" I'm looking for a Mac compatible USB->Ethernet print server for my father's old blue slot loading iMac running OS 9.2 and an old G3 powerbook running 10.2 and an Epson C90 printer. The powerbook uses a wifi card and a Linksys 802.11g wireless router.
I've been shopping around but have had no luck determining which of the available choices is the right one. The Hawking unit is only postscript under 10.x. The Netgear unit makes no mention of Mac at all on the box and the I'm uncertain about the D-Link unit. All of the units I've seen run about $45 - $70. Maybe your readers could be of some help.
Thanks, David B. "

If any readers have a suggestion for David that works in OS 9.x as well as OS X, let me know. (I personally use an Airport Extreme base to share a USB printer via Airport.)
Several readers quickly replied to this post, although they didn't mention OS 9.x use.

" Perhaps David's needs would be met with the fairly new Keyspan 4-Port Print Server?
I have one and it works reasonably well. The print server portion works EXTREMELY well, but the "Auto-Connect" feature (which allows multiple computers to share the printer seamlessly) is flaky in my experience. However, with two Macs, you can just dedicate the printer to one Mac and have it share it out using OS X's printer sharing.
- Daryl F. "

" Hey Mike,
Just wanted to let you know that I am currently using IOgear's USB to ethernet adapter for a lexmark E321 Laser Printer and it works beautifully.
It is also Bonjour (i.e. Rendezvous) compatible and that is how it can be configured. You can even go into the preferences and change the printer type from default generic laser and yes you can select epson drivers. I think this will work for David.

(I asked if he had a link to the IOGear product page-Mike)
Here is the link
http://www.iogear.com/main.php?loc=product&Item=GPSU01
And it works quite well. I forgot to mention that if you click on the utilities in the Print Status Monitor it brings up the web configuration for the Print Server.
~Stephen "

Although David wanted a USB-Ethernet print server, here's a reader mail on a Ethernet-Parallel printer model.

" Hi Mike, Ok, not only is your reader in luck, I actually have one that will work that I was going to put on Ebay, so pass on my e-mail if he wants to buy it! $30.00 with shipping. Money back guarantee.
Here a quick report on print server and OS X 10.3.x and 10.4
First my set up. A Mac running 10.3.x, a few running 10.4.2 and a Windows XP professional, some wireless over a Linksys 54(rt?) and some wired computers over the same router. I have a HP2100 with a JetDirect box that works great. However, I also have an Epson C60 that I wanted to hook up to the network as well. So I began the long process of finding a print server for the Epson. I thought it would be a simple process but it was not. Thank goodness for Fry's electronics, Best Buy, and Comp USA lenient return policy.

First I tried a series of USB to Ethernet print servers thinking that would be the most elegant solution. It was a failure in every regard. Although I no longer have the specific data, I tried at least 5 different kinds and none them could even see the printer. I might of found one to see the printer but it never printed. (See above reader reports on models that did work they say-Mike) After a lot of testing and fiddling I gave up, discouraged. I mean I was not going to spend $130 on an Airport Express just to add the old Epson to the network, and went out an purchased a few Parallel-->Ethernet print servers.

However as I obsessed over this issue, it dawned on me that the HP2100 and JetDriect were using the Parallel port to communicate. There was a Parallel port on the Epson, and there were a lot of Parallel print servers (seems obvious now that I write it down). I had much better luck with these. Most if not all could be seen the Add Print dialogue box: some with IP printing, others using Appletalk. I am pretty sure, I was always using the Gimp Print drivers, but I probably tries a whole lot of others as well. However, to my disappointment, actual printing was still a problem. As I recall, what was happening was either the print job would flush or only print the first page. The Hawking which I had great hopes for had this problem, and I am sure I tested the one from D-Link and it didn't work as well. My non-proven conclusion was that the print server didn't have enough real memory to handle the job, so although the Mac was handing the whole job off to the print server, the server was choking on it, probably expecting Windows to handle more of the processing. Regardless, print jobs were not being completed properly. However, not deterred, I bought a few more, and it paid off as I found one that worked perfectly! It was the cheapest one, a store branded on from Comp USA. The markings on it are PRS-301PE and Rendevous (now Bonjour) saw the Print Server immediately. I have it hooked up right now, but I am not able to see anything technical about the print server itself. After selecting the print server in Printer list, I than just selected the Epson choice and the Gimp Driver for the printer and viola it works!! Big full complex Photoshop pages as well as simple text ones.
Hope This helps, Doug "

