About your Power Macintosh G3 (blue and white): Difference between revisions



Important Information About Your Power Macintosh G3

This document contains important late-breaking information about your Power Macintosh G3 computer, including:

Using Your Power Macintosh G3

•Starting up: the Mac OS ROM file

•Using the correct disk as a startup disk

•Restarting your computer

•Adjusting the volume for audio CDs and CDs with audio

•Using the PowerMac G3 modem

•Working with a RAM disk

•Connecting to a 10Base-T or 100Base-T network

•Performance problems using Ethernet

•Turning Virtual Memory off when installing third-party applications

•Allocating memory for third-party applications

•Customizing appearance and reinstalling system software

•Performing a clean installation of software

•About PlainTalk Speech Recognition 1.5.3

Third-party Software Issues

•Using up-to-date Internet browsers

•Reinstalling Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator

•Installing third-party applications that install QuickTime

•Using FreePPP

•Using Norton Utilities

•Using two Ultra-SCSI disks striped with SoftRAID 2.1 or Remus 1.5

•Using a startup disk formatted with third-party formatting software

•Trouble with startup using a Zip cartridge formatted with Iomega driver version 6.0.1

Third-Party Hardware Issues

•Using Universal Serial Bus (USB) devices with your computer

•Using ADB dongles

•Connecting your computer directly to an Ethernet switch

•Using third-party PCI cards in your computer

For more information

For additional information, see Mac OS Help and the online documentation that came with your computer. Apple provides substantial information online. If you have access to the World Wide Web (WWW), you can check the latest information about the Power Macintosh G3 in the support area at the following Uniform Resource Locator (URL): http://www.apple.com/support/

Using Your Power Macintosh G3

Starting up: the Mac OS ROM file

The System Folder contains an important file—Mac OS ROM. This file is required for your computer to properly start up. If you delete this file or move it to another folder, your computer will not successfully start up.

Using the correct disk as the startup disk

If you selected a CD as the startup disk in the Startup Disk control panel, and you start up your computer without a CD or with a CD other than the software install or software restore CD that came with your computer, a single folder with a reappearing question mark appears on the screen. The computer will then search for any available System Folder and start up. If no System Folder is available, you must insert the software install or software restore CD that came with your computer and restart your computer. If you don’t want to start up from a CD, make sure you select the hard disk as the startup disk in the Startup Disk control panel.

Restarting your computer

If you’re having problems with your computer, you can often eliminate the problem by restarting your computer, which clears the computer’s memory. A restart allows you to save changes to any open documents and will close any open applications. To restart your computer, go to the Finder, open the Special menu and choose Restart, or press the Power button on your Apple USB keyboard. A dialog box appears. Click Restart.

If your computer freezes while you’re working, try pressing the Power button on the front of the computer to shut down the computer. Then after the computer shuts down, press the Power button on the Apple USB keyboard or on the front of the computer to start up the computer. (The Control/Command/Power key combination used in earlier Macintosh computers is not available.) If that doesn’t work, press the Reset button on the front of the computer. Your computer should restart. For more information, see the Troubleshooting Handbook that came with your computer.

Adjusting the volume for audio CDs and CDs with audio

If you can’t hear an audio CD or audio portions of a CD, check the volume level in the AppleCD Audio Player and set it to a higher level, if necessary. If you started up your computer from a bootable CD, the volume for the AppleCD Audio Player may be set to zero.

Using the PowerMac G3 modem

•Trouble connecting in V.90 mode

The modem used in the Power Macintosh G3 is a 56K modem based on the new V.90 specification. Any time a new modem standard is introduced there is a period of adjustment while various Internet Service Providers (ISPs) work to ensure that their POP (Point-of-Presence) servers are compatible with the new specification.

If you’re having problems connecting in V.90 mode—if the modem won’t connect at all, or the connection is dropped after a few minutes—it may be because the phone lines are too noisy or there’s too much interference to sustain a connection of speeds above 33.6 kilobits/second (Kbps). Contact your ISP to ensure they are currently using V.90 compliant modems, or have plans to update to them in the near future. Use the PowerMac G3 Int 56K (V.34 Only) modem script, which forces the modem to connect at 33.6 Kbps or lower speeds. This type of connection is more reliable in situations where the phone line quality is questionable.

To use the PowerMac G3 Int 56K (V.34 Only) option, follow these steps:

1. Open the Modem control panel, in the Apple () menu.

2. Make sure the “Connect via”pop-up menu is set to Internal Modem.

3. Open the Modem pop-up menu and choose PowerMac G3 Int 56K (V.34 Only).

4. If necessary, set the Sound and Dialing options.

5. Close the control panel.

A message asks if you want to save the changes to the current configuration.

6. Click Save.

Note: You do not have to restart your computer in order to use the new modem software.

•Using FAXstf with your modem

To quick fax from a third-party application other than the Fax application, a printer must be designated using the Chooser (from the Apple () menu, select Chooser). After selecting a printer, hold down the FAXstf “activation keys”to change the Print command to the Fax command.

