how to install apple’s front row 1.2.2 - andrewescobar.com

06/13/2006 12:44 PMHow To Install Apple’s Front Row 1.2.2 - AndrewEscobar.com

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How To Install Apple’s Front Row 1.2.2Thanks to the latest version from Apple, Front Row an now be installed on any Mac running Mac OS X10.4.5 or above. Front Row 1.2.2 corrects issues with watching movie trailers and adds better support forsong shuffling.

Enjoy your music, photos and videos from across the room and even across the house with theFront Row media experience.

Disclosure: This website (”AndrewEscobar.com”) is not authorized by nor affiliated with Apple Computer,Inc.

Download Enabler 1.2.2

Important! Before Installing

If Front Row is being installed for the first time (there is not currently a working version of Front Row onyour Mac) carefully follow the steps bellow.

If you have previously installed Front Row using Enabler and are simply upgrading from 1.2.1 to1.2.2:

Only complete steps 1 and 2.Enabler has already patched to two system files needed and they do not need to be patched again.Do not complete step 3 if you already have a working version of Front Row that was installed usingEnabler.

Requirements:

Mac OS X v10.4.5 or lateriTunes 6.0.4 and iPhoto 6.0.2

Warning: This process is not supported by Apple Computer, Inc. and may result in unintended damage toMac OS X.

1. Download Front Row from Apple



According to Apple:

The Front Row Update delivers overall improved reliability and compatibility for browsingmusic, photos, and videos on your iMac.

Download Front Row 1.2.2 from Apple’s website.

When the download completes, open the disk image and copy the file “FrontRowUpdate1.2.2.pkg” to theDesktop. It must be copied to the Desktop. Don’t run the installation just yet. At this point if you tryrunning the Update Installer package, you’ll get this error:

Alert

This software update requires a Macintosh with a built-in infrared (IR) receiver running MacOS X 10.4.5 or later.

Front Row’s usability is not dependent on an infrared receiver, and in fact runs well on recent Macs (past 3years or so). If you are confident your system is capable, you can chose to skip the hardware check usingEnabler 1.2.2.

2. Enable Installation

Download Enabler 1.2.2 The file (Enabler.dmg) is a disk image that needs to be opened.

Warning: This process is not supported by Apple Computer, Inc. Some users who have not followed theseinstructions carefully have had there toolbar items temporarily disabled and unavailable.

Next, run “Enabler” from the disk image. (That is, don’t copy it to a different folder and then try torun it, as it has to be run from the disk image.)Select the “Enable Installation” button and authenticate with you password.“Front Row can now be installed”Open FrontRowUpdate1.2.2.pkg located on the Desktop and proceed with the installation.Restart.

3. Enable Front Row

Once you’ve restarted, though its been installed on your Mac, Front Row still needs to be enabled with twosmall patches because Mac OS X checks to see if your Mac has a built in infrared receiver. It does this bychecking the” I/O registry” of your devices to see if the following string of text is present:

<key>HIDRemoteControl</key> <true/>

Macs without the recent built in IR receiver don’t have this sting present. Even without an IR receiver, FrontRow still runs fine because it can be at the very least controlled with the keyboard in-place of the AppleRemote.

Having rebooted, again open the Enabler.dmg disk image.



Run “Enabler” from the disk image. (That is don’t copy it to a different folder and then try to run it,as it has to be run from the disk image.)Select the “Enable Front Row” button and authenticate with you password. ( This process patchesMac OS X system files. If you try patching the files when they are already patched, they will becorrupted and you will have to restore them to the originals).Restart.

4. Set Front Row Preferences

You now have a fully working version of Front Row. Open System Preferences though, to see why thismethod really shines. You have a full control over Front Row’s preferences.

Keyboard ShortcutOpen the Keyboard & Mouse preference panel. Under the “Keyboard Shortcuts” tab, ensure that FrontRow’s shortcut is check-marked. The default keyboard shortcut to “Hide and show Front Row” iscommand-Esc but you can change it by double-clicking on it. I have it set to F11 along side my Exposé andDashboard keys.

Sound EffectsOpen the Sound preference panel. There is a new option under the “Sound Effects” tab to enable or disableplaying Front Row sound effects. (While most are all great, the silly flute sound when you select Musicfrom the main menu drives me insane.)

5. Enjoy Front Row

The default keystroke to launch Front Row is command-Esc.

Keystrokes

Command-Escape - default to show and hide Front RowOption+Up/Down - set volumeEnter or Spacebar - select menu, playlist, song, movie, etc.Escape - go back to previous menu/screenTab - quickly return to desktop (or any other keys really)

Remotes



Keyspan RF Remote for Front Row

Available at Amazon$30.99, free shipping, save 22%

Besides the Apple Remote, the Keyspan RF is the only remote of those I’ve tested that requires noinstallation and is completely compatible with Front Row.

Review: Keyspan RF, Front Row Remote Solution

Price: $30.99, free shipping

Verdict: ★★★★★

Highly Recommended

Troubleshooting

Manually Uninstalling Front Row:

Delete Front Row (/System/Library/CoreServices/Front Row.app).Download the Mac OS X 10.4.6 Combo Update from Apple.

