GV PC Card Modem Problem
From Don Kolstad
Hello:
I have been happily using a PB1400c/217
MHz G3/64 MB RAM for four years. It was a present from my children
trying to drag me out of the Stone Age. You, Charles, have helped me
overcome various problems while I learned how to use this PB on my
own. Thank you.
Recently the Internet connection speed has abruptly dropped from a
reliable 44 Kbps on dialup to as low as 3.2 Kbps using a Global
Village model A956 56 Kbps v.90 PC Card Modem. Now it will barely
connect, if at all.
I have replaced all phone lines, had the outside line checked by
the phone company, and checked for line spikes or lightning recently
(none). I tried various modem scripts without improvement, went to
the GV site to check for any ROM updates (none), tried some other
scripts from GV, and changed the modem compression and flow control
using each variable in turn and changed init strings, too. No
luck!
Finally, I borrowed another PC Card modem, and it works at the
usual speed. I can only conclude that either the GV is dying or that
I accidentally deleted the correct modem scripts. If the delete part
is correct, can you point me toward a source for such scripts?
Otherwise I will be in the market for a new modem.
I have become a regular reader out of necessity for my sanity and
survival. Glad you are there. Thanks.
Don Kolstad
- Hi Don,
Based on your description of what's happening, my guess is that
the modem is on its way out. You seem to have covered pretty much
all the other possibilities, and the fact that the other modem you
tried works properly virtually confirms that your modem is the
problem.
If you would like to experiment with some alternate modem scripts,
some of the MacaRa
Modem Magic suite of scripts are available as a free demo
package.
You should be able to pick up a used PC Card modem for a
reasonable price.
Charles
Re: Dead iBook
From Andrew Nagy, following up from advice offered in last
week's column:
I tried the Power Manager reset, and it didn't seem to do
anything.
My dad said the eBay
question was unclear, but I didn't realize it at the time. The
concept I was thinking of is that the laptop exists, and the
seller/thief ships it, but there's also a rightful owner I should be
looking for.
- Hi Andrew,
Sorry to hear that. Try removing any RAM upgrades and reset the
PMU again.
If that doesn't work, indications are that you have a sick iBook.
The symptoms you are experiencing sound virtually identical to the
way my WallStreet behaved when its processor died a couple of
years ago. The cure for that was a replacement processor card, but
with the iBook you would be looking at a logic board
replacement.
It might be more sensible to pick up another used iBook from a
reputable reseller and keep the dead one for parts. -
- Charles
OS 9 DVD Writer
From Christopher Beaver
Hi, Charles;
It's always a delight to watch an inquiry processed by the Low End
Mac folks.
Thanks for walking us through my inquiry about iDVD for OS 9.
Look to find iDVD 1 on the system restore disks for Macs that boot
into 9 was the answer - but not the solution for me personally. I
don't fall into that category.
This leads me to another Low End Mac question.
In lieu of iDVD for OS 9, what recommendations do folks have for
DVD programs that would write to a SuperDrive under OS 9?
As always, many thanks for your thoughts,
Christopher B.
- Hi Christopher,
I wasn't able to come up with any, but that doesn't mean that
there are none.
Anybody?
Charles
FastMac SuperDrive 1x
From Robert Washburn
Hi again.
Your columns continue to be must-read. As you may remember, I
upgraded my Pismo with the DayStar 550 G4 and the 60 GB 5400 HD.
Again, I've bought something you recommended.
I really didn't want to get involved with driver software, so to
replace the ailing original DVD drive in the Pismo (DVDs wouldn't
play correctly), I bought the FastMac 1x SuperDrive.
It wasn't as simple as I expected, though. Not plug-and-play at
all.
I had to buy a set of Philips screwdrivers ($6.99 at Radio Shack)
to replace the old drive with the new. There was an installation
manual on loose-leaf, and a CD with its PDF file. It seems that the
drive in my Pismo isn't the same one they show in the pictures! I
figured it out, but installation was delicate (one of the screw holes
wouldn't line up easily).
Eventually all went well; the slot-loading drive is now installed
and works fine. I've used it to play DVDs, including videos my son
made of my granddaughter's first year, and to record CD-RWs, which
work just fine on my main machine (G4 Dual 1 GHz). I haven't
recorded to DVD yet, though.
