• iBook (Dual USB): Removing and Replacing the Memory
• iBook (Dual USB): Removing and Replacing the AirPort Card
• iBook (Dual USB): Removing and Replacing the Keyboard

Note: All 3 of these documents show broken image links as of 9PM EST Friday night . I checked the code and found that if the image links were changed from "www0.info.apple.com/..." to "www.info.apple.com/..." the images loaded. Hopefully Apple will correct this soon.

"Mike
I updated to the latest version of carbon lib on my Mac 9600 running OS 9.1 and I found one unusual problem. After restarting I went to check my mail with Outlook Express 5.0 and I found that I could not move messages around from one folder to another. I went back to version 1.2.5 of carbon lib and restarted the computer. Bingo the problem disappeared.
Regards
Bob W."

" Got some killer iMac upgrade deals for XLR8YourMac readers ONLY!
GameWizard 8MB iMac Voodoo II VideoCard for Rev A/B iMacs - $69.95, $15 off!

NewerTech iMac G3/466Mhz with 1024K Cache Upgrade - $285.00, $10 off! Works for all iMac G3/233-266-333Mhz models and the best part is that it's plug and play! No software required and FULLY OS X compatible too!
Get both the above items in a bundle for only $325!
Have a great weekend!
Best Regards,
Larry O'Connor
Other World Computing, Inc."

The bundle is listed on the site specials page. (Supplies and pricing may vary over time. Newer Tech is no longer in business, so no more of their upgrades are being made.)

"Mike,
I've compiled a package that will 'fix' the audio issue introduced with OS X 10.0.2 and the Beige G3. The 'fix' replaces the AppleOnboardAudio 1.1 kernel extension with the version from Darwin 1.3.1. The issue with sound coming from both the internal and external speakers is not a bug, as some would think, but is a feature of the chip itself. Apple removed this feature in previous versions of the MacOS, and is now deciding to reintroduce it.

I have created two seperate packages. The first, BeigeG3AudioFix.pkg, will replace the current version of AppleOnboardAudio.kext with an older version (using either internal OR external speakers). The second, UninstallBeigeG3AudioFix.pkg, will replace the older version with the newer one (using both internal and external speakers), just incase users would like that feature back.

I have a webpage up at --- http://homepage.mac.com/buster1997/
However, all it contains right now is a link to download the .dmg file. Saturday afternoon I will create a better page.
A direct download can be found here:
homepage.mac.com/buster1997/BeigeG3AudioFix.dmg.gz
Thanks for a great site!
James Denton "

(Update: One reader noted that selecting mute in the system prefs sound panel setting solved this problem.) As with any unofficial OS X update, there are potential issues from applying non-apple patches. (I have no reason to doubt James but this is just a general comment on any unoffical patch/update to OS X.) I welcome feedback on this fix from Beige G3 owners.

I ran some tests in Quake3 1.27h and Unreal Tournament v436. The results were hard to believe. I was floored... even the wicked400 Unreal Tournament demo (a stress test ) framerates were impressive - averaging just over 27 FPS (50FPS avg in the Cityintro test) at 640x480/32bit mode (medium detail settings). Wicked400 at 1024x768/16Bit mode also averaged 27 FPS. (The 850Mhz PIII in the notebook helped, since that game is very CPU bound.)

Since the notebook used SGRAM video ram (not DDR), 32bit Quake3 at 1024x768 took a performance hit (as expected), but at 1024x768/16bit mode it ran 44FPS in Demo1 and over 60FPS at 640x480/32bit (all tests run with all options on, high geometric detail, etc.) Of course desktop PCs with fast cards do better, but this is amazing performance for a notebook.
As a FYI, it was a PIII 850mhz cpu, 256MB ram and WinME (which is usually slower than Win98 for apps, not sure about games). Even in 16-bit mode, image quality was excellent, colors were rich and DVD playback was excellent (WinDVD player). I recorded the results (min/max/avg) of all the game tests as well as the usual Photoshop 21 filter test, and was considering posting them with comparisons to my PB G4 and desktop Macs.

It's not all rosy however, as this notebook was big, heavy (7.9lbs) and had poor battery life (about 2 hours playing a DVD). It did have an impressive speaker system with subwoofer to boot - the best audio I've heard from a notebook by a mile. Onboard firewire (4 pin unpowered port however), 10/100 NIC port, combo DVD/CDRW drive, 20GB HD, 15" screen (1024x768 max, with dual monitor support). List price was $2395 he said (w/128MB ram - he had added another 128MB before the tests).

I'd still not trade my PowerBook G4 for any other notebook, but I really hope Apple uses the GeForce2GO or at least the Radeon mobility in a future portable. (Radeon mobility is not available yet however, at least in production quantity last I heard). Personally I'd be willing to trade some battery life for a faster graphics chip, although not everyone may agree with that.

BTW - I am looking at my 2 Acard RAID cards now - both have printed (stenciled/silkscreened) right on the card next to the switch:

S0 (ON) STRIPE MODE
S1 (ON) MIRROR MODE
S0/S1 (OFF) NORMAL IDE

OWC's review of the hardware raid card mentioned mirror mode, but did not test it. I've never tested mirroring mode but a reader sent a copy of an email from Sonnet Tech support that explains why mirroring is no longer listed for the card:

" Yes and no. It does support mirroring but it does it very poorly which is why we don't advertise it as a feature. The problem is that if the mirror drive dies or goes out of sync, the card doesn't have any way of reporting this back to you which makes it fairly useless as a mirror I think you can agree. Some folks report that it works better with SoftRAID since that software helps in the reporting but we still don't openly advertise it for mirroring.
--
Neal
Sonnet Customer Service "

If any readers with the hardware raid card (not the standard ATA/66 card) have ran Mirror mode with the Sonnet Tempo RAID or Acard AHARD Raid card, please let me know. Thanks.