Use Pacifist to open the updater package and select and install only these two specific files (folders):

/System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/BezelServices.framework//System/Library/LoginPlugins/BezelServices.loginPlugin/

Fix Missing Menu Items and Crashing System Preference Panels:

If you mistakenly attempt to patch the system files more then once (as in hitting the ‘Enable Front Row’button multiple times) you will end up corrupting two important files. Mac OS X will then have missingmenu items and the Keyboard and Sound preference panels will crash when opened. The fix is simple:

Download the Mac OS X 10.4.6 Combo Update from Apple.

Use Pacifist to open the updater package and select and install only these two specific files (folders):



/System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/BezelServices.framework//System/Library/LoginPlugins/BezelServices.loginPlugin/

Restart. You may not need to restart if you see the changes/fix occur immediately.

Tips On Using Pacifist

Mount/open the MacOSXUpdCombo10.4.6PPC.dmg disk image.Open the package file MacOSXUpdCombo10.4.6PPC.pkg with Pacifist from the disk image (insurethat it is in fact the combo update).Select the Find button and enter “BezelServices.”Under the Search Results panel, select the folders BezelServices.framework andBezelServices.loginPlugin.Select the Install button located in Pacifist’s top-right corner.If prompted by Pacifist, select to replace all files.Restart.

Technical Notes

In this process BezelServices.framework and BezelService.loginPlugin are modified, but only by a fewbytes each. The boolean string that reports if the boolean property “HIDRemoteControl” is true or false isinverted. (This is why it is recommended that Enabler not be run on new Macs because it would returnfalse.)

BezelServices.framework contains _BSRemoteControlFeatureAvailable which is called by any Applicationthat uses the new remote, including Front Row and the preference panes. I decided to change this instead ofpatching Front Row, Keyboard.prefPane, Sound.prefPane and Security.prefPane themselves. This will alsofix any new applications or Front Row updates that rely on the remote (As long as the framework itself isn’treplaced). Patching this framework enables the new preferences and allows Front Row to run.

BezelServices.loginPlugin (which is what listens for the brightness controls, volume controls, etc.) has itsown call; _HIDMonitorRemoteUIToggle. This too checks for the remote and toggles Front Row once cmd-esc (or the Menu key on the remote) is pressed. It also allows Front Row to load when command-esc ispressed then idle in the background once done. Front Row only loads the first time you activate it, asopposed to loading at boot.

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115 responses to "How To Install Apple’s Front Row 1.2.2" RSS

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. 1 1 Markus May 12th, 2006 at 7:04 am

no problems with updating frontrow 1.2.1 to 1.2.2

. 2 2 Mitch May 12th, 2006 at 7:08 am

No problems for me updating a 12″ G4 Powerbook from 1.2.1 to 1.2.2 now its time to try it on mymac mini! Thanks Andrew

. 3 3 Mitch May 12th, 2006 at 7:20 am

Just updgraded my ppc mini from 1.2.1 to 1.2.2 with no worries!

Thanks Andrew!

The new way that trailers work actually works! SOOO much better

. 4 4 junior May 12th, 2006 at 7:31 am

Upgrade from 1.2.1 to 1.2.2 on powerbook successful. Thanks plenty Andrew.

. 5 5 Gia May 12th, 2006 at 8:33 am

For those who update from 1.2.1 to 1.2.2 with no problems:

Did you update only with frontrowupdate1.2.2.pkg?

. 6 6 Glenn Gore May 12th, 2006 at 10:07 am

I already have Front Row installed on my Powerbook, and it works, I used Front Row Enabler 1.2.1to do it a few months ago, so according to your instructions at the top of this page I should only haveto run the new Front Row Update, right? When I do that it gives me the “no infrared” error and dies.That’s what I was asking about.

. 7 7 Mac May 12th, 2006 at 6:25 pm



Just installed Front Row 1.2.2 with the 1.2.2b3 Enabler, and everthing went great. No menu orpreference problems. I had no Front Row or Enabler installed before, and I followed the instructionsclosely. PowerMac Dual G5/1.8Ghz, MacOS 10.4.6 with the latest QuickTime 7.1 and SecurityUpdate 2006-003. I will install it on my iBook/800 later tonight (it has had a previous enablerinstalled) and report back on it’s sucess.

Thanks for the enabler, Andrew.

. 8 8 Matt Ellison May 12th, 2006 at 6:57 pm

Front Row 1.2.2 works perfectly.

I already had 1.2.1 installed on my mac. Running “enable installation” will be all you need if youalready have a ‘enabled’ front row installed, just as Andrew said.

Trailers, shuffle features, everything runs smoothly.

Mac specs (for compatability tests I guess):

PowerBook G4 1.67 ghz (model 5,6)Mac OS X 10.4.6

great job on another successful enabler, Andrew.

. 9 9 Luis May 12th, 2006 at 10:06 pm

Andrew: Once again… thank you!

upgraded from fr 1.2.1 to 1.2.2 without any issues

. 10 10 Jeff May 12th, 2006 at 10:10 pm

i tried to update Front Row from 1.2.1 to 1.2.2 on my iMac G4 and it deleted my system bar and willclose system prefs when try to open the keyboard shortcuts.

. 11 11 Karel May 13th, 2006 at 3:22 am

Well, I reinstalled the BezelServices.framework and the BezelServices.loginPlugin and reapplied the1.2.2 update and now its working fine!Oh the wonderfull mysteries of bits and bytes.



. 12 12 Craig Pritchard May 13th, 2006 at 6:28 am

And Andrew does it again……….

Upgraded from 1.2.1 to 1.2.2 and had no problems.

