The 6400 Zone is created to help you gain access to useful software updates and great shareware programs that add functionality to your system. It is also a one stop road map to other informative sites for answering your questions. Most of the info here is geared towards the 6400, but it is useful for all PCI Performa models and even the 6500 and all-in-one Macs based on the same. It's even useful to other MAC systems. I will be referring to my 6400/200 clocked to 220Mhz as just 6400/220, OK.

I will keep it updated as often as I can but I don't have much free time to work on it, so I suggest you check back at least once a week. That should be sufficient. If you don't see something you would like to see here or have your own software / web site that would benefit the MAC community, please write to me at TMK12v@aol.com and I will check it out.

Hot Topics:

• L2 G3 upgrade info for the 6400 -
• Apple Service Manuals-
• My 6400 Take Apart manual -
• Alternate OS's on a G3 accelerated 6400-
• ATI Rage 128 compatibility?-
• Voodoo3 compatibility?-
• Gaming on the 6400-
• OS 9 info-
• Clocking Sonnets L2 G3!-
• iTools info page-
• Current problems with my system -

Site logo contest web page: Some images that I have received so far are posted now. Judging will begin Feb 1st.

OS 9 file sharing slowing down the Finder: Larry wrote me that once he started using the new iTools he noticed the having File Sharing turned on really slowed things down. Thanks Larry.

[I posted this on the MacOS board, but I'm curious if you have seen this. If I turn start up from my OS9 partition and turn on file sharing, my 6400/Newer G3 300/1Mb slows down remarkably. Eudora opens in 54 sec vs 12 sec with file sharing off and 6 sec running from my OS 8.1 partition with FS on or off. Netscape Communicator is 76 sec vs 23 sec vs 15 sec for the same test. Apple system profiler runs 1/2 as fast. This is independent of whether I am online or not. I got into this because I thought you had to have file sharing on to mount an iDisk, but it turns out you only have to have the extension active - you don't have to have it turned on. (The iDisk is SLOOOOW, but that's another story).]

iTools info page: I just created an iTools info page for storing all the info I collect about it. I just tried iTools myself and I only tested the iDisk shortly and it did slow things down for me too. I think it has to do with how many other users are on it at the time your using it. It seems to take a long time just to mount the image on your desktop! I would recommend removing it as soon as your done to keep the rest of your system speeding along.

Bakcground noise heard through 6400/180 speakers?: Sean is hearing some interferance through his 6400's speakers and can't seem to out why. Please email him with any suggestions. Thanks.

[Dear 6400 Guru,
You run a real sweet site, really useful! My Performa 6400/180 has white noise coming from the internal and external speakers. The noise also comes out of the front headphone jack. I can turn off the noise by turning the internal speaker down and by putting a speaker wire into the back speaker out port (but only without speakers attached to the wire). Turning the system volume down does not get rid of the noise. The noise turns into a slightly higher pitch when I click on a menu button. This noise used to occur only after long cumputer usage-6 hrs, but now it'sthere right after bootup. After consulting your AWESOME take apart manual, I took off the covers and noticed the noise correlated with the green light in the 1.6 gig HD, but the noise also was steady even without HD activity. What the heck is going on? Feel free to post this. PLEASE HELP!
Sean]

User reply on Sonnets 1.4.1 Crescendo driver: Alexander wrote to let us know that the 1.4.1 driver has made his system much more stable and Cubase is even running ok now. Thanks Alexander.

[Hi,
Just thought you'd like to know that Sonnet has posted the final version of Crescendo 1.4.1 This one seems to handle audio a lot better - in particular Cubase VST 3.x, which has had some pretty severe problems with earlier versions of Crescendo (including the 1.4.1 betas). I've been following the audio discussion on your site for quite some time and just for the record, I'm currently running Cubase VST 3.5 on a PM6500 with 96 megs of RAM, MacOS 8.6, the Sonnet 300/150 w. 512k cache and Crescendo 1.4.1. This system is now solid as a rock. So the card works great with audio apps, at least on the 6500.
Regards,
Alexander]

OS 9 issue with USB cards: Jim was having some serious issues with getting a stable internet connection while running Apples USB 1.3.5 drivers. I sent him a copy of Apples older 1.3.4b version and it seems to have helped some. Thanks for the info Jim.

