Older Mac on the Web
From Bcpnyc
Thanks for your helpful, step by step way to hook an older Mac up to
the Internet. I was hoping you could answer a couple of follow up
questions for me:
- Is there a 56k modem you would recommend to hook up an old Mac SE/HD?
- Is is possible to connect using DSL?
- What is the latest OS that I could upgrade to?
Thanks for your help.
I'm new to the Mac world. I have a PowerBook G4 17" and love it.
I have converted 5 friends so far to Macs. I just bought the Mac SE/HD
off
eBay.
- Hi B.
Modem: These days whatever you can find with a Mac DIN-8 connector. I
am partial to the old Global Village modems but have had good success
with US Robotics as well. Both work fine with my old Mac Plus (even older than your
SE)
DSL? I don't think the SE supports an ethernet card* (the SE/30 does), so that would be
out.
The latest OS version your Mac supports is System 7.5.5. I have System
7.0 installed on my Plus for Internet support.
That said, while the Plus works great for email (Eudora Light), these
old compact Macs with their 1-bit displays are not really satisfactory
for Web surfing, and there are no decent browsers available.
For the best source in information on getting ancient Macs online,
visit Jag's House.
Charles
* Editor's note: The SE does support an ethernet card, but because the
expansion slot was unique to the SE, they're not easy to find. You'll
also want to make sure any card you find has software drivers and used
the same kind of ethernet port (usually 10Base-T) as the rest of your
network. dk
Question about Power Mac 8100
From Philip Mayor
Hi. I really hope you can help me.
I have a Power Mac
8100/80av (original owner) with a G3 accelerator installed in
it.
I recently had an additional internal hard drive installed which is
about a 38 gig drive.
It appears on the desktop and everything seems fine, but I get a
desktop message window (when the computer is finished booting up)
saying the drive is too large to use with this system and I should
either partition it or upgrade my system (I'm running 9.0.1).
All the techs I've talked to tell me I should be able to use a large
drive (like 38 gig) without any problem.
Is it possible it was installed incorrectly? Or will upgrading to
system 9.1 fix the problem?
Even though it appears on the desktop and seems to be okay, if I
copy large files to it the computer crashes about halfway through the
copying process.
I've also tried reformatting the drive, making sure to select "Mac
OS Enhanced." I even tried partitioning it into two equal parts, and I
still get the error message.
Any suggestions?
Philip Mayor
- Hi Philip,
OS 9 should be able to address a G8 MB hard drive with no problem.
However, I would encourage you to upgrade to OS 9.1 anyway, because
it's a better, more stable version - and it's free, so why not?
While you're at it, I would suggest doing a clean system reinstall
(i.e.: install a fresh copy of OS 9 and then run the OS 9.1
updater).
That might solve the hard drive issue. If not, perhaps there's some
oddball hardware glitch or defect/incompatibility with the drive,
although I haven't a clue what it might be.
If the OS 9.1 update installs an updated version of the Drive Setup
utility (I don't recall), you might also try reformatting the drive
with it.
Charles
Charles:
Thanks for the advice. I think I have to pay for the upgrade to 9.1
- I haven't been able to find it for free anywhere. Maybe you know some
other way. I have 9.0.4, and from that there is no "update" to system
9.1, so I have to purchase 9.1.
I currently have my computer with a tech to see if there is some
hardware problem, because what you've told me is what others have - it
should be able to recognize a large drive. I was going to do a clean
install when I somehow get the 9.1 software.
Thanks. Philip
- Hi Philip,
If you have any version of OS 9, from 9.0 on up, you can update right
up to OS 9.2.2 for free, although 9.1 is the latest build supported for
your 8100.
You can download the updaters here: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=75288
Charles
Re: iBook Tote and Tilt?
From Sam
To see a product I really like disappear like that really breaks my
heart. I guess those of us that love the handle will just have to do
without. :(
Thanks for looking into it. I really appreciate it. :)
-sam
- Hi Sam,
I can't say categorically that it is no longer being made, but I
couldn't find any evidence that it is.
Charles
Re: Optical Drive Friction
From Eric Fauss
Hi Charles,
I found out what the problem was. The U-shaped metal plate guarding
the internal components of the optical drive (the lens is situated in
between the arms of the U) was causing the friction. After some careful
pressure, the metal no longer interferes with the disc. I don't know
what caused the problem, but whatever it was it seems to be fixed for
now. It still makes some noise when spinning, but it doesn't sound like
friction at least.
Thanks for your suggestion, luckily I didn't need to go through the
ordeal of opening my computer!
- Eric
- Hi Eric,
Glad you found a solution.
Charles
Apple Download Problems
From Ptolemy
I have many bad attempts to access the Macintosh Apple software site
for info and software on such as IIe, gs, plus some for older Macs on
apple.com.