Working with a RAM disk

The RAM disk cannot be used as a startup disk. If you create a RAM disk, its icon will not be displayed in the Startup Disk control panel.

The contents of a RAM disk are saved to the startup drive when you restart your computer. The contents are restored, once the computer restarts. Large RAM disks may add additional time to shutting down and restarting the computer.

WARNING The contents of the RAM disk can be lost if:

•the startup drive is read-only, such as a CD-ROM disc

•the startup drive does not have sufficient space to store the contents of the RAM disk

•the startup drive does not have a valid System Folder

•the computer loses power

IMPORTANT It is highly recommended that you periodically back up the data on your hard disk to an external storage device or network file server.

Connecting to a 10Base-T or 100Base-T network

When you connect your Power Macintosh G3 to an Ethernet network, the computer automatically senses whether it is connected to a 10Base-T network or to a 100Base-T network. Some (possibly all) ports on some network hubs support both speeds. If you’re using this type of hub, there may be a delay in establishing a network link. The delay may last for several seconds after you start or restart the Power Macintosh G3 and a message may appear saying the network is not available or that the network has only just become available. If you don’t want a delay, connect your computer to an Ethernet network port that is not auto-sensing (10 or 100 megabits per second (Mbps) only). For more information, contact the manufacturer of the Ethernet hub or your network administrator.

Performance problems using Ethernet

If you experience performance problems on your Ethernet network, check with your network administrator. Your computer performs best when the Ethernet port is set to auto-negotiate.

IMPORTANT The duplex mode of an Ethernet link to a hub is not detected if the hub’s port is not auto-negotiating. If the hub’s port is not auto-negotiating, your computer will detect the appropriate speed but default to half duplex. If the hub’s port at the other end of the link is configured for full duplex, a large number of late events can occur on the link. Set the hub’s port to auto-negotiate where possible. If this isn’t possible, then set the hub’s port to half duplex. For more information, see the documentation that came with the Ethernet hub.

Turning Virtual Memory off when installing third-party applications

Some third-party applications may need virtual memory turned off in order to install the application properly. You can turn virtual memory back on after installation. For information on turning virtual memory off and on, see Mac OS Help.

Allocating memory for third-party applications

Some third-party applications may need to have more memory allocated to them in order for them to run or print properly. For information on increasing the amount of memory for an application, see Mac OS Help.

Customizing appearance and reinstalling system software

You can customize the appearance of certain things, such as the desktop pattern or font, using the Appearance control panel. The Power Macintosh G3 has its own default appearance, or theme. If you change this, or any other theme in the Appearance control panel (for example, to choose a different font) and save your settings as a custom theme, when you reinstall system software, the changes you made will remain and not be overwritten. However, if you make changes in a theme and do not save them as a custom theme, when you reinstall your system software, the settings return to the Power Macintosh G3 default theme.

Performing a clean installation of software

Before you do a clean install of your system software, turn File Sharing off in the File Sharing control panel.

About PlainTalk Speech Recognition 1.5.3

PlainTalk Speech Recognition 1.5.3 was originally engineered for 22.05 kilohertz (kHz) sound input. Your Power Macintosh G3 supports only a higher quality 44.1 kHz sound input. Because of this, the current version of speech recognition is not included on your software install CD. Apple is working on a new version of speech recognition software that will work with the Power Macintosh G3. If you have access to the World Wide Web, you can check the latest information at the following Uniform Resource Locator (URL): http://www.apple.com/speech

Third-party Software Issues

Using up-to-date Internet browsers

Apple recommends that you use Netscape 4.0.5 or later, or Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0.1 or later; both are included with your computer. If you use earlier versions, you may experience problems.

Reinstalling Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator

If you inadvertently delete the Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator applications, you can reinstall the applications using the software install CD that came with your Power Macintosh G3.

Note: Before you reinstall Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator, you must move the file that contains your Internet sites list to a different location, such as the desktop. In Internet Explorer, this file is Favorites.html; in Netscape Navigator, the file is Bookmarks.html. If you reinstall Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator, you will overwrite these files and any locations or bookmarks you have added or that were preinstalled will no longer be available. The Favorites.html file is located in the Explorer folder, within the Preferences folder, in the System Folder. The Bookmarks.html file is located in your profile folder, in the Netscape Users folder, in the Preferences folder, within the System Folder. (When you first opened Netscape Navigator, you were asked to enter a profile name. The Bookmarks.html file is in the folder with your specified profile name.)

To reinstall Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator, you must do a custom installation of the Internet Access software component. To do this, follow these steps:

1. If necessary, move the Favorites.html or Bookmarks.html files to a different location. (See the Note above.)

2. In the pop-up menu next to the Internet Access software component, choose Customized Installation.

3. In the window that appears, choose the desired option:

- To install Internet Explorer, click the arrow next to Microsoft, then click in the checkbox next to Internet Explorer.

- To install Netscape Navigator, click in the checkbox next to Netscape Navigator.

4. Click OK, then click Start.

The selected software is installed.

