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Fix for my Kodak DC280/iMac DV USB Errors: After an entire afternoon of updating the iMac DV SE with OS 9, MS updates, and even a 1.1 Kodak DC280 installer (which didn't help) - the fix for my Picture Transfer application errors turned out to be simply resetting the default preferences (settings). This redetects the USB port, resulting in the same settings as before (USB port, all other settings dimmed) but it works now - go figure.
As a test I installed Kodak v1.0 software on the G4/450 sawtooth (with 'default settings' in preferences, don't select USB port manually) and it worked first time. BTW: The Kodak installer adds MS OLE extensions if they are not present, which are required for the picture transfer application to run (disabling MS OLE results in a failure of the application to even launch).
G4/HP 4M Solutions (Thanks Readers!): Thanks to all that wrote with their comments/tips/success stories on HP LaserJet 4M printers with a G4 system. I'll have a list of the replies in tomorrow's news (on a separate page due to length and number). The JetDirect card was most often stated as the best solution overall. More info in tomorrow's news or see the G4 forum thread for reader replies there.
Gates Resigns as CEO: I almost choked on my coffee when Barney Bouy sent a link to a C/Net article noting that Gates steps down as Microsoft CEO. Don't think he'll be out of the picture however as the article goes on to say he looks forward to working again with product groups and is 'threatening' to write code (with 23 million lines of code in Win2K, they need all the help they can get I guess ;-). I wonder what other changes are in store for the software giant after all the court rulings last year. President Steve Ballmer comments in the article that it would be 'reckless and irresponsible' for anyone to try and split up Microsoft.
= 1:00PM Update Follows =
Mac USB Microscope Info: I inadvertently ommitted the URL to the Scalar web site
shown in our first page of MWSF 2000 photos in Tuesday's news. The Scalar Scopes web site is http://www.scalarscopes.com/. Their http://www.scalarscopes.com/vl7ex/vl7exmain.htm page looks similar to the USB Microscope but has a different interface. I'd contact them for more info on the Mac USB version. I've updated the Tuesday news archive page to include this info. I've updated the Tuesday news archive page to include this info.
= 12:45 PM Update Follows =
Reader Request: G4/HP 4M Printer Feedback Wanted A reader asks for feedback on
solutions for getting a HP 4M laser printer to work reliably on a new G4.
He's holding off buying a G4 until he can be assured of an adapter that allows
the HP 4M to work with the G4.
"Hi Mike, sorry to bother you.- but this could save me big time.
I have an 8600/300 like you had and I am using it with an HP 4M printer. I am selling the 8600 and am buying the G4 450MHz/13Gb/DVD/Zip/Modem. I want to still use the HP 4M printer with the G4 and I have run across two, albeit piece-meal solutions. One is the USB-Parallel which will allow PCL printing but no postscript. I don't do Quark or anything that really uses postscript as far as I know. I print out of Wordperfect, FaxSTF, Quicken, Excel and Photoshop that's about it. The other, supposed, solution is Farallons EtherMac iPrint Adapter which goes from ethernet on the Mac to localtalk on the printer.
I have spoken with TWO Apple techs at good Apple Stores locally and both have said these are iffy, problematic solutions. I don't want to buy a new printer and haven't ordered the G4 yet. I just want to know if I can expect to use my HP 4M printer RELIABLY with a G4 Mac.
Also, HP offers a JetDirect Card which supports USB. It replaces the Localtalk card on the HP 4M with the JetDirect Card and then SUPPOSEDLY works off of USB. If you, or anyone has experience with any of the three hook ups please post or email me. I don't want to buy the G4 until I have FIRM knowledge that this printer will work, and well, with the G4.
Thanks for the help.
Neil
I am also posting most of this in the G4 forum. "
There are several replies to his post in the G4 forum including one from a Stealth card (by Geethree.com) owner that says his 4M works with it (but it uses the G4/AGP's modem port according to their install page.
= 12:30PM Update Follows =
Cries for Speed Doubler 9: Although Connectix released an OS 9 compatible version of Ram Doubler (with free update to RD 8 owners), there's still no sign of Speed Doubler 9. The smart copy feature is sorely missed once you try to live without it. Officially according to Connectix's OS 9 compatibility page there is no firm commitment to an OS 9 update to Speed Doubler and a few other products. I know some of you have written Connectix asking for an update and I'll ask them if there has been any final decision on SD/OS 9 updates.
iTools Update: Ken Jones sent a note that Apple has released a 1.01 update to the iTools installer.
