PowerComputing PowerBase Fixes

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Copyright 1996, 1997 by Bill Fox. All rights reserved.

January 5, 1997 (rev. January 20, 1998)

SERVICE after December 8, 1997: PowerComputing contracted with DecisionOne to provide service on its computers. Here is a web page with instructions on how to obtain hardware and software service.

Issues --

1. Modem Access -- Running an application that uses the modem returns a message saying the modem is not connected or similar message, even though it is connected and turned on.

Solution: Use Mac OS 8, its fixed. If using Mac OS 7.6, update to MacOS 7.6.1, the problem has been fixed in this release. Otherwise, turn on the modem before start up as you would with SCSI devices. If you forget, toggle AppleTalk on then off from the Control Strip or from the Chooser.

2. IDE Hard Drive Access -- A cold startup or restarting (warm reboot) results in a diskette icon with a flashing question mark--Mac OS 7.6, 7.6.1 and 8.

Solution: Use Drive Setup v1.3.1 to install driver version 3.07. This version of Drive Setup or later will ship with Mac OS 8.1. In addition, use Apple Profiler's Device Information under the Select menu to determine if your 1.2 GB IDE hard drive has firmware v1.37 or earlier. If so, use Apple's 1.2 GB Firmware Update to v1.38. One or both of these updates should fix the flashing "?" problem.

3. CD Won't Mount -- After upgrading to MacOS 7.6.1 with Apple CD-ROM v5.3.3 or installing Apple CD-ROM extension v5.3.2, CDs will no longer mount unless they are in the CD ROM drive at start up.

Solution: Use Custom Install from the MacOS 7.6 CD to install Apple CD-ROM v5.3.1 which supports third party CD-ROM drives or reactivate the FWB CD ROM Tool Kit control panel that came with your computer. PowerComputing recommends the latter.

4. Attached SCSI Devices Won't Mount -- Self-descriptive.

Solution: If you have an internal IDE drive, use MacOS 7.6 or later or the patch from Apple if using System 7.5.3 or 7.5.5. If you have an internal SCSI drive, install the just-released SCSI Manager Update 1.2.

5. High-Pitched Speaker Noise (Whine) -- A high-pitched sound emits from auxiliary speakers attached through the sound-out port when they are turned up to an ambient level.

Solution: Call PowerComputing Technical Support (1-800-708-6227). The resolution may involve a motherboard replacement. In addition, I have an unconfirmed report that disconnecting the audio cable (the cable other than the power and ribbon cables) from the CD ROM drive stops the noise.

6. RAM Recognition Problem -- The computer does not recognize all the RAM that has been installed.

Solution: (a) Make sure that the extra RAM you have installed is an EDO 5-volt DIMM with a refresh rate of 1K or 2K--a 4K refresh rate is not recognized by "Alchemy" board Macs/Clones. (b) Make sure that the RAM DIMM installed in the first slot is single-banked and not double-banked--the first slot only recognizes single-banked RAM

7. Be OS Availablility -- PowerComputing announced in November 1996 that the Be OS would be bundled with its computers.

Solution: The Be OS was shipped by Be, Inc. to owners of PowerComputing computers who purchased a Power Computing computer on or after November 28, 1996, as Preview Release 2.0.

8. L2 Cache Disabled -- Upgrading to MacOS 7.6.1 causes the PowerBase to slow down markedly due to the L2 cache being disabled.

Solution: Download and install the extension 54xx/64xx L2 Cache Reset.

9. Slow Startup w/MacOS 7.6.1 & 54xx/64xx L2 Cache Reset extension installed -- Upgrading to MacOS 7.6.1 causes the PowerBase to slow down markedly due to the L2 cache being disabled. Installing the 54xx/64xx L2 Cache Reset extension results in slow (20+ second longer) startups, restarts and shutdowns.

Solution: First, try reselecting the internal hard drive in the Startup Disk control panel. Second, disable Virtual Memory or RAM Doubler. If those actions do not work or if you want to continue using VM or RD, then reinstall MacOS 7.6 using the clean install option, do not reinstall MacOS 7.6.1 and live with the modem issue inconvenience.

10. ~30 second Pre-Startup Delay -- Upgrading to MacOS 7.6.1 or installing Mac OS 8 causes the PowerBase to to take some 30 seconds between powering on and the usual beginning of the startup sequence during a startup (cold boot).

Solution: Install Mac OS 8.1 updater or go back to Mac OS 7.6

Additional Help --

DecisionOne

History -- In March 1996, I was happily plugging along on my 25-MHz Quadra 605. It is an excellent computer that rarely crashed, even with Netscape, but it was getting bogged down with the size of OS and application software updates.

