USB Keyboard Recommendations/MS USB Keyboard Driver: I received about a dozen mails in reply to today's earlier post on USB Keyboards that work well with the Mac. Dan Frakes wrote that http://www.mit.edu/~kshakir/msnatural/ has a driver that should work with Microsoft Natural Keyboards such as the Pro model I commented on earlier today. Here's a sample of reader comments on various USB keyboards:

• MacAlly iKey was recommended by Al Brower:

  "Mike,
  I finally ditched that Apple keyboard and purchased a Macally iKey (graphite). The Cinema Display has two USB ports, so I plugged the keyboard into one and an Interex wheel mouse into the other.

  I liked the Apple keyboard's style and quality (the keys have a great feel), but it's just too small for Photoshop work.

  I originally ordered a Micro Connections graphite keyboard from Outpost, but it was neither soft nor quiet (as it claimed to be). In fact, it had the loudest keys I have ever heard. In any case, it was nonfunctional out of the box, so I sent it back.

  The iKey has a nice key feel, but not as nice as the Apple keyboard. The keys are very quiet and springy although the stroke length is just a little too long. All in all, it's satisfactory. I have had no trouble with the keyboard. Plug and play.

  I have a G4/450 with a Cinema Display. Two USB devices: Interex mouse and iKey keyboard.
  Al Brower"

  Dan Jensen also noted he's using MacAlly iKeys on 2 B&W G3's running MacOS 9 with no problems.

• Microsoft Natural Keyboard works fine with his Lombard powerbook said Mike Jackson. Kenneth Gan said the Elite model has worked great for several months using a 3rd party driver/key mapper (the one linked above I assume) which he used to remap some of the keys including assigning the Power On function to the Windows menu key.

I did receive two additional reports of problems, the first one a verification of the Adesso USB keyboard problem noted earlier today:

"I also have the Adesso USB keyboard and have the same problems Malcolm Kwan is experiencing and I don't have anything but a mouse hanging from the keyboard. It must be a problem with the board itself and has nothing to do with any peripherals attached. My guess is there is a problem when chording keys and is probably a timing/release problem. Otherwise my only complaint is the delete key is to small and I always hit the "\" key instead.
Daniel "

This reader in the service business notes he's seen problems with most every brand of USB keyboard:

"Mike,
We have had issues with _all_ non-Apple USB keyboards that we have tried here, with a near 100% failure rate. After a few minutes of operation (usually around 15 or less) the mouse (Apple or otherwise) would no longer respond to movement. In some cases the keyboard would also be lost, but would recover itself if unplugged and replugged. Inconvenient to say the least.

The best we were able to do is plug the mice directly into the Mac alongside the keyboard. Of course if we had more USB devices, we would be forced to a hub, and the issues with the keyboards would get worse. This has occurred on various revision B/W G3's and iMacs, RevA's on up to the new slot loading DVs. We haven't even bothered trying on the G4s'

We've given up on non-Apple keyboards and have told our users to suffer. Mice, on the other hand seem to do fine when not coupled with MacAlly, Kensington or MicroConnectors keyboards (never tried the Adesso).
Paul"

For B&W G3 owners - try the port 2 tip I noted in the news earlier today (below).

Several readers replied to the earlier MRJ 2.2 problem report, most saying they were having no problems with the update. Of a dozen or so reports so far, only two users seem to have a problem with the update.

A reader sent a note you should be aware of the terms and conditions of Apple's iTools - according to this Macintouch page Apple has the rights to sell or use anything you post on their iDisk based web site as they choose.

Barney's News Links:

• Newer is developing 512Mb RAM modules
• Epson has new printers
• Mactell goes into bankruptcy
• For a good laugh, Barney suggested reading this article on replacing a hard drive in an older PC.
  (Reminds me of upgrading old PCs years ago...if very old they're best considered disposable. Like a toaster, it's often cheaper to replace a very old PC than repair (or upgrade) it. Come to think of it, a toaster is probably worth more than a Gateway 486 now...)
• Ricoh announced a 12x CDR burner but he was unable to find a press release
• Keyspan has a USB PDA update

More $788 Apple 15" LCD Displays: CDW wrote that they just received their last batch of these displays (originally noted here last week). If you missed it - I verified these ADB displays work fine with a G4/450 using Griffin's iMate USB/ADB adapter.

