But still, the reason for creating additional users on my computer was to test whether it was a software or a hardware issue. If the camera works for other users, it's a software problem; if doesn't work for them, it's a hardware problem. That was the theory to start out with, anyway But what if the problem is different for different users? At first I thought the camera for the test user worked because I could see an image. Then the image started flickering just as it initially did with the first user (me). When I created a third user, the camera still malfunctioned. The difference between the malfunction for me, the first user, and the other two users is that the camera is black and doesn't turn on at all for my ID; for the others IDs the camera turns on but is either jittery or flashes between a black screen and an image.
I tackle this first...
Yes and no. Using different users can help spot SOME software problems, but not all. It is still possible that the overall iSight camera drivers or such are screwed up...which would mean that switching users would NOT solve the problem and potentially only doing a clean install of the OS would solve.
I was looking at second drives the other day. Some of them are 400 Firewire. I think they're supposed to be about the same speed as USB 2.0, but I really don't know how fast that is. Is using an external 2.0 USB or 400 Firewire as fast as using an internal hard drive? I have an 800 Firewire port too, but I didn't see any hard drives offering that interface.
Technically, USB is 480 Mbps and Firewire 400 is 400 Mpbs (and Firewire 800 is 800 Mbps). There are theoretically maximum throughput (speeds)...and generally would only apply in VERY short situations...THEORETICALLY. In reality, USB is slower than Firewire 400 due to the way the protocol actually works. Neither will reach their full theoretical speed, but Firewire does a better job. Thus, it is usually recommended on a Mac to use a Firewire drive.
At any rate, you're saying that I can install the software on a second hard drive and boot from it and write to it as if it were the internal hard drive? I guess if that's so I could then test whether it's the camera or software that is malfunctioning.
Yes. And if you want to look for a Firewire drive, then OWC (www.macsales.com) is a good place to look. You will find both Firewire 400 and Firewire 800 drives there. Note, that a Firewire 400 drive WILL likely seem slower than an internal drive. But, it would work great as a backup drive and in the short term, you could use it to do a clean install the Mac OS and test to see if your iSight camera works. If it does with a clean system install (and NOTHING else installed), then you know you have a software conflict, which may or may not be Apple's fault. If it does NOT work with a clean install, then that would seems to indicate a hardware problem with the iSight camera.
For this they would rather I wipe out about a moth and a half of work invested in getting the computer so I could use it as my primary work computer rather than for them to take a look at the camera itself to see wehther it was defective. So needless to say, I am less than thrilled with this iMac and Apple right now, and I truly do not see how my experience with them is any improvement at all over any other compuer support issue involving PCs.
While I am not going to try to say that Apple is perfect...they are not...they screw up and Macs have problems...I will say that you might want to keep in mind that this might not be Apple's "fault" at all. It could be other factors that have resulted in your poor experience. You are NOT using 100% Apple hardware and software...thus, there are outside factors that could be causing the problem and blaming Apple for them (if that is the case) would not be fair (not saying that you HAVE to be fair...but you end up "blaming" Apple due to someone else's problem, dump your iMac before you really find the "true" experience, and thus ultimately miss out). Think of it like this...if you went a bought a Ferrari (not saying a Mac is a Ferrari, even though some people might think so and other might think a Mac costs as much as a Ferrari) and then filled it up with gas at the local gas station on a regular basis...and after owning the Ferrari for a few months, it starts to have tons of problems. You jump the gun and get pissed at Ferrari for selling you a lemon...get all worked up and pissed off at them...and then you end up finding out that the local gas station had been receiving "bad" gas for months and it was the gas that screwed up your new Ferrari...not that it was a lemon. It could be a similar situation here.
In the end, no computers are perfect. They ALL can have problems...even Macs. In my experience, I have infinitely fewer problems with my Macs than I do my Windoze PCs. It might just be that you were unlucky enough to encouter a problem. I would suggset that you don't let that sour your view just yet. Give it some time. And I will note that other than your iSight problem, the problems that you have had so far are actually more to do with Windows (and VMWare Fusion) than Apple and Mac. I have seen ZERO implications that a Mac will run Windows with no problems. The point is that you are kind of in a "non-standard" situation. Not saying that makes it better...but merely pointing out that the more complex the situation, the more chances for Mr. Murphy of Murphy's Law to rear his ugly head.
As to your Fusion issues, while you did not give specifics, it kind of sounds like you might be using a piece of Windows software that might be using a USB copy-protection dongle or some other USB device. Running USB devices in virtual computer "systems" such as Fusion and Parallels can be an issue. Since it does require addresses hardware functions, the virtual program (Fusion or Parallels) has to be programmed to handle such things. For quite a while initially, Parallels did NOT work with many USB devices. It is MUCH better now. I personally use a USB copy-protection dongle for a Windoze program with Parallels just fine (this is a structural analysis program that ONLY runs in Windoze). It is the primary reason why I have Parallels on my MacBook Pro. I have Fusion, but have yet to install it (after all Parallels works just fine), so I don't know if my program would work with the USB dongle or not in Fusion.
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