Compatibility Issues/Problem Reports on the new B&W G3 Tracking Specific Problems, Solutions and Driver Updates Updated: 6/09/99

Introduction:

In an effort to make the public aware of compatibility issues that have been seen with the new Blue and White G3 (aka Yosemite), this page will list comments and hopefully resolutions on any issues that are discovered. If you have a compatibility issue or solution to report - please contact me with specifics.

Latest Information: A B&W G3 owner with OEM U2 SCSI Card reports he cannot boot his system if an Adaptec 3940UW PCI SCSI card is installed (dual channel UW SCSI). I suggested Zapping the Pram, etc. but he said nothing helped. Even with no drives connected he gets only a gray screen. I'm not sure if he has applied the B&W G3 firmware update (noted to help some PCI card compatibility issues) and the card did not have the firmware update for B&W G3 compatibility, but usually that fixed the issue of booting from attached drives of affected cards as noted here previously. For B&W G3 owners that have had problems with VirtualPC here's a tip from the mailbag that will help with drag and drop: " Mike, ...I'm wondering if you've seen any reports about problems with Virtual PC and the G3. Specifically, I'm trying to increase the size of the standard 260MB image disk to 2Gig, and when I move the img file over the PC desktop's Eject Floppy button (as per the instructions) my G3 freezes every time. Is the G3 supposed to come with a version of Disk Copy, or is there a replacement app that I haven't figured out yet? I ask this since my machine also balks when I try to initiate a version of Virex that I've received in the img format. --MRC [Answer:] The problem is being caused by a bug in one of the ATI drivers actually. As a workaround for VPC we recommend that the user temporarily disable the ATI resource manager. With the ATI Resource manager disabled, you will be able to drag and drop the disk images normally. [He later wrote this solved the problem] " Data Corruption with IDE Drives: A reader reported all 3 of his WD Expert 18GB Drives installed in a B&W G3 exhibit the .smi image data error noted in yesterday's news link to FWB's B&W G3 Compatibility page. Even the drive connected to the CDROM channel has the same issue he said. The FWB 'fix' (changing DMA mode) dropped his peak rates from 28MB/sec to 12MB/sec he said. I have now verified that this is true on my system as well (OS 8.6, Firmware update 1.02, WD Expert 18GB drive - with and w/o ATA66 mode enabled on the drive). The only solution for the Expert drive was to use the TurboMax PCI IDE card. Performance with the TurboMax/WD Expert combo was excellent - about the same as the onboard IDE (30MB/sec peak reads, 27MB/sec peak writes, sustained rates of 14-17MB/sec per ATTO Tools benchmark). [5/28/99] Bluenote SCSI ROM Update: Derrick Yamaura wrote to say that Initio has posted v2.09 of the Bluenote SCSI card firmware. For more info and to get the latest SmartSCSI Utility for Bluenote visit http://www.initio.com/mac/mac_sd.htm. The new version adds support for SCSI devices using the old SCSI manager on the Blue and White G3s. [5/21/99] ATI RageII/RagePro VR in B&W G3: Evan Torrie wrote with ATI's explanation on the ATI RageII/Pro VR capture problems in B&W G3s: " Dear Evan, This is in response to your email you sent us regarding your request as to trying to capture with the Xclaim VR card in the New G3. PROBLEM DETAILS: Videos captured using the XCLAIM VR in a new blue and white PowerMAC G3 are corrupt when played back. Audio is fine during playback. MORE: This issue occurs regardless of the specific CODEC the video is compressed with. This issue occurs with both 3D RAGE II and 3D RAGE PRO based Xclaim VR products. EXPLANATION: At present, the issue appears to be restricted to new "blue & white" PowerMAC G3 systems which have Rage 128 adapters as original equipment. An XCLAIM VR has been added to the system. ATI Software Engineering has been advised of the above issue and is investigating. ATI Technical Support is currently tracking customers experiencing this issue. Please provide the following information for our records:  - Your name  - address  - phone number  - e-mail address SOLUTION: NONE AT THIS TIME. Should you require any further information or assistance, do not hesitate to contact us again. Please quote your ATI Customer Number [removed] in any future correspondence. Regards, Thomas Sutton ATI Technical Support support@atitech.ca http://support.atitech.ca " B&W G3 ROM Update: [Update: due to the mail I'm getting on problems, I've started a Firmware Update Feedback Page] The Update is said to improve performance of PCI cards, Firewire ports and minor improvements in OS X Server. D/L it at the G3 Firmware Update page. Dan Knight wrote with a tip on the install:"Power Mac G3 Firmware Update 1.0.2. Instructions disagree on procedure. Read Me file indicates you should hold the programmer's button until the tone is finished (step 5). Program's internal instructions say to release the button when you first hear the tone. Waiting until the tone is done did the job for me." I welcome feedback on this update. Timbuktu 4.8./B&W G3 Modem: A reader reported he was unable to get Timbuktu 4.8 to work with his B&W G3 internal modem, but later reported that using the 'Generic 56K'script solved the problem. Kenneth Gan reported in the 4/16/99 main page news that his new B&W G3 addendum booklet notes the hard drive tray now supports 1.6" (40.6mm) drives. His machine had a 3/24/99 mfg date label on the box. Fuse Driver Update: Aurora Design has posted v1.81 Fuse drivers at www.auroradsgn.com/Pages/Software.htm. This update fixes the 1.8 problem with playback lockups on some systems. RagePro VR Capture in B&W G3: A reader replies to my request for info in yesterday's news: "I have been able to capture video easily. I have my main (Apple Studio 17) monitor connected to the Rage 128, and my Sony 200es connected to my Xclaim VR 8mb rage pro. I had to play with the drivers for over an hour, for conflicts--that is all it takes to get them working in order. Email with more questions if you need to. Scott Kingston" I asked him to send a list of what extensions are installed and enabled. Many report the card works (if the ROM is not old - see below for earlier report) but most reported problems with capture. VideoShop 4.5 Can't use Firewire capture: A reader replied his VideoShop 4.5 upgrade works with Firewire PCI cards but not the onboard