Kodak DC-280 Firmware Update: Kodak has just released a v1.1 firmware updater for this USB equipped camera. Read the maintenance release page and updater readme file with the download for important notes on the update. Sadly the new firmware did not fix the Kodak v1.0 picture transfer application problem I saw last fall with my DC-280 connected to an iMac DV. Although the twain plugin worked fine in Photoshop as well as the border transfer standalone app., the USB picture transfer program still aborts with an error message. [See later upate above for a fix - resetting preferences].
I used my own USB card reader to copy the firmware update to the CompactFlash card and applied the update, but the Kodak picture transfer v1.0 application still didn't work on my iMac DV SE (OS 8.6), giving the same error message ('SDK: invalid call parameter found'). There is no update to the transfer application at Kodak's download page as of this morning.
Note that after applying the 1.1 firmware update, the camera will not work in serial mode, so USB must be used for transfers. (A warning to those with the camera that want to use it with older Mac serial ports.)
More AIWA USB Tape/USB PCI Card Reports: The latest in the continuing thread in the last few days on this subject. Although some have reported using USB Card Support 1.2 fine with the drive and PCI USB cards, this is the 2nd report I've had that v1.3.5 solved problems with some models of USB PCI Cards having errors in backups:
"Hi Mike:
I have had a lot of experience getting the AIWA drive to run on USB PCI
cards: an ADS USB Card (PC version) in both cases.
My father's 400Mhz G3 All-in-One (MacOS 8.6) was using the 1.2 USB Card
drivers with an ADS USB card (PC version) and he didn't have a single
successful backup. The worst part was that he wasn't even aware of it
--- he thought it had gone correctly and that he was all backed up; he
is 74 years old and frankly Retrospect isn't the most user-friendly
piece of software I have ever seen. During a vacation back home I
discovered this little fact and installed the 1.3.5 drivers and did a
backup. Worked like a champ with the new drivers.
He bought me the same AIWA drive for christmas (!) so I jumped right to
the 1.3.5 USB drivers for my ADS Card (also PC version) for my
7600/G3/400 and used Retrospect 4.2 (I am running OS 9 and heard 4.1 had
issues) ---- and no problems there either! I am now using the beta 1.4
USB drivers (which now supports PCI USB Cards directly, unlike the
previous betas) because of performance issues and haven't noticed
anything amiss. The new beta drivers are definitely snappier in the
Finder and help alleviate some of the pig-sluggishness I was noticing
with MacOS 9.
Cheers,
Jon"
As noted here last year after I received mine (just under $100 at Microcenter), I backed up my G4/450 sawtooth system with the drive and included Retrospect SE fine, including verification (by Retrospect).
FireNet - TCP/IP over Firewire? Barney Bouy sent a link to an article on Unibrain's FireAPI that allows fast local area networks via Firewire.
Reportedly even Apple engineers are dubious over some of the claims according to the article.
Umax E100 NIC/SCSI Card and Turbomax Issues: In reply to a post in yesterday's news this reader says he had to remove his E100 NIC/SCSI card from his Umax S900 to use his Turbomax IDE card properly.
"Mike,
I noticed you had an entry from someone who said they had to replace
their Jackhammer with a TurboMax to get stability on their Powerlogix.
You claim to have no such trouble. Are you running a Newer G3, or a
Powerlogix? [As noted in my comments in yesterday's news, I ran a
Jackhammer card fine with the PF G4/350 in a 9600/350-Mike]
I had a similar problem with disk corruption on my XLR8 G3 equipped S900
w/ E100 (a Jackhammer.) A check at the Hammerstorage web site told me
they don't recommend using the Jackhammer with any G3 upgrade EXCEPT
Newer's - they claim all others are incompatible.
I removed my E100, and no more crashes/freezes/disk corruption. I
thought the problem was a conflict with my TurboMax, which now has no
problems. BTW - until I removed the E100, I couldn't RAID my 2 20.4 gig
Maxtors using SoftRAID.
Bob Gale"
Bob stated he'd flashed the E100 with the Jackhammer firmware, so this may or may not be part of the problem (I suspect he tried that after having problems with the original firmware). I'd personally not recommend putting a SCSI card (only) ROM in a combo SCSI/NIC card, despite the fact the E100 is said to use the same SCSI chip as the Jackhammer.
As far as Hammerstorage's G3 upgrade card comments, I suspect they are just playing it safe, as I can personally confirm from years of use I have had no problems using Jackhammer PCI SCSI cards with _any_ G3 upgrade card from day one. (Noted in my reviews of SCSI Cards and the FAQ.) Here are a couple of notes and a tip I sent to Bob:
- The adaptec 2940 and other wide scsi adaptec cards
had problems with g3 upgrades as noted in the FAQ
and the first G3 card reviews hear (first PF 250 review notes it
as does others until this was addressed in updates to software controls).
