. The chain's current chief executive, Roman Ross, will serve in an advisory role, CompUSA said.

DJM Realty, a Gordon Brothers Group affiliate, will review leases of CompUSA's store locations.

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December 2007

CompUSA buys ailing Good Guys: deal fulfills Mexican owner's hunger for U.S. CE chain
Oct 13, 2003 by Laura Heller

DALLAS -- Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim's retail empire is getting a little bigger with the acquisition of consumer electronics retailer Good Guys. Slim's CompUSA will actually purchase the 71-store chain for $2.05, or $55 million in cash.

Slim bought CompUSA in February 2000, and has since taken the retail company private. At the time of its purchase, CompUSA had seen two years of declining sales. Since the company went private, sales and earnings are no longer available, but ceo Hal Compton told DSN Retailing Today earlier this year that the chain is profitable and had sales of approximately $4 billion in 2002.

Getting the Good Guys profitable has been an uphill battle since the mid-1990s. The retailer has posted an annual profit in just one of the past seven years, ending the fiscal year 2003 on Feb. 28 with a net income of $1.1 million on the strength of a strong fourth quarter and much reduced operation expenses.

But the first two quarters of this year have not been so kind, in spite of continued cost cutting. For the first six months ended Aug. 31, Good Guys reported a net loss of $15.3 million, compared to a net loss of $6.4 million in the same period last year. And Good Guys' chairman and ceo Kenneth Waller expects negative comp-store sales to continue through the third quarter.

But Slim has been seeking to acquire a CE chain for CompUSA for some time, even making a bid for Circuit City with an offer of $1.66 billion after acquiring 9.2% of the company's stock. But Circuit City rebuffed its offer, sending CompUSA elsewhere. Circuit City's more than 600 stores would have given CompUSA greater scale and leverage as it tries to transform itself from a computer seller to technology store and Good Guys, with just 71 stores in California, Nevada, Washington and Oregon, is just a small step toward achieving that critical mass, and a light snack for a businessman who has made his fortune on buying flailing companies at a discount and riding them back up.

CompUSA has been transforming itself from a computer seller to technology superstore, bringing in an extensive selection of digital imaging products and accessories, handheld and wireless technology and is now rolling out full-fledged CE departments to 200 of its stores.


What does this mean for Little Rock Mac and PC users???