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The G3 Zone banner - hardware and software compatibility FAQs for the Apple G3

G3 Zone Folder Tabs - Hardware and Software Compatibility

Hardware | Software | Networking | Printing | SCSI

Hardware Problems: 

As this area grows, a separate page will list known problems with 3rd party hardware and the G3. If you have a hardware compat. problem or workaround to report, please contact me

Note: Due to size, I have a separate page B&W G3 Compatibility issues.

VT Macpicasso 540: Apple G3 rev 3 systems have a compatibility issue with MP540 cards prior to Rev 1.3 (Aug 98 production). See http://www.villagetronic.com/incompatE.html for details. I've updated my MacPicasso 540/3D Overdrive review pages for this info.

Radius Thunder 3D
Radius verified the card is not compatible:

" Mike,
I am sorry to inform you but the Thunder 3D cards are not compatible with the G3 systems. Yet, they should be compatible with the G3 upgrades. ...
Radius Vintage Tech Support
"

I had problems with the Thunder 3D with a G3 CPU card however after updating the Thunder 3D to the latest bios/drivers v1.07.

MIRO DC20 on G3 (again)
Lars Peterson writes:

" This definitely works. I capture and output at 640x480 millions of colors 30 fps. I use MIROdc20 MJPG for recording and playing, and I usually have my audio set at 44.100 16bit stereo. I use SVHS connections to and from a Panasonic SVHS tape deck, and filter my audio through a Nakamichi receiver. When I connect my Sony Hi-8 Video Camera to the card, I use the composite cables (not because SVHS doesn't work, but because it is easier, they way I have it saet up,not to have to disconnect the deck to plug in the camera.)

I am an animator, so I am dumping my demo reel all day long, using adobe Premiere 4.21, and I usually render using After Effects. Both have MIRO plug-ins which are necessary to utilize the miro card. Perhaps those users experiencing difficulty,have not properly installed these plug-ins, or are not using the most current MIRO extensions, or plug-ins. Just for kicks, I have also rendered at 720x486 (my instructor thought it had to be to transfer onto his targa board.) and it looked good. I usually limit my data rate to 1300-1600 kbps during render, depending on the depth of my audio. I hope this helps!"

Palm Pilots/Apple G3 Systems: Mike Orton reports the the G3/Palmpilot hotsync issue is resolved by the Serial DMA update 2.1 released awhile back.

[Original Post] Jim Graham sends additional comments on the Palm Pilot/G3 problems posted in the main site news recently:

[Our Recent News Post]
" 'It's a known bug that the entire PalmPilot line (Pilot, PalmPilot,
and Palm III) doesn't like HotSyncing with the G3 line, as well as
any Mac based on the Tanzania motherboard (StarMax, Powerbase(?),
MacTell, etc). What you have to do is turn on HotSync monitoring
manually and then immediately press the HotSync button on the cradle.
That should do it.'

Actually, you can press the HotSync button on the cradle before you start the HotSync monitoring and that way there is no rush.  You can hit the HotSync button before you even launch the control panel and still have time to click on the Start button to initiate the transaction before the Pilot times out...
...jim"

Panasonic 7502 CDR Fix for G3: Miguel Chavez sent a list of tips that may solve the CDR problems that G3 owners have reported:

" Thought this might be of help... I've been having trouble with my panasonic 7502 with my G3 and Toast. Could find nothing in Panasonic.com or Matsushita's page(!). Found this nice site that's mainly PC but could be of some help: The Panasonic CW-7502 Info Central They do offer the mac firmware upgrade.

Adaptec talks about probs with it here: Panasonic Firmware Update

They mention La Cie's support page which has the drivers for it also: http://208.226.13 .120/.../support/updaters.cfm

Thought this might be of help to other users. Apparently, my drives firmware is 3.02 and it needs to be bumped up to 3.10 The update, apparently, fixes incompatabilities with SCSI Mesh and G3/IDE macs.
- Miguel Chavez"

He later reported that after updating the CDR bios it works fine.

Imagine 128 Series 1: Mixed reports on the Number Nine Imagine 128 Series 1 graphics cards working in the Apple G3 systems. A reader of the site reports the card failed to work properly in two different G3 motherboards. He had to replace it with a Matrox Millennium II card (which he said was slower then the Imagine 128).

Two other readers say both the series 1 and series 2 cards worked fine for them.

Miro DC20 Again: I've gotten another report of the DC 20 not working and this reader quotes Miro's Tech support also saying the DC 20 does not work in the Apple G3. Vega writes:

"I guess my G3 was an earlier version...I bought it the day after Thanksgiving 1997. I can get it to work at 320x240....but it craps out at 640x480.....Miro has sent me the following message. This is really frustrating and am considering getting a fuse board..any thoughts?"

Miro Comments:

We have reproduced the problem here, the problem is an incompatability with the G3 systems, there is no fix for this , it remains an incomptability.
miro technical support

and...

