" AirPort Update 2006-002 improves AirPort compatibility in the following computers:

• MacBook Pro (15-inch Core 2 Duo)
• MacBook Pro (17-inch Core 2 Duo)
• MacBook (13-inch Core 2 Duo)

System Requirements: Mac OS X 10.4.8 or later (and above systems)"

If you find this update improves (or breaks) anything, let me know the details.

" I was hoping to tap your savvy readers and perhaps help others considering storage options. I have an Airport Express that I'm using to bridge to my neighbor's Linksys-based wireless network (with permission, of course) and have also setup wireless printing to that Airport. Given that my wife and I both have MacBooks, we want a mobile storage option. The idea is simple: purchase some configuration of NAS and attach it to the Airport for networked storage we can both access. Perhaps your readers can share their experiences, since Googling produces only hit-and-miss anecdotal evidence.
Thanks!
Douglas "

If any readers have used a Wireless NAS, let me know the details. Thanks.
There's a few non-wireless NAS reports in the drive db, including a reader that connected one to his Airport Extreme base's Ethernet hub, but the Express doesn't have a LAN Ethernet port. Two readers mentioned using the WAN port for a NAS (instead of a DSL or Cable modem)

" The Airport Express ethernet port can be LAN or WAN configured. This enables you to go from wireless to wired, which I first used when my sister would visit with her (non-airport) iBook, now I use to to connect my ReplayTV to the network. It's one of the options in the AExp admin utility settings
-Michael L. "

" The AirPort Express Ethernet port can be used with a LAN. However, the port cannot be used simultaneously as a WAN port and LAN port. Choose one or the other. I use the bridging feature all the time so both my wireless and wired LAN hosts can stream music to the AirPort Express.
-Steve "

Another reader suggested using another alternative:

"Based on the cost and SMB wierdness that most NAS drives manifest, often, the best choice for an airport NAS is an old machine repurposed with an internal wireless card and a big drive. Connect the cable/DSL modem to the ethernet port of the mac, configure the Mac appropriately for your ISP (for example, Cox uses TCP/IP DHCP and Verizon FIOS uses PPPoE) and share internet to the laptops over the wireless card using the OSX preference pane. No need for the ABS as a router anymore. The OSX firewall can do just about anything you'd want to do.

Instead of using OSX server, sharepoints (http://hornware.com/sharepoints/) can be used for user folders, and for making non OSX "client" share locations.

Obviously LBA48 (big drive support) is an issue on G4 towers before late Quicksilver models, but a $60 mac specific PCI ATA card can handle that. (or a $39 Mac PCI SATA card if you're also looking to buy a new/larger drive. Some 250GB SATA drives are selling for under $80 now.-Mike) With sawtooth G4 machines going inexpensively on both craigslist and ebay, and natively supported Broadcom chipsets PCI 802.11g cards available cheaply, repurposing old hardware is often the best bet and can cost about the same as a good NAS case would.
(he later wrote)
Further adding to the post, upon closer reading of the original poster's issue, I realized he was piggybacking his wireless of his neighbor's connection. (using his Airport Express) I broke out some old hardware, and duplicated his situation myself here, using my own wireless. In this case, he'd have to use two wireless PCI cards, one to recieve the neighbor's connection, and an additional one to create the WLAN in his house/ apartment.
The same advise applies, but instead of using the wired port for the WAN in, he'd use one of the two wireless cards. Still pretty cheap given the cost of many NAS drive cases.
-Mike"

" OK not specifically about Wireless NAS, but IMHO you're better off keeping the NAS separate from the wireless... I just purchased this BuffaloTech Linkstation Pro 320GB drive for $210. So far its working very well. I currently have it attached via a GigE hub to my Westel Wireless Router (wired ports are only 10/100), but could use Airport Express also as one user mentioned. I connect to it via both my MacBook Pro and Intel Mac Mini, both of which have wireless 802.11G and GigE.
The cool part of of the BuffaoTech Linkstation drive is the GigE. For normal access where file transfer is relatively small, wireless is great. However for the big transfers (e.g. HD backup via SuperDuper to remote sparse image, copying multi GB Parallels HD images) I wire up directly via the GigE hub and get 10-15 MB/s instead of 2-3MB/s. It turns hours into minutes. Most people wouldn't think of this till they start that long backup and wonder why it's taking forever.
Of course there are plenty of other nice things about these drives....two USB ports to attached extra drives, built in backup jobs to the external USB drives, Mac compatibility (including AppleTalk), and a fast SATA drive. And the price is not much more than similar drives with less features and no GigE.
-Charlie"

Some of the previous drive db reports on NAS earlier this year (Feb. 2006) also mentioned a Gigabit model (Infrant ReadyNAS 600 for instance) although the Buffalo model above costs a lot less than the ReadyNAS 600 (w/o drives), but the ReadyNAS has a hardware RAID controller with 4 drive support.
The oldest of the drive db NAS reports (Apr. 2005) was also the most detailed - noting pros/cons, etc. of an older Buffalo HD-H120LAN model (said it worked well but was UFS based (not HFS+) and a sealed unit.)