Firewire in the new G3. He said the 'video On' and 'video settings' are grayed-out and you can only capture audio. Here is the response from Strata that he sent to me: "Mike, Bret, While testing on the B&W G3 last week, we encountered the same scenario. We tried many things to try and get the Video Settings menu's back, and the only thing that worked was reinstalling the system. That suggests to me that (even though the Apple Video Player works) Apple hasn't quite worked out all the bugs in their internal FireWire support. If you haven't done so yet, you should download the FireWire 2.0 drivers from the Apple site. They fixed a lot of bugs with the initial release. ... I am now working on a bulletin describing what we know of the problem. It will be distributed internally, as well as being posted on the website. I have been pushing for a better Tech section on the web site, and we are currently developing it. ...Our engineers are working with Apple towards a solution. Thanks for you patience. Blaine Sanders VideoShop QA Manager Strata, Inc." FaxSTF Fix TIL: A friend at Apple wrote to there is a new TIL 30948 that addresses the FaxSTF/B&W G3 issues reported here recently. I'll not use FaxSTF regardless, but if anyone can verify this does solve the problem let me know. Fax STF/Internal Model Problems: Dozens of readers report that removing FaxSTF solved crashes and online disconnects/lockups with the Apple internal modem. The recent main site news has had two reports of the 'Force V.90' script making a dramatic improvement in connect rates. This script and others are linked on the Internal Modem page. From some reported connect speeds I suspect that the UART speed, not connect rate is what is being shown. Download tests will prove this (some report a gain, others none). New Apple OEM U2 Firmware Warning: A reader replied flashing his B&W G3 with the latest Apple firmware update (see below) resulted in an unreadable external UW SCSI drive: " Hi Mike, Yesterday I noticed an apple firmware update, v 1.1 for the built in Ultra2 card 2940U2B in the B&W G3. I installed it on my G3 which has two internal 9.1GB drives (BTO), and an external 9.1GB Atlas III U2. It installed properly, but then at startup I got the flashing question mark, but after about 10 blinks, it startup normally, but says after startup that my external drive is unreadable, and gives me the option to initialize it. I had formatted all my drives with Apple drive setup as HFS+, and they worked fine, but now I have these problems. I have tried mounting my lost HD, but to no avail, even ran Norton Utilities, but nothing. I don't want to initialize it because I have important files stored on it, that I should have backed up before installing the new firmware. Of course I realized this afterwards. I always have the flashing question mark at startup - this is after about 10 startups. is there a way to reinstall the older firmware for the card? I wanted to know if anyone has had any similar problems, and what could be a solution to recovering my hard drive. Best regards Andrea " I don't think the previous firmware revision is available (either at Apple or Adaptec's site). I suggested he write Apple/Adaptec to see if they could provide it - or take the drive to another mac/SCSI card and transfer the data. If anyone has seen similar behavior with the new firmware please contact me. The startup disk/delay issue can be fixed by reselecting the startup disk (control panel) but I'm still wondering about the new firmware and mixed U2/UW drives (U2 external drives work fine with the update a reader said). FireWire & U2 SCSI Update: As noted in Tuesday's News. Apple has Firewire 2.0 and OEM U2 SCSI Firmware updates. Owners of external or UW drives attached to the OEM U2 card should read the warning from a reader posted on the Compat. page. [3/30/99] MicroConversions verified a reader report that their 4MB Graphics card (VP-4M-PCI) and 4MB Video Wizard (VP-VW4M-PCI) are not recognized by the Blue & White G3s. The mentioned the possibility of a patch in the future. Many readers of Orange Micro's Grappler note that they can't get their Umax Scanners to work. A reader sent a note that Umax officially supported only the Adaptec 2906 and 2930 at this time. Orange Micro is working on a firmware update to address the problem, which they say is that these scanners are not SCSI Manager 4.3 complaint. Internal Modem Problems/Tips: I've posted a Modems Tips page for the B& W G3 with reader problems reports and test results with various scripts mentioned in the recent main site news. The Rage128 Feedback page lists new reader problem reports on the 1.0 update with software like Corel's Photopaint and other oddities like copying ICONs from CDs. Disabling the ATI Graphics Accelerator fixes the problems he said. Also included in the latest update is a problem report concerning cubaseVST 24 (Audio appl.) that vanishes when disabling the ATI extensions. Canvas 6/Quark Rage128 Issues (again): The Rage128 Feedback page has reader reports that even with the Rage128 1.0 update there are problems in these apps. Speed Doubler/Rage128 Extension Loading: A reader reports you need to add a space to the beginning of the 'ATI Graphics Accelerator' extension so that it's not disabled by Speed Doubler at initial load. Other tips that have solved ATI extensions loading issues have been enabling Virtual Memory. SCSI Card Firmware Updates: The latest updates for B&W Compatibility: Atto ExpressPCI v1.3.4U (Updates to both the U2 and UW SCSI versions) Adaptec 2940UW v4.1 (final) and 3940UW v4.1b1 firmware updates. B&W G3 RAID Tests: Adaptec 2940UW firmware 3.0 vs 4.1 - A reader sends test data that indicates that sometimes the latest is not the best, at least for RAID in a B&W G3. CVGS/B&W G3 Tip: " I figured out an answer to a problem that I've not yet heard any other reports of. Thought I'd pass along my knowledge; I'm sure others could benefit... I have: B&W G3 RAGE 128 and Apple's updated drivers CVGS 1.1 I'd stick in a Playstation CD and play it. Everything works just fine. If I quit VGS and try to run it again, it tells me I need newer drivers to run VGS. I realized I got this error whenever running VGS after an app has used the 3D card. Restarting fixed the problem. So every time I wanted to use VGS a second time, I'd have to restart. I checked my extensions folder and saw I had both an 'ATI 3D Accelerator' file and an 'ATI Rage 128 3D Accelerator' file. Removing of the 'ATI 3D Accelerator' extension