Wow dot Mac sucks is clearly too much of an understatement. It really really sucks.
And even Apple isn’t paying attention to it.
So I still have not been able to use my .Mac account that I signed up for in January 2007 (i.e. over a month ago).
In the meantime, I have done a clean install (not an Archive and Install, a clean install of the entire OS) and it still won’t work.
.Mac Tech Support’s idea? I ought to try making a new account on my computer.
Why? I have no idea, since this account was “new” when the problem started.
Their next idea? Create a new trial .Mac account.
So I did, and I entered the information into the .Mac preference panel, when this alert came up:
No problem, I said, and lauched iSync and clicked on the .Mac panel in iSync, which told me:
Great job sending me in a circle there, dot-Mac!
But the fun isn’t finished yet.
I went to the .Mac pane of System Preferences (and then clicked around the 4 tabs to see which one I needed…. oh, it’s under “Advanced” which is really just “Registered Computers” but “Advanced” probably sounds better to someone.
And what did I see there?
Hey, there’s a button to “Register This Computer” but of course, I can’t select it because it’s grayed out.
Two Thumbs Up!
Not knowing what else to try, I clicked “Show All” and then reopened .Mac Preferences and presto-viola:
So I clicked on the Register this Computer button.
And after letting it run the entire time that I have been writing this article, including uploading all the necessary screenshots, here is the end result:
Oh dot-Mac, how do I hate thee, let me count the ways!
I heard a rumor that .Mac might be free in 10.5 Leopard. That should be a lot of fun to watch.