To be blunt, it is the worst place to go for downloads unless the
underpaid toilers who work for hours perhaps days to find downloads and
put in specific URL's on the Internet. An example:
ftp://ftp.apple.com/dts/aii/lc.iiecard/ie-installer-disk-image.hqx....
Be nice if worked or the Apple search engine identified it and
rerouted it, but alas that is a wish. The reason I am sending this
email is to suggest that if many people could embarrass Apple, they
might think about a better search engine than they have now. I propose
we make a game of Apple Downloads. Post it on Slashdot make and Apple's search
engine a source of derision. What would any company do if their site
became a resource for gamers trying to break an impossibly crummy
search engine???
- Hi P.
I agree; the Apple search engine is lame, and the organization of their
support site leaves much to be desired.
Charles
iCab to Camino
From Anonymous by request
I know you use (or used to use) iCab a lot. I'm beginning to believe
Camino
could be a worthy successor. I've just played around with its tabbed
browsing, bookmarking tab groups, converting a folders of bookmarks
into a tab group, etc. As one who also used iCab "98% of the time," I'm
moving into Camino wholesale. I'll be keeping iCab for its archived
files and its download Web page options only.
Compared to Camino 0.8.1, Firefox 1.0 is
less finished and feels rushed. It doesn't deserve a version number of
1.0.
Shiira
could also become a good browser in time. Every time I use it, I get a
hankering for a tuna sandwich. Its sidebar solution (like BBEdit's) is
the way some of the bloatier browsers should go.
As for Safari, it's a good looking browser with wicked live
scrolling that has cured me from wheel-mouse envy - but iCab users are
control freaks and Safari feels a tad simplified. Which brings me to
Exploder. I haven't used it since I closed my Citi account (because I
disliked its preferred browser). Since I switched to OS X via a
G5, I opened it once by mistake and then immediately hit command-Q and
felt immense relief when it disappeared.
Sincerely,
Anonymous by request
- Hi A.
I still use iCab as my main browser in OS 9, and also for certain
workaday tasks where its manual control precision is unmatched by any
other browser.
Camino is nice, but doesn't fully support drag & drop into text
fields (iCab, Firefox, Mozilla, and Netscape do), which rules it out
for my purposes.
I also keep one of the Safari-based browsers running.
Charles
Yes, Camino is still a work in progress. Click to download (instead
of option-click) on a download link, and you might get a page full of
gibberish, like I did. I thought I'd use Camino for 90% of my surfing,
but I realized late yesterday that I still need my iCab - even if it's
impossibly slow on eBay, can't figure my passwords, can't change the
Toolbar background on OS X, and renders many pages in an odd
manner.
Sigh. I take half of what I said about Camino back. I prefer it to
Firefox, though.
Cheers,
Anonymous by request
CD-RW Drives
From Tyler
Hi. I was wondering if you could tell me what drives or companies
are Mac compliant. 'Cause I was told that some work even though they
say they don't. I would like to get an internal one for my B&W Power Mac.
Any help would be of great appreciation!
~Tyler
- Hi Tyler,
I'm not an expert on this topic, but I think most CD-RW drives can be
made to work with Macs.
Christian Moeller's PatchBurn hack can help enable
unsupported drives in Macs
PatchBurn is a freeware tool to patch existing CD/DVD-drivers (under
Mac OS X 10.2.x) or to generate and install new device profiles
(under Mac OS X 10.3.x and later). It allows many otherwise
unsupported burners to be used directly with Mac OS X, iTunes, and
Disc Burner.
System requirements: Mac OS X 10.2 or later
Charles
Windows Media Player Won't Open
From Dave Steele
Hi Charles,
I've got a brand new iBook. I installed
Windows Media Player, and it worked for a few days. Now it
won't even open. The icon just bounces incessantly in the Dock. I tried
dumping the player and reinstalling and correcting permissions. I even
redownloaded the installer and tried again. All to no avail. Any
ideas?
- Hi Dave,
I try to shun Microsoft software as much as it's practical to do so,
and I have zero experience with Windows Media Player.
Did you try trashing the WMP preferences?
Perhaps our readers will be able to help.
Charles
Thanks Charles,
Actually, I did manage to fix it by trashing the preferences.
I admire your ability to avoid Microsoft software. I very much enjoy
your writings and advice, as well.
Dave Steele
- Thanks!
I find that deleting the preferences often works with misbehaving
Microsoft (and other) applications.
Charles
Letters sent may be published at our discretion. Email addresses
will not be published unless requested. If you prefer that your message
not be published, mark it "not for publication." Letters may be edited
for length, context, and to match house style.
Go to Charles Moore's Mailbag index.