In October 1996, I needed another computer. I wanted to get another Apple-built computer but those in my price range (Performa 6360 and 6400/180) came up far too short in price/performance. Since I have been an ardent supporter of Apple licensing the MacOS to produce as many MacClones as possible, I carefully looked at the new crop of reasonably-priced clone computers and decided that by a long shot the price/performance leader for my needs was the PowerComputing PowerBase 180. I ordered it December 22nd and it arrived December 24th--great shipping service! The extra 16 MB RAM DIMM from The Chip Merchant arrived December 26th leading to one disappointment -- the PB 180 has 3 DIMM slots and arrived with two 8 MB DIMMS rather than one 16 MB so I have no vacant slots with 32 MB of RAM.

For a little over two months now, the PB 180 has been a terrific computer. I've upgraded the operating system from System 7.5.3, rev 2.2, to MacOS 7.6 under the Mac Up-To-Date program for $9.95 and, except for the issues noted above, it has run flawlessly. Fortunately, there are simple workarounds for the issues that are promised to be fixed with the maintenance release of MacOS 7.6.1 later in March.

If you are interested, here's a running account of my dealing with the issues:

Update 1 -- 12/28/96: The problem with the modem port and AppleTalk has been solved. I simply updated System 7.5.3 Rev.2.2 to System 7.5.5. Somehow I was laboring under the misimpression that all Mac-types with the "Alchemy" motherboard, like the PB 180, couldn't run 7.5.5 and would have to wait for 7.6. I've been reading too much, I guess, as it is computers with the "Tanzania" motherboard that can't use 7.5.5. Another day and the PB 180 is cranking along perfectly and quickly.

Update 2 -- 12/31/97: WRONG! The modem/AppleTalk problem didn't go away with System 7.5.5 but this goof led me to find a workaround. Fortunately, I had my modem on continuously as I updated to 7.5.5 and checked to see if the problem was gone--it was gone but only because I had the modem on when I did a final cold restart. I also discovered that if I forgot to turn on the modem I could get it to work if I made AppleTalk active then inactive from the Control Strip module or if I did a warm restart.

Update 3 -- 1/2/97: PCC confirms the AppleTalk/modem problem and says that its working on a fix. There are three known workarounds:

1. Turn on the modem before a cold start up (best). Or if you forget...
2. Make AppleTalk active then inactive from the Control Strip module. Or...
3. Do a warm restart.

Update 4 -- 1/25/97: I asked PowerComputing about the availability of the licensed Be OS for PCC buyers and here's the good news:

"If you, or any other Power Computing customer, purchased a Power Computing computer on or after November 28, 1996, then you are eligible to receive the BeOS once it becomes available. We currently expect to begin shipping the BeOS in the spring."

Another PowerBase issue--Mark Guertin wrote me that plugging in his Gravis Mousestick II which he uses for flight simulators crashes his Powerbase 180. And, as long as it is plugged into either ADB port he can't even boot up. I haven't used this joy stick. Has anyone else had this problem or a similar problem? Here's PowerComputing's response:

"The problem is your Gravis Mouststick II. Other ADB device such as the Kensington trackball and turbomouse have also had problems with faster PCI based macs and ours as well. The problem is timing on the ADB buss during startup and possibly the driver if it has one. This is a hardware issue with your peripheral device and should be directed to the manufacturer, most offer a hardware update (for a fee) that fixes the problem."

Update 5 -- 2/8/97I received a reply Friday to my query about progress on resolving the PowerBase modem access issue from Chris Heatherly, Support Communication Coordinator for Power Computing Corporation. Here is Chris' response:

" Mr. Fox,

Perhaps I should clarify this just a little before you post. We escalated this issue to Apple after seeing similar reports on our phones, TechTalk, and other Net sites. Given the apparent volume on Alchemy machines that we were not seeing on other machines, and given similar reports on Performa 6400s, we thought Apple may be aware of this as an emerging issue. Apple's response was that they had not confirmed any issues at this time.

We, like you, would like to find a resolution to this issue. However, we have not reproduced the issue as of yet. We have not confirmed any bugs related to serial ports on Alchemy machines. However, we are _actively_ investigating this issue. Neither we, not (sic) Apple, have enough information to proceed at this time.

Both you and your readers can help us in this respect. If anyone is seeing this issue, we are very interested in knowing the manufacturer and model of modem being used. Not all modems seem to be affected. Any data you can provide will help us in our investigation.

Again, I want to assure you that we have not abandoned this issue, but are still in the data collection stage. Once we have reproduced the issue (if we can), we will escalate to the appropriate agencies and communicate our findings via Gigawatt.

Thanks for your help in discovering this issue,
Chris Heatherly
Support Communication Coordinator
Power Computing"

I am pleased to get an informative response. Personally, I think Apple doesn't have the issue because the 6400's have internal modems which are "on" at start up and the Alchemy board components/ROM were set up for this configuration. The Alchemy board developers or PCC board modifications may have overlooked external modems not being on at startup.

