| Virtual PC 4.0 Up to 2x Faster, Upgrades Available: |
| Last Updated: 12/5/2000, 2:35 PM |
Connectix has a press release on Virtual PC version 4 noting up to twice the performance of previous versions, better support for G4's Altivec (aka Velocity Engine), ability to use up to 512MB of RAM, expandable disk images, support for 3 button mice, and the ability to run multiple PC OS's concurrently. Downloadable upgrades are available now, the retail box version shipping date varies depending on OS version (see availability info here which also includes system and disk space requirements ). Upgrades from Virtual PC v3 are $79. If you bought VPC 3 after November 1, 2000, the upgrade is free. See www.connectix.com for more details or to buy at their online store. See below for a full copy of the complete VPC 4.0 Readme file which includes OS version compat. info and known incompatibilities.
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| (from the VPC 4.0 Update Readme file.)
"Connectix Virtual PC Version 4.0
DOS, Windows 95, 98, Me, NT, 2000, and Linux Versions for Power Macintosh Read Me
This Read Me file is divided into the following sections:
Notes Regarding Virtual PC Technical Support
Important Information
Notes Regarding USB Devices
Known Incompatibilities
How to Contact Connectix Corporation
Please Register Your Copy of Virtual PC by One of These Means:
Using Virtual PC's built-in registration mechanism
or
By visiting the Connectix web site at:
http://www.connectix.com/register/english.html
NOTES REGARDING VIRTUAL PC TECHNICAL SUPPORT
Virtual PC 4.0 works with Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows 2000, Windows NT 4.0, PC DOS 7, PC DOS 2000 and Red Hat Linux. Connectix does not actively support other OSes.
Virtual PC with Red Hat Linux Support: Connectix only provides 30 days of free installation technical support to registered users.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Virtual PC's USB functionality requires Mac OS 9.0 or later (Mac OS 9.0.4 is strongly recommended), Windows 98, Me, or 2000 and the appropriate Windows drivers for your USB device (provided by the manufacturer). Note: DOS, Windows 95, Windows NT, and Red Hat Linux 6.1 operating sytems do not have USB support.
Mac OS 8.5 and Mac OS 8.6 have a limitation of 2 GB per file. Due to this operating system restriction, Connectix recommends users upgrade to Mac OS 9.0.4 to take full advantage of Virtual PC's new expandable drive image feature.
Users who have installed their own copy of a Windows operating system and are upgrading from a previous version of Virtual PC, as well as those users who have purchased a downloaded version of Virtual PC 4.0 DOS, should install the Virtual PC Additions. For installation instructions refer to the Additions Read Me in the Extras/Additions folder located inside of the Virtual PC 4.0 Installation folder.
To optimize the performance of Virtual PC make sure that "Processor Cycling" is not selected in the Advanced Settings of the Energy Saver control panel in the Mac OS. Performance can also be substantially improved by turning off Virtual Memory in the Memory control panel of the Mac OS.
Running CDs from within Windows: For the best performance and to ensure correct functionality make sure you are running version 1.3.8 or later of the Apple CD/DVD driver extension.
To utilize Virtual PC's floppy disk image drag-and-drop capability, images dragged to the "Eject Floppy" button must be in a non-compressed, read/write format.
If your Mac OS is not capable of utilizing Apple HTML help (ie: running Mac OS 8.5), you can view the online help with your web browser. Open the file "Virtual PC Help" in the following location:
System Folder->Help->Virtual PC Help
If you would like to install your own version of a supported operating sytem, please refer to the online help provided with Virtual PC. Note: The online help contains more up-to-date information than the Virtual PC User Guide.
Novell Netware Users: Connectix recommends running the latest Novell client for Windows 95/98/Me (version 3.3 or later) or for Windows NT/2000 (version 4.8 or later) available from Novell.
Users of iBooks and "Bronze Keyboard" G3 PowerBooks: In order to use function keys with an iBook/Powerbook "Bronze" keyboard and Virtual PC:
- Users must open the Keyboard control panel and proceed to the "function
keys" button.
- Dialog for "Hot Function Keys" has an option under the "Function Key
Settings," title, wherein the user needs to check "Use F1-F12 as function
keys."
If Virtual PC is running on multiple systems on a PC network; be sure to have unique computer description and user name set in the Windows 98 Network control panel to avoid a Windows networking error message #38.
Virtual PC and Games: Virtual PC is not recommended as a gaming solution for the Mac. Virtual PC does not provide the resources many PC games require to run, such as hardware accelerated 3D video.