"Hi, Mike
Just wanted to report that I have a small issue between the new Plextor 12/10/32S CD-RW burner and Toast 5.1. The problem is that Toast will not verify burned disks. It basically burns the disk without any problems, then starts verifying it and stops -- simply stops -- in the middle of verification. You cannot abort the verification process. Clicking on the blue abort button does not do anything.

Once this happens, you cannot even quit Toast. You can force quit it, and after the machine is rebooted, the disk can be ejected. This verification issue does not seem to affect the actual burning process at all -- all of the disks that I have burned using this drive (it has buffer-underrun protection) have been perfect.
This problem does not occur with Toast 4.1.2.
The Drive Firmware is 1.02. The latest.
Cheers,
Gene
(I asked for more system/OS/scsi connection details and he wrote)

The CD-RW (Plextor 12/10/32S) is connected to Adaptec 2906 SCSI card. The card is installed in a G4/400 (pre-GBit). I am running OS 9.1 on it with all the latest updates. The G4 is running the latest firmware and has 832 MB or RAM installed. The CD-RW performs admirably on the PC (I use Nero 5.5) with no problems what's so ever. As I mentioned earlier, when I use Toast 4.1.2 on the MAC, everything works very well. "

If any other Plextor 12/10/32 SCSI drive owners have seen this problem, let me know.

" But just for good measure.... I have the TPDIMM5V128s for $72.50 and the TPDIMM5VE128s for $77.50. Both lower than anywhere else on our site.

Also, if your reader paid the higher price, I will be happy to get them credit for the difference to $72.95 from $89.95.
Larry
Other World Computing"

These are listed in the Memory section of the OWC Site Specials page Check the more info links on these items there for system compatibility. For Mac models that can't take 128MB dimms, OWC has 64MB and 32MB FPM dimms for older Macs there also. (As a FYI, OWC also ships worldwide, several readers asked about this recently.)

• Bottom Line Railgun G3/400 in 7500 (rated 5)
• Metabox G3/400 in Beige G3 (rated 9)
• Newer Tech G3/500 in Beige G3 (rated 10)
• Newer Tech G3/400 in PowerTower Pro (rated 10)
• Other World Computing G3/500 in Beige G3 (rated 9)
• Sonnet G3/400 in Power Wave (rated 10)
• Sonnet G3/500 in Beige G3 (rated 9)
• XLR8 CarrierZIF MPe w/G4 450 ZIF in Daystar Genesis (rated 9)
  (updated report after moving controller cards to upper 3 PCI slots)
• B&W G3/400 OC report

You can find these full reports by searching the database selecting the indicated Mac model and upgrade card brand/type. If you've upgraded the CPU on your Mac, please post an entry in the database. Search the database for entries from most every upgradable Mac model *before* you buy. (Searchable by mac model/upgrade brand). For detailed reviews with performance tests and install tips, see the CPU Upgrades page.)

Software Updates:

• Extension Overload v5.8.1
• Apple QuickTime Streaming Server 3.0p2
  (Barney says link may be dodgy)
• Adobe eBook
• Norton AV OS X 7.0.2 Beta
• CarbonLib 1.3.1

Apple TIL Updates:
• Macintosh Manager: RAM Disks and Multiple Users Interaction
• AppleWorks 6: Opening Documents Created by Other Programs
• RAM Disk: Resizing or Deleting
• iBook (Dual USB): Removing and Replacing the AirPort Card
• iBook (Dual USB): Removing and Replacing the Keyboard
• iBook (Dual USB): Removing and Replacing the Memory
  
  OS X Related
• Mac OS X Server: About Mac OS X Server

Mac News:
(Note: Rehashing of press releases, repeated news, etc. not listed)

• Apple slices jobs in consulting arm (Cnet)
• Lawsuit Hits CD-Burning Software Maker [Roxio] Days Before Spin Off (yahoo)
• New iBook looks great, weighs in with all right features (chronicle)
• Apple No Bargain as Crunch Time Nears (the street)
• The Disaster-Free Upgrade to Mac OS X (orielly)
• The Disaster-Free Upgrade to Mac OS X -- Part 2 (orielly)
• Apple campaign to raise Irish focus (the irish times)
• ION Systems, Inc. Offers Automated PDF To OeB Solution As Part Of GalaxyLibrary.com Using Texterity's TextCafe Service (yahoo)
• Apple Store Update: Palo Alto, CA (with pictures) (theimac)
• Digital Photography: How To Get Better Shots (on magazine)
• Apple to launch Mac OS X Server 2.0 next week (the register)
• Motorola's new Scotland bombshell (macworld uk)
• Reveal Your Ideal Image (macworld)
  
  (The main news page has other news)

Humor
• ShotGun Studios PC Upgrade Guides (via 12 gauge) LOL

Gaming:
• EA predicts sales to grow with PlayStation 2 (Zdnet)
• Macsoft buys big-name games (macworld uk)
• Myst III executive producer interviewed via QuickTime (macccentral)