The issue is perfectly reproduceable on my PowerBase 180 using either an external SupraFAXmodem 288 (33.6Kbps firmware) or an external Zoom v34+ and with either System 7.5.3, 7.5.5 or 7.6. I believe this is reproduceable for others who have responded to the issue on my page. However, I have not asked for the modem type. Please help get to the bottom of this. If you will email me the fact that you are having this problem and include your modem manufacturer and model, I will pass the responses enmass to Chris.

Update 6 -- 2/17/97I sent Chris Heatherly, Support Communication Coordinator for PowerComputing, the information that I've collected this past week as requested in her letter (2/8/97). The list of modems so far that people are using while having the problem with PowerBases is: SupraFAXmodem 288, Zoom v34xPlus, U.S. Robotics 28.8 Sportster, Apple Modem 1200, Global Village Teleport Platinum Speakerphone, regular Global Village Teleport Platinum and Zoom VFX 14.4V. All responses were from PowerBase 180 users and all modems are external.

Update 7 -- 2/21/97 Chris Heatherly, PCC Support Communication Coordinator, kindly responded on Tuesday and again on Friday 2/21/97:

"Bill,

I just want you to know that we have escalated this to engineering, which will be studying the issue. I have not contacted the customers on your list yet, but may if we cannot reproduce the issue here. We are moving this to a very high priority thanks to your help!!!!

Thanks again,

-C

Reader Irv Lustig offers the following new observations on the PCC modem issue:

"1) The modem hears the commands sent to it, but when the modem sends characters back to the serial port, they are not received by the application.

2) If you turn on the modem just after the "Welcome to macintosh" message appears, but before the "MacOS screen" shows up, it still has the problem. So I don't think that the O/S or extensions have anything to do with it."

Update 8 -- 3/1/97PowerComputing PowerBase Modem Access Issue-- I received several e-mails from people with PowerBase 200's with this problem--all previous comunications were from PB 180 owners. In addition, I got several more modems: a Practical Peripherals 28.8 Minitower modem, Global Village Teleport Gold II and Bronze modems, USR Mac&Fax 14.4 modem, and a Zoom V.34 14.4k modem. No word from PowerWatch. However, I did get a good-news update from Chris Heatherly, PowerComputing's Support Communication Coordinator:

"Bill,

I have received notification from Apple that they are aware of an issue where serial devices experienced issues if they were not powered on at boot-time. This is slated for resolution in MacOS 7.6.1.

Thanks for your help,

-C"

It looks like the issue is headed for resolution in the next month or so when MacOS 7.6.1 is released. Of course, you will have to first upgrade to MacOS 7.6 at $9.95 to $99.95.

Update 9 -- 3/1/97MacFixIt (2/28) addresses an issue that I've written to PowerComputing (TechTalk) about--PowerBase IDE Hard Disk Recognition Failure at Startup. Ted covered the problem in relation to MacOS 7.6 but this problem existed before MacOS 7.6 on my PowerBase 180. The problem is especially frequent after installing new software or updates to existing software. I hoped to get a response from PowerComputing so that I could describe a workaround. The suggested workaround for MacOS 7.6 if you installed the new HD Driver, Drive Setup 1.2.2, is to reinitialize your HD and install Drive Setup 1.1 then all your software again--not a very attractive workaround to say the least. More on this later....

Update 10 -- 3/2/97PowerBase IDE Hard Disk Recognition Failure at Startup -- Update: This issue is claimed by PowerComputing to be caused by updating the driver on a PowerBase's IDE hard drive with either Drive Setup 1.2 (TechTalk) or MacOS 7.6's Drive Setup 1.2.2 (MacFixIt 2/28/97). The issue appears to be confined to a restart if one has made the mistake of installing DS 1.2 or 1.2.2. In other words, one can shut down and then startup without having the problem. I have confirmed this on my PowerBase 180 that I "mistakenly" updated to DS 1.2 then DS 1.2.2 in my 100% faith in PowerComputing's 100% Macintosh compatibility claim (Do Performas have this problem too?). This is also why the issue seemed so common after an application/init update--many require a restart. There are two workarounds:

1. Use "shutdown and startup" instead of "restart" while waiting for MacOS 7.6.1's new Drive Setup.
2. Initialize your hard drive, install Drive Setup 1.1 from PCC's original System CD, and reinstall all of your software.

Update 11 -- 3/4/97Regarding the PowerBase IDE issue on 3/2/97, reader David Young reports a similar problem with his UMAX SuperMac C600/240, Apple Vision 1710 monitor and API Xclaim card. He has to "shutdown and startup" rather than "restart" to get his video going again.