Apple's InputSprockets are required for joysticks to be used properly. Mac OS versions 8.6 and higher include this package; however, for your convenience, the Virtual PC Installer application will attempt to install/update InputSprockets if they are not already present on your system. Should you want to manually install, the InputSprockets installer is located in the Extras folder on the Virtual PC 4.0 CD. To install InputSprockets, open this folder and double-click on the GameSprockets 1.7.5 file. After the disk image mounts, double click on the installer. (See your Macintosh manual for more details.)
Connectix RAM Doubler users should use Ram Doubler version 8.0.1 or later.
Copying a very large graphic from Windows 98/Me/2000 may cause difficulty in pasting the graphic into a Macintosh application (and vise versa). If this occurs, save the file and use the drag and drop feature of Virtual PC to exchange between environments.
Monitor Flicker: If your monitor flickers in full screen mode, set Windows 98 to the desired screen resolution, and verify that "Adjust Mac Video Resolution" is set (in the Virtual PC video preferences). Then go to full screen mode (command-M). If your screen still flickers, open the "Monitors & Sound" control panel and choose the same resolution but a different refresh rate (Hz) (Example: it might say 800 x 600 60 Hz, try choosing 832 x 624 75 Hz.)
The login keyboard sequence for Windows NT and 2000 on short keyboards (i.e., keyboards without a Forward Delete key) and laptops is Control-Option-Shift-Delete.
Assigning D and E drives: Some versions of Windows renumber the drives attached to the IDE bus and display the drive E: as D: (if a D drive had not been already assigned). This is normal behavior.
The PC-DOS OS does not support FAT32, as a result if you have upgraded to Virtual PC 4 and a Windows OS you will be able to boot from the VPC 3 PC-DOS OS_Install image floppy, but the floppy cannot read or write from the C: drive. Connectix recommends creating a boot floppy from Windows.
To toggle between English and Japanese in Windows-J, use the "=" key on your keypad.
In the Mac OS holding the Command + Period key combination signals the Mac to cancel its current activity. Therefore the Command + Period key combination cannot be mapped in the Virtual PC preferences.
Printing problems after updating to a version of the Mac OS beyond 9.0.4: There is a known printing problem that can cause black bands to appear on the printed page. Connectix and Apple are working together to resolve this issue. Current workarounds include several options:
- Use a printer that connects to the Mac's USB port
- Print to the printer using PostScript
- Use a network printer instead of a printer directly connected to your Mac
- Do not upgrade your Mac OS beyond 9.0.4 until Connectix resolves this issue.
- Performing a "clean" install of your previous Mac OS should resolve this issue.
To accelerate performance, Virtual PC dedicates most of the Mac's processing power to the Virtual Disk Assistant when it is modifying (such as expanding) drive images, as a result performance for other Virtual PC functions may seem slower.
NOTES REGARDING USB USAGE
*Virtual PC's USB functionality is only available and supported through Microsoft Windows 98, Me, and 2000 operating systems. Mac OS 9 is required (Mac OS 9.0.4 is strongly recommended).
Installation of USB Devices through VPC: Users should consult their manuals regarding the appropriate installation procedures for USB devices, as some manufacturers recommend leaving a device unplugged for driver installation whereas others suggest plugging-in a device.
Users with 3rd-party USB mice and keyboards should not attempt to activate those devices through Virtual PC's USB setting or install drivers for them in the PC environment, as this may result in temporary loss of those devices in both environments.
Users of the Griffin Technology iMate ADB-to-USB adapter should use the latest version driver for that device.
Users installing USB devices through VPC should also verify that they have the most current drivers (PC native) for their devices. This one step can save you a lot of time and effort.
Users with USB 720k/1.44Mb Floppy Drives should not enable USB floppy drives in Virtual PC's USB setting. Enabling the drive through the Mac OS allows Virtual PC to recognize the device as an "A:" drive.
Owners of USB to Parallel adapters should check with manufacturers and verify what printers are supported.
Users of USB-based Epson brand printers should make sure that the "Epson USBPrintClass[123A]" files are not in their (active) extensions folder. If those files are in the extensions folder then the printer will not appear in the Chooser after using Virtual PC.
Users of HP Inkjet USB printers should be sure to set up the printer through Windows as a USB printer. Please refer to the online help provided with Virtual PC for more information.
KNOWN INCOMPATIBILITIES
Users of Norton Utilities 4/2000 for Windows may encounter an erroneous "FAT" error upon running the utility on their drive container the first time. Subsequent uses of Norton Utilities will not yield this error.