"CDW has replenished their supply with the last 100 remaining 15" Apple LCD panels (Blue model) - $788
these are in stock now, and will not last long!! for more info, call and ask for an Apple specialist.
Bruce Modell
Senior Account Manager
Macintosh/Networking/Wintel Specialist
CDW, Inc.
800-953-4239 ext 8219"

OS 9 Audio Update 1.3 Feedback: Here's a copy of reader comments on the update noted in yesterday's news:

"Mike,
I missed the audio Update 1.2, it was pulled before I could download it. (Maybe I was lucky)...Anyway, just finished downloading and installing the 1.3 version on my Powerbook 400 and the lip sync issues appear to be gone. I tried to run the DVD 2.0 update but it doesn't work on hardware decoders..So for right now I guess this is what Apple has to offer us powerbook users.
John Garde"

This reader says the update had an unexpected benefit - it fixed the problem of system hangs at shutdown if you have an active PPP connection:

"Hi Mike,
I was having consistent problems with my G4 350 AGP crashing on shutdown if I did not close my net connection with the built in 56k modem first...I've read about this problem in your forums and it seems that it came up after one of the audio updates 1.1 or 1.2....glad to report that with the new audio update 1.3 I'm no longer having this problem.
Stu Weyman"

Great news since both the G4/450 and iMac DV would hang at shutdown if you don't disconnect first in my experience.

I've not had time to test the DVD software player performance yet (it's tough to go back to software DVD playback after reviewing the Wired4DVD card) but I welcome feedback from iMac DV and G4 owners that have tested this. Note your Quicktime version in your report. Thanks!

Part# for Rev 2 B&W G3 HD Brackets: A reader sent a note that the 'stacked' rev 2 B&W G3 hard drive bracket is available for about $10 and should fit rev 1 B&W G3s.

"Just a heads up, the dual drive bracket in the Rev2 G3 is available from apple service centers. I got mine for 10 bucks plus tax. This bracket should work in Rev1 G3's that have the three piece drive trays. since custom cables are about 14 bucks, this is a cheaper alternative since you can use a regular three connector IDE cable (included with most drives) without flipping it around(which doesn't work well in my experience). the part number is 076-0778. Ordered it today, should be seeing it tomorrow or the day after, if i run into any problems (doubtful) i'll let you know Keep up the great work,
Kenneth Gan "

As noted in my Jan, 1999 Rev 1 B&W G3 HD Upgrade article, the side-by-side drive mounting of the rev 1 can create some cable reach issues (I was lucky and had a standard IDE cable that reached, but many don't). Remember however that officially Rev 1 B&W G3s do not have the revised IDE chip that supports slave drives (one of the rev 2's changes). (BTW: the SCSI/IDE/HD page and FAQ's How-To and Storage sections have these and other drive upgrade information and article links.)

iMac MaxPowr in PB G3 WallStreet? (no): [Update See the G3 reviews page and Rate Your CPU upgrade database for reports/reviews of the (later released) PowerBook CPU upgrades. As of 2002 - there's also a G4/500 upgrade available from Powerlogix. (not reviewed here as of Jan 2002, but some database reports from Lombard (PB G3 1999 model) owners.)
A reader asked if the Newer Tech iMac upgrades would work with the Wallstreet Powerbooks. The modules are very similar (early iMac and wallstreet 1 CPU module at least) but here are some concerns that come to mind (assuming the modules had the same pinout/connectors.):

• The ROMs are on the modules for the iMac and PB G3 and may not be the same.