fixed the problem. I wonder if that caused any other glitches. JBR " More on B&W G3/Media 100: The latest reader feedback. " Hi Mike, A couple of observations about the Yosemite G3. We bought the 300Mhz machine with DVD, 128 RAM, internal modem, 6gb ATA drive. Our main use for the machine is video editing using a Media 100 QX system, for which we have an Adaptec 2940UW and external 8Gb Promax RAID array. Needless to say we were concerned when Media100 announced the system was not compatible, however we have found it works just fine with only one incompatibility: Audio clicks on playback if our Keyspan serial port adapter is plugged into either USB port. With nothing plugged into the USB port, our machine will playback cleanly up to 200Kb/frame (limited by RAID array). Even the built in hard drive runs cleanly up to 150kb/frame, and we noticed that the USB clicks are not so apparent. Another comment is concerning the USB keyboard extender cable - I was not sure if you were aware that Apple have officially recognized this problem with some extender cables in a TIL article. The USB keyboard supplied with our machine does not work at all, in either port even without the extender cable. It appeared at first that the mouse did not work either, but this was only when plugging it into the keyboard. It works when connected directly to the USB port on the computer. The keyboard is not a big deal to us because we have an Apple Extended keyboard which works perfectly in the ADB port via our Applevision 750AV monitor. To control our camcorder during movie capture with Media 100, we have a ProVtr serial port controller used with the Keyspan. This would not work until Pipeline (who make ProVtr) kindly provided us with a beta update and a Keyspan beta update (1.5.1b5). It now works perfectly. " B&W G3/Apple 166MHz PC Compatibility board: After several mails from readers having problems getting this combo to work I contacted a friend that works in Apple service. He replied there is no way the Apple PC card can work in the new B&W G3s. ZIP Copies cause System Pauses: I've seen this one personally, where the system seems to freeze/pause for a second or so when copying from the ZIP drive. I installed my own ZIP but based on reader comments this is present on the preconfigured ZIP models as well. Virtual Memory Tip: Several readers reported that enabling Virtual Memory does help with problems of an ATI extension not loading at boot. Internal modem owners reported that this was the only way to fix the problem at the current time. The main site news has reports recently of the Rage128 driver update conflicting with Colorsync, many reports of problems with/after installation of the new Rage128 drivers. Some readers reported no Rave modes in games after the update for instance. I've added a page on Rage128 Driver Update Feedback to list comments on what is and isn't fixed in the new update (see below for DL links). Updated today with several reports that the Quark 3.x/Illustrator problem is resolved but with a report of severe conflicts with Kaleidoscope 2.1. RAGE 128 Updated Drivers: They're finally released! - click here to get it (MacBinary 485K or Binhex 660K). See the Apple Updates page for more info. Adaptec 4.1B1 Firmware Update: Quinn MacDonald wrote that Versiontracker just listed the bios update. For more details see Adaptec's 2940UW Mac Page. The firmware is beta but Quinn reports it worked in his Yosemite: " Guess what - it works! I was ecstatic to see the access light on my external HD flicker as my blue G3 booted from it (I just dragged the System Folder from my blue G3 System Restore cd disk copy image. I didn't bother using the installer. We're almost there.... Quinn MacDonald, " B&W G3 IDE Fit Notes: [Update - 3/24/99 and later models are reported to have a new design case/plate that works with 1.6 inch high drives] I was unable to get a 1.5 inch high (measured) Quantum Atlas III 18.2GB SCSI drive to fit. Although I had heard 1.5 inches that was the max drive height allowed, the drive was just a hair too high to allow inserting the tray fully in the system due to contacting the lower edge of the rear steel shield on the back wall of the Yosemite case. I also found out the standard UltraATA cables mentioned in my Slave Drive article (page 2) don't fit - as the connector spacing is closer than the standard IDE cables I had used, too close to connect both drives. Reversing the cable would result in the Yosemite not finding a bootable disk. The UltraATA cable was originally made for vertically stacked drive configurations standard in most other platforms. I'm inquiring about a custom order with the same connector spacing as the regular IDE cable. PowerRaid Updates: A reader from Germany notes that Formac wrote: " Mike, for accelerating all FORMAC Power Raid UW-SCSI cards everybody should upgrade to the latest EPROM version and driver version as of 02.02.1999 at ftp.formac.com/public/updates/. [NOTE: Get the HQX Files - as the Bin files were stuffed with a German localized Stuffit and cannot be uncompressed with the US version-Mike] Formac claims all of its SCSI cards to boot volumes with the Yosemite G3! Ulrich Petschke LBBZ GmbH Service " So far I've had all success reports on the Yosemite IDE Slave drive upgrade. The latest success story was posted on the Thursday (Feb 4th) main site news. ATI RagePro/VR Tip: One reader that reported a solution to his problem was to install the card in the farthest slot away from the Rage128. This tip came from ATI Tech Support he said. Previous posts below on success did not indicate which slot was used, and it's odd that it would matter really (I suspect they are all busmastering). Another Miles Comment: Dana Spiegel reported his Initio Miles SCSI card runs fine in the Yosemite (other than possibly booting from attached disks). He did not see the disabled Rave issue I experienced in my Yosemite, but did note that attached drives were much slower than the G3's IDE drive (which is very fast btw). (See below for Initio's update notice for full compatibility) Rev A Apple LCD Display: Chris Breen of Macworld's tip of the day had a noted that if you use a Rev. A flat-panel Apple studio display be sure to use the video adapter (p/n 590-1120-A) that came with the Yosemite, otherwise you'll be unable to display the proper monitor options in the Monitors & Sound control panel. As I commented in the main site news recently, The Rev. B (matching color) Apple LCD display models do not need the adapter