[Good morning Tom,
I'm running OS 9 and TT 2.5.3, TT is a download, I ordered the CD but it's not here yet. I can't do a lot with TT since you have to boot off the CD to use most of the features when running OS 9.

I loaded 1.3.4b last night, (thanks), and ran on the net for about 2 hours without any connection problem. I turned on the computer this morning and got online and the random disconnects are back. So one thing that I can say repeats itself is, it seems to happen on a cold computer.

When I loaded 1.3.4b last night I had already been online for an hour or so and everything was will warmed up, no problem. This points to a hardware problem, but it's weird that it happens because it's cold, not because it's hot. I am going to do more testing tonight after work and will let you know.

Also I've noticed that the disconnects are never in the transmission or receiving process while online. They seem to happen only while the connection is idle, of course this is probably the majority of the time online. I've check the setup and have turned of the "disconnect if idle", actually it was already off.

So the two things I've found are, it happens more on a freshly booted, (cold), computer and mainly when the connection is idle.

I saw on a couple of sites people had gone back to 1.2 and it was working with OS 9, but I'm going to stick with 1.3.4b for a little while.
Thanks again,
Jim]

Later he replied that he found a fix for him but it might not work for everyone. Thanks

[1. Clean install OS 9
2. Loaded USB 1.3.5 and tried scanner (1200 Epson USB) out ,OK
3. Tried different combinations of the 4 USB drivers till I found the only ones that the scanner really needed to function.

These two have to be ON.


• USB Device Extension ENABLED
• USB Mass Storage Support ENABLED

4. The other two USB Extensions have to be OFF


• USB Software Locator DISABLED
• USB Mass Storage Extension DISABLED]

New OpenTransport 2.6 for OS 9 owners: Apple released OT 2.6 for OS 9 users which is supposed to not only replace the OT tuner they posted last week but also fix the issues OT tuner created. OT Tuner was created to stop a "Denial of Service" attack that OS 9 can do without the users knowledge. OT tuner was a quick fix made by Apple but it created a bunch of issues for dial internet access users. Basically it would not let you change IP addresses without rebooting and since dialup services must assign an IP address on the fly it would not take and you could not get online. OT 2.6 is supposed to have fixed both problems in on

Click here to read more and click here to download the update.

I am going to try it on my 6400 and see if it will work on it also. Would be nice to get the DHCP problems fixed without having to install OS 9!

OS 8.5 really does seem to fix te sound issues with Sonnets L2 G3: Earlier I had posted info that Sonnet recommends OS 8.5 to clear sound issues you might have while using their L2 G3 cards. David writes that it did cure his sound issues with QuickTime by upgrading to OS 8.5. Thanks David.

[Tom,
Wow, it was so easy, just updated to MacOs 8.5 and now my G3-250 upgraded 6400 works great. No more Quicktime problems, no boot problems. I wonder why Sonnet doesn't show 8.5 and the minimum OS for the upgrade......
Thanks again.
David]

BeOS and a G3 accelerated 6400: Previously I had noted that I wasn't sure if the BeOS would run with a G3 Accelerated 6400 but I now have info that it does. Yann writes that he is running the BeOS with a Sonnet G3 and it seems to run fine accept for sounds! Looks like the Mac OS is not the only OS to have sound issues. Installing OS 8.5 will probably not have any affect since your not running it when the BeOS is running. Also note his use of a Voodoo3 card. Thanks Yann.

[Hi Tom,
About BeOS, i tested it on my 6400 with and without G3 upgrade. BeOS can launch with G3 upgrade (but Crescendo extension for sonnet's must load befor OS chooser to enable G3). But there is a sound issue with BeOS + G3 on a 6400. (sound is awfull and media too). Without G3 all seems OK. Note that the Voodoo 3 with Mac firmware don't allow more than 256 colors and 800*600 resolution. In fact BeOS don't seems to recognize the voodoo 3.
Yann.]

128M Dimms in a 6400?: I have noted before and many other users have also read that the 6400 is incapable or using 128M Dimms because its memory controller only recognizes up to 64M Dimms. Well Andy just sent me some info he got from a 6400 user that has 2 128M Dimms in his 6400! I emailed for more info as this would be just awsome if it is true. Thanks Andy.

