Warning: iMac Update may attempt to install on a G3/BW

Eric Walton reports that the Installation CD that came with the SanDisk ImageMate USB CompactFlash External Drive included a copy of Apple's "iMac Update 1.0." A client of Eric's mistakenly tried to install this on a G3/BW. According to Apple, the result should have been a message saying that the Update will not work on this machine. Instead, it actually attempted to install the Update. The result was a Mac that no longer worked.

Update As noted on a SanDisk web page (thanks, Constantin VonWentzel): "It is most likely that the iMac updates (Install Me 1st!!) are to blame. Unfortunately Apple did not communicate that the new G3 was going to be a product when SanDisk released the ImageMate. The new G3 is not an iMac and will not react well to Apple's iMac update software. You may have to restore the Mac OS 8.5 software from your original G3 CDs."

Actually, if you have a back-up copy, you should only need to replace the Mac OS ROM file.

Somehow, Apple tech support claimed that the solution was to replace the logic board - which they agreed to do. This initially led me to believe that it was the firmware updater that had been installed. This was not the case. However, in a further reply, Eric explains that they did indeed try to startup from a bootable CD or a Zip disk, so as to reinstall the Mac OS. For some reason, they were unable to get this to work. This was why Apple offered to replace the logic board as a last resort.

Bottom line: Always be careful before you run any Mac Update. Make sure it is one designed for your machine.