100% success in installing Frontrow. And when I did have a problem installing 1.2.1 I used pacfist torestore the bevel files and it worked!

Thanks again Andrew

. 13 13 Ricky May 13th, 2006 at 1:22 pm

Hi there!

Thank you for the enabler! There is one more question I have:Is there a way to close the iBook (iBook G4) while watching frontrow on another, external TVwithout the iBook starting the sleep mode?

ThanksRicky

. 14 14 Tony May 13th, 2006 at 1:35 pm

when i press command-esc all that happens is that the toolbar with clock etc in the top left cornerdisappears for 3secs and then back…whats wrong? can anyone help?

. 15 15 Morten Christensen May 13th, 2006 at 2:17 pm

hii try too install, the frontrow 1.2.2. but when i install it it says it can not install because it is a update

[Andrew says: Try reading the instructions again.]

. 16 16 YankInOz May 13th, 2006 at 2:48 pm

Perfect!!!

Followed the directions implicitly - installed on my Dual 2.5 PPC G5 8GB DDR w/ 30″ monitor -works great! Not even a flutter.



Works with Shared Music on our home network, too.

Can’t thank you enough. Just watching the Movie Previews this way is awesome!

Cheers from Australia

. 17 17 sk8terboi82 May 13th, 2006 at 3:18 pm

Frontrow 1.2.2 cannot be installed on my Powerbook G4 12″.I followed your instructions carefully.

On step 2, after enabling the installation, FrontRowUpdate1.2.2.pkg running from the desktop installsfine up to the point where you select a destination hard drive.

Then it says, “You cannot install Front Row Update on this volume. This software update requiresFront Row.” I’m wondering if that’s because of the software update that I had last night.

By the way, I had installed Frontrow 1.2.1 before, using your solution. But I had menu itemdisappearing issue, so I reinstalled my Mac OSX. Currently, I have no Frontrow installed on mymachine.

I’m running on Powerbook G4 12″ 1.5Ghz with Mac OSX 10.4.6

. 18 18 Mitch Harris May 13th, 2006 at 3:35 pm

I’m with sk8terboi82. I can’t run FrontRowUpdate1.2.2.pkg off the desktop after running the enablerbecause it tells me the software requires Front Row.

. 19 19 Fumichino May 13th, 2006 at 3:52 pm

Hello,

I have had the same issue as “sk8terboi82″ except the fact that I haven’t installed ANY version ofeither Front Row or Front Row Enabler on my PB 15″ before… So I decided to stop after doing step 2e.g. ran the Front Row Installation from Front Row Enabler. Any help would be much appreciated.

P.S. I even printed these steps in order to follow easilly…

Cheers,

. 20 20 Andrew May 13th, 2006 at 4:27 pm



17, 18 & 19:

Sorry. I wasn’t pointing to the correct disk image for download. You had downloaded beta 1. Trydownloading the new Enabler1.2.2.dmg file and try again.

. 21 21 HHH May 13th, 2006 at 4:41 pm

Aleady had Front Row 1.0 on my PB G4 (on 10.4.6), but was intrigued by the added functionalitywith this approach, e.g. keyboard shortcuts.

Tried your update, and while it does update the “Front Row” entity in the/System/Library/CoreServices folder to v.1.2.2, the “Front Row” in the /Applications folder staysv.1.0. Still, keyboard shortcuts are now enabled.

Normal? Not? Fixes?

BTW: Thanks.

. 22 22 Craig Pritchard May 13th, 2006 at 4:50 pm

I noticed in the new enabler version 1.2.2 the uninstaller has been removed. I didn’t try this file toseeif it worked because FR1.2.2 successfully installed first time.

Could anyone tell me if this file actually works or should I just bin this Enabler1.2.2b3.dmg?

Hope you can help in this really little question ;-)

Craig

. 23 23 rense May 13th, 2006 at 5:08 pm

Works like a charm on my Mac Mini G4 (1.42GHz, 10.4.6). Love it.

. 24 24 Fumichino May 13th, 2006 at 5:15 pm

Hi Andrew,

Thank you very much for your promt response… I successfully installed it and it worked greatexcept… Movie trailer! Whenever I click on the movie, it loaded the Rating Screen and said “LoadingTrailer” with the beach ball spinning forever… The rest are working just as good.



Anyway, thank again for the great software…

[Andrew writes: I thought we has gotten rid of the problem. Maybe its was more of a cosmetic changethen an actual fix by Apple.]


Re: Front Row in the Applications Folder

Front Row does not reside in the Applications folder but in /System/Library/CoreServices. If FrontRow is located in the Applications folder you can/should delete it. Also check to make sure it isn’tlaunching on startup by removing it from ‘Login Items’ in the Accounts preference panel, and deleteany Front Roe related .plist files in /System/Library/LaunchAgents.

. 26 26 jab May 13th, 2006 at 5:31 pm

Is there a way to play movies located on external hard disk with Front Row?

My movie collection is so huge I can’t keep it in the default Movies folder on the startup disk…

. 27 27 jab May 13th, 2006 at 5:40 pm

(Answering to myself…)

Oh, yes there is: Make Front Row play movies stored on other drives

(D’OH!)

. 28 28 Arjen May 13th, 2006 at 5:44 pm

Ok, the program worked, at least Frontrow does start but….The text in all menu’s is up side down (like in a mirror), maybe my old graphics card causes this?(ATI Rage 128) or old system (Dual G4 450).Maybe I do need a new system :)

. 29 29 marcel May 13th, 2006 at 5:58 pm

thanx! its works great on my 1,25 powerbook!