[I had no problems installing the ram, I used regular 128meg dimms. I did not use EDO ram..I did not have to hack the chips to get them to fit, they went in very easily.
Good Luck]

RamDoubler 9 coming: Connectix has posted info that says RD9 will be out on Jan 17th for downloading. Click here to read more. I also read on some other news sites that they may rethink there position on SpeedDoubler and make an OS 9 version. It seems they had no idea how popular the other features of SD8 were and thought people bought it just for the original purpose which was to speed up old 68k code. I love it for its Smart Copy features and its HotKey features and would love to have those at least in OS 9.

Apple 15" multiscan monitor issues: I have not ever posted info about this issue on Apples 15" multiscan monitor that many people bought and still own for use with their 6400's. There is a major problem with these monitors that may or may not ever come about for some users. There are some cold solder joints that over time can come loose and cause the monitor to loose one of its color guns so your display colors get distorted. In the past Apple was replacing or fixing them but has since dropped support of these monitors. Some users have been able to convince Apple to fix theirs and some users have not ben as lucky. Here is a letter from Larry that states the entire issue and includes some tips on how to approach Apple. Thanks Larry.

[The Apple 15" Multiscan Monitor has a well known design/assembly defect in which the leads for the three color guns are cold-soldered. (This defect is specific to this particular model and is not characteristic of the 15" Multiscan AV or the 17" Multiscan.) Eventually one or more of these connections fails and that color disappears, giving the screen a blue or green or red tint. Apple has never had a repair extension policy for this monitor; however for about 2 years they provided free repairs through Apple Authorized service providers or directly through Apple Customer Service on a case by case basis. Late in 1999 Apple stopped providing these free repairs. They did (and may still) offer a small discount on the (discontinued) Apple 15" Multiscan AV monitor to those whose monitor has failed (not limited to the 15" Multiscan monitor.)

In general, repair of the solder joint problem will cost more than $200 and is not cost effective compared with getting a new monitor (with a new equipment warranty). You can get an inexpensive 15" or 17" PC VGA monitor and an adapter to connect to your Performa or
Mac for about the same cost as the repair. However, before you do that, be sure to check the cable connection from the monitor to the computer - a loose connection can give the same color tint problem. Since Apple has never stated an official policy on this matter, you may also wish to call Apple Customer Service (1-800-SOS-APPLE). If you don't select a menu option you will be connected to a Customer Service representative. If you politely make a good case and get a sympathetic CS rep, there is a chance they will still fix your monitor. If not, there is no limit to the number of times you can call and speak with CS rep in hopes of finding a sympathetic one. Alternatively, you can politely but firmly insist on being bumped up the ladder to a supervisor. In any case, if they will not authorize a repair, they can still register your feelings about the matter.

It should be stressed that you should not attempt to repair the monitor yourself. Monitors have lethal voltages inside the case that are retained even when the monitor has been unplugged.

Editorial comment: As an Apple Customer from the days of the Apple II+ it is distressing to see Apple put out a piece of equipment that has a design/assembly defect and not stand behind the equipment. This is not a wear and tear or bad luck component failure problem. The problem exists in the monitors from day one - the only question is how long it will take to show up. Many of these monitors are only 2 or 3 years old and the computers they were sold with will be useful for several more years. This problem and Apple's response to it have convinced me that it is lunacy to buy an all in one model as opposed to a computer with separate monitor. ]

6400 info from Apple: Stephen sent me a copy of a TIL from Apple that has a whole bunch of info for 6400 users. i suggest you read this as it might help some of your issues. Thanks Stephen.

Language translation web site: Mike sent me a link to a site that can translate just about any web sites language into any other language. I tried it on Interwares web site and it worked but I never knew they put so much soap products in their G3 cards? I guess the translation still needs some work :) Thanks Mike.

[I found a web site which will translate Japanese sites into English. I couldn't get it to work with Interware's main page, bit it would work with some of the product description pages. In all honesty, it's not too good. but I'm glad that someone's working on Japanese translators. Have a look:

http://www.tranexp.com:2000/InterTran

Mike]

Gaming Info -------------

More Voodoo3 and L2 G3 info from Tiong: Tion sent me some more info on what might be going on with the 6400/6500 and a Voodoo3/L2 G3 combo. Thanks Tiong.