Virtual PC is not compatible with BeOS or Solaris at this time.
Rio or Rio compatible MP3 players may not function correctly if installed using the "auto-detect" method in the RioPort's software. To use a Rio player choose the specific Rio device from the "Options..." dialog under the "View" menu in the RioPort software.
The CH GamePad Pro (ADB-based) does not function under VPC.
Owners of the Radius Precision color display cannot use the Radius Precision Windows 98 monitor driver. Use the Standard SVGA driver instead.
Some applications may not be able to open files from a Mac shared folder. Copying the file to the Windows C: or D: drive will make them accessible.
FWB CD-ROM ToolKit 3.0/4.0 Users: Versions 3.0.x/4.0.x of FWB's CD-ROM ToolKit do not currently allow Virtual PC 4.0 to mount the ISO 9660 portion of "dual-format" Apple HFS CD-ROMs.
Intech CD-ROM SpeedToolsô users need to hold down the Option key when inserting non-Macintosh CD's.
CD Mounter Pro (Software Architects, Inc.) version 3.2.0 can't mount CD's with any version of Virtual PC. Users should upgrade to CD Mounter Plus 3.3.2 or later.
If the control panel SerialSpeed 230 (Brookline Software) is set to 230,000, Windows may not be able to detect a modem. If this occurs, set the SerialSpeed 230 control panel's port speed to 115,000.
Programs that use their own custom modem drivers instead of the built-in Windows 95/98 drivers may return a "carrier not detected" message.
Norton Utilities CrashGuard 1.0 generates an erroneous crash message when Virtual PC is launched. To correct this problem users should obtain the latest version of CrashGuard from Symantec.
Printing to PostScript Printers: When using Mac OS 8.5 or 8.5.1 and Virtual PC, you may experience crashing or freezing when printing to PostScript printers with desktop printing enabled. Updating to Mac OS 8.6 will fix this problem. Go to Apple's web site (http://www.apple.com) for the free download of Mac OS 8.6 Upgrade (8.5.x users only).
Apple LaserWriter Select 300 and Personal LaserWriter 300 printers are not fully supported. Files printed in the PC environment may not print properly on these printer models.
The Apple ImageWriter printer is not supported within Virtual PC. To print text to the ImageWriter copy the text from the PC application and paste it into a Mac text-editor.
InfoWave (GDT) PowerPrint users (prior to version 4.5.1) must set the COM1 port to the Printer or Modem Port that the PowerPrint serial to parallel converter cable is connected. Within Windows 98 select the correct Windows driver (or closest driver) for the PC printer. Select COM1 as the printer port and click on Configure Port and verify the following 57,600; Data bits: 8; Parity: none; Stop bit: 1; Flow Control: Xon/Xoff.
InfoWave's PowerPrint 4.5.1 is not compatible with Virtual PC.
Kensington's MouseWorks users should use version 5.41 or later and should follow the manufacturer's specifications for configuring their mouse or trackball. Make sure the Virtual PC Mouse preferences reflect this setting.
Currently Logitech's MouseWare version 3.51 or earlier does not allow Virtual PC to use the second mouse button or scroll wheel on Logitech mice. Virtual PC customers with Logitech scroll mice may remove the MouseWare software in order to get Virtual PC to use the scroll wheel. Future versions of MouseWare may fix this incompatibility, and you are encouraged to check the Logitech Web site periodically for updates.
Windows Media Player (version 7) and Movie Maker (included with Windows Me) have system requirements that exceed the capabilities of Virtual PC.
The Ariston iSee camera is not supported under Virtual PC.
The Business Graphics WinMark 99 test selected from WinBench 99 does not work if the Windows resolution is set to 800x600. It does however work if the resolution is set to 1024x768.
The Intel USB Microscope does not function under Virtual PC. Connectix is investigating this issue.
The Wacom PenPartner USB tablets do not function under Virtual PC. However, the Wacom Graphire USB tablets function normally if the Wacom tablet driver software is installed and the "Mouse" settings panel option "PC Cursor Tracks Mac's Mouse" is deselected.
The Merlin animated character runs slowly during the registration process for Windows Me.
HOW TO CONTACT CONNECTIX CORPORATION
Connectix Corporation
2955 Campus Drive, Suite 100
San Mateo, CA 94403
Phone:
Technical support: (970) 304-9533
Sales: (650) 571-5100 or (800) 950-5880
Fax:
(650) 571-5195
Internet:
vpcsupp@connectix.com
World Wide Web:
http://www.connectix.com
FTP:
ftp.connectix.com"
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