. 30 30 jmc May 13th, 2006 at 6:12 pm

Same problem as Arjen - everything works, but all text is upside down and backwards… this on aPowerBook G3 Firewire (Pismo). Just too old? Works great on my dual-G5 tower.


Re: Upside-down text

If the menu text in Front Row are upside-down, your Mac/grapics-card dose not support Core Image.

. 32 32 Francois May 13th, 2006 at 7:10 pm

Worked with no problem on my iMac G5 20″ (MacOS X 10.4.6). Nothing to add but “great.” Thanksvery much

. 33 33 Mike Liu May 13th, 2006 at 7:50 pm

what to do if there is an update to front row?

. 34 34 Ultra ASDFer May 13th, 2006 at 7:55 pm

Front Row 1.2.2 is in Popular Download again. It is currently number 3.

http://37prime.com/blog/ has a screenshot.

. 35 35 Eric Caldwell May 13th, 2006 at 8:45 pm

This worked once I edited the Info.plist file manually. The problem is that I’m on a 17″ PB and the.kext file (I think) enabler tweaks doesn’t load. So, I did it by hand and let enabler modify the .pkgfiles and all is well.

. 36 36 Jamie Loeb May 13th, 2006 at 9:49 pm

I tried to run the enabler but I get an error message. Error: 1 rm which says that certain files do notexist. How do I get around this error. I am upgrading from 1.2.1 to 1.2.2



. 37 37 Cory Marsh May 13th, 2006 at 11:40 pm

Sometimes when I try to activate Front Row (cmd/esc) nothing happens. So I go into Activity Monitorand look for front row and there are 2 instances of the front row app open, one that stays open withthe same process ID, and another that will appear for a second then disappear, then reappear with anew process ID. The second I force quit one of these processes front row automatically activates.What is causing front row to open twice and how can I stop it? I don’t have front row as a start upitem in sysprefs.

Thanks

. 38 38 Mark May 14th, 2006 at 12:35 am

Has anyone found an issue with the following after enabling 1.2.2:

Menubar/Finder/Go/Network

“Network” does nothing via mouse or keyboard shortcut.It does however work from the sidebar of the open Finder.

I had jumped the gun on updating FrontRow, and needed to re-install the Bezelservices. As far as Ican tell, everything is working properly, except for the “Network” menu item.

Thanks in advance.

Mark

. 39 39 Mark May 14th, 2006 at 12:49 am

Follow-up. An additional re-start restored the loss of the “Network” menubar functionality.

Mark

. 40 40 robert3 May 14th, 2006 at 1:32 am

No problems updating my TiBook. Apple really optimized FR, the preview for movies and photos arefaster; as others would say “snappy.”

. 41 41 Nick May 14th, 2006 at 3:04 am



It’s not working for me. I installed asper instructions and tried various keyboard combinations as thestartup key for fr but nothing ever happens. I’ve managed to corrupt my menu bar a few times which ifixed following the instructions. I’ve tried the enabler 1.2.2 and the 1.2.2b3 with front row 1.2.2. I’musing a powerbook 17″ so i’m interested in knowing exactly what Eric Caldwell did. Help!

. 42 42 Alexandre Colot May 14th, 2006 at 4:43 am

Any idea in order to be able to install it on OS X Server ?

Regards

. 43 43 Stuart May 14th, 2006 at 7:06 am

It all works great for first time install but the preferences panel isn’t there in system prefs.

All keyboard controls work. Any ideas?

Nugz

[Andrew writes: Are you looking for an actual Front Row system preference panel, because FrontRow doesn’t have one. It’s option are located in Keyboard and Sound pref. panels, and appear onceyou enable Front Row.]

. 44 44 Erik May 14th, 2006 at 8:21 am

Front row doesn’t recognize the TV shows I download from the apple store. Any idea why? I’m on adual 2.5 G5.


Two Instances of Front Row

Sometimes when I try to activate Front Row [command-escape] nothing happens. So I gointo Activity Monitor and look for Front Row and there are 2 instances of the Front Rowapp open, one that stays open with the same process ID, and another that will appear for asecond then disappear, then reappear with a new process ID.

The second I force quit one of these processes Front Row automatically activates. What iscausing Front Row to open twice and how can I stop it?

This issue can occur if you have previously used Front Row without Enabler. These very early



distributions of Front Row used the oddest of hacks, instead of just using the seamless built-in MacOS X support left unused until Enabler hit the seen.

To fix this, check to make sure it isn’t launching on startup by removing it from ‘Login Items’ in theAccounts preference panel, and delete any Front RoW related .plist files found in/System/Library/LaunchAgents.

. 46 46 Randy Bisig May 14th, 2006 at 2:48 pm

I followed your instructions step-by-step. Even printed them out and checked them off as I went.

FrontRow Update 1.2.2.pkg would not allow me to select my iMac cause it didn’t have IR.

I’m running 10.4.6.

Suggestions?

. 47 47 Mike May 14th, 2006 at 5:49 pm

I just used this to install front row on my mac mini (1.25Ghz) and it worked great….Thank you formaking the enabler and keep up the great work…

. 48 48 spil May 14th, 2006 at 6:34 pm

this is great i just installed it on my Mac Mini (G4) and I only had 1 problem: I cant select songs. Itsays that I need to authorize them as if I’m trying to play someone elses purchased songs on mycomputer, but the songs I was trying to play are neither someone elses nor purchased, is any one elsehaving this problem?

