" You may want to check out a project I have been working on for awhile. It's almost done, and I have photos galore.
http://homepage.mac.com/michaelnunes/iCar/PhotoAlbum10.html
I have taken apart a 600 mhz iBook and re-built it into my Saab 95. It is now fully functional. I am currently using it for a mp3 jukebox and a DVD player. Sure there are cheaper solutions, but hey, none are quite as cool...
Michael N. "

"Hey Mike, I just wanted to send along a note regarding ATI cards and Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther). I try to check your site every few days, but sometimes I get so busy I can't even pop open a web page. If you ever have questions in the future similar to the ones generated by this issue, please send me an email and let me know what's going on. If I can't give you an answer right away, I can make sure it's looked into promptly.

The few lines posted to your front page from Apple's FAQ are a little misleading unfortunately. It's sort of a catch-all statement, but should not be causing alarm. The part about cards requiring a minimum firmware revision is true, but this will not affect our retail Rage 128 nor RADEON based cards nor OEM cards with the same chipsets. (Note - he's referring to the quote from Apple's Panther FAQ
"...If your video card's ROM (or firmware) is older than March 2003, Mac OS X 10.3 will not load the ROM driver during start up. Instead, it will try to load a newer software driver file if one is present...
that basically says if the ROM is older than March 2003, there needs to be a 10.3 driver for the graphics card/chipset. Even with a 10.3 driver however, there have been some issues such as with Geforce2MX/4MX cards in older macs. tips for that were noted in last week's news pages. Also a tip for the pre-Rage128 card owners with problems (nvram tweak), that many said at least enabled more than 640x480/256 color mode. See the previous week's summary for links to past tips.-Mike)
The (ATI) card models (supported by 10.3) are as follows:

• RADEON 9800 Pro
  (there should also be support for the OEM 9700 Pro card that was a BTO-only option earlier this year, since the 9800 pro uses the ATIRadeon9700 driver.-Mike)
• RADEON 9000 Pro
• RADEON 8500
• RADEON 7000
• RADEON AGP
• RADEON PCI
• Rage Orion (Rage128 chip)
• Nexus 128
• Xclaim VR 128

(Note: OS X 10.1.5 - 10.2.8 also had a RagePro driver included in the install.) The retail cards above are all supported out of the box with Panther, even if their physical firmware has not been updated. The ATIRuntimeDriver bundle in the AppleNDRV folder, mentioned on your site, provides any necessary updates to specific card models. For OEM cards, a similar bundle, ATIDriverUpdate, provides the necessary firmware support.

This follows the same model in place for all versions of Mac OS X. The ATIRuntimeDriver replaces the ATIROMXtender file from earlier OSes. These update files have always provided the latest real-time updates for product firmware. In the past it had also been noted on your site that they were optional for certain cards in certain OS versions (removing them did not prevent the usage of the card). In Panther this continues to be true for the most part (as recently reported with the RADEON 8500). However, some cards will definitely fail to work properly if these files are removed.

If any issues are reported that seem to be affected by these files, please let us know. They'll need to be investigated to determine if an update will be needed. It's better to get an update out than to have people running without these files, causing a potential reduction in functionality.
Take care
Bruno
(ATI)"

Hi Mike,
I upgraded to Panther this morning and discovered that the Pioneer DVD-RW DVR-106RD drive was not supported. I had read the comments about Panther not allowing PatchBurn software to work so was rather unhappy that there was nothing that I could do to get it to work. After searching the web I found this article which details how to change the firmware in the drive to make it look like an official Pioneer drive instead of an ACER OEM one.
I uninstalled the drive from my Mac and put it into my PC. Ran the flashing software and it appeared to have flashed correctly. The instructions do warn you about an error message half way through the flashing which you should ignore. I assume that this when they have flashed the drive into safe mode. The readme file states the following:-

Drive: PIONEER DVR-106RD (ACER OEM) (Dual format DVD+/- Burner)
Convert to Drive: Pioneer DVR-106D True Pioneer (Dual format DVD+/- Burner)
Firmware Rev.: v1.05 (a PC 1.06 firmware exists)
Patch: NONE
Date: 2003.10.17 - 18:00 GMT
Author: FLASHMAN
Release Notes:
This set of files is to transform your PIONEER DVR-106RD (ACER OEM) into a true Pioneer DVR-106D This is a 2 part operation one to force the drive into safe mode and then continue to flash the drive to Pioneer F/W 1.05 You then will have a true PIONEER DVR-106D firmware 1.05 From which you can upgrade to any firmware of your choice

Flashing Instructions:
Make sure you don't have Intel Application Accelerator installed. Then run UPGRADE.BAT You shouldn't have to downgrade if you flash from Windows

Useful Links:
http://forum.rpc1.org/ (See: DVD-R/RAM/+RW)
http://pioneerdvd.rpc1.org/
http://flashman.rpc1.org
Thanks to: >NIL:, nicw, Gradius, zaitec2, Vlad, ptodic Tubbylad & Igor...