and do autoscale to full screen on lower resolutons (less than 1024x768) despite a report to the contrary (proven here on my LCD display. See the 2/2/98 news page for comments I made on tests with a IBM 9516 LCD display at 1280x1024 on the Yosemite. Virtual Game Station: As also noted in the Feb 2nd news, I ran Connectix's Virtual Game Station fine on my Mitsumi DVD drive based Yosemite, proving that reports that Sony drives were required are false. The issue as reported here was originally with Sony drives, not the other way around. Connectix has a version 1.1 update to CVGS that fixes the problems with Sony drives at: http://www.virtualgamestation.com/updates.html. I did have to disable the Rage128 extension (and install the CD's ATI drivers) to allow it to run. I've not tried the updated version yet. TurboTV: The 'Vdig' extension is said to be a known issue with software like Pagemaker on all Macs. Disabling the extension (needed only for video capture) is said to resolve the problem. Yosemite/File Exchange Issues: Eric Gold wrote that all his children's CDs from the Learning Company bombed on the new B&W G3. The problem was a registration application on the CDs that is called by the install script and also by the program if the registration has not been performed yet. The solution was to disable File exchange, as Eric said he was told by L.C. there was a long standing conflict between the registration software and PC Exchange (known as File Exchange in 8.5.1). I've added this info to the Yosemite Compatibility page. ATTO Express PCI SCSI Firmware Update: ATTO ExpressPCI Firmware 1.3.3 is now available for compatibility with the new B&W G3s. Yamaha 4416/SCSI Update " Mike, i just want you to know that i have resolved my YAMAHA-4416 issues with my new G3/400. I returned the formac-card and get a adaptec 2940UW. This card works best, unlike the formac i can boot with external devices turned on and it works perfect with the yamaha-drive. -- Bernie" Scanners: Since he's using the Miles card which is not fully compatible, (see update below) this report could be related the card and not the scanner software, but note that the Epson scanner did work. " I've also got one other tidbit for your Yosemite page (or perhaps it's due to the Miles), but in either case, my trusty HP 3C and I'm sure probably any other scanner dependent on the Desk Scan II (version 2.3 OR 2.4) don't work and reliably crash the system. No further updates on the HP site. Also first generation JADE scanners from LinoType Hell (which are known for their twitchy SCSI behavior anyway) aren't usable. [he later wrote] ...did I mention what scanner DID work? The Epson Perfection 636. I used it for 65 hi-res (300dpi) scans yesterday without a single problem. The card was the Initio Miles (not the Miles2) with rev. 1.06. Also, my external JAZ has worked flawlessly. (BTW, my CPU came with a ZIP pre-installed). The only 'trick' I've noticed is that with the JAZ, at least, I've never actually 'installed' it. I just boot with a disk in it when I want access and it loads the driver off the drive at boot-up. David R. Klett " Yosemite/JazJet: " Mike, Just a quick note about yos compatibility with the Iomega Jaz Jet. Whenever it is installed in a new G3 it holds it down from booting. Calls to Iomega say it won't work and no plans to fix. Thanks for the great site. Andy Duncan " The JazJet I have is made by Advansys for Iomega. Not sure if he tried Zapping the PRAM, which helps on most macs when booting for the first time with a newly installed SCSI card (esp. with an attached disk). Yosemite/Initio Miles Advisory: Matt Kingman wrote that Initio has a Product Advisory on compatibility with the new B&W G3s. The $50 upgrade to the Miles card is required I hear due to the flash ROM chip on cards shipped before Jan 15th, 1999 being too small to hold the new firmware. " All Miles UW products that have been shipping since Jan. 15th, 1999 can be upgraded with the boot-enabled firmware (SIM). All current owners of Miles UW products (i.e. products that were shipped prior to Jan. 15th, 1999), will have to upgrade their card to allow it to boot in the new G3 systems. There is a nominal charge of $50 for the current owners to upgrade/exchange their cards to the new cards with the new SIM. The upgrade program will go into effect by mid-March 1999.' " USB/Serial Adapters and PalmPilot: John Fotiadis wrote that he uses the Keyspan Serial adapter with his Palm II Cradle, running the Beta version of Mac Pac 2.0 Rev34 without problems. Illustrator 6/cc-Mail 6: Konrad sends a report of what appears to be a Rage128 driver issue: " Hi Mike, There are also some problems in the drawing attributes palette in Illustrator 6 and Lotus cc-mail 6. I have traced this to the ATI 2D graphics accelerator extension (the one that does not have the color ATI logo on it). Interesting that similar problems crop up in Quark. I hope this will be fixed by the updated ATI drivers. Regards Konrad " My sources say there should be an update soon to the Rage128 drivers (within a week or two best guess). This hopefully will solve the problem (I know Chris at ATI is working night and day on improvements). I do wonder how Yosemite's beta testing could have missed problems in 'bread and butter' applications like Quark and Illustrator. I also hope that Apple learned a lesson from all the compatibility issues being reported, so that next time (Sawtooth) a longer duration/more complete seeding of machines to end users and developers/mfrs to help shake out many of these problems (networking, video capture, SCSI, software apps) _before_ the customer gets the product. With enough advance notice, PCI cards could have updated firmware available on the web at or near the launch date. The good news is so far the the mainstream problems appear solvable by driver/firmware updates. I've updated the Adaptec 2906 post with more information on it and the 2930U card which is the OEM $49 SCSI card option for the new G3. Rage128/Quark Palette Issue: This just in from a reader: " I was wondering if you heard of, or one of your readers had described, a problem with the ATI extensions (for the 128 card) and QuarkXpress (both 3&4). With the drivers loaded, the "color palate" is unavailable (greyed out). Other users have posted the same problem on the Tech Page at Apple - Desktop Support. Do you know of a work around (besides disabling the accelerator extensions) or if ATI/Apple is working on an update? Thanks for any info. Pat Holcombe " I've passed this on to ATI for investigation. I don't own Quark so I can't say if the latest beta drivers address this. Updated Rage128 drivers are said to be available at Apple's web site soon. More Yosemite Compat. Feedback: Mark Bellon writes: " I run into two other issues which other might find interesting. SpeedDoubler 8.1.2 can cause the ATI Graphics Accelerator extension to not load. I tracked this one down over the weekend. Specifically, faster emulation causes the problem. Faster copying is still OK. I sent a note to Connectix about this. I have an external SCSI ZIP driver attached to an Adaptec 2940UW (3.0 firmware) and I have discovered a failure mode were you read from a Zip disk most of the time but writing causes the system to lock up. The problem does not exist with a virgin system folder. Since I used Conflict Catcher to merge my old stuff into the new system folder the problem could be preferences based or it could be a side effect of ConflictCatcher. I'm going to get to the bottom of this one. mark" I'm using an external SCSI ZIP attached to a updated (v1.4) Jackhammer card and have not seen any R/W problems so far. The Jackhammer firmware update is noted below. As mentioned previously, most PCI SCSI cards need a firmware update to be fully compatible (i.e. booting from attached disks) with the new G3s based on reader and vendor comments. Adaptec tells me they are working on updates now. SuperDisk Drivers: According to Apple TIL#58251, the B&W G3 ships with later SuperDisk USB drivers than are present on the actual disk included with the Imation drive. If you overwrote them they are on the Apple CD in the Extras folder. More on USB problems: With the supplied USB keyboard extender cable in place (needed due to the terribly short keyboard cable) my USB keyboard only works on USB Port 2. Several other readers also reported this issue (dead keyboard unless used on Port 2). Odd, it worked the first day fine on Port 1 (for a few hours at least). No bent pins in any connectors anywhere. Something's not kosher here...too many owners are reporting this same issue and it's obviously not cable related if it works in one port and not the other. Buy in Haste, Repent in Leisure... ;-) Early buyers get to find out where all the initial problems are. I'm confident most will be worked out in the future but as mentioned here early on, this is one thing to be aware of when making a upgrade vs a new model system purchase. Jackhammer SCSI Card: I upgraded to the new firmware in the HammerStorage Jackhammer SCSI card in the beige G3 and installed it in the Yosemite 400 (IDE based). Booted up fine first time, no PRAM Zap needed. So far I've only run the external SCSI ZIP drive but that has worked fine so far. It's a shame to have to hang slow devices like ZIPs, CDRs, Scanners, etc. off a PCI SCSI card as they are not nearly fast enough to stress even the obsolete SCSI in the beige G3. Of more concern is cable length. Remember on UW SCSI the max cable length is 1.5M, (internal+external length, including cable inside a external enclosure). If you're running a UW SCSI HD internally and running external drives/devices watch overall cable lengths and some manuals (ie Jackhammer) suggest disabling Ultra-SCSI when mixing non-Ultra and Ultra SCSI devices on the same card (reducing the card clock speed). Right now the most attractive U2 SCSI card is the 2940U2W for it's isolated narrow and UW SCSI connectors, but some report the U2 channel is not as fast as the ATTO or Miles U2 cards (which are U2 connectored only, attaching UW SCSI devices will reduce the card clock speed to std UW speeds (20MHz vs 40MHz U2 mode)). Adaptec 2906 SCSI Update: The 2906 is a narrow-only, SCSI-2 (10MHz/10MB/sec max) PCI Card (*Not* the same card as the OEM $49 option for the new G3s, which is the 20MHz 2930 card Adaptec tells me). I just received this from my Adaptec contact: " Adaptec has published the 2906 software up on its website. This software will be added to the AVA-2906 PC/Mac kit around mid February. 2906 Mac Software will come on a CD-ROM in the AVA-2906 SCSI Card Kit. http://www.adaptec.com/support/overview/macintosh.html [They later replied with more info:] Yes, the bulk of the Engineering work done on the 2906 was specifically for the Yosemite G3. 2906 Also supports old PCI-based PowerMacs as well. Please note that the 2906 is a 'Connectivity' adapter, meaning that devices attached to it are not 'bootable'. The $49 option from Apple is the Adaptec 2930U Mac. Again it is specially optimized for the Yosemite G3 Macs. It also supports old PCI-based PowerMacs as well. The 2930U has a External HD50 pin SCSI that allows it to run at 20MHz( = 20MB/sec.). [Mike: Will the Yosemite firmware updates be backward compatible in other Mac models?] Yes, it requires that the ROM become larger as the board must support the way the old Macs booted up and the new OpenFirmware booting on the Yosemite G3's. All of the Adaptec boards (with the exception of the 2906 which has no ROM) have large ROMs to support this Old/New Macs booting. " For more information on the 2906, see Adaptec's 2906 product page. Networking Issues: Several reports from Friday's main news page: " Hi Mike We have been having a frequent intermittent problem with the ethernet on our new Yos G3 400. We have three Macs and one printer connected to a LAN with a 10baseT hub. A DSL line is also connected to the hub. Everything works fine, except that occassionally (once a day average) the new G3 will behave as though it has no ethernet hardware. This has never happened while there was ethernet activity involving the Yos. When it is happening, no network connections are successful-- printer cant be found, Netscape cant get an IP number, ping fails, shared disks are unavailable,etc. The ethernet on the other two computers work fine during one of these events. During one of these events, I have taken the ethernet cable out of the Yos and put in in a lap top and sure enough, the connection is fine. So, the problem is downstream of the cable which is why I suspect the Yos ethernet hardware. We can not determine what kind of activity causes this (Firewire use for example), but a reboot or shutdown does not fix the problem. A long period shutdown "seems" to fix it however, I'm not sure of this. Have you had any other similar reports ? Can you suggest some way to further diagnose this problem ? Thanks, Dan Baldwin " Since a long "shutdown" period helped I wanted to ask Dan if the problem time from