. 49 49 Greg Smith May 14th, 2006 at 8:06 pm

It works on my PBg4 but I get no prefs pane.

. 50 50 Omar May 14th, 2006 at 8:56 pm

I had the the icons and the preference pane problem, scared me quite a bit, never installing the enableragain, but you gotta give it to Andrew: his uninstall instructions were clear, and solved the problem.

. 51 51 Antonio



May 15th, 2006 at 5:13 am

I made something wrong with the installation, so I download the 10.4.6 combo update,, but when Itried to search and install again the BezelServices only appears the BezelService.loginPlugin, there isno BezelServices.Framework on that update!!! What can I do??

Sorry for my english

. 52 52 Josh May 15th, 2006 at 6:03 am

Hey, I have the same problems as Antonio, I am going to attempt the uninstall & see if this helps,doesn’t explain the dissapearances of the BezelServices.Framework from the package though???

. 53 53 Josh May 15th, 2006 at 6:38 am

Of course, I can’t follow the uninstall instructions - no BezelServices.Framework file - anyone kindenough to share this????

. 54 54 Pierre May 15th, 2006 at 7:49 am

Works like a charm. I had Frontrow 1.0 installed as a hack before I started your trick, Andrew, and itworks out great on my PB 15/1,5GHz. Thanks, Pierre (from Amsterdam, Holland)

. 55 55 tiramisu May 15th, 2006 at 8:33 am

s.o.s. i’ve installed everything like explained. i’ve 10.4.6/front row 1.2.2/g5 but the shortcut doesn’twork and i got everytime a crash when i click the keyboard system tab. plus: my menue bar on theright (with time and so one) disapears…. how could i uninstall it? help!

[Andrew writes: You would know that the patches can be removed, had you read underTroubleshooting for the fix.]

. 56 56 MacDaddy May 15th, 2006 at 8:50 am

I had previous version installed and had messed up my bezels. Tried to patch and nable Front Row. Awarning showed that my bezel could be damaged. I followed instructions for installing a backup ofthe bezel files from the combo update, then applied the patch again. Works like a dream now …greathack! Thank you.



. 57 57 Stefano May 15th, 2006 at 9:00 am

Hi there, I tried to do it with my iBook G4 but on the top right screen on the desktop all the inforegarding date-time, spotlight, bluetooth etc. has disappeared and I had to re-install Mac OS! Why?

[Andrew responds: “Why?” Because you did not take the time to read all of the post. This is the resultof the user accidentally patching the system files more than once, for which there is a simple 2 minutefix.]

. 58 58 Kevin May 15th, 2006 at 9:06 am

Thanks, this works great. Do you have any thoughts about using the IR port on the iPod UniversalDock in conjunction with the Apple Remote to enable the remote function on older PowerBooks. Itjust seemed logical when I bought them last year. Shame Apple has not worked this out and releasedFront Row for all loyal fans. At worse you would think it would be marketed as the Front Row Updatefor the magic price of $79.99. I was happy to see there were not any legal issues for you with theearlier release. All the best. Kevin - Okinawa, Japan - 15″ PB/1.5GHz/1GB

. 59 59 Daniel May 15th, 2006 at 9:41 am

1.2.2 works like a dream!

Does anyone know a cheap way of making my iMac 20″ (PowerPC) infrared? Is it a case of simplybuying an IR dongle and using a remote? Ideally I would like to control my iMac with a Bose remoteas its nice and small.

Any ideas? Thanks!

. 60 60 Andrew May 15th, 2006 at 11:21 am

Daniel,

For $100 or so you can add the IR Trans receiver and iRed software for infrared support for yourMac. It certainly neither a cheap nor simple solution though. I’m still raving about the Keyspan RFRemote, though I’m told the Griffin AirClick works well too.

. 61 61 ULY May 15th, 2006 at 12:11 pm

Gracias…. muy buena solucion.



. 62 62 Robert of Cardiff May 15th, 2006 at 2:09 pm

I installed the new enabler and update after previously having installed Front Row 1.2.1 on my PB1.25GHz/1.5 GB/10.4.6. Everything went well and Front Row comes up fine with my keyboard but Ihad been using “Airclick USB” as my remote and it worked perfectly before this update…I triedreinstalling the AirClick software from Griffin’s site, but still no joy…Anyone else having this issue?

. 63 63 Ruckus May 15th, 2006 at 5:44 pm

Just installed on a G4-550 Ti-Powerbook and it works great.


Sorry for the false alarm on the AirClick USB It seems after a chat with the Griffin Tech people, thatmy AirClick USB is broken. I really love it and it has worked well, but it isn’t a very sturdy unit tobegin with and it seems some of the wires that attach the Transceiver to the USB connecter cameapart.

I only paid $24.95 for it on Amazon with no tax and free shipping, but I must say, as well as it hasworked with Front Row (and several other applications), it is a very delicate device (at least theTransceiver is; the actual Remote is pretty well built). I am returning it for a replacement fromAmazon (the Amazon customer service people were very good and already have shipped areplacement unit).

So, the install went well (as did the first time, before this update). Thanks again Andrew. Well done.

. 65 65 David May 15th, 2006 at 7:08 pm

Open MacOSXUpdCombo10.4.6PPC.pkg with Pacifist.Select the Find button and enter “BezelServices.”