[Hi Tom,

" What has happened so far: G3L2 upgraded macs with the Voodoo3 card suffer from crashes and/or freezes. Users have tried many fixes. The only one fix reported to kill this bug so far is the usage of another monitor in the on-board ati. An adaptor can be used then to replace the second (ati) monitor, and the bug still stays away.


Speeding reported that after some PRAM zapping and unplugging/replugging the 2. monitor his setup started to work without any monitor or adaptor in the ati socket, hence the name 2Speedings blessing2. It took me a while to get the urge to play this bug game again, because I had a working setup already with a adaptor in ati. The adaptor that I bought solely for this purpose is the kind of which has those dip switches on it. This type of an adaptor can fool the mac to think there1s a monitor plugged instead even through the NVPRAM zap.


So I tested, among other stupid things, these:


zap NVPRAM without an adapter > Display Preferences in Resedit says 1 monitor, bug present


zap NVPRAM with an adapter > removed the adapter > Display Preferences in Resedit says 2 monitor, bug dead


No hot swaps, of course and the NVPRAM zap from cold boot.


The Display Preferences Resedit 2scrn2 contains an item named 231142, and the first line tells you the number of displays the preferences think is appropriate. In my setup, if this is one device, I get 3D freezes. If it is 2 devices, I get no troubles.


So to kill this G3L2 bug, install a video adaptor which is capable of forcing to be recognised (= dip switches?) or another monitor. Remove the old 2Display Preferences2 file (not sure if necessary, but I did). Shut down. Start the mac and IMMEDIATELY press the cmd-opt-p-r to achieve the NVPRAM. Shut down, remove the adaptor/monitor. Start the mac, and you have a single monitor G3L2 without the V3 bug.
Good luck!


To Speeding:
This trick should not survive a NVPRAM zap without an adaptor/monitor. Speeding, have you zapped your mac from the cold boot after removing the monitor? And would you like to see what the Resedit says from your Display Preferences."


The title of this post is "Speedings blessing confirmed and explained (big talk...)" posted by miero, and the title of the thread is "A probable and a possible fix to G3L2/ati bug" posted by miero also.

I have also posted some replies to this post and I must add that the info I presented conflicts with miero's explanation and we are both unable to come up with an answer. Also, miero is unable to duplicate my "Display Preferences" using Resedit so he can't use a single monitor setup as I can. However, he is using a dual monitor setup with no problems and his second monitor is actually an adapter.

Another good news is that "williegunn" reported no problems with his V3 and Sonnet 500MHz G3 (I'm jealous!). I believe he is running a dual monitor setup and has it that way the first day he put his V3 to use.

Other notes: speeding is me! Also, if you have time, this thread is a pretty long trouble-shooting thread for L2G3 users and I think it'll be a good read for anyone with L2G3 and thinking of using a V3 or having problems with V3.

Sorry this e-mail is so very super long! ;-P
Regards,
Tiong]

Just to note that I posted a little while ago that I tried the Voodoo3 with Vimages G3 and it did not work at all! 2 monitors or not. Once the softboot was reached my computer locked up hard! The Voodoo3 ran fine without the Vimage card though but would probably be pretty useless for games without a G3 chip.

Welcome to the new Millenium! Hope you all had a good time over the holidays. I got a nice new surprise. A 350Mhz B&W G3 :) Yes I know I was waiting for a G4 but after reading that most people did not get a speed boost without optimized software and they come with OS 9 now that an older G3 was better for me. The issues I have with OS 9 are the same reason why I won't put it on my 6400. I don't have money to upgrade all my software to make it OS 9 compatible. Many utilities I own just won't work with OS 9 so I have to remain with OS 8.6 :( So I couldn't get a G4 for this reason. But I did get a 350Mhz, 128M ram, zip drive model for the same price as the low end G4 so not too bad. And I can remove the ATI card and use it in another system since its still a PCI :) All-in-all I am very happy with it and have no regrets not getting a G4.

My son also got an inexpensive digital camera made for kids! It is more PC oriented but it does use USB and came with a Mac install CD and works great on my 6400 with the ADS USB card. The pictures are kind of dark as the camera has no flash (probably an outdoor only camera?) but it does work and since it is made for kids (a lot of rubber parts) It won't hurt to let my 3 year old run around with it for fear of breaking it. I will have to post some pictures soon :)

Now the bad news :( I will be out of town next week on a business trip and will not be making an update to my web site. Also I probably won't be able to respond to any emails so please be patiant. Thanks.