coldstart is repeatable, which might indicate a thermal problem. However Dan's email address bounces so I can't reply. Dan later noted no other PCI cards were installed, and only Premiere 5 extensions (other than Apple's) were loaded. If anyone has had similar problems or can offer tips on a solution please contact me. One reader suggested that a newer autoswitching hub might be needed for mixed 10/100 networks: " Mike, I'd assume the problem has to do with the autoswitching (Full Nway or Half Duplex) nature of the G3 Yosemite (and iMac) ethernet and the brand of hub the reader is using. I had a similar problem with a DSL Modem and a 10/100 switch. Powering the switch on and off proved to be a solution for a couple of hours, but ultimately I had to swap it for a different model (an Asante FS4008E) which allowed certain ports to be locked down in a half-duplex 10 base-T mode. Of course this is the opposite of the reader's problem, but I think it's safe to say that it can be resolved with a newer auto-switching switch (or hub). Lewis Werner " More networking compatibility info is cited at: http://www.maccentral.com/news/9901/21.network.shtml. ADB Keyboards/OpenFirmware Booting: Apple has a new TIL 58248 titled 'Power Macintosh G3 (Blue and White): Certain Keyboards Disallow Open Firmware Booting'. Affected models are said to be ADB AppleDesign keyboards which have a stepped Caps Lock key and say "AppleDesign" on the underside of the keyboard. Yosemite/Virtual PC: Connectix responded with an installation note on Yosemite machines: " Hi Mike-- Regarding your report from the Yosemite user trying to install Virtual PC: Our current electronic registration program is not compatible with the new Yosemite machines. The eReg program scans the SCSI bus to profile the system. Unfortunately, it doesn't properly handle the new machines without SCSI. The workaround: Yosemite users should turn off virtual memory before running the Virtual PC installer. When the eReg program appears hit "Cancel". Installation should then complete and VPC will function properly. Customers can send in the postage-paid registration card or register from our website: http://www.connectix.com/connect/N_reg.html This eReg program has been removed from new productions of Virtual PC. Best, Kathy Westergaard Product Manager, Virtual PC Connectix Corporation " If you missed Friday's news page - several owners had written noting the VPC 2.1.1 update (see VPC updates page) solved one issue and a suggestion of deleting preferences if you have to reinstall VPC on the Yosemite. [Update - there is a VPC 2.1.2 update now at Connnectix] Media 100 Update: The previous report from a Media 100 owner has been updated with additional comments on compatibility issues with the new G3s. Hopefully these problems will be addressed in the future as he laments having to revert to a beige G3. Sony DV Compatibility: Apple TIL #24786 discusses potential problems that might be addressed in the next firewire software update. Sonorus Audio Card: An Australian reader notes that a quick test of the Sonorus audio card worked: " Hi Mike, We did a quick try of a Sonorus audio card in a 300MHz Yosemite using a demo (no floppy authorization problems) of Cubase VST. It all worked with no problems. [When asked about the card he said:] It's a pretty nice card, up to 16 digital ins and outs via ADAT light pipe and an analog monitor mix out. Greg Hutchings from rainy Sydney" The CD is beige so they can use standard OEM drives, which helps lower costs _and_ increase choices. That's why there is a bondi blue front cover to match the case colors. USB Cable Failures: [Update: Based on the fact owners (and I) consistently report failures of the keyboard w/extender cable working in USB Port 2 but not Port 1, and there are no bent pins anywhere (I checked) I think there is something wrong/different with the USB Port 1-Mike] A reader responds to the extender cable issue posted in the main site news earlier today: " I had the same problem you described today 1/21 with the new G3's and the USB extender cable. I've had this problem with both of the new G3's we have but your's is the first site I've found to mention this. my problem was so severe that I couldn't get the keyboard to work at all with the extender plugged in. I thought it was a bad cable and decided to wait until the other machine we ordered arrived. Upon further testing I've found that plugging into the USB slot 2 is the only way to get reliable operation with the extender cable. This is the same for both machines we have. Let me know if you find out any other information. thanks John Hanly" Another reader noted connector pin damage as a cause: " This happened to me too, but right out of the box. Check the extension cable - look inside the female connector. On mine, the two middle contacts got all munged and squished (technical term) up inside. It's as if the contacts were not manufactured correctly and they slipped up and were pushed back by inserting the cable. Greg Finnegan Argent Software " Don't know how it could have gotten damaged while connected (it worked the day before and was not disconnected between the time it worked and later failed), but it could have been bent initially and then failed after a day or so I guess. Not a good intro to USB...I hope this is not a continuing problem. This may be the cause of reader reports of out of the box keyboard failures. More Audio Card Issues: " my Digidesign AudioMediaIII sound card doesn't work with new G3/400, the system "doesn't see" the card. yamaha DS2416 sound card works as stand alone, but doesn't work used with cubase VST (they work together in my 8500) ciao gigi " Yosemite Slave Drives: Contrary to what you may have heard or read, I was able to install an IDE Slave drive (Maxtor 10GB IDE from my (beige) G3 IDE upgrade article) and it worked fine. I had to replace the original short 1 drive IDE cable with a standard one of course. Care has to be taken in dressing the cable as well since it's at the hinge of the side cover. I've taken photos of the process for an article I'll be posting soon. Slow CD mounting?: I and several readers noted what seems to be slow mounting of Cdroms (timed at 18 seconds from insertion to having the icon appear). One reader thought this was due to the UDF extension but tests show disabling it did not help. I can't say I've actually timed this on other Macs but it does seem slower on the Yosemite. My tests were run on the DVD drive. iMac Keyboards: Dave Glen sent