BezelServices can not be found! How do I get my icons back?

[Andrew responds: They are both definitely located in the 10.4.6 combo update. Double check tomake sure its the combo update, and not the delta update.]

. 66 66 Steven Gifford May 15th, 2006 at 7:39 pm



When I try to play videos, I get a black screen, but I can still see the progress bar and hear the audio.I get this for all videos, video podcasts, ripped DVDs, and movie trailers.

. 67 67 David May 15th, 2006 at 8:00 pm

Downloaded the COMBO. Still no BezelServices. Any ideas?

. 68 68 David May 15th, 2006 at 9:27 pm

My problem was very dumb on my part. First I downloaded the wrong update. Second when I openedthe package up I opened up the .DMG not the .PKG so Pacifist could not find the “BezelServices” onthe disk image.

Sorry, I need to pull my head out of you know what!. Thanx again

. 69 69 Dan May 16th, 2006 at 2:56 pm

It works great as usual on my mac mini G4. Superb! Thanks Andrew.

. 70 70 Cory Marsh May 16th, 2006 at 7:18 pm

For some reason when I download enabler, the file size is only 16k instead of the 68k macupdate saysit is, and when I unzip it and try to mount the dmg I get an error unrecognizable. This problem onlyoccured with the 1.2.2 Enabler update. What in the world?

[Andrew responds: Enabler1.2.2.dmg is in fact only 16k big. As for the error, not sure.]

. 71 71 Mathias May 16th, 2006 at 7:56 pm

Hi,some hours ago I installed the Front Row 1.2.2 Update on myPowerBook G4 12″ 1.33Ghz. It runs smoothly and errorfree!My PB now is uptodate again with this feature.This Enabler is one of the best little tools/skripts ever seen.MANY thanks from Cork, Republic of Ireland.

. 72 72 Steven Gifford May 16th, 2006 at 8:15 pm



I have fixed my issue (Post 66), I unregistered and re-registered my Quick Time 7 Pro. That wasprobably (I think) what fixed it.

[Andrew responds: seems like Mac voodoo, but hey –if it works, it works!]

. 73 73 Gman May 16th, 2006 at 10:08 pm

Worked like a Charm, thanks again… Looks like I might get the remote… Also cool tool, is “Chickenof th VNC” sweet App….

. 74 74 Brian Groven May 17th, 2006 at 12:20 am

Andrew Escobar,

thank you! it works great on my 4 year old G4 iMac. only it runs a little slow and is sometimeschoppy. other than that, everything is fine. I followed your instructions, and so far have not had aproblem. i am planning on buying a remote control now.

i have an 800 MHz 15 inch G4 iMac with 1 GB of RAM.

. 75 75 Jaume V. May 17th, 2006 at 1:02 pm

Hi Andrew. First of all, let me thank you for doing such a nice work! As some one said in your site,thanx for doing what we are paying Apple to do.

I’m Jaume, trying to get Front Row to work on my PB G4 1.5Ghz. Ive had a bit of trouble with mymenu bar, but I solved it.

FR seems to have been enabled correctly, because I have the options on my system preferencesmarked, so that should mean it got installed. Am I right?

The fact is that after this, I try to launch FR but it just doesn’t. Nothing happens, not even bychanging the shortcut in the System Preferences. I’ve restarted several times, but it just does notlaunch.I’ve searched in your website for a solution but I haven’t been able to find anyone who had the sameproblem as I’m having. Do you know what I could do?

Thanks in advance.

[Edited by Andrew]

. 76 76 Humboldt Head



May 17th, 2006 at 6:44 pm

Hi Folks,I had FR 1.0 working on my 15″ PowerBook (although it was in the Apps folder), now I haveinstalled FR 1.2.2 (in the correct /System/Library/CoreServices folder) but cant seem to delete the FRin the Apps folder (1.0 version), (it says I have insufficient priviledges to move to trash) andeverytime I try open FrontRow 1.2.2, nothing opens, however I can open FR 1.0 from the Appsfolder, and it does recognize the Movie Trailers and plays them well, I just cant delete it from theapps folder. Any ideas?

[Andrew responds: at a Terminal prompt, type: sudo rm /Applications/Front Row.app]

. 77 77 ShyN May 17th, 2006 at 6:51 pm

I’ve been looking around and I’m wondering if I’m the only person with this issue: I can’t access myiPod library while in Front Row. I think I read somewhere it makes a difference if you manuallymanage your library instead of automatically updating, but I don’t really remember. My regulariTunes library isn’t listed either. Is Front Row supposed to be like that?

. 78 78 GeeWiz May 18th, 2006 at 9:01 am

Embarrasing… I have the wrong update. I even included the file name in my post and didn’trecognize that I had MacOSXUpd10.4.6PPC.dmg rather than MacOSXUpdCombo10.4.6PPC.pkg. Iimagine this is the reason that others are having a similar problem. I couldn’t find a way to navigateto the file on Apple’s website (I may be blind) but I found it easily by using the search feature onApple’s site.

. 79 79 Lawrence May 18th, 2006 at 9:38 am

I actually have the combo update and it still it not working for me. Where can Bezel be?

. 80 80 Lawrence May 18th, 2006 at 9:44 am

I am much more embarrassed then GeeWiz. Make sure you click on the update and open it first. Dragit on to the desktop and it will make things much easier.

[Andrew responds: I assume you where trying to open the disk image .dmg file, and not the packagefile .pkg it contains when opened. I’ll update the troubleshooting section to make this clear.]