My site logo contest: Well I am officially starting The 6400 Zones site logo contest. Email me your entries and I will post them on my Logo Contest page. I won't except any entries after Jan 31st so please get them in quickly. Judging will begin Feb 1st and last thru the month of Feb and I will post the winning logo in March. The prize for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places right now will be a CD of my web site (don't worry, for you winners its free). If anyone wishes to donate a prize then please let me know. The judges will be my visitors. Please don't submit any votes until Feb 1st as its not fair to anyone that hasn't sent me a logo yet.

Help with HTML: I need some help on how to make Popups in my web site? I want to add these to make my page a little smaller and still have all the same info present. If anyone can help me please write. Thanks :)

Sonnet released the final 1.4.1 Crescendo driver: Over the holiday Sonnet posted the final 1.4.1 version of their Crescendo G3 driver. As before, let me know how it runs.

Here is a letter from a Sonnet user that also says the Sonnet Clocker still works with it. Thanks. He also says that Speculative Addressing is still on? Oh well :(

[Hi Tom,
I was out of town for the holidays and did not have a chance to try the newest clocker for the Sonnet L2 card until yesterday. I tried it on the newest Crescendo extension (posted on Dec 27 and no longer a beta version). I am happy to report that the clocker now works for the 240/250 Mhz card. I put it up to 260 for the moment and want to see first how stable it is at that speed. Both Norton and Macbench give a corresponding increase in cpu/fpu performance. The new extension seems also better at preventing the boot crashes. I have not had any since I installed it, but only time will tell whether they are really gone.
The installer of the extension has now a "G3 install only" option, which I used. It still checks for the built-in ethernet extension on systems with OS 8.1. and below. Why I do not know. Also, contrary to their repeated claims, speculative addressing is still enabled.]

Sonnet user who finally got it stable: Christian writes that after trying many things he finally got a stable system. Thanks Christian.

[Hi,
You may recall I, like too many, had quite a few system (random and start up freezes) and Geoport (disconnection and freezes) issues with a Sonnet 300/512 card (with its Crescendo 1.3.7 driver) installed in a 6400 under OS 8.5.1 while everything (except the speed) was fine without the card. Thanks to information I gathered browsing your excellent site over the months and trials, I've been able to solve all those issues and have, at last, a stable and fast system. I am not sure all I describe below was really necessary but this apparently did the trick for me. I think what is related to menus, dates and sounds is really necessary.
I am still under OS 8.5.1 (and Crescendo 1.3.7) but I now have an external Diamond Supra Express 56K modem instead of the original Geoport reported by Sonnet and Apple not to be G3 compatible. This solved all modem related issues. This didn't solve the non modem related issues though as I still had random freezes (often when I played Age of Empires 1.2 but not only) and less frequent freezes upon start up. In the Extension Manager, I deactivated Apple Menu Options, Date & Time control panels and Time Synchronizer extension, this definitely helped a lot. Very importantly, I also deactivated the sound option in the Appearance manager. I also trashed Date & Time, Audio, ASLM and TSM preferences as when I had freezes and had a look at the preference list after reboot, these were preferences that had changed at the exact time when the freeze had occurred. I also zapped PRAM and rebuilt desktop, this couldn't hurt. Additionally, I stopped using Finder Pop; this otherwise excellent freeware apparently conflicted with Age of Empires 1.2 I played quite a lot and that led to some of the freezes I had experienced. All of this seems to allow a stable system on my 6400, at least for the moment. I hope this can be of some help to someone.
Thanks again for your very helpful site and Happy New Year.
Christian]

Sonnet revs 400Mhz card: Here is a letter I found on Accelerate Your Macs web site. It states that Sonnet has found a problem with their 400Mhz cards and is replacing them. If you have one I suggest you give Sonnet a call.

[Sonnet G3/400 Cards - New Revision? A reader reports there is a hardware design change in the latest Sonnet G3/400 cards.

"Mike- I'm writing in regard to one of the latest posts about a 6500 user with a Voodoo 3 card and a Sonnet 400MHz G3 upgrade...

I've been in contact with Sonnet tech support, and they've told me that they did find some issues with earlier 400's and were sending out replacement boards with some adjustments in the hardware, so perhaps the individual who sent you that report got one of the new boards.