" OWC Mercury Elite-AL FireWire 800/400/USB2 models utilize the Oxford 912 Chipset and the best hard disk mechanisms to provide reliable, high performance storage. Elite-AL models are EMC/Dantz Backup Certified, Supported for High Demand Audio-Video, FireWire 800 Cable, FireWire 400 Cable, USB Cable, Dantz/EMC Retrospect Backup, Intech HD Speedtools, a 2yr Warranty and more. **Reviewed Nov/2005 Macworld -Editor's Choice 4.5/5!!! MacAddict Nov/2005 'GREAT'**
80GB w/2MB Data Buffer remains $159.99
160GB w/8MB Data Buffer remains $199.99
200GB w/8MB Data Buffer remains $209.99
250GB w/8MB Data Buffer was $229.99, now $219.99
300GB w/8MB Data Buffer was $299.99, now $269.99
400GB w/8MB Data Buffer was $379.99, now $359.99
500GB w/8MB Data Buffer was $499.99, now $479.99
Free UPS Ground and $5 2nd Day Air Special Delivery Rates available for above products.
Best Regards,
Lawrence R. O'Connor
Other World Computing"

" Can anybody help me with this question? I've already looked through your archives - other people have had the problem I'll describe, most recently on 25th May this year.
I have a 2GHz iMac G5 running Tiger, Mac OS X.4.2.
I have onboard BlueTooth on the iMac and I have an Apple BlueTooth keyboard and mouse. I have a Jabra BlueTooth BT200 headset. I can't get the iMac to connect to the BT200.

The headset pairs OK in the Bluetooth setup assistant but it is shown as "Connected: No" in BlueTooth preferences. The headset does not display in the Sound preferences, so cannot be used as an input or output device.

Interestingly, if you press and hold the button on the BT200, it fleetingly does connect, but then goes back to "Connected: No". It never appears in Sound preferences.
I can even wake my iMac up from sleep by powering my BT200 off and on, although it still doesn't connect.
Other people who have posted to the archive say they got round this by zapping the PRAM or by rebooting into OF and entering reset-nvram and reset-all.
BUT this doesn't work for me! I still can't connect to my BT200.
Why have these methods worked for other people and not for me? Is it because I have a Bluetooth Keyboard and Mouse perhaps? Why is the BT200 so finickty? Some other thoughts I have had... is the BT200 jammed in "passive" mode perhaps? Is it waiting for a signal from the iMac before switching to "active"? If so, why isn't it getting this signal?

A perusal of the Jabra website (http://www.jabra.com) points out that you can only pair to one device at a time anyway - so if I'm using the BT200 on my iMac then I have to turn BlueTooth off or unpair the BT200 on my 'phone, and vice-versa (of course, I've tried this already) So, frankly, if the BT200 won't work, can somebody point me to a BlueTooth headset, available in England, that definitely WILL work with my setup? Maybe it would be easier to have two, one permanently paired to the 'phone and one to the iMac! Thanks in advance,
Oliver "

I've heard this is a bug that will be fixed in 10.4.3 but time will tell. If anyone has a suggestion for Oliver let me know. Thanks
Update - here's the first reader reply:

" The problem seems to be with Tiger and it's fairly common, especially re. BT device not showing up in the Sound prefs in Tiger. I have the same bluetooth headset and it would pair, but wouldn't show up in the Sound prefs, which made it useless for Skype.
I found a solution here: http://slicedapple.ath.cx/downloads/
It's a "bluetooth reset" Applescript from the Slicedapple blog, which deletes the bluetooth plist (or some such beast) and now the headset shows up in Sound prefs and works with Skype. I'm using Tiger 10.4.2.
I have a Powerbook G4 12" with internal Bluetooth.
I too had tried zapping the PRAM, etc., as well as deleting the BT200 and pairing it again, etc., but none of that worked. Only the Applescript worked. I have read there's a way to do manually what the script does, but I'm not skilled enough to try. But the script has worked great and I haven't seen any side effects crop up.
-Chris "

Oliver later wrote he wasn't able to get the applescript to run (?).