Currently it is just a H/W compatability, this happens sometimes when newer technologies emerge like the G3 & Backside cache on macintosh. The DC30 works great on this platform. Currently there is no fix available and not one planned, but it will need more looking into to determine positively.
miro technical support

I'm beginning to think the DC20 problem may be related to a PCI bug/problem that Magma told be about months ago (they were to ship a PCI expansion chassis for review, but wrote there was a problem that prevented it from working until there was a fix). Maybe later production G3s have a revised controller or ROM, or possibly those that report the DC20 works are capturing at 320x240. Just wild guesses here as it makes no sense otherwise.

IDE/SCSI Mixed Hard Disks:
Several owners report that mixing SCSI and IDE hard drives in a G3 is not reliable. The general fix was to remove the IDE Hard disk. Michael Pifer wrote a detailed story of his experience. I've gotten several reports of mixed drives running fine however.

Video Capture Cards:
Lars Peterson reports that the DC20 does work in a G3, but earlier reports said the opposite. Possibly the earlier report was either a bad card or Apple has revised the ROMs or hardware in later G3s. Magma told me there were PCI issues with the PB G3 (and possibly the G3 systems) when they were going to send a PCI expansion chassis.

A reader reports the Bravado 1000 does not work in his G3/300 system, which is consistent with reports in the main site news last year from other G3 CPU card owners.

Apple TV Tuner: According to this Apple TIL, the G3 systems are not compatible with the Apple TV Tuner.

Early ATTO Dual-Channel SCSI Cards: Later models are said to work, but this has not been verified. Use Adaptec 3940UW or possibly Hammerstorage DC cards as dual-channel alternatives.


Software Problems: 

As this area grows, a separate page will track compatibility issues with the G3 and workarounds, software updates and other resolutions. If you have a software compat. problem or workaround to report, please contact me

G3 Rev 1 Videoconferencing Issues: As mentioned here in the past, owners of Rev 1 Apple G3 systems that have expanded the Vram have experienced problems with apps like CUSeeMe and iVisit. Apple apparently has a fix for the problem based on this anom. reader mail that contains a quote from Apple tech support:

" Enclosure: G3 Video Input Update
Hello,
Enclosed is a copy of the G3 Video Input Update which should be posted soon to the Apple Software Updates. I was given the okay to go ahead and send this update out. It should be okay to send this out to anyone else, but please do not post it on any internet site or bulletin board.

Please see if this addresses issues with CUSeeMe and any other software you might be using. Feel free to post your comments to the discussion board or I will filter mail you send to this normally read-only mail address.
Todd Hart
Apple Support Discussions.
"

(See below for a description of the problem) [9/4/98]


Video Conferencing: Martin Kaufman reports that his rev 1 G3 with 4MB Vram upgrade locks up after a minute or so (with Video input) unless he removes the Vram expansion.

I'm looking for verification that Videoconferencing (CUseeMe, etc.) works in the Rev 2 G3 systems (RagePro models) with the 4MB or 6MB video upgrade. If you have tested a Vram expanded Rev 2 G3 system with CUSeeME or iVisit, please contact me.

Audio Input/Capture Fix: To fix the audio input selection bug in OS 8.1, download the Audio Tuneup 2.0 from Apple.

Logitech Software: "I have a Logitech trackman marble mouse, it uses mouse key control panel. When this control panel is loaded it will cause the cursor to stay in the upper left corner under the file menu. The file menu drops down and unless you move the cursor it will stall the system boot up cycle. This control panel also will not allow ATM to load. I have written to Logitech about a month ago and no reply yet." [Keith Griffin 3/98]

Audio Clicks/Pops: If your G3 makes a clicking sound when booting up (audio) I've heard that installing OS 8.1 will cure the problem. Supposedly something to do with the way sound is initialized that was addressed in OS 8.1.


Network Problems: 

Henry Goh wrote with postive comments on the latest LocalTalk PCI 1.2 update (11/3/98). This may solve the prev. reported issues with the extension in G3 macs.

The only networking issues I've seen were resolved by removing the "LocalTalkPCI" extension.

If you have a G3 networking problem or workaround to report, please contact me


Printing Problems: 

LocalTalk PCI 1.2 Update: Henry Goh wrote with postive comments on the latest LocalTalk PCI 1.2 update (11/3/98). This may solve the prev. reported issues with the extension in G3 Macs. The Apple Readme notes it not only solves the disappearing printer issue but also 'Resolves a problem where the mouse would respond erratically when the computer is communicating with LocalTalk devices'.

Another Possible Disappearing Printer Fix:

" Mike,
I have a G3-266MT and an HP 5MP printer and I was suffering from the disappearing printer problem for a while until I installed the "Serial DMA Update 1". Then my problem went away.

Installation was a little funky at first because right after installation the machine would freeze during bootup. But after I rebuilt the desktop (I could reboot with extensions off) everything worked fine. Thanks always for the wonderful work on your site!
Cheers,
Paul
"

For info on the Serial DMA Update 2.1, see the Readme file. The North American (US) version is available at this location.