I myself am about to purchase one of these new 400's from MacGurus (30 day money back guarantee) to test out in my 6500 with a Voodoo 3 card... I'll let you know how it goes..."]

I later found a comment from te same reader which says it did not fix the issue with his Voodoo3 card not working though :(

Strange 6500 crashes related to bad ram?: Bob wrote me with a very strange stability issues which turned out to be ram related. Thanks for the info Bob

[ Hi,
I hope you or some of your readers can help me solve this strange crash/freeze that I'm getting on my 6500/250mHz/96MB/VooDoo2/3Gig. VM is on but set low to 1Mb.
I recently reconfigured the IDE hard disk to three volumes, installed OS8.6 on the first volume, and the applications, including games such as Unreal, on the second volume. Before installing I reformatted the APS IDE drive with Apple's driver. Sometimes it works just fine; other times an app or game will not launch (I get an Error Type-1, -2, or 3); still other times the system just freezes.
I have installed the identical system on a external SCSI drive (La Cie). When I boot the 6500 from this drive, there are NO problems (the apps and games are still being run from the second volume of the internal drive). I suspect a drive or logic board problem, but I do not know what steps to take next.
Any advice will be appreciated. I a going to Macworld-SF and hope to get a bargain on a G3 accelerator, but I need to know that there isn't some expensive problem with the 6500.
Thanks,
Bob]

[Tom,
Tonite, after having a crash with the system running on the extenal drive, I decided to do some testing with TechTools Pro. I should've done that first! Turns out I have a bad 64MB RAM chip. Swapping it in and out verified that. Great. Now I have to spend money slotted for a G3 accelerator on more RAM, instead. Know any cheap sources of RAM for 6400/6500's? I think Small Dog has some. Thanks very much for you responses AND your website. It is very helpful. In fact, I'm going to fire another question at you after this message. [;-)
Bob]

DVD drive tips: I found this info on Accelerate Your Mac's web site. Might help you out if your trying to get a DVD drive to play movies on your 6400.

[Pioneer DVD ROM Driver Tips: Marlon Bishop wrote with specific tips for Ravi's problem:
"Ravi Mathur asked about problems he is having with Pioneer
DVD. I have the same setup as he does. I can get MOST dvds to work with the
exception of a rare few, "The English Patient" only plays half way through for example.

He needs to play with Software Architects (www.softarch.com)
- CD/DVD ROM Tune up. He might also try the Fantom Drives SCSI DVD driver (if his Pioneer is SCSI) located at:

http://www.fantomdrives.com/main_site/technical_support/index.html

Finally, he can also switch off his Apple UDF volume extension and use the one from Adaptec, found at:

http://www.adaptec.com/support/files/udfreaders.html

Playing with any combination of these three usually gets most DVD's to run with the Wired4DVD card. WiredInc has replied to my many help requests, advising only that Pioneer just really sucks...
Marlon Bishop "]

Patch for Apples DVD player software to run on non G4 systems: Here is a web site that has a patch for the DVD player software Apple bundles with their new G4's using MPEG2 software decoding (no DVD hardware decoder). It seems to work for people that own B&W G3's with ATI Rage128 cards so I thought it might work on a G3 accelerated 6400 with a Rage128 card? Assuming you can get the Rage128 card to work at all :)

Sound issue fixed for a non G3 upgraded 6400: Adam had some popping sounds on his 6400 running with just the stock CPU and a Emagic/Audiowerk8 PCI sound card. His fix was to revert to OS 7.6. Not sure many would want to do this but maybe you can just use the old Monitor&Sound control panel or maybe he now has an older version of QuickTime? Thanks Adam.

[Hi Tom
It's me Adam the audio guy that sent you the CD's....... Well, if you remember I had a problem with my PCI Audio Card (Emagic/Audiowerk8) there were pops and clicks coming from it during playback. I have fixed the problem it seems to have been OS 8.6 I switched to 7.6 and ahhhhhh no more nastiness.
Happy Holidays
Adam]

RamDoubler 9 due soon: Connectix posted info on the upcoming RD9 which is needed to run under OS 9. It is rumored to be a free update to RD8 users?