However the 'disabling spec. processing' options that appeared
in later software versions seems to have fixed this.
- As noted at the site articles, I've never had a problem with
a Jackhammer scsi card and any brand of G3 card, from day one.
I used it with over a dozen different cards of several brands
on the years - never a problem. (It did require a firmware update
for the B&W G3 apple system when it first shipped, as noted
in my B&W G3 compat. page last spring, but so did most every other Scsi card). Scsi experts MacGurus will also confirm that the Jackhammer has been compatible with any G3 card brand.
I suspect Hammerstorage is just being conservative in their compatibility statement
after the Adaptec wide scsi card issue was originally discovered. Note that narrow
Adaptec scsi cards (like the PowerCenter Pro's 2930B) have never had the problem
in my experience.
- Tips for your S900. As noted in my S900 tips page, some PCI cards only work properly in the top two PCI slots. Readers also say these slots also improve
video card performance. (Note: The E100 card has a special slot, so the tip refers to moving standard PCI cards, not the E100 of course.) The S900 tips page also has a note on termination
from a E100 card owner.
The PCI slot tip may not solve your Turbomax/E100 mix problem but I thought I'd mention it. The lack of support and updates to E100 drivers is a negative (great card otherwise I hear). There may be some driver mix/busmastering issue between the E100/Turbomax cards. Perhaps the E100 slot shares an IRQ with one of the PCI slots, so try another (top 2 preferred) to see if it helps.
Bob later replied he tried the Turbomax card in PCI slot 2, with the Jackhammer 1.4.1 and 1.4 firmware in the E100 with no luck.
If there are any S900/E100/Turbomax owners out there using this mix fine, please contact me (note E100 in the subject line). Thanks!
PowerLogic Comments on Dynamic Pwr Mgmt: As a follow-up to the G4/350 owner comments in yesterday's news noting Dynamic Power Management seemed to help stability on this G4 upgrade,
I asked Powerlogix for more details:
"Dynamic power management turns off parts of the CPU that aren't being
used to save power. There is an errata for G3 that requires DPM to be
_disabled_ while enabling/disabling the cache (specifically while
performing a global invalidate procedure). However, we do that in the
code every time, so it wouldn't be related to that. Possible his
heatsink isn't attached very well and turning on DPM reduces the
processor temperature or something like that? But it should never really
affect stability otherwise.
"
3dfx Glide Still Alive: Although 3Dfx now has their own native OpenGL driver, Glide is far from dead and still preferred it seems for performance by some game developers. Here's a reader's comments from Macworld on the subject:
"Demo'd ONI at the Bungie booth....talked to one of the Bungie guys
who said that ONI would support Glide. He also mentioned that they
consistently get the best performance of ONI with Glide vs. OpenGL or
Direct3d (yuck!), and that Glide just "looks better"-no surprise there,
eh? ONI was very nicely done motion and graphics, and a very easy to
control interface. Many of the levels that I saw resembled the quality
of those in UT. Have to snag that puppy.
Visited GraphSim and talked to a nice woman at GraphSim booth while
fl ying around in the new version of Hornet Korea/Gold. Didn't look like
there were a lot of changes except that Hornet/Gold now supports Glide
and InputSprockets. Owners of Korea will be able to download the Gold
version from the Web site free of charge in about two weeks. She did say
that they've had a lot of interest in Descent 3, but that they probably
would not do any more flight sims, as they just do not sell anymore. [Descent 3 has glide and OpenGL support-Mike]
...Stephen Scharf
"
Stephen also mentioned the $99 folding keyboard made
by Targus for the Palm Pilots, Visors, etc. He said it had great key feel, comes with a very
sophisticated driver and was the most 'usable' Palm keyboard he'd seen.
OWC Selling Games: Site sponsor Other World Computing sent a note they are now
selling games and have Q3 and UT in stock:
"
We have Quake III and Unreal Tournament IN STOCK NOW! I also believe we
have the best prices out there too.
http://shop.macsales.com/MacSales/Games/Games.taf
Get Fed Ex for $5!
Best Regards,
Larry O'Connor
Other World Computing, Inc.
"
If you missed last night's update, there is a Mac Quake 3 Arena Point Release update available. See the Game News for info and links.
More CacheDoubler Compatibility Issues: In reply to a post in yesterday's news, another CacheDoubler owner writes:
"Hi, Mike-
I purchased the CacheDoubler from Small Dog for my C500, only to
discover that it was incompatible with the ixTV card I subsequently
bought. The ixTV Desktop software will crash shortly after being
launched as long as CacheDoubler is installed.
Also, I couldn't get a MacAlly PCI to USB card working with my Epson
PhotoPC 850Z with any version of Apple's USB software (1.2, 1.3.5,
1.4b6).