When I've travelled with the Pismo before, I've had to take along
my LaCie burner. It'll be great to be able to leave it home in
future!
There were some unadvertised CDs in the package: OS 9.2, OS X
10.1 & 10.2 w/upgrade, and iLife 1.0. I run 10.3.4 (family
licence) and have no immediate use for the earlier versions of
OS X, but we'll see when I get the time to look at iLife how
that works out.
Thanks for the reviews and keep up the good work!
Robert Washburn
- Hi Robert,
Thanks for the report. I tested the 4x FastMac SuperDrive in my
Pismo, but have not tried the 1x version. The 4x unit just slides
into the expansion bay - no tools necessary. It does, however,
require a software driver install, which I understand the 1x unit
doesn't.
Anyway, glad to hear that you have the drive up and running and
that it's doing a good job for you.
Charles
Re: Question about Refurbished iBooks
From Andrew Main
Charles,
Thomas asks:
- "My question is if any of your readers have had experience
buying refurbished production directly from Apple."
I've bought a lot of refurbished Macs over the last dozen years,
for clients and for myself, and have not noticed any cosmetic
differences between them and new ones. I think "factory-refurbished"
(as opposed, perhaps, to what a dealer does when they clean up a
secondhand machine) means if it comes back with any significant flaw,
mechanical or cosmetic, it's fixed to work/look like a new one.
Andrew
Question about Refurbs
From Jeff Wiseman
I noticed a question about the condition of refurbished Mac
products, and maybe I can help. I have purchased three Apple
refurbished products and have had very good luck with them. They
were:
- G4/400 AGP Sawtooth: I
would never have known it was not new, as it was in perfect
condition.
- eMac 1 GHz: Same as
above
- 12" iBook G4/800:
Purchased about a month ago, and it had only a couple of tiny
bottom scratches. They are only visible when you tilt the iBook
when holding it upside down.
Best,
Jeff Wiseman
- Thanks Andrew and Jeff. Also see Marc Zeedar's recent Less
Tangible column on MacOpinion, Buying
Used, Part Two, which addresses this issue.
Charles
Editor's note: We bought a refurb 700
MHz eMac from the Apple Store last summer. There are some roller
marks on the face of the enclosure that could probably be buffed out,
but other than that it looks like new. dk
My Pismo and PBFixit
From Robert Russo
Charles,
I really enjoy your column. I wanted to let you know about my
experience with PBFixit.
I
have a Pismo 400 that I upgraded
to a FastMac G4/500. It is my primary computer, and I carry it with
me most everywhere.
The LCD suddenly went bad. I replaced the screen earlier with one
I bought off of eBay,
which was trouble free for some time. I was able to connect an
external monitor to the computer and noticing a crimp in the display
cable, so I diagnosed the issue was the cable.
I called local repair shops and searched the Internet for one of
these cables. PBFixit had a good price on the cable and, more
importantly, was able to send the cable right away. It turned out
this wasn't the problem, neither was it display inverter or LCD. It
turned out to be the motherboard.
Luke at PBFixit was willing to take back all the parts and send me
a motherboard. There was no restocking fee - he didn't even charge
me for the motherboard while he waited to get the parts back.
I highly recommend PBFixit.
Bob Russo
- Hi Bob,
It's always great to hear positive reports about companies I write
about.
Thanks,
Charles
WallStreet Screen Swap
From Jason Gorst
Charles,
In response to your recent
article regarding a WallStreet screen swap, I just wanted to
comment that it is possible.
A couple weeks ago I acquired an orphaned 233
MHz/0 L2 cache/12" passive LCD WallStreet. I'd been wanting a
low-end backup to my 17" PowerBook
G4/1 GHz, so I threw in a 10 GB IBM TravelStar hard drive and a
couple of 128 MB SODIMMS that had been salvaged from a dead WinBook
someone gave me. Thanks to XPostFacto,
OS X 10.3 installed on it without a hitch. Slow, but it worked.
Only I couldn't tolerate the dark, fuzzy display and 800 x 600
maximum resolution.
A quick search on eBay
turned up a 14.1" TFT WallStreet screen for $75. Swapping the screen
was remarkably simple, thanks to the take-apart guide I found at
PBFixit and the elegant
case design of the WallStreet series. (I've had the misfortune of
replacing the hard drive and DC-in board on an iBook
500.)