. 81 81 Phil



May 18th, 2006 at 4:29 pm

Amazing! Works great! I was just wondering about dual monitor set ups though. I run a 20 off my 15inch powerbook, and would like to get front row to run on it. Just wondering if it is possible withoutchanging my primary display permenantly?

. 82 82 Rory May 18th, 2006 at 5:46 pm

Just updated to OSX 10.4.6, uninstalled Front Row and am attempting to reinstall. When I try anddownload Front Row Enabler 1.2.2 Its only 14.5k and it won’t mount.Anyone else encountering this problem?


Received my replacement AirClick USB and it works flawlessly with the update …quite a “jaw-dropper” when I demo it for friends.

. 84 84 Vincent May 20th, 2006 at 7:16 am

Works like a charm. So cool :D finally I can watch the movie trailers! XD

. 85 85 Marianne May 20th, 2006 at 3:38 pm

I installed folowwing the exellent instructions above, and now FrontRow works perfectly on my twoyear old PowerBook 12″.

But my PB now refuses to go to sleep by any means! Any suggestions?

. 86 86 Adrian May 20th, 2006 at 5:12 pm

After I enter my password to enable Installation Enabler 1.2.2( I am only user of imacG5) I get this message ?Enabler.appImpossible d’enregistrer les modificaionsapportées à ce script car car vous ne disposez pasdes autorisations d’accès nécessaires-5000

. 87 87 eleftherios



May 21st, 2006 at 10:08 am

Hi,I just added front row on my ibook 1.5GB ram with no problem.Thank youOne question,I insert a copy of a DVD that has only english subtitles.The DVD has no menu but unfortunately I cannot access or see the subtitles.Is there any trick to see these subtitles?(They are normal dvd subtitles not .srt, dvd subtitles etc)

. 88 88 Paul from Glasgow May 21st, 2006 at 12:21 pm

Fantastic! It works perfectly with an ATI Remote Wonder on my iMac G5.

I’m trying to do the same thing as Phil above and get it running on a secondary display (my tv). I cando this already with Equinux Mediacentral, but I’d much rather use Front Row! Anyone got anyideas?

. 89 89 haero May 21st, 2006 at 4:37 pm

You rock man!

I was skeptic at first, but finally in a boring sunday evening at work (don’t tell my boss please) Idecidec to try…I works like everything apple, smooth, beautiful and fast.Keep up the good work!

. 90 90 Andreas May 22nd, 2006 at 4:46 pm

Hi unfortunately i have the problem discribed at the beginning of this site, my toolbar hasdissapeared, i cannot see the clock, internet and spotlight things on the right anymore - does anybodynow hot to get this back?? thanks

. 91 91 Nick May 22nd, 2006 at 5:43 pm

I want Front Row to to start up on my second screen (TV), but not by switching stuff in the screenprefs. It’s really anoying to run from the living room to the other room where my Mac is located toswitch the screen stuff. I don’t want to ‘mirror’ my Powerbook’s screen on my television. Anyonealso had this problem and fixed it somehow?



I’ve found an article about it but I couldn’t get it to work.

. 92 92 Marlon C. May 23rd, 2006 at 2:30 am

Hey unfortunately I couldn’t install Front Row, I follow all the instructions but the menu bar someitems dissapear, then I fixed as you put in here and I get them back, I have an iBook G4, so that’smean that I can’t intall it on my iBook or there’s a way I can?? Please help me, I wanna have FrontRow on my laptop. Thanks bye

. 93 93 Steve May 23rd, 2006 at 11:14 am

I’ve installed as per the instructions and can set the Keyboard sequence etc. However when I attemptto start the application, nothing happens?

Anybody seen this? Help would be appreciated

. 94 94 Andrew May 23rd, 2006 at 11:24 am

Steve,

Check my comment: Two Instances of Front Row

That may be your problem

. 95 95 Brian May 23rd, 2006 at 4:56 pm

Works great on my iBook G4 and 1.25 G4 Mac Mini - after using FR on my friend’s MacBook I hadto have it.

. 96 96 Paul May 24th, 2006 at 8:04 pm

hey andrew,

this is a great thing - you’ve made the process incredibly simple to do. i remember when this was firstmade public domain - what put me off was having to manually move files around. so much better nowits all done in the background!

just one problem - i can’t for the life of me get iphoto to work! it see’s the albums etc and whenever iclick on an album or slideshow the screen goes blank for a couple of seconds but then returns to theFR list of my albums.



any fixes?….

. 97 97 Justin May 25th, 2006 at 1:02 am

Please I am desperate. I ran the enabler thing on my new intel mac that already had a remote control.now the remote control won’t work and I don’t know how to revert the HIDremotecontrol string backto true. I wanted to do this so I didn’t always have to use the remote, but now that it doesn’t work Ineed help getting it working again. Please help me.

Thanks,Justin

. 98 98 Joey May 25th, 2006 at 5:39 pm

Hi, I too am having the black screen problem with front row. The installation went smoothly, it workswith iTunes for music, but no album art. It plays DVDs. But with videos, I get audio only with a blackscreen. The same videos play in QuickTime or iTunes but no picture in Front Row. Any ideas? BTW,it’s a g4/450 w/ a Radeon 7000 video card plugged into my TV.