Update 12 -- 3/9/97A reader who wishes to remain anonymous pointed out that the just released Apple CD-ROM v5.3.2 axes v5.3.1's (which came with System 7.6) ability to mount CDs on third party CD-ROMs. He has a Toshiba in a PowerCenter 120.

The source is right! I have a Phillips CD-ROM drive on my PowerComputing PowerBase 180 and version 5.3.2, a later version number from that distributed with MacOS 7.6, will not mount any CD unless I start up with a CD in the drive. Switching back to v5.3.1 with a custom install restores my PowerBase's ability to mount CDs!

Here's PowerComputing's response from Chris Heatherly, Support Communication Coordinator:

"Bill,

Power has not yet seen this behavior. It will be researched and escalated to Apple OEM support. While Apple does offer more extended support in newer versions of the Apple CD-ROM extension, Apple has never intended to support all third-party drives. These changes were made to enable Apple to source from more CD-ROM drive manufacturers. While the driver may offer limited support for some drives not used by Apple currently, we have found this support to be limited in quite a few cases. For example, the ability to mount and play AudioCDs but not use the forward and backward controls. For this reason, Power Computing recommends using the CD-ROM Toolkit driver which we preinstall on all our machines. CDT offers a greater range of support and is certified to fully support all CD-ROM drives used in Power Computing machines.

Thanks Bill for the heads-up,

-C"

Update 13 -- 3/15/97PowerBase Speaker Whine Issue: Chris Heatherly, PowerComputing's Support Communication Coordinator, reports that the issue is resolved. Those with the problem should contact Technical Support by telephone (1-800-708-6227) to arrange for a fix. See my PowerComputing PowerBase page.

Confirmation from reader Rob Bryan:

"My roommate has a PB180 minitower and it too had an annoying high-pitched whine eminating from the external speakers. He called PowerComputing and a couple of days later they came out and replaced the motherboard. It stopped the whining noise and it also fixed the problem of the computer randomly thinking the amount of installed memory fell from 64mb to 32mb."

This strengthens my faith in the new and improved PowerComputing Technical Support!

My ATI 3-D Acceleration Kit arrived from PowerComputing today. It came with my PowerBase 180 but was not ready when the computer shipped (like the Be OS). The kit includes a diskette with the installer (which has been available as a download at PCC's site for some time), Apple's QuickDraw 3-D 1.5 and a CD-ROM with a game, Weekend Warrior, from Bungie to illustrate the 3-D graphics. Pretty wild! The CD also includes demos of Bungie's other games: Abuse, Marathon, Marathon II, Marathon Infinity and Pathways. All are much, much better on my PB 180 than on my PowerMac 7100/80.

Update 14 -- 3/19/97PowerComputing PowerBase RAM Recognition Issue -- As a result of my 3/15 posting from Rob Bryan, I received this note from PowerComputing:

"The Alchemy architecture has a limitation preventing it from correctly seeing EDO DIMMs with a 4K refresh rate. This is well documented in Apple's TIL and PowerSource. Another thing that could cause this is if the customer is putting the DIMM in the first RAM slot. That slot is single-banked and will only accept single-sided RAM (up to 32MB).

If you have customers with PowerBases with EDO RAM with 2K or 1K refresh rates that are correctly installed and are still seeing this issue, please forward their names and comments to me. I think this is resolved by one or the other, but I want to be sure.

Thanks,
Chris Heatherly
Support Communications Coordinator
Power Computing"

Please let me know if you have the right RAM installed correctly but still have a RAM recognition problem so that I can pass the information on to Chris. PowerComputing is doing a super job in trying to resolve issues.

Update 15 -- 3/29/97PowerComputing's support/service has vastly improved since the beginning of this year. I've made four recent calls to PCCs technical support, all were answered by knowledgeable technicians in 1 to 5 minutes. I called last Friday about the external speaker whine problem, a locally-contracted technician had a new motherboard from PCC for me by Tuesday and installed it Friday--speaker whine problem resolved. Then, against all hope my Phillips CD-ROM drive began crapping out this week. Unfortunately, there is a quality problem with the early Phillips drives included in PowerBases--PCC is sending me an upgraded replacement that I should get on Monday.

Update 16 -- 4/12/97A letter to me from Chris Heatherly, PowerComputing's Support Communication Coordinator, assures me that PCC is working with Apple to solve the L2 cache problem caused by MacOS 7.6.1 on Alchemy board Macs/clones like my PowerBase 180. Thanks, Chris! Here's PCC's web site version.

I'll update this file as other things develop.

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Copyright © 1996, 1997 by Bill Fox.
All rights reserved--no commercial use permitted without my expressed permission.

Of course . . . . . . and I am proud to be an Evangelista! . . .

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