" Newer Technology, Inc.Ìs miniStack(tm) has been named MacAddictÌs EditorsÌ Choice for November 2005, and weÌre celebrating by passing along savings of up to 10 percent... The new pricing is:
0GB (enclosure only) Ò $89.95
80GB w/2MB buffer Ò $139.99
160GB w/8MB buffer Ò $179.99
250GB w/8MB buffer Ò $219.99
320GB w/8MB buffer Ò $259.99
400GB w/8MB buffer Ò $359.99
500GB w/8MB buffer Ò $479.99
All miniStack models feature high-performance 7200RPM hard disk mechanisms and data buffers of 2 or 8MB. The line utilizes the latest Oxford911+ chipset in a custom FireWire/USB2 bridge and provides significantly better hard drive performance versus the stock Mac mini hard drive while at the same time providing additional USB2 and FireWire ports via its integrated USB2 and FireWire Hubs. "

• PC-Mac-Net FileShare v5.0
• Competing HD formats Square Off
• Japanese firm pushes Wi-Fi to 3 Miles
• Some HDTVs may not play HD discs
• Ogg Vorbis iTunes plugin (for more info on Ogg Vorbis, there's an older audio topics page article here titled Mac OS X Guide to Ogg Vorbis)
• Skype 1.3.0.14

DVD+R/RW + DVD-R/RW Drives:
• USB (cased) LG GSA-4176B used w/iMac G5 (OS X 10.4)
• IDE Pioneer DVR-110 in G5 Tower (OS X 10.3)
  (using Patchburn 3 for 10.3.x iApps burn support. Mentioned noise in Audio RIPs. Using firmware 1.08.)
• IDE Pioneer DVR-A08XL (retail box DVR-108) in eMac (OS X 10.4)
  (problems noted with some DVD-R media not mounting.)
  
  Hard Drives:
• IDE Samsung SP1614N 160GB in iMac slot-loading (OS X 10.4)
  (no native 48bit addressing support so formatted capacity limited to appx 128GB)
• IDE (SerialATA onboard) Western Digital WD4000KD 400GB in G5 Tower (OS X 10.4) (Noted BBOD during long/large file copies)

You can find full owner reports (latest shown first) by searching the database by drive/brand/interface/mac models (the latest reports are shown first in searches). For guides to installing CD/CDRW/DVD drives or Hard drives in many mac models, see the IDE Articles page. The Firewire articles page also has guides on case kits, installing drives, etc.
If you've added a IDE, SCSI, Firewire or USB hard drive, CDRW, tape drive, etc. make sure you add a report to the database. (If you post an updated entry - make sure you use the same name, etc. as you did before so I can find your past entry. Thanks.)
(Incomplete entries are deleted. Do not post questions in the database, it's for drive reports not questions on what drive to buy - for that try searching the database for reports from owners of your mac model on the drive type/brand/interface, etc. you're interested in.)

• Apple iMac slot-loading G3/500 (at 600MHz) OC report
  
  (Full reviews of G4 and G3 upgrades compared to stock CPUs, including real world apps/game tests, install info, etc. are linked at the CPU upgrades page. OC/CPU module articles are on the Systems page.)

(Warning - Overclocking may not be reliable and could lead to hardware failure or corrupted data.) You can find the full reports by searching the database selecting the indicated Mac model and upgrade card brand/type. If you've upgraded the CPU on your Mac, please post an entry in the database. Search the database for entries from most every upgradable Mac model *before* you buy. (Searchable by mac model/upgrade brand).