Put the drive back into my Mac. It is now recognised as the following:-

PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-106D:
  Manufacturer:    PIONEER
  Model:    PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-106D
  Revision:    1.05
  Serial Number:    CIDL012219WL
  Drive Type:    CD-RW/DVD-RW
  Disc Burning:    Apple Supported/Shipped
  Removable Media:    Yes
  Detachable Drive:    No
  Protocol:    ATAPI
  Unit Number:    0
  Socket Type:    Internal

Whilst this is not a real solution for the problem with modifying the device support file as per PatchBurn, it does mean that owners of OEM DVR-106 drives have an opportunity to get their drives to work under Macos-X 10.3. (Patchburn 1.1 is not 10.3 compatible. The DVR-106 drive is natively supported in OS X 10.2.8 and later if the drive is reported as a DVR-106D. 10.2.6 and earlier needed modified plugin files for the 106 model. Update - in early 2004 Patchburn II for Panther was released. See Reader reports on Patchburn II for Panther.-Mike)
So far the drive has burnt from iTunes without problems.
I hope that this information helps others.
Nigel"

Update: Here's some additional info on the (PC required) reflashing of non-standard DVR-106 drives (from a drive database report) - of course still requires a PC to flash the drive since the flash utils are for the PC:

" To fix it (unsupported drive Firmware ID, this one missing the "-" between DVD RW ID) - firstly I got the firmware FAILSAFE_to_PIONEER_1.05.zip and DVRflash 1.1 from http://flashman.rpc1.org/Firmware/PIONEER/DVR-106D/ and http://flashman.rpc1.org/Firmware/PIONEER/ I replaced the two firmware files in the DVR flash package directory with the failsafe firmware files, and then ran the DVRFlash from the command line (within windows).

This put the firmware back to the original version. It gave a warning about incompatible version - but I continued anyway.

Once this process had completed - I was able to run the DVR-106D v1.07 - RPC-1 + 2xDVD-R + 12xRip.zip (from http://flashman.rpc1.org/Firmware/PIONEER/DVR-106D/ ) - it includes a simple Upgrade executable which you run from windows - this time it work fine. I put the drive back into my mac and now I get the following information - all works perfectly and iApps support :)
John C "

" Mike:
The link below will take you to my .mac account. They are looking for the iTunes Plug-In (OS X) for the Jukebox series. This is an official release from Creative for the Mac. It allows you to transfer files to your Jukebox 2, 3, and Zen units. The first Jukebox units still work, and the MuVo units all work natively as well. They can get it from the Creative site as well, but for some reason the file does not come down right unless you save the link. I am looking into this.
In the mean time they can use my .mac account. The driver works well - I did the Beta testing on it. I am also trying to get drivers for the WebCams. I have to test the drivers out yet.
Thanks,
Brian
http://homepage.mac.com/creativemail/FileSharing40.html
NOMADInstaller1.0.1.dmg "

"Hello Mike,
Just thought i'd send a report to you letting you know that since I made the upgrade to Panther the Griffin Technology Powerwave I have owned for almost a year no longer displays any of the feedback issues it has had since day one. I was told by a Griffin sales rep at Macworld NY 03 that it was a chip level issue (powerwave chip). This is really a nice box with very useful features (ie. stereo interfacing, LP recording) that have stopped me from disconnecting it from my Cube altogether despite it's major feedback issues. Who knows, maybe it was Apple instead of Griffin after all....knock on wood.
Ciao,
J. Fielder
Cube 450mhz, 120GB WD HD, 1.5 GB Ram, Geforce 3 Gpu, MCE Cube Superdrive, OSX 10.3 Panther."

I asked him about 10.3 support for his MCE superdrive (if the 2x DVD-R/DVD-RAM model) - since previous owner comments on this drive noted no native 10.3 burn support. He replied he had the first model - 1x rated (not the 2x DVD-R/DVD-RAM model) and like mine (UJ-815 1x model reviewed here in my PB G4/800 this summer), he also flashed his drive with the 2x firmware mentioned here some months back. (still working fine/fully supported in 10.3)

• Giga Designs G4/1.25GHz (at 1.33GHz) in (digital audio) G4/AGP (rated 10)
• Giga Designs G4/1GHz (at 1.2GHz) in (sawtooth) G4/AGP (rated 10)
• Other World Computing G4/800 in (sawtooth) G4/AGP (rated 10)
• Other World Computing 400MHz (assuming a G4) in Beige G3 (rated 10)
• Other Brand (fastmac) G4/500 in B&W G3 (rated 9)
• Powerlogix G3/900 (at 933MHz) in Beige G3 (rated 8)
  (noted problems with adaptec combo FW/USB card, booting from OS 9 CDs)
• Sonnet G4/1.2GHz in G4 Cube (rated 8)
  (points deducted for noisy fan he said)
• Sonnet G4/800 in 8600/300 (rated 10)
• Sonnet G4/800 in 8500/120 (rated 10)
• Sonnet Crescendo/WS G4/500 in Powerbook G3 wallstreet2 (rated 10)
  (noted sonnet working on the problem of booting from CD - but was given a tip to 'jiggle the trackpad' at boot - which although strange he said helped booting from CDs)
  (My reviews of G4 and G3 upgrades w/apps/game tests, install info, etc. are linked here. OC/CPU module articles are on the Systems page.)