Gaming Info

Toy Story 2-Action game on the 6400: Duane wrote to let me know that this game is running great on his unaccelerated 6400. It only needs a good video card. Thanks Duane

[ My son received the "Toy Story 2-Action Game" for Christmas. The Macintosh requirements on the box are very hefty "G3 processor, 233 MHz or faster, 24X CD ROM, etc." I cautioned my son since we only have a 6400/200 with the stock 603e processor. I had a hunch that the game only really needed the ATI graphics accelerator in the G3 machines. Since I have an ATI Rage Pro card installed I decided to give the game a try. If the game didn't work, I would be quickly looking for a Newer Tech G3-L2 board.

Well, the game works great. The graphics are great, the response to commands is quick. I bet that any machine with an ATI graphics card installed can play it.

Now, if I could just master the jump from the vertical pipe to the horizontal pipe in the attic...]

Voodoo3 on a Vimage upgraded 6400: Well I finally got a Voodoo3 thanks to one of my readers :) My first thought was to try it on my 6400 upgraded with Vimages 320 G3 of course. I followed all the instructions to flash the ROM to Mac and I also disabled the G3 just to make sure everything was fine. Well on the 1st boot it worked great! Both the Voodoo3 and my old ATI VR card were working fine together (I have 2 monitors running). It felt somewhat faster but remember the G3 is still off. So turn it on. NOPE! Once Vimage sent its softboot signal, both monitors went black and the status LED on the ATI cards monitor actually turned RED? I didn't think this was good so I tried to turn the computer off but had to hit the shutdown button in the back. I put everything back as before and it all still works ok. So I cannot get the Voodoo3 to work on my 6400 with Vimages G3. I do have info of one person getting them to work but it is with a French version of the OS. Not Sure what the difference is but I'm not going to try that again!

Whether his works or not, I'm going to say NOT.

CVGS info page: Here is a web site that has lots of good info on Connectix's CVGS.

ATI 4.2 Universal installer posted: Not sure if I posted this before but I have been reminded that ATI has posted their 4.2 Universal installer.

My Vimage Info page on Vimage's G3 upgrade for the 6400

My Vimage Compatibility page

My Vimage User Letters page

My Vimage install reviews

My Sonnet Tech Info page on Sonnet's G3 upgrade for the 6400

Hack to make Sonnets G3's more stable

My Sonnet Compatibility page

My Sonnet User Letters page

My Sonnet install review

My Newer Tech Info page on Newer's G3 upgrade for the 6400

My Newer Compatibility page

My Newer User Letters page

My PowerLogix Info page on PowerLogix's G3 upgrade for the 6400

L2/G3 comparison page

I was wondering if anyone would be interested in purchasing a CD with my entire up-to-date site as well as my 6400 Take Apart manual plus many of the past Just Updates included? I think this would be a great idea for anyone who hasn't been able to keep up or never saw my site until recently. Also for those of you with Sherlock the CD is even better cause you can tell Sherlock to index the CD and then you can do a search on any topic and if I ever talked about it, you'll find it! I have info as far back as mid 1997. I'm asking $15 which includes shipping for US residents (not sure what the price for international shipments would be yet?) and I will even include a few surprises! To make this offer even juicier I can add some download that you've been trying to get but just couldn't for some reason. Lets put my cable modem to work :)

I found a great way to earn some money while getting great deals to you on Macintosh books and software plus they have all kinds of other books, music, and more. Please click on the amazon.com link on the top of this page whenever you feel like purchasing something to help sponsor this site. If you're unsure of what you want and wish to get a list of Mac related items, just type Macintosh in the search field on their home page and you will be presented with many choices to select.

Jeff did some digging in to the new code that displays the frames on my site with AOL ads and found a link that can be used which will not show those annoying ads. Here is the address. http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/TMK12v/home.html
Thanks Jeff, for sending this info. PS don't let AOL find out :)

Here's an even better link http://members.aol.com/zone6400 I like this one better :)

I use a Performa 6400/180 OS 8.6, Performa 6400/200 OS 8.6, B&W G3/350 OS 8.6, PowerBook G3/233 OS 9, and a PowerBook DUO 270c OS 7.5.5. All of the software updates posted here are currently running on one or the other with minimal problems. If I do encounter a problem, I will post it for all to read and respond to. If you are having any problems and would like help just email me and if I can answer it I will, or I will post it here for others to read and respond to.