Printing Solution for disappearing Printers?: Jan Boeijink writes with a solution to his printing problems:

" Hi Mike,
BY ACCIDENT I solved the LocalTalkPCI problem (LW Select 360 invisible in the Chooser while LocalTalkPCI is loaded). It appears the solution is.... OTModl$Proxy, a 82K shared library from a demo of IPNetMonitor by Sustainable Softworks. My LW is now visible and prints without affecting my mouse.

Sustworks.home (http://www.sustworks.com/) Directory of /pub/psichel (ftp://ftp23.pair.com/pub/psichel/)

[I asked about removing the LocalTalkPCI extension-Mike] When I remove the [LocalTalkPCI] extension the printing affects the mouse movements (like in the old days, on 68k Macs). I suppose that's why they made the LocalTalkPCI extension. But it didn't work, until now.
Jan Boeijink
"


The "LocalTalkPCI" extension has been known to cause printing problems as well - most suggest removing it from the extensions folder if it is present (until a later version comes that may fix the problems). Also ensure you're using the latest versions of the printer drivers, especially if you're using a HP or Epson printer.

If you have a printing problem/solution to report, please contact me


SCSI Problems: 

This area will track compatibility issues with the G3 and SCSI cards. If you have a SCSI success or problem to report, please contact me

Ultra2 SCSI Cards: So far I've had problems running a dual Quantum Atlas III 18.2GB LVD array with both a ATTO and Adaptec Ultra2 SCSI card in my rev 2 Apple G3 system. I'm investigating the reasons why and so are the vendors involved. The drive array runs fine with a std Ultra-SCSI card, but not with the Ultra2 cards. It could be a drive firmware issue. (I'm also running 83mhz bus speeds in the G3, but will set it back to 66mhz stock speeds and retest.)

2940/Iomega v6 Driver issue solved: Kitty reports using Apple's Drive Setup 1.5 to format and install a driver on the Seagate Barracuda resolved the problem she was having with the Iomega v6 IDE ZIP driver in her Rev 2 G3 with 2940UW card. She wrote:

"I finally found what cause the problem. My Baracuda 2 was formatted by HDT 2.5.2 with latest June data device. It has conflict with Iomega tool 6. I have reinitialize the Barracuda 2 with apple drive setup. The problem was solved.
Thanks/regards,
kitty"

The reader post below indicates that FWB's RaidToolkit is compatible with the Iomega v6 driver. If you can also verify that HDT 2.5.2 is a problem in a similar configuration (wide scsi drive w/HDT connected to PCI SCSI card, rev 2 G3 w/IDE ZIP), please contact me. [8/19/98]


Update on Iomega/2940 Conflict: This just received in reply to the prev. post:

"Hello Mike
I am also running an Adaptec 2940UW on my g3 rev 2. It has an internal IDE zip loaded with v 6.0 zip drivers. So far I have had no problem running my cheetahs off of the 2940UW and using my zip. One thing that is different from her config is I am running my machine with FWB drivers on the HD. So either there is no conflict with the 2940UW and the zip, and it is another problem with her setup, or the FWB drivers solved the problem before it started on my machine.

Current Setup:
Apple Rev 2 G3 266Mhz
Adaptec 2940UW
2x Cheetah Ultra2 running as Ultra Wide
Int IDE Zip
Int IDE CD
NO OTHER IDE drives
FWB RAID software
William Kyu Goodman "

The report below was from a owner running a IDE HD in addition to the SCSI HD on the 2940. [8/18/98]


Iomega Driver v6.0/2940UW/Apple G3 Conflicts: After extensive troubleshooting a reader reports a conflict with the Iomega v6 drivers and the Adaptec 2940UW in her rev 2 Apple G3 with IDE ZIP drive. With the 2940 installed and the Iomega ZIP v6 software running the wide drive (Barracuda ST34371) would not mount. She said removing the Iomega software fixed the problem but she can't access the IDE ZIP drive. The same combination in another G3 with SCSI ZIP and Iomega drivers 5.x worked fine. I've sent a note to my Adaptec contact and requested she contact both Apple and Iomega about this. [8/18/98]


ProDirect in a G3 and it seems to work fine. The early ATTO Dual Channel SCSI cards are said not to work (later versions may - check with ATTO. The Adaptec 3940UW and DC Jackhammer are said to be compatible. I have a 3940UW here to test and am working on getting a Ultra2 Dual-Channel card to review as well. Reportedly 2940UW and 3940UW cards work, as well as ATTO ExpressPCI, Initio Miles and the Iomega JazJet (Advansys clone).

See my main site SCSI page for tests of 4 wide SCSI PCI cards in a PowerTower Pro.

 

Thanks to all the readers who have sent G3 information.

If you have G3 Compatibility information that is not listed here,
please
contact me with details.

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