Thanx,Joey

. 99 99 Ola May 25th, 2006 at 6:27 pm

Det funka ju det hära! trodde inte att det fanns ett sådant program för det(Thanks)

. 100 100 DarleenMB May 26th, 2006 at 1:01 am

Hi Andrew,

thanks for doing this. I used your enabler several months ago and installed FR 1.2.1 perfectly on myyear-old Mini 1.42Ghz.

I’ve been trying, unsuccessfully, to run enabler 1.2.2 so I can update. I keep getting an error messagethat says the FR update is not on the desktop. Well. It is. I just REdownloaded it directly to thedesktop and Enabler still insists it isn’t there.

Any clues?

Thanks again!



. 101 101 Copper May 26th, 2006 at 6:29 am

Hello Andrew,

First off, awesome job on getting Front Row to work on other Mac systems… much obliged. Hasanybody have any experience with Keyspan Digital Media Remote URM-15A as opposed to usingKeyspan RF? The URM-15A model is only 1/2 the price… I just thought I’d see if anybody has triedthis one out and if it functions just as well.

According to Keyspan [the] URM-15A model is indeed compatible and works with Front Row. Anythoughts or comments on this?

Regards,

Copper

. 102 102 Andy May 26th, 2006 at 9:53 am

Thanks Andrew,

I just installed Front Row on my iBook G4. Works great. Instructions and Enabler were great!

For a remote I’m using a Logitech Bluetooth Mouse (MX 900, looks like it is now out of production,too bad, great mouse) and SteerMouse to set the mouse buttons.

. 103 103 Markches May 27th, 2006 at 2:03 am

Hello!

I have followed every step…but it still can’t seem to open. Even my keyboard and shortcuts in thepreference won’t open already.By the way, I am using a MacBook Pro. Does it work here?

[Andrew writes: What in the hell compelled you to use Enabler on a MacBook Pro? You already hadFront Row! ]

. 104 104 iMat May 27th, 2006 at 6:52 am

Tanks a lot for this great tutorial !!

FR is so incredible … with my k700i it’s perfect !



http://poetsch.org/minisites/downloads/FrontRowRemote.zip

. 105 105 Markches May 27th, 2006 at 7:02 am

hi andrew!i tried to install the front row.pkg in my macbook but it won’t install! that’s why i installed theenabler.how do i go about it now? pls help!

. 106 106 Shepard May 28th, 2006 at 3:55 pm

I tried to install Front Row on my iBook g4 1.33 ghz but whenever I try to launch it, my toolbar itemsjust restart. It is not in my startup items and there is nothing in launchagents. Perhaps it was that Iused the installer at the top of the page the first time? I already tried to reinstall using the second one(after deleting front row) but it just tried to update, and still nothing works. Can you help?

. 107 107 Jonathon May 28th, 2006 at 5:22 pm

Hey I saw the remote above I was wondering are there any remotes that could use my bluetooth instedof having to have a reciver?

. 108 108 Donna May 28th, 2006 at 5:56 pm

I have a G5. Never have Front Row. Try to install it and I did loose my menu bar. How do I get itback?

. 109 109 Andy Polaine May 28th, 2006 at 8:01 pm

Installed fine on my G5 2GHz OSX 10.4.6 - Thanks Andrew.

Jonathan - yes, Salling Clicker will do it - do a search above in the comments:http://www.salling.com/Clicker/mac/scripts.php

Donna - the Combo Update will fix it. See the Troubleshooting section in Andrew’s instructions.

. 110 110 Jonathon May 29th, 2006 at 1:35 am



what is that sailing cliker thing their website didn’t explain it very well. What I would like is a remotethat could control my front row using my bluetooth thats built into my powerbook g4.

. 111 111 Sondre May 29th, 2006 at 9:23 am

Installed on my iBook G4 last rev. Everything seemed to work fine, but when I go into Music, iTuneslaunches in the background, and when going into Photos, iPhoto launches. Is this normal? I thoughtthat this wasn’t going to happen. What can I do?

Thanks for help.

[Andrew writes: This is normal. Front Row is just a front end to these apps. It launches them in thebackground to interface with them.]

. 112 112 Sondre May 29th, 2006 at 10:56 am

Thanks for answer!Is this happening with the new Macs with Intel processors as well? When I tried an iMac in an Appleretail store, none of the apps actually launched. But, of course, I might remember wrong. I have a badmemory :)

. 113 113 Joe May 29th, 2006 at 11:56 am

Any word on what may be the problem with OS X 10.4.6 Server? I ran Enabler, then opened thefrontrow package, and all was going well. However, when I had to select a disk to install FR onto,neither of them were a “green light”, saying that 10.4.6 must be installed for frontrow to work, eventhough the one disk was running 10.4.6 Server…

Any ideas? Thanks a lot, this is really great stuff!

. 114 114 Oskar May 29th, 2006 at 6:00 pm

I tried to install Frontrow 1.2.2 on my Ibook G4 with Mac OS X 10.4.6, and when I run the enabler itsays it’s ready to install. But when I run the update it still tells me that my computer doesn’t have anIR-port and that frontrow can not be installed. From what I’ve read here, no one else seemes to havehad this problem?

Thanks

. 115 115 Erik



May 29th, 2006 at 7:33 pm

Oh man this is the shit. Like getting a whole new computer! My 2003 alu powerbook is still goingstrong! Thanks Andrew!

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AboutThis is an archieved entry posted 1 month ago on Saturday, May 13, 2006.

Tagged as Mac, Hack, Software, Front Row.

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