5. If necessary, move the Favorites.html file back into the Explorer folder, within the Preferences folder of the System Folder.

6. If necessary, move the Bookmarks.html file back into your Netscape Navigator profile folder.

For more information on reinstalling software, see the Troubleshooting Handbook that came with your Power Macintosh G3

Installing third-party applications that install QuickTime

QuickTime 3.0.2 is currently installed on your computer. Some third-party applications install QuickTime as part of their installation process. If an application installs a version of QuickTime earlier than QuickTime 3.0.2, make sure you do a custom install of the third-party application so you don’t install an earlier version of QuickTime. If an earlier version of QuickTime is inadvertently installed on your computer, you can replace it by doing a custom installation of system software. See the Troubleshooting Handbook that came with your Power Macintosh G3 and follow the instructions on reinstalling system software. To reinstall QuickTime, you must do a custom installation of the Mac OS 8.5 software component. In the pop-up menu next to the Mac OS 8.5 software component, choose Customized Installation. Click the arrow next to Multimedia and in the list that appears, click in the checkbox next to QuickTime, then click OK. When you’re ready to install the software, click Start.

Using FreePPP

If your Internet Service Provider (ISP) requires that TCP/IP be configured for FreePPP, FreePPP starts and tries to connect when attempting to access a server via the Chooser. If this happens, you need to reconfigure the TCP/IP control panel. In the “Connect via”pop-up menu, choose AppleTalk (MacIP) or Ethernet built-in.

Using Norton Utilities

Norton Utilities 3.5.3 or earlier is not compatible with the new Mac OS Extended format of hard drives, also known as HFS+. Apple recommends using Disk First Aid 8.2 or later if you need to test and repair your hard disk. For more information, see the Troubleshooting Handbook that came with your computer.

Using two Ultra-SCSI disks striped with SoftRAID 2.1 or Remus 1.5

You cannot start up your Power Macintosh G3 from a hard disk volume made by striping two Ultra-SCSI disks.

Using a startup disk formatted with third-party formatting software

You can use third party software such as Anubis or FWB to format and partition a hard disk in your Power Macintosh G3. However, if you install a system folder on one of these partitions and select it as your startup disk in the Startup Disk control panel, the computer will not use the Startup Disk volume selected.

Trouble with startup using a Zip cartridge formatted with Iomega driver version 6.0.1

You cannot start up your Power Macintosh G3 with a Zip cartridge that has been preformatted by Iomega with the driver version 6.0.1. To use the cartridge as a start up disk, you need to reinitialize it using the Erase Disk command under the Special menu in the Finder.

Third-Party Hardware Issues

Using Universal Serial Bus (USB) devices with your computer

•About drivers for USB input devices

To run a USB device on a Mac OS-based computer, the device needs a software program called a “driver,”available from the manufacturer of the device. Drivers appear as “extension”files that are stored in the Extensions folder within the System Folder. Apple already includes drivers in the Mac OS for USB mice, keyboards, hubs, and Imation’s USB SuperDisk drive. Drivers for other devices, such as USB game devices, Epson and Hewlett-Packard printers, are included on the software install CD that came with your computer. These drivers can be found in the CD Extras folder, within the USB Device Drivers folder. To install these drivers, double-click the appropriate folder to open it, then click the Installer icon and follow the onscreen directions. After you install the driver software, you should be able to use the device. If you have problems, please contact the manufacturer of the device. From time to time, new versions of USB drivers become available. For up-to-date information on driver software, contact the manufacturer of the device.

•Some USB devices may not work with Mac OS until Mac OS drivers are made available. For information about the compatibility of a USB device with Mac OS, contact the manufacturer of the device.

•Some applications don’t recognize USB devices if the devices are plugged in while the application is running. To use the USB device with that application, quit the application, make sure the device is properly plugged in, then start the application again.

Using ADB dongles

Some applications require the use of an ADB (Apple Desktop Bus) dongle for security purposes to prevent software piracy. The Power Macintosh G3 uses Universal Serial Bus (USB) technology. You may be able to use a USB dongle with these applications. For more information, contact the software manufacturer.

Connecting your computer directly to an Ethernet switch

If you connect your Power Macintosh G3 computer directly to an Ethernet switch, you will need to disable spanning tree on that port. If you do not disable spanning tree, your computer could duplicate the AppleTalk address of another computer on the same network which would result in both network connections becoming unreliable.

Using third-party PCI cards in your computer

Some third-party PCI cards will not work on your Power Macintosh G3, and may prevent the computer from starting up. Usually this can be fixed with a firmware upgrade for the PCI card. If you suspect you have a problem with a PCI card, shut down your computer, remove the card, and restart. Contact the card's manufacturer for a firmware upgrade.

December 3, 1998

©1998 Apple Computer, Inc. All rights reserved.

Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, and QuickTime are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Power Macintosh G3 and Mac OS are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc.

Other company and product names mentioned herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Mention of third-party products is for informational purposes and constitutes neither an endorsement nor a recommendation. Apple assumes no responsibility with regard to the performance or use of these products.