The Mac....is BACK! (some assembly required)

Got my better-than-ever, new topcase/heatsink/combo drive MB back this evening.

Since the Mac Genius wiped the OS X partition as I knew he would need to, it was up to me to install OS X. Fortunately, this is not rocket science.

Unfortunately, after I installed the drivers for my Bluetooth Mighty Mouse, the beast starting kernel panicking once again. And, it would KP right after POST. The machine would boot into safe boot just fine, and the damned BT mouse would work fine.

Of course, Windows XP on the BootCamp partition loaded fine. This ruled out hardware

Strange.

I nuked the poor OS X partition from orbit...only way to be sure. The second install is less problematic. I refrained from loading the Mighty Mouse drivers and focused on updating OS X and the iApps (mouse still works fine, but without the granular control you get from the Mighty Mouse software . . .). Current theory is that OS X needed to be updated to 10.4.7 (system shipped with 10.4.6) before wireless mouse software install, since back last year I'd updated to 10.4.7 or so before getting the Bluetooth mouse.

As of this writing I am updating OS X to 10.4.9 with all the bells and whistles; including iTunes 7.2. Stars Fall Home is already ripped . . . I cannot wait any longer to hear Seanan sing "Still Catch the Tide." Nor should you.

Firefox is reinstalled now; next big reinstall is WoW. Email works fine now (thank the GODS for IMAP!).