My MacBook Pro has some issues with graphic intensive applications, such as Google Earth or Aperture: while using these applications some strange screen artifacts appear everywhere, making these application impossible to use.

After trying the most obvious fixes (PRam reset, fixing proviledges, etc.), I called Apple support thinking that it might be a hardware problem.

A very efficient Apple support guy (who graciously understood that he didn't have to guide me trough the most obvious fixes procedure again), suggested trying to create a new user before sending the computer in for repairs. And the new user didn't have the problems I had.

Now, since I moved my user account from my old PowerBook, there are quite a few chances some old piece of code somewhere in a deep folder is creating problems. The Apple support guy suggested to re-install the operating system, which is what I started doing yesterday.

After a looong verification of the DVD contents (don't know what the installer has to verify since it got printed on the install DVD along the rest of the code and of course nobody has changed anything on the DVD) and a veeery looong verification of the destination disk, the installer quit saying that it could not install the operating system "because of an error".

So I tried checking the disk with the Disk Utilty application, which found a problem that can not be fixed on the disk.

Today I went to my office to get my copy of TechTool Pro, which previously helped my fixing similar problems. But the application crashes while veryfing the disk. I tried installing it on another drive, but I cannot startup from the other drive. Every round of tests takes about one hour.

I guess that my only remaining option is getting some large external HD, back up, format and reinstall everything from scratch. Which means that now I have something to do also for my next weekend.

Congratulations JY, some very very beautiful feet!