a reminder of the Apple TIL 58241 on USB keyboard compatibility (it was posted some time ago on the main Yosemite Tips/Specs page. There are 3 revisions of iMac keyboards but Apple only recommends using the one that ships with the yosemite. I assume the MacAlly and Adesso USB keyboards work (I hope so - I can't type well at all on the tiny iMac keyboard). Other options are using an Apple ADB keyboard of course. Steve Hong wrote with a few comments on his new G3: " Some people are reporting difficulties attaching a second monitor. My setup is working perfectly. (Ixmicro's Twin Turbo 128M (4mb) with driver v4.06) I too was experiencing freeze during copy from internal Zip Drive. The problem seem to have gone away after installing SpeedDoubler v8.1.2 (with "Faster File Copying" turned on) On my setup, if I configure Virex control panel to load first, it disables "ATI Graphics Accelerator" extensions (with red X during startup). When this happens, video performance becomes very very slow. Thanx again, steve hong " Formac SCSI card: Reader feedback on the Formac SCSI card mentioned earlier notes an issue with the Yamaha 4416 SCSI CDROM drive (which works with the OEM U2 SCSI card): " Mike, I have built in a formac card in my new G3-350, the card works great so far, but i [will] return it tomorrow to my dealer, because the card didn't recognize my new YAMAHA CD-RW 4416. other Drives, CD, CD-R, DAT-Drives and Harddisks work with the card (didn't try booting from HDs). The Problem with the YAMAHA 4416 is definitely a problem of the formac-card, the same card in the old G3 does also not show the 4416, while in a new 400 on the adaptec card there is no problem with the 4416. I talked with the formac-techies and tried all possible options to no avail. The same with YAMAHA-Tech Support. So, if you do not have a YAMAHA 4416, i can recommend the card for good value and support. As always, it's best to try some new or exotic peripherals with the card before you by... -- Bernd Hofmann [he later wrote:] Mike, i was simply too fast with my recent post regarding the G3 B/W 400 and external SCSI-Devices: It's correct that the Internal Adaptec 2940U2B recognized the CD-RW and all other SCSI-Devices, but trying to use one of these devices results in an immediate hangup of the system! Trying to start the system with external devices: no-go! There is a small chance that my external adapter (68 to 50 pin) is not properly terminated, but messages on macfixit tell otherwise: APPLE seems to sell their top-system with an SCSI-Card that is not backward-compatible to older SCSI-Equipment!!!!! So everyone should by at second scsi-card for there older equipment? I couldn't believe this one! Could someone please clarify the situation? If this is true then the formac card looks much more valuable to me, if all of the above turns true then i simply return my yamaha 4416 and buy another CD-RW which is compatible to the formac-card! -- Bernd " Iomega Buz/DC30: Lawrence Leung wrote that he read on the Deal-Mac forum that a Buz owner could not get the card to work in the Yosemite even with help from Iomega Tech Support. I expected this, based on other SCSI and Capture cards seem to need a driver update to be fully compatible [as noted below]. Another reader writes regarding the Buz in a Yosemite " The Iomega Buz does not work at all on the Yosemite machines - it hard locks when you try to use it. The Miro DC30 does work (we have not had the time to see what performance you can expect with the DC30 and the Yosemite machines). " Advansys & Formac SCSI Cards: Reader feedback from Germany: " About Advansys UW SCSI Controller. We updated our Advansys UW SCSI Controller with the new firmware (from January), it works with Apple G3 old [beige] (did not before - for a half year!), but in Yosemite you can't boot from [it]. Another SCSI UW PCI Controller from a german company Formac, ProRaid (old name was PowerRaid I) does work in Yosemite, you can boot from it too, the german price is about 200-220 DM incl. tax, that is about 125 $. Aleksander Himmel Pabst Computer / Germany " I'm still trying to locate a Formac ProRaid card to test. If any readers have a source in the USA, please contact me. Media 100 Feedback: " [1/22/98 Update] Media 100 is not currently recommending the B&W Macs for Media 100. There is a post on WWUG World Wide User Group form Media 100 explaining there is a PCI polling and I/O problem. I have contacted Media 100 directly to clarify this issue and was told, for non-disclosure with Apple, the details were not explained. The only information from Media 100 was that the issues were being tested and possibly by March further information would be available. I can tell you I tried the system and got errors of "Bad video frame" and audio glitches. I have since returned my Mac B&W and will be using a first generation G3 for my Media 100 system. Too bad, the new Mac's wider bus and forward features are perfect for video productions but for now I have to take a step backward to have a working system. Brooks Reid Air Time Design Productions Miami, FL " [Original Report] " I'm using the New Media 100 Card with 5.0 software with B&W 350. The system is relatively stable.I have crashed several times but at this point I'm not where to place the blame,software or hardware.When you move the timeline indicator the scrolling is unpredictable. There is a audio problem that produces a click every time you do anything on the program window at the beginning and end of each audio there is a click. I'm using an Adaptec 2940U2W with 2 -9.1 G Seagate Barracuda LVD drives. Have tested 300KB rate capture and it works fine. I do suggest audio to a separate drive. Brooks Reid Air Time Design Productions Miami, FL " Korg 1212 Audio Card: David Owen wrote with a note from Korg on compatibility issues with their 1212 card. I'm curious to know if the problem exists in both SCSI and IDE based Yosemite models: " We have confirmed that there is a problem using the 1212 on only the very latest G3 Macs that use a Yosemite main board. Our R & D team are currently working on a fix and I will let you know when we have it. We are also aware that 1212 is not the only card to have problems with these new main boards. " If you've run a 1212 in a IDE based Yosemite please contact me. RagePro VR Card Success: Although Sean reported a problem with Rage/RagePro PCI cards in his SCSI based system (see below) another Yosemite (IDE boot disk) wrote that a RagePro VR card did work: " Mike, I last