• The info I had originally was that the PB G3 CPUs are 85C rated parts, while the desktops normally use 65C rated chips. If this is still true, then using a desktop CPU in a powerbook G3 might be a problem, although the faster CPUs now use a lower core voltage and might actually run cooler (even at higher clock speeds.

Newer Tech and others are rumored to be considering PB G3 CPU upgrades. I'm getting a rev A iMac to review the Newer iMaxPowr upgrade soon I hope. For those that want a utility to check 'estimated' (in my opinion) G3/G4 CPU temperatures, see the FAQ's Cooling and Temperatures topic area. (Note I do not consider many of the readings as accurate. For instance with copper desktop CPUs these utils often report near or even below room temperatures with a 400+MHz CPU).

MRJ 2.2 Feedback: The first reader to report on the update noted in yesterday's news (see Apple software updates in the sidebar below for links) indicates a problem in his system [later reports are below]:

"Hi,
Last night I installed MRJ 2.2 on my two Mac's. As soon as I did I started to have problems. I started getting bus errors, system errors 1, 2 and 11, and programs started crashing to the finder. I went back to MRJ 2.1.2 and the problems went away. I am running an iMac Rev. D, and a Powerbase with a Powerlogix 300 card. Both Run OS 9.
Elliot "

The only other problem report so far was this one:

"Hi,
After installing MRJ 2.2 on my 8600 on os8.6 i could not print anymore...The system wanted an imagewriter i never had and never selected anytime. The applet runner did not work at all.

Then after reboot a system freeze apear at the end of the boot... I had to reinstall macos...
Thank you Apple.
Michel G. "

Later reports today from Emmanuel Torregano (French OS 9) and Lucian Fong (OS 9 English PTP180 w/G3 upgrade). Scanning about half a dozen other MRJ 2.2 mails so far shows that everyone seems to be running it fine other than the first report above.

Combo IDE/SCSI Card: A reader sent a note that Century lists a SCSI Card with integrated IDE/SCSI adapter PCI controller (20MB/sec narrow SCSI only). The photo of the card looks like it's Initio chip based so I wonder if it supports Maxtor IDE drives. Their main page also notes the current firmware only supports a single IDE drive, not a master/slave pair but will be upgraded for this capability. In December, 1998 I posted a page on Blackfire's SCSI to IDE adapter but had little feedback on how well they worked.

ClubMac Firewire/IDE Case & Maxtor Drives: A reader notes the Firewire to IDE case may not be compatible with Maxtor drives. The Firewire/IDE case article posted here previously notes IBM and Quantum drives seem to be the recommended drives:

"I just received two of ClubMac's new FireWire enclosures. I also purchased two Maxtor 36gb drives to use in the new enclosure. I have spent all day trying to resolve whatever possible conflict is going on between the drives and the enclosures to no avail. I spoke to their tech support three times today, each time the support tech seemed more clueless than the other, finally ending up with the last tech support guy saying "Hmmm, that's odd, since there aren't any SCSI device id's with FireWire it shouldn't be a problem" What? I told him this was an IDE to FireWire enclosure, and he continued to talk about SCSI?! I asked to speak with his manager, and he has yet to call me back.

I find the promise of these enclosures compelling, but my initial experience is a bit under-whelming, especially as I foolishly relied on this to Plug and Play, as I needed both drives functional to solve a project problem with a tight deadline.
Adam Balkwill "

Reader Request: DirectPC via VPC? A reader asked if anyone has tried using DirectPC or similar net connections with Virtual PC. [Update - there is a USB DirectPC version now available readers say.] If you have used DirectPC USB under Virtual PC 3.0, please contact me.

The local cable company here does not officially support Macs it seems (internal PC cable modems) but CFW offers wireless cable access (small dish) and does offer Mac support.

Reader's AppleTalk Epson Photo 750 Drivers: A post in my forums had the following info on a unofficial AppleTalk driver:

"I have made my own AppleTalk drivers for the Photo750, since Epson don't seem to want to! You can download them from the link below! They really do work! http://www.geocities.com/stylusphoto750
Edward Cooper "

The forum post has a full copy of the 'documentation' with instructions which is also included in the download. Reader comments are also there including a later post from the author that he has seen some issues and a possible workaround.