" In 2004 I bought a (refurbished) Dual 2GHz G5. The lesson I learned was this:
although Apple doesn't publicize this fact, if any given refurb unit was originally ordered (CTO) with such goodies as more memory, a greater- capacity hard drive, or an upgraded video card, they will not remove them or charge you extra. So the advertised specs represent the minimum you are guaranteed to get, but when you open the box you may well get a nice surprise.
Dana S. "

Mike, I'll second that. (regarding Dana's comments above) I order the majority of the Macs I resell from the Apple refurb store so I can pass the savings on to my customers. This happened a lot when I ordered eMacs. The majority of eMacs I ordered from the Refurb section had 512MB (advertised 256MB) and almost never a CDROM (if that's what was listed) - most times it would be a DVD/CDRW ... on occasion a DVD-RW. Every now and then I would get an Airport Extreme card (even though it was only listed as Airport capable). The best thing about ordering from the Apple Refurb store for me was always that they actually give you an Universal OS Install CD so they can give you a currently shipping OS. This means that you actually get 2 licenses to Mac OS X. (The original install and restore, and "retail" OS install).

I will correct the above statement though and say, if there is quadruple the spec of the original ... they DO remove it. They would be foolish to give you 4GB of RAM if all you ordered was 1GB and the refurb machine happened to have been upgraded.

Most of the refurbs go through a facilty whre an aquaintance of mine works ... he says the majority (75%+) of the refurbs you see come from Apple Retail Stores where they were displays.
I always tell my customers that a refurb is better than new, because it has the same warranty but has been in service for some time ... it's like getting a 15 month warranty instead of 12 month warranty for a new unit.
-Philip "

Not sure I agree with that logic but some feel like refurbs are better checked out than a 'new' system although that's not always the case. Many refurbs may be from new systems returned after a very short period of use or more likely (IMHO) - an out-of-the-box problem. If the price was right I'd not hesitate to buy a refurbed Mac, although as I mentioned below I'd prefer a new LCD display over a refurb as I think it's less likely to have stuck/bad pixels.

"Mike, I bought a dual 2 GHz G5 refurb a year and a half ago (Mar '05)and it was loaded with an extra gig of memory. Lucky me! Haven't had one issue with the machine since I got it. Very happy.
-Devin C.
Macintosh Support Technician"

"I've been purchasing refurbished systems for years now (I guess since at least 2000). I recommend them to clients since we take the money saved and use it to buy additional RAM and other things.
I've had probably 3 bad refurbs out of the box in the last 6 years. One was a G5 that needed a new logic board & RAM, another was a Pismo that had a broken keyboard socket on the motherboard, and an iBook G4 whose hard drive died about 30 days after arrival. This would out of the 50 or so systems I've purchased personally or recommended.

The number of new systems with problems has been the same over this stretch-iMac G5 w/logic board problems, iBook G3 w/logic board issues, PowerMac G4 which just about everything except the case was replaced but still wouldn't boot into OS 9 reliably. The difference is that the number of new systems is about 20, so for myself, the percentage of problems is greater.
Just my perspective.
Cheers, Jon"

" I just saw your latest feedback on refurbs, and I thought I should just mention that, though Apple doesn't remove additional parts, you're also equally as likely to get a nasty surprise also. I haven't purchased a refurb G5 (though I have a Rev A), but have purchased two Apple laptops (12" PB and 15" MBP) in the last year, and they both were broken out of the box. The 12" had a bad logic board and kernel panic'd the first bootup out of the box, and the MBP had a cluster of dead pixels in the LCD, faulty optical drive that wouldn't always mount discs, and the trackpad mouse click would not click if you pressed closer to the edge of the 'book. So just a warning to your readers, that from my experience, refurbs are a no-no in my book.
Thanks, Ryan "

They're supposed to be tested/repaired as necessary but I guess anything is possible. (And even some new MBP owners had some issues, especially earlier model buyers.) Personally I've bought a few refurb systems (years ago) and they looked as new and were fine for years. Refurbished LCDs I'd be leery of though as I suspect most have some bad/stuck pixels (as I and some other readers have seen), although that's always a possibility even with a new display. (But I think it's more likely with a refurbished display.)

• "New (core2 duo) MacBook is the same - only better" (MSNBC)
• ZeroShock Notebook Sleeves for MacBooks and MacBook Pros
• FWdepot holiday specials
• TiVo Decoder 1.3
• Survey: iTunes music sales tumble in early 2006
• OS X Tip of the Week: Where are the © and ™ symbols? (apple)
• Photos: Laser-etched laptops
• Skype's free call plan to charge annual fee (starting Jan 1)
• Tech-oriented tips for wilderness survival
• The Best Gaming Graphics Cards for the Money (tomshardware - pc)
• Skype Supports Smart Phones
• Details on Today's MS security updates to IE, Windows Media, and Visual Studio (for bootcamp/XP users)