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c. Power Mac 8500 cannot install Mac OS 7.6?

The May 21 Info Alley (and TIL file #24012) reports on an unusual problem where Mac OS 7.6 will not install on a Power Mac 8500 (especially ones that are upgrades from a 8100 or Quadra 800), claiming that it is an "unknown system." Apple says is has to do with an "LED cable connected to your logic board may have a jumper in it..." Check the article for more details, if you appear to have this problem. d. More Info Alley reports The May 22 Info Alley describes: (1) why Apple Menu Options doesn'… Read more

Sad Macs is Number 1

I am extremely pleased to report that the third edition of Sad Macs, Bombs, and Other Disasters has made it to the top of the heap! It is the number one best-selling book on this week's Ingram's A List of Macintosh Top 50 Requested Titles. It is also the only Mac-specific book on Amazon.com's list of best-selling computer books for all platforms. Hint: Don't be left out of the crowd. If you don't have your copy yet, just click here to order one.

Epson Stylus Color woes

Several reader reports detail continuing problems with the Epson Stylus Color 800 (and 600?) printer, especially "Chooser cannot identify this printer" errors (see also previous item). Exactly what problems you get appear tovary with what Mac OS you are using. MacMall reportedly has had so many complaints with this printer that it is willing to take it back for credit and is no longer recommending it for Macintosh users.

Twin Turbo 4.0.1 Update: Quark and PointCast conflicts?

Several readers have confirmed the conflict between the recently released Twin Turbo 4.0.1 update and Quark Xpress ( as reported here previously). Additionally, John Boyle described a Twin Turbo 4.0.1 conflict with PointCast version 1.0.1: "It locks up and require a restart during updates. When I update PointCast without loading the Twin Turbo software it updates just fine."

PowerBook 150 and loose screws

Reader Albrecht reports that, when he turned on his PowerBook 150 the other day, it seemed to start up fine except that the display did not appear. Opening up the case to see what was going on, he discovered that some screws from the keyboard assembly had loosened and fallen out on to the logic board. Theses screws had apparently shorted out one of the chips on the board. He claims that, after much conversation back and forth, Apple Customer Relations in Canada eventually admitted responsibility and offered a free logic board replacement. A local dealer in his area further … Read more

TDK Global Class 2814 APB PC Card modem: software fails to recognize PC Card slot in some cases

Reader Daniel found that the TDK modem's Country Selector software did not recognize the modem in the PC card (PCMCIA) slot. Renato Parisotto similarly reports that he could not even install the TDK software because the Installer refused to recognize the PCMCIA slot. He had the same problem ("no PCMCIA slot") with the TDK 33.6 Updater.

GoMac 1.2 is out

Hot on the heels of having just released version 1.1, GoMac 1.2 is now out. This is a self-described "minor bug fix update" of the utility which provides a program bar and start menu for the Mac OS. Among other things, it fixed a potential crash on 68K machines running 7.6.1, problems with running games that require a 640x480 display, a conflict with Decor and a Shut Down bug.

Photoshop 4.0.1 is out, although you may have trouble installing it

As now also reported on several other web sites, the new Photoshop 4.0.1 update is out, but several readers (including William Harris) confirm that it is quite finicky about whether or not it will update your existing file. Most often the problem is that it will not work if the name of the Photoshop 4.0 folder has been modified in any way (although some readers report problems even with an correctly named folder). In another matter, Sung Chang writes that, after installing the 4.0.1 update: "Whenever I run a filter from the 'artistic' filters … Read more

PC Exchange 2.1.1 problem reading DOS files on a PC-formatted disk; problem confirmed by Apple

We previously described a problem with PC Exchange 2.1.1 (included with Mac OS 7.6.x) reading files from floppy disks formatted on a PC. Apple now confirms this, in TIL file 22013 as published in yesterday's Info Alley (although what they describe may represent only one case of more general problems): "This appears to be an issue with PC Exchange 2.1.1 and the way some systems format floppy disks. Floppy disks that have this problem have "FAT16 " written to their boot records; these disks are actually FAT12 directories. Apparently PC computers, … Read more

Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0.1: problems and solutions

Previously, we posted some initial reports of problems with the recently released Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0.1. Since then, several more issues have surfaced: a. Java problems (and Text Encoding Converter) Many readers are reporting problems with the Java feature of MIE 3.0.1. For example, Cary Felbab writes that "anytime I go to a page with Java in it, the program crashes when trying to start the Java applet. This did not occur in the beta version of 3.0.1." Doug DeMoss similarly writes that MIE 3.0.1 crashed every time it tried … Read more