Adesso USB Keyboard Problem Report: A reader copied me on a mail sent to Adesso support and wanted buyers to be aware of problems he had seen with these USB keyboards:

"My company purchased 3 of the USB Nu-form keyboards for our blue G3s. They were initially working fine except that keystrokes were tending to repeat inadvertently especially when using keyboard shortcuts like command-c for copying.

At Macworld SF, I spoke with Adesso reps at the Adesso booth and I was told it was a chip problem and that their customer support group would ship us replacements.

I arranged for the cross-shipment of replacements and have encountered additional problems.

One keyboard prevented the G3 from properly starting up: after the startup chime, the harddrive wouldn't spin up, no video signal was sent. When the initial Adesso keyboard was used or the original Apple one, everything was fine.

One the other 2 G3s, the mouse would stop responding or the keyboard would stop responding. The G3 wasn't hung as background processes were still working. If the mouse or keyboard was replugged, the G3 would recognize them again.

This last problem NEVER happened with the first batch of Adesso keyboards. The repeating key problem also persisted though to a lesser degree.

When I called Adesso, I was told this problem was due to non-mouse or non-joystick devices attached to the Adesso keyboard hub. In my case, ZIP drives and IMATION superdrives. I was told that the Adesso keyboard doesn't supply enough power to support these drives. However, these drives are self powered and do not draw their power from USB.

The technician then stated it was because these self powered devices had to be turned on when they were plugged in. These drives are ALWAYS on and have no power switches.

The technician stated that only mouse devices and joysticks should be attached to the Adesso keyboard's USB hub, all other kinds of devices should be plugged directly to the G3 or through a hub.

When I pointed out that this information should be prominently stated on the Adesso web site in the product information, I was told this information was gotten by watching ZDTV, which is beside the point! If Adesso and its technicians know of the product's limitations, they should make it known to the public and potential customers.

Malcolm Kwan
Team Leader / Publishing & Design Services
Global Direct Media Group "

On the subject of USB keyboards, a G4 owner also wrote he has problems with a MacAlly USB keyboard. If anyone knows of a good working USB keyboard for G3/G4 Macs please contact me.

Although it's not the best solution and I've not used it extensively, last month I picked up a Microsoft Pro USB keyboard for $20 at the returns bin at Staples. It booted fine on the G4/AGP here and seemed to function ok however the myriad of shortcut keys didn't work of course and it has no power button, but the Windows key worked as the Mac command key.

B&W G3 USB Port Quirks: While on the subject of USB, I wanted to post a reminder on the USB port issues I saw last year with my rev 1 and rev 2 B&W G3s. When using the extender cable I had to use Port 2 for reliable operation (first noted on my rev 1 B&W G3 in Jan. 99). There were notes of 'bad' extender cables in the first batch, but the cable works 100% in port 2 and has no pin damage or other obvious defects. If it's 100% reliable in port 2 but fails in port 1 then logically it's not the cable. To further verify the port issue, in the fall of 1999, I could not get an Adaptec USB/SCSI adapter to work properly on port 1 even on a rev 2 B&W G3. Switching to port 2 immediately solved the problem. (This issue is noted in the FAQ's USB Topics area). Just a tip for other owners to try if they are having USB problems.

Reader Review Databases Updated: The Rate Your CPU Upgrade, Game Reviews and Mac Game/Video Card Performance databases were updated last night. If your entry is not there - it was missing a rating or other info and I've mailed authors for more information.

If you don't check the news here daily, check the summary of past news below for info/articles you may have missed. The recent features page also lists articles posted (most recent first) as does the sidebar links here. The site topics pages (systems, cpu upgrades, etc. - see top and sidebar links on this page) also are places to check as well as the FAQ.

