Odds & Ends
Odds & Ends
Update: A couple of readers queried as to whether you really need drivers for these devices, as their hubs are working fine without any drivers. I queried Greg about this, who replied: "I needed the driver for the USB PCI card. I installed it on my 8500 running 8.6. Without the driver, my computer didn't recognize any attached devices." You probably don't need drivers for the USB hub.
Mouse improved If you are one of the many who have complained about the mouse that ships with Apple's iMac and G3/BW Macs, Michael Vega points out that there has been a minor improvement: The newest mice have small dimples toward the end, near the cord, apparently designed to make it easier to position the mouse correctly in your hand.
QuickTime 4.0 preview crash Christopher Payne found that Photoshop (as well as several other applications) would occasionally crash when trying to open files. It seemed to be linked to QuickTime 4, particularly its attempt to display a Preview image in the Open dialog box. I have seen this crash as well. MacFixIt has reported related glitches before.
QuickTime deletes another extension Regarding our report last time that installing QuickTime 4.0 removes Lightworks extensions, Erik Barzeski adds: "Installing QuickTime 4.0 similarly deletes the Adrenaline Rendering Engine for Adrenaline Charts Pro."
Mandate gone MicroMat Tech Support informed Gregory Martinez that "Apple no longer keeps track of the mandate information in the new iMacs or G3s. That is why you are getting the N/A for the Manufacture Date & Hours in TechTool."
Timbuktu 5.0 Address Book glitch Installing Timbuktu Pro 5.0 went just fine for Charlie Conway - except for one thing: It removed his Personal Address Book settings. Hint: make sure you save a copy of the file before installing the update; then drag the file to the Timbuktu Pro ƒ (Charlie says this may only work if you give the old file a different name so that it does not replace the new Address Book file; then select the old renamed file from within Timbuktu).
FileMaker 3.0 printing work-around We have previously commented (a and b) on a printing problem with FileMaker 3.0 (but not 4.0). Christian Boyce found another work-around: use an older version of the LaserWriter driver (such as 8.4.1).
Digital Camera Resource Page has a review of the Ricoh RDC-5000 camera. It features a 2.3 million pixel CCD, with photos at 1800x1200. There's also a comparison of the Nikon Coolpix 950 and the Olympus C-2000Z, two 2.1 Megapixel cameras.
MacMedic 1.5 was quietly released last month. Nathan Teske found it helpful in recovering data from damaged Zip disks. However, if you need to use its "Scrub Data" feature, be aware that this may take hours to complete.
3COM settles modem lawsuit 3COM has agreed to settle a class action lawsuit over claims that it falsely advertised the performance of its 56K modems. You can get a $15 rebate if you have one of its X2 modems. The Internet News article has more details.