- 2001.05.18
Q: I just rescued my Power
Center Pro from the basement, and I have a few questions
about updating it:
- Where do I go to update the drivers? When I install Mac OS
8.6, it won't update the drivers because it is not an Apple hard
drive. (Does this really matter?)
- My newly burned CDs won't read on the Power Center Pro. Is
it the CD player?
- Every time I turn the machine on, the clock is set for some
date in 1956! Is it Back To The Future or some kind of 2001
glitch?
A: Drivers certainly do matter. To install 8.6 properly with
fresh drivers, you need to back everything up, reformat the
internal hard drive with Drive Setup from the Mac OS 8.6 CD,
partition the hard drive if you wish, and then install 8.6. Also
see Upgrade a SuperMac to Mac OS 9
which also looks at the drivers issue. Ignore the references to the
SuperMac and follow my instructions.
The CD issue depends on what burner you use to write CDs at what
speed, what type of CD you use (rewritable or CD-R), and what brand
of disc you use. CD-R discs are compatible with more CD-ROM drives
than rewritable discs, and you have to make sure that your burner
formats your discs correctly, and in Mac HFS. I once burned a disc
that had a formatting problem. It worked fine on my G4, it had a
difficult time loading on a relative's beige G3, and who knows how
it would have reacted inside a clone. Once you are running 8.6 with
new Apple drivers installed, however, this may not be an issue! Who
knows if the clone's drivers are not doing the job right for your
CDs? Also, when you purchase CDs, make sure to buy a reliable
brand; my two recommendations are Sony and Maxell. A last tip: make
sure that your CD burner makes reliable burns at its highest speed.
If it is not the case, burn at slower speeds to ensure better
results.
Back to the Future? No, it's a back to the computer store glitch
to get a new battery for your Mac. When your Mac or clone thinks
it's 1956, it means that the battery inside your computer has died,
so it resets to a time when you may not even have been alive. Enjoy
it before you come back to 2001, McFly :-)
Michael Munger is a French Canadian living in Montreal. He
discovered the Mac in 1994 while studying journalism, the
profession he loves and practices. He also studied history and
communications. He currently writes iBasics
and Macinthoughts for Low End Mac. He wrote
On the Flip
Side for The Mac Observer and co-founded MacSoldiers in
1998. You can learn more about him on his personal website.
