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Mac OS 7.6.1 miscellany from MacInTouch

Yesterday's MacInTouch reported that "Mac OS 7.6.1 apparently supports third-party ATAPI CD-ROM drives, although it drops support for third-party SCSI CD-ROM drives."

Ric also posted a statement from Apple's David Schmitt (originally posted on comp.sys.mac.system) that helps explain the origin of the L2 cache problem - and why Apple did not detect it prior to release of Mac OS 7.6.1.

Week-End Updates

A unusually large collection of updates this week:

a. Fonts Manager 3.6.4 is now in the Download Library.

b. File Buddy 4.0.2 is now in the Download Library.

c. Sloop is a new MacOS shareware extension that "implements a unique window navigation strategy: cursor focusing. With cursor focusing, whatever window or application the mouse is over comes to the foreground without the need to click the mouse button."

d. Net Finder has been updated yet again. It's now up to 1.1.3

e. Cyberdog 2.0 is now available. It fixes a … Read more

Netscape Communicator: keyboard change to force a reload from the network

In Netscape, if you select the Reload command, you sometimes still get a copy of the page reloaded from your cache rather than from the network. To force a reload from the network, you should hold down the Option key while clicking the Reload button.

Oddly, in Netscape Communicator this has been changed. You must now hold down the Shift key when clicking Reload.

New sound volume problems with Mac OS 7.6.1

From the Mac-PCI mailing list, a reader writes: "After a system startup or restart, the sound volume is at its minimum level. The controls in the control panels and Control Strip reflect the proper volume setting, but the sound coming out of the Mac is very quiet. Using the control panels or Control Strip to change the sound volume does set the sound level correctly, but after a restart, the sound is quiet again." Others confirmed this issue.

Oddly, another reader had almost the exact opposite problem: "The same thing is happening to me (on a 7500/… Read more

MPEG miscellany

a. Alex Kac used Apple's TomeViewer utility (as far as I know, currently only available to members of Apple's developer program) to extract the ATI MPEG Accelerator file from the Mac OS 7.6.1 Installer files and install it on his Xclaim VR equipped Mac. He writes: "Guess what! It accelerates MPEG files very well - although it plays it a bit fast."

b. Speaking of MPEG, Robert Guerra spotted the mention of a new MPEG3 player on the MPEG-3 Macintosh page. It's called MacAmp. According to MacAmp's ReadMe file: "MacAmp (Macintosh … Read more

Kudos to Apple's Technical Support Online

Since the release of Mac OS 7.6.1, I have had more reason than usual to hoof it over to Apple's Technical Support Online. In particular, I have begun to use the Apple Discussion Forums. The experience was a pleasant surprise. Back in the days of eWorld, the equivalent support forums were the one feature of eWorld that no other online service could offer. They were a major reason I logged on to eWorld. When eWorld died, Apple promised that these forums would eventually be reincarnated on the web. They have finally fulfilled that promise. In addition to … Read more

Foam strips for the PowerBook 3400: a follow-up

Regarding the need for a foam strip to help hold RAM in place in a PowerBook 3400 ( as mentioned last time), Mark Garza reports additional information based on his discussions with Apple Service Provider Support and Techworks Technical Support:

"Currently some PB 3400s have a problem with their RAM cards becoming unseated. This is due to slight pressuring from the keyboard use. The initial non-commissioned Apple resolution to this problem was attaching a foam strip to the RAM card. Most vendors started to proactively make this adjustment. However, Apple deemed this measure inappropriate. Apple decided to endorse a method … Read more

Prophets of Doom

If you are in a good mood, don't read any further, unless you want to risk a change in mood. In the last couple of days, based on the listing at MacSurfer's Headline News, there has been yet another upswing in media articles with negative information about Apple. Maybe it has to do with Apple's expected announcement of a $625 million loss for the quarter. If you feel up to it, you can check out: A sour note in Apple's Rhapsody Apple's break with past began its downhill roll Stores losing taste for Apple products … Read more