Mac OS 8: Two Issues Worth Noting

Along with its numerous improvements, the latest Mac operating system, Mac OS 8, also harbors the potential for two significant problems that users should be aware of:

1. A bug in the drive-formatting utility that was shipped with Mac OS 8
2. It's not supported on Power Computing machines

Instructions for avoiding these problems are outlined below.

Problem 1 - The Driver Utility Bug

The problem: Because of a previously undetected bug in the drive-formatting utility that was shipped with Mac OS 8, you are at risk for data loss if you use any of the following machines with Mac OS 8 and Drive Setup 1.3:

• Performa 54xx, 5500, 64xx, 6500, and 6360 series
• Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh
• older Macs with an internal IDE hard drive

If you're running Mac OS 8 with any of these machines, you won't immediately notice a problem. Eventually, however, a flashing "?" may appear on your screen when you try to boot your machine. This signals data corruption on your machine, and there's a possibility that you could lose all your data.

The solution: To avoid this problem altogether, update your hard drive with the latest drive-formatting utility, Drive Setup v. 1.3.1.

For a limited time, Apple is mailing free copies of Drive Setup 1.3.1 on CD-ROM to customers who have sent in their machine registration information. You may also get a copy of this utility from the UO's CC Public Domain file server, as follows:

1. Connect to CC Public Domain via your Chooser.
2. Mount the CC PD System Software volume.
3. Open the Macintosh System Software folder.
4. Then, open the folder named Drive Setup 1.3.1.
5. If you have a network connection to CC Public Domain, copy the contents of this folder to your hard drive. If not, copy the folder to a diskette.
6. Run Drive Setup 1.3.1, highlight your disk icon, and open the Functions menu.
7. Choose Update Driver and click OK when prompted.
8. Reboot your machine after quitting Drive Setup.

What about Macs with SCSI drives, or clones? If you are using a Mac with a SCSI hard drive, the driver problem won't affect you, so there's no need to install Drive Setup 1.3.1. Those who use a clone machine with an IDE hard drive, such as Power Computing or UMAX, will also be unaffected.

Problem 2 - Mac OS 8 Not Designed for Power Computing Hardware

If you're running (or thinking of running) Mac OS 8 on a Power Computing machine, you could potentially experience problems. Mac OS 8 was not designed or tested with Power Computing hardware in mind; consequently, Apple offers no support for glitches that might be related to any incompatibility between them.

If you have a Power Computing system, Microcomputer Services staff recommend that you wait until Apple releases a version of the Mac operating system that includes support for Power Computing hardware.

Questions?

If you have questions about either of these Mac OS 8 issues, you can call 346-4412 between the hours of 9 am and 5 pm, Monday through Friday, or send an email message to microhelp@oregon.uoregon.edu