For a blast from the past see what was on the front page news here one year ago.

Wednesday's News Summary

• OS 9 Audio Update 1.3 released
• Wired4DVD Card Review
• Airport v1.1 related TILs
• Other Software Updates:
  MRJ 2.2 (Mac Java Runtime)
  More Nikon updates for OS 9
  iDisk mounter (Shareware)
  
• Barracuda ATAII - Fastest IDE Drive?
• Sonnet PB 1400 Upgrade Tests
• Other Mac SCSI Device Case Tips
• More ATI VR128 Audio Capture Tips
• ATI Rage128 Orion Deals/Pioneer IDE DVD Drive & CVGS Compatibility
• Some Microcenter's Still Have $99 AIWA USB Tape Drives
• MicroSoft 1978 - Would You have Invested? (Photo)
• Rate Your CPU Upgrade, and Mac Game/Video Card Performance searchable databases updated
• Latest topics in G4 Forum and 3Dfx Forums.

Tuesday's News Summary

• Software Updates:
  Airport software v1.1 (4.2MB)
  TEAC CD-R55S v1.0R Firmware update
  New Virex Dat file & Norton Antivirus updates
  Nikon Coolpix 800 updater
  
• Press release on new HP Printers for the Mac and a link to HP's ColorPrint web page.
• Apple TIL on CD skipping
• Newer Tech press release G3/466 iMac (rev A thru D) CPU upgrades
• Newer plans online store for direct sales
• Article on PC ATX case for Mac SCSI devices
• Acard ATA/66 Real World Tests
• OS 9 CD/DVD Ext. Patch/Virtual PC
• More BitBoys/Glaze 3D MacOS Comments
• More on Retrospect 4.2 Full Upgrade to Travan Version
• iMac CPU Upgrades
• Mac Rogue Spear Petition
• Proformance 3 Update Feedback
• Rate Your CPU Upgrade, and Mac Game/Video Card Performance searchable databases updated
• Latest topics in G4 Forum and 3Dfx Forums.

Monday's News Summary

• Software Updates:
  Eradicator 1.2 wipes OS 9's invisible temp folder
  Aurora Fuse capture card driver v1.8.4.
  Proformance 3 5.7.1 update
  Microsoft Intellimouse driver (still 1.0?)
• More Hard Drive Bargains
• Sharing Epson 760 Printer Tip
• New Digest Option Mail List
• More Info on Firewire to IDE External Case
• Interactive Windows-Mac Comparison Site
• More ATI VR128 Graphics Card Tips
• Staples Maxtor HD/RAM Sale
• More Reports on CDT 4.x and Turbomax IDE Card
• Reader Note on @home Update Corrupt Font Issue
• Reader Request: Radius Videovision/B&W G3 Compatibility
• Rate Your CPU Upgrade, Mac Game Reviews, and Mac Game/Video Card Performance searchable databases updated
• Reader reports PC retail box Yamaha 6x CDRs have Toast on CD
• Latest topics in G4 Forum and 3Dfx Forums.

Saturday's News Summary

• Free Retrospect 4.2 Upgrade for USB Travan OEM Version
• $199 Imation 8X External CDR
• FWB CDT 4.01/Turbomax card Issues
• Aqua Archives
• Rainbow Six BF Arsenal Update
• Mac DSL Story at MSNBC:
• Quicktime Poll on CNN
• BLOL Weekly Specials
• Rate Your CPU Upgrade, Mac Game Reviews, and Mac Game/Video Card Performance searchable databases updated
• Misc Net news
• Latest topics in G4 Forum and 3Dfx Forums.

For links to older news pages see the Archives page.

The recent features page has a lists reviews/articles you may have missed.

For a guide to finding answers to questions - see my Site Guide page.

Considering a CPU Upgrade? Check the CPU Upgrade Owner's Survey results and search for owner reports by Mac model and/or card brand. Readers post new entries daily and the database is updated several times a week. The current database has more than 3,100+ reports and growing.