Revised: Warning on HFS+--NOT!

[Revision: John Malm pointed out that this is not an HFS+ problem but a known problem with PC Exchange v2.2 under Mac OS 8.1. It arises when PC-formatted volumes larger than 1 GB haven't been formatted in the newer FAT32. In this case, SyQuest sent me a 1.5 GB cartridge that was not formatted with the newer FAT32 format. The solution is to disable PC Exchange v2.2. This still doesn't explain why my 7100 running Mac OS 8.1 with PC Exchange v2.2 enabled alllowed me to format the cartridge while my similarly-configured 9600 could not. The Apple TIL is #30423. Many thanks, John.] This morning I met my first real drawback to Apple's new HFS+ file format. I couldn't reformat a new SyQuest SyJet 1.5 MB cartridge. The cartridge came formatted for Wintels, as is the usual case, and one simply reformats it for the Mac from the dialog box that appears after inserting the cartridge. Not this time. I got an error dialog box stating that the formatted file size was larger than 32K and clicking the only button available on the box caused the cartridge to eject. I couldn't figure out a way around this. Fortunately, my 7100's hard drive has not been reformatted to HFS+ in anticipation of just this kind of problem. I moved my SyJet to the 7100, did not get the error dialog box after inserting the new cartridge and formatted it as usual. However, most people will not have the luxury of a second computer. I've written to SyQuest about this problem.

Reader Bill Condie had problems buying a copy of Mac OS 8.1. Apple rejected his his order because he sent a photocopy of the back cover of his Mac OS 8 manual instead of the actual cover. It pays to follow Apple's instructions precisely. I was lucky and got my copy during the very brief period when Claris mistakenly took phone orders without the confirming documentation. I also got another copy from the Mac OS Up to Date Program.