(Warning - Overclocking may not be reliable and could lead to hardware failure or corrupted data.) You can find the 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.)

DVD-ROM Drives:
• IDE Liteon 165H 16x/48x in B&W G3 (OS X 10.3)
  
  CDRW Drives:
• Firewire (IDE drive in FW case) Liteon LTR-48125S (48x12x48x) used w/iMac slot-loading (OS X 10.3) (no iApps burn support)
• Firewire Que 8x4x32 used w/Dual G4 (OS X 10.3)
  (ASP reported burn support but problems seen, didn't note mechanism brand/model)
• IDE BenQ 52x24x52 in Beige G3 (OS 8.6)
  (listed under "other" brands)
• IDE Liteon LTR-52327S (52x32x52x) in Beige G3 (OS X)
• IDE Liteon LTR-52327S (52x32x52x) in Dual G4 DDR (OS X 10.3)
• IDE Liteon LTR-52327S (52x32x52x) in G4/AGP (OS X)
  (native iTunes burn support in 10.2.8 and later, 10.2.6 required modified plugin in FAQ or patchburn)
• IDE Liteon LTR-40125S (40x12x48x) in G4/AGP (OS X 10.3)
  (mentioned drive sleep/spindown problems)
• IDE Que 40x12x48x in B&W G3 (OS X 10.3)
  (said 10.3 added iapps burn support - unknown actual drive mechanism, didn't note if bootable from CD)
• IDE Sony CRX230A (52x32x52x) in Beige G3 (OS 9.1)
  (Illustrated CD drive install guide here covers G4 towers up to the Digital Audio Model, Beige G3 MT, B&W G3 and 8600/9600 Macs)
  
  Combo DVD-CDR Drives:
• IDE Sony CRX300E (48x24x48x +16x DVD-ROM) in G4/AGP (OS X)
  (using modified burn support plugin w/10.2.8)
  
  DVD-R Drives:
• IDE Matshita UJ-815A in G4 Cube (OS X)
  (remember in Cube w/1 IDE bus, set HD to slave since most UJ-815s are fixed at master setting)
• IDE Pioneer DVR-105 in single G4 DDR (OS X)
  
  DVD+R/RW + DVD-R/RW Drives:
• IDE Liteon LDW-411S in G4/AGP (OS X)
  (no itunes/idvd burn support)
• IDE Pioneer DVR-106D in Dual G4 DDR (OS X 10.3)
• IDE Pioneer DVR-106D in Dual G4 DDR (OS X)
• IDE Pioneer DVR-106D in Dual G4 (OS X)
  IDE Pioneer DVR-106D in G4/AGP (OS X 10.3)
  (noted problems w/discburner at the closing disc phase)
• IDE Sony DRU-510A in G4/AGP (OS X 10.3)
  (no itunes burn support)
  
  Hard Drives:
• IDE Fujitsu MHS2040AT 40GB in Powerbook G3 wallstreet1 (OS 9.2)
  (wallstreet illustrated HD install guide here)
• IDE Hitachi Travelstar 5K80 80GB in Powerbook G4 (OS X 10.3)
  (Reader FYI - PowerBook G4 15in. LCD illustrated Hard Drive install guide here
  Powerbook G4 12in LCD illustrated Hard Drive install guide here)
• IDE Maxtor Diamondmax plus 40GB in iMac (OS X 10.3)
• IDE Seagate ST340014A 40GB in iMac slot loading (OS X)
• IDE Seagate 160GB in (sawtooth) G4/AGP (OS X)
  (no 48bit addressing support with older G4 towers, so can't be formatted to full capacity)
  (reader FYI - Illustrated guide to adding a 2nd HD here in B&W G3 rev2 and G4 towers up to the QuickSilver models.
  IDE articles page RAID section has an illustrated guide for adding 2 more drives in the side bays.)
• IDE Toshiba MK4025GAS in iBook 2001 (OS X)
• IDE Toshiba MK6022GAX 60GB in Powerbook G3 2000 (OS X 10.3)
  (Pismo illustrated HD install guide here)

You can find full owner reports (latest shown first) by searching the database by drive/brand/interface/mac models (the latest reports are shown first in searches). For guides to installing CD/CDRW/DVD drives or Hard drives in many mac models, see the IDE Articles page. The Firewire articles page also has guides on case kits, installing drives, etc.
If you've added a IDE, SCSI, Firewire or USB hard drive, CDRW, tape drive, etc. make sure you add a report to the database. (If you post an updated entry - make sure you use the same name, etc. as you did before so I can find your past entry. Thanks.)
(Incomplete entries are deleted. Do not post questions in the database, it's for drive reports not questions on what drive to buy - for that try searching the database for reports from owners of your mac model on the drive type/brand/interface, etc. you're interested in.)

• 1 year ago today
• 2 years ago today
• 3 years ago today