-John Fu"
Monkey Byte Development announced that their desktop astronomy package Distant
Suns MacOS has been enhanced to support the SETI@home project. Your
current data target, as well as past targets, can be displayed in the
planetarium window. Ordering and information can be found at their web site.
Latest Forum Topics: A small sample of the latest discussions going on in the message boards as of early this morning:
G4 Forum:
- which modem script?
- What DVD-ROM drive in G4
- G4 tune up?
- Cinema Display
- Jaz drive causes crash on Yikes
- Rage 128/Pro Results
- Changing the resolution will crash my Yikes
- Hard drive carrier
and hundreds of other messages/threads
3dfx Forums:
- XLR8 CarrierZ Owners... Any USB periph probs?
- Unreal Tournament fps
- Rage 128 or v3 3000 whats better for my setup?
- pod racer w/ v2 possible?
- Off topic, but...
- New MacOS X web site
- Anyone Selling a Video Card?
- I been to Windoze Hell and I ain't never going back
and hundreds of other messages/threads
For a blast from the past see what was on the front page news here one year ago.
Wednesday's News Summary
- Mac Quake3 Point Release (Beta) Patch
- 'Free DSL' May Not Be
- More PF G4/350 Feedback
- Powerlogix MW Expo sale reminder
- Rate Your CPU Upgrade Reviews Exceed 3000 reports!
- PF G4/350 owner reports using Sonnet control software
- PF G4/350 Virtual PC 3.0 problems
- Apple store has $15 G4 Plaintalk Mic kit available
- More AIWA USB Tape Drive/PCI USB Card Reports
- Umax Cache Doubler Compatibility Notes
- More on Beige G3/Toshiba 6X DVD Drive
- PCI Cards and Low Power Mode
- Game News page updated w/Rainbow Six Mod Report/ Free GL Tron Game info and tip for brightness (gamma) settings
- Rate Your CPU Upgrade, Mac Game Reviews, and Mac Game/Video Card Performance searchable databases updated
- RC5 Altivec boost reports
- Forum Topics in G4 Forum and 3Dfx Forums.
Tuesday's News Summary
- More L2G3 Upgrade Feedback
- $49 OEM Matrox Mystique cards/vram upgrades
- AIWA USB Tape Drive/Macally PCI USB Card Report
- Game News page updated w/Mac Rainbow Six mod & Activision Mac Quake3 Arena support info.
- AGP Rage128 Pro Cards available at Apple store
- Lucent 11Mbps Wireless PCMCIA Card Report
- Mac USB microscope and e.light mfr. URLs
- HiVal (Toshiba) 6x DVD Drive Report (CVGS Compatible?)
- MBDF Virus Report
- Maxtor Drive Free Photoshop LE Offer
- iDisk Tips/Issues page created.
- Rate Your CPU Upgrade, Mac Game Reviews, and Mac Game/Video Card Performance searchable databases updated
- Forum Topics in G4 Forum and 3Dfx Forums.
Monday's News Summary
- Mac ATA/66 IDE Controller Card Status (Acard, Prodirect, Blackfire)
- Maxbug Disables DVD
- Virus Notes: MBDF virus reports on rise
- Hard Drive Upgrade Guides (Biege G3/B&W G3, iMac)
- My Q∓A/DVD info added to my Mac 3dfx VSA-100 card page
- OS 9 Performance Tip
- More Maxtor HD Sales (18GB for $140)
- iDisk Tips
- OS 8.1 Hack and iDisk
- Another VR128 Video Extensions Loading Tip
- iCar - Drive Different!
- MW Expo Summary Comments
- External IDE Drives
- L2G3 Upgrade Video Card Tips at www.mac3dfx.com
- Game News page updated for Q3 vs UT review, more.
- What's a Microbook?
- Sonnet PB1400 G3 Upgrades Pre-Orders at OWC
- Rate Your CPU Upgrade, Mac Game Reviews, and Mac Game/Video Card Performance searchable databases updated
- Forum Topics in G4 Forum and 3Dfx Forums.
- Other Net News
Weekend's News Summary
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 2,800 reports and growing.
Note: Before sending tech support related questions please check the Answers to Common Questions, Troubleshooting page, Site Contents, CPU Card reviews/articles, SCSI reviews articles, Graphics card reviews, Tips/Misc, Message Boards and Help pages - in many cases the answers to your questions are there and they have far more detail than I can list in an email. For Apple G3 system info - see the G3-ZONE.
Please try the Men in Mac Help page as an alternative on requests for tech support to help me be able to spend more time on reviews and getting caught up in mail. Thanks.
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Answers!