After removing the keyboard and clutch cover, it was only a matter
of disconnecting the two ribbon cables and the four screws securing
the lid to the lower case, then popping the new screen on in its
place.
The 2 MB VRAM on the low-end MainStreet motherboard limits the
color depth to 16-bit (thousands of colors), but the screen looks
great in both OS 9 and X.
If I can find an inexpensive WallStreet
II motherboard, I'll probably swap it in for the 4 MB VRAM
and Rage Pro chip. That and one of the inexpensive CPU upgrades from
Wegener Media would
make it a decent performer again.
I obviously can't guarantee that this will work with every
WallStreet motherboard, but I'm pretty optimistic that if it works on
the lowly MainStreet, it would work on a WSII 12".
Regards,
Jason Gorst
- Hi Jason,
Thanks for the hands-on report. Your practical experience trumps
my deductive misgivings, although what concerned me was mainly the
lack of video RAM. Glad to hear that it still can work.
Charles
Radeon Enabler
From Jeffrey Harris
Hi Charles
Do you know what features Radeon
Enabler unlocks for the iBook? The only one I can think of that
counts is using higher res than 1024 x 768 on an external
monitor.
Thanks
JHH
- Hi Jeffrey,
Know I don't. I downloaded it and the ATI support software, but I
haven't gotten around to installing it yet.
Charles
Re: DVD-R Drives & Panther
From Bill S.
Your reader wants the Pioneer DVR-107, as it is the most
compatible (native with 10.3.3)
Other World Computing sells the DVR-107,
with links to the patches for OS 9 and Jaguar:
(scroll down to "Mac OS System Support").
Re: DVD-R Drives & Panther
From Gene Osburn
Hi Charles,
You might also ask Steven if he's checked out Other World
Computing's Clearance Sale page. Last year's 4x
Pioneer SuperDrive (106) is on sale.
Gene, a.k.a. G-Man
- Thanks for the tips, guys.
Charles
DVD-R Drives and PM G4/500
From Michael Gambuzza
Re: Do you know of any place that
maintains a list of DVD-R drives compatible with Panther and/or
iDVD?
Charles,
I have owned PM G4/450 and 500
DP machines, and using Panther and Jaguar I was able to use
Cendyne DVD-R drives with iDVD and iMovie to burn DVDs. Looking at
some of the other offerings these days, other drives can be had for
at least 50% less than what I originally paid for the Cendyne drives.
They were reliable and easily installed items. Highly recommended for
owners of older Macs who don't want to splurge for new machines and
technologies.
Regards,
Mike
- Thanks for the info, Mike.
Charles
Re: DVD-R Drives + Panther?
From Steven Hunter
http://forums.xlr8yourmac.com/drivedb/search.drivedb.lasso
Yes, thank you! The XLR8yourmac.com link was exactly what I was
looking for.
Thanks again!
Help Putting OS 8.6 on a B&W G3 without 8.6
CDs
From Colin Kerr
It sounds like Anna Vinding has
other Macs that will run Mac OS 8.5.
If this is the case:
- Install 8.5 on an available Mac, then update it to 8.6.
- Burn the OS to a bootable CD or put it on an external
HD.*
- Use that CD or HD to boot the Blue & White G3
- Copy the OS from the CD or HD onto the G3's HD.
- Select the G3's HD as the startup disk
- If the G3's HD does not show up or is unselectable, rebless
the System Folder (To rebless the System Folder, drag the "Finder"
and "System" files out of the System Folder, close the System
Folder, and then put "Finder" and "System" back into the System
Folder)
- Try selecting the G3's HD as the startup disk again.
- By this time it generally works (in my experience you
generally do not need to rebless the system folder**)
- *You can also pull the G3's HD and throw it into another
system then put it back when done. **doing this from CD can make
reblessing necessary but if that is the case the CD generally
isn't bootable.
I haven't installed 8.1 in ages. I just grab an old SCSI with a
fresh 8.1 installed on it and get going.
-Colin
(Duos forever!!)
- Hi Colin,
I think Anna got things sorted out much as you suggest.
Thanks,
Charles
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