night I installed my RagePro VR into my Blue G3 (350/dvd) it works fine. I'm now running two monitors. Video in from the VR works on the VR driven monitor, but turns to garbage if you drag the video window to the monitor on the 128 card. BTW connectix VGS looks great on this machine. Jim [Jim later wrote:] Yes mine is a prebuilt with the 6gig IDE. I installed a 2940UW and it will run my external HD and Jaz but it wont run my scanner. Adaptec tech support says the card wont work with the new G3's, they seemed surprised that it worked with my Jaz. Their recommendation was to get the new cards at the end of the month. They are not sure if the 2940UW will ever fully support the new G3's. Jim" One important difference is that this owner has an IDE based system - Sean reported problems with a Rage/RagePro in a U2 SCSI based system. My gut feel is that this is the reason for the different results. Update From Sean on RagePro in SCSI Yosemite: After writing Sean that the RagePro worked in an IDE system he tried removing the SCSI card: " I just got done trying this. The Rage II card is still NOT recognized. The Rage Pro was recognized! Here's the details. Removed the Ultra2 SCSI card, put in the Rage Pro, booted from the CD. The Rage Pro card worked. Reinstalled the SCSI card and restarted. It did NOT find the SCSI drive, so booted from the CD. The Rage Pro card worked. Reset the startup disk and restarted, got a normal boot from the SCSI drive, and .. the Rage Pro card still works. Go figure! Sean Collins " This sounds like a PRAM zap may have worked as well. Keyspan USB/Serial Adapter: " I have a Yosemite 400 Mhz G3. I recently purchased the Keyspan USB Serial Adapter which creates to Din8 serial ports from your USB port. After installing version 1.5 of the Keyspan software, I noticed that the ATI Graphics Acceleration extension would not load--some kind of extension conflict there. It took me a while to figure out that this was the cause. I have left an e-mail with Keyspan and am awaiting a response on how to resolve the problem. Will advise upon obtaining results. Perhaps switching to version 1.0 of the Keyspan software solves the problem? John Fotiadis " Update: Another owner reports no problems with v1.5 of the Keyspan software: " I am running a Yosemite 350 Mhz G3 with the Keyspan serial adapter (v 1.5) and have no problem with my ATI Graphics Acceleration extension loading. [he later answered my question on IDE or SCSI system] It is the G3 with the 6 gig Ultra ATA, and I am really enjoying it. Surprisingly my old HP Deskjet 500 (a PC printer) works just fine through the Keyspan serial adaptor and old Power Print drivers. Craig Mathieson " JackHammer PCI SCSI Update!: Thanks to my friends at MacGurus , who sent word Hammerstorage has updated Jackhammer firmware for the yosemite at: http://www.hammerstorage.com/service/mac_os/JACK/PCIJACK/yosemite.html (Page was very slow morning) That page has the install procedure to apply the update. Those $139 Jackhammers I bought from Other World Computing are going to come in handy now (they sold out some time ago). Mine works well in the Yosemite after the firmware update. Miles SCSI (Bios 1.06)/Disabled RAVE: As posted yesterday in the main site news and on the Yosemite page, installing a Initio Miles PCI SCSI card (Bios version 1.06, current version) did work with a ZIP (ext.) drive but with the card installed apparently RAVE (3D acceleration) was disabled on the Rage128. Every RAVE game I tried to run failed to find a RAVE card. Tomb Raider II showed RAVE mode as disabled in setup. This happened even with no devices connected to the Miles card and after Zapping the Pram. I've written Initio for a firmware update for the Miles (reported to exist in early posts at the Yosemite page) but have not received it yet. I also notified ATI and they've contacted Apple on this issue. I found it very odd that RAVE acceleration would be disabled. [One other Miles owner said he did not have this problem but an inside source tells me this has been reported elsewhere] All SCSI cards are said to need a firmware update to allow booting from attached drives. Here are web sites for three of the major brands of Mac SCSI cards: http://www.adaptec.com (no updates as of 2/2/99 on 2940UW/2940U2W/3940UW) http://www.initio.com (see their Product advisory page (linked above) for Miles/Miles 2 updates. No firmware posted as of 2/2/99 for the Miles2 (Ultra2) and Miles cards shipped before 1/15/99 will need a $50 update they say. See their MacNotes page for details. http://www.attotech.com (Updates available for some models there now) OEM SCSI card limitations: Sean Collings sent a note to buyers of systems with Ultra 2 SCSI cards - noting that the original TIL [now revised] stated that the card had narrow and UW SCSI connectors when actually it has only the Ultra2 connector (it's an OEM version). A unique feature of Adaptec's 2940U2W (retail) Ultra2 card is the isolated UltraWide SCSI and narrow SCSI connectors which allow non-Ultra2 SCSI devices to be added to the card without affecting the operating speed of the Ultra2 SCSI devices. Other Ultra2 SCSI cards will reduce the clock speed of the card to 20MHz (UltraSCSI rate) when a non-Ultra2 device is attached to the card (Ultra2 SCSI runs at 40MHz clock speeds).

Other Yosemite/G3 Related Links: Firmware Update Feedback Page Internal Modem Issues/Tips [Updated often] Rage128 Driver Update Feedback (new) For info, specs and compatibility tips on the new Blue and White G3, see my Yosemite page. Yosemite Performance - Benchmark and Applications test results from both my own tests and reader submissions. For games performance results and tips on optimizing your new Yosemite for gaming, see my Yosemite Gaming Performance page. For information on all things G3 (tips/upgrade articles on drives and CPUs/compatiblity/troubleshooting/software updates) see the main G3-ZONE page. Jumper Block Settings - the first page to document the jumper block speed settings on the new G3s. Warning: Do not attempt this on your G3, it will void your warranty and could result in data loss or hardware failure. For reviews and tips on CPU Upgrades for other Mac models, or Graphics card, SCSI/Disk or other performance information and daily news, see the main site page at www.xlr8yourmac.com. This page will be updated with additional information in the future. If you have comments or input on the new Yosemite G3's please contact me.

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