From: The Info-Mac Moderators
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Subject: Info-Mac Digest V14 #29
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--Info-Mac-Digest
Info-Mac Digest Wed, 31 Jan 96 Volume 14 : Issue 29
Today's Topics:
[A]: How to Launch Word 5 instead of 6?
[A] Desktop picts
BackSplash II
Basically BASIC
Carrier for Zip disks?
ConfigPPP Launches Self???
Cyberdog finds ftp site with wierd tv/movie quicktime midi files
D'oh! Type 1 problems with Homer!
Excel 5.0 launches very slow in PPC 8500/120
font limitations and Quark XPress
Fonts for primary (ie ages 4-7) teaching
Hide Always
Kwik Cam on PB160?
LaserWriter 8 Patch v3.2 Contact Info Change
Looking for LAT tool 1.3.1
Mac looks for diskett drive first ???
Merging of software companies...
Out to Launch
Password when I boot my Mac
PowerMac Nubus adapter
RamDoubler/VM
RamDoubler and Pump - Again
RamDoubler Pump
Re (Q) QuickCam conflict with AppleTalk
Reformatting Internal Disk (Was: File Allocation Block Size)
Replacing IDE hard drives in Performas
Seeking Desktop Icon Alternative: Drag Thing, Tiles, etc.
Unstuffing single files of a .sit archive
Upgrade Path for IIcx
Using a Mac as a speakerphone
Word Fails to Launch
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------------------------------
Date: Wed, 31 Jan 1996 11:31:14 +0100
From: [email protected] (Raimund Lammersdorf)
Subject: [A]: How to Launch Word 5 instead of 6?
> >Ideally, what I am look for,
> >for myself and some of my colleagues, is a way to have
> >both Word 6 and Word 5.1 on the hard disk but have
> >Word 5.1 be the one that launches, if we double-click
> >on a Word document (no matter which version it was
> >created in).
> The solution is to change the creator type of Word 6 to
> something else that no other program uses.
Well, that seems awfully complicated
Why not create aliases of Word 5.1 and Word 6, put them somewhere on the
desktop and then, instead of double-clicking a word file, drag and drop it
on the appropriate alias.
BTW, I think Word 5.1 wont open Word 6 files anyway.
--
[email protected]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Jan 1996 21:50:01 -0700
From: [email protected] (Robert Zimmerman)
Subject: [A] Desktop picts
Randall York Wrote:
>I'm looking for a program that will display any given picture as the
>desktop without tiling. I have and use Desktop Textures, but want to
>display just one picture.
Try Decor, available on Info-Mac. Latest version is 3.0
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Jan 1996 20:45:21 -0600
From: [email protected] (William D. Thompson)
Subject: BackSplash II
In Info-Mac Digests V14 #26 Randall York wrote:
"I'm looking for a program that will display any given picture as the
"desktop without tiling. I use Desktop Textures, but want to display just
"one picture."
The program you're looking for is BackSplash II, written by Mike
Throckmorton, which will display any PICT format graphic as your desktop.
You can choose to have the picture cover the entire desktop, part of it,
scale the picture to fit the desktop - and, if you want, BackSplash II will
randomly select a picture from those in its folder to put on your desktop
at startup. It'll even change the picture for you at whatever time you set
(for example, after your machine is idle for x minutes).
I've been using this program for some time and couldn't live without it!
(Well, really I suppose I could, but it certainly makes life more
colorful.) BackSplash II is a ZiffWare program (ZDNet/MacUser). They're
now allowing downloading of some of their programs from their W3 page at:
http://www.zdnet.com/~macuser
I haven't checked to be sure that BackSplash II is available for download
there, but if not, e-mail me and I'll tell you how to get in touch with
Mike directly about getting a copy of it.
Decor is another program that displays pictures as your desktop, but I find
BackSplash II to be far more versatile and much nicer in its use. Decor is
archived on Info-Mac (I think), but I don't have the info on its location.
Hope this helps,
Memo
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Jan 1996 20:46:14 -0600
From: [email protected] (William D. Thompson)
Subject: Basically BASIC
In Info-Mac v14 #26, Tristan Meisters wrote:
Subject: Microsoft Basic
"... I found that I had a copy of Microsoft Basic Version 2.00 . I just
"tried to run it (I used to be able to run it on system 6.0.3 , I am now on
"a newer machine running system 7.0.1) and it crashed my system and sent my
"machine into a loop of crash restart and then crash again ... Now I would
"like to get this program running again , so I was wondering ... is there
"any chance that I might be able to get an update through Microsoft..."
Sorry, can't help you on Microsoft BASIC, but have you checked out Chipmunk
BASIC?
[Archived as /info-mac/dev/chipmunk-basic-328.hqx; 254K]
Maybe you can try this freeware version of BASIC instead of trying to
resurrect an out-of-date version of Microsoft BASIC. After all, they're
both basically BASIC. Chipmunk BASIC runs just fine under System 7.5.1, so
I don't think you'll have any problems with it. It's even accelerated for
PowerMacs. And at only 254K, it'll cost you very little in download time
to have a brand new, up-to-date BASIC interpreter instead of a patched-up
version of BASIC from (yuck!) Microsoft.
Memo
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 31 Jan 1996 18:23:44 -0600
From: Paddy Atherton
Subject: Carrier for Zip disks?
This isn't exactly what Paul Brians was asking for, but he and others might=
=
find it handy.
Acco makes a 4-diskette padded nylon carrier (50505-52772). The inside =
pockets hold two Zips comfortably, and the outside pockets can still hold =
two floppies.
This is far safer than the ultrafragile plastic boxes the Zips are packaged=
in.
Well, Paul, you could buy three of 'em=8A
Paddy Atherton
Frostbite Falls, MN
>I've been looking without success for a pouch or other sturdy protective
>carrier in which to transport five of six Zip disks. Ones made for floppie=
s
>are just a little too narrow. Iomega makes carriers for the drive plus =
>some disks, but I don't need to transport the drive, just the disks. =
>Anybody found anything that works?
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 31 Jan 1996 19:37:13 +0000
From: [email protected] (Juan L. Palmes)
Subject: ConfigPPP Launches Self???
Date: 29 Jan 1996 08:45:04 -0500
From: [email protected] (George Boccanfuso)
Subject: ConfigPPP Launches Self???
>Hi
>
>Could someone help me figure out why ConfigPPP launches itself every couple of
>days? I leave my computer on for fax purposes. I now have the terminal session
>window come so it doesnot connect with the script. What sould I do besides
>turning the computer off. I would like to leave the script on so my not so
>computer
>literal family members have easy access to the NET.
>
>Thanks
>George Boccanfuso
It sounds like an e-mail aplication is attempting check mail in a
predeterminate lapse of time.
i.e., in Eudora settings, in Checking Mail, you can set an automatic: check
for mail every ... minutes.
Of course Eudora must be running, but perhaps another software with an init
...
Un saludo,
Juan Luis Palmes
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 31 Jan 1996 10:50:02 +0000
From: Paul Sheldon
Subject: Cyberdog finds ftp site with wierd tv/movie quicktime midi files
Has Apple Computer been fooling with Apple Records? Are the
Beatles coming back? Is Felix Leiter and Colonel Tanner involved with
this site?
The midi files will open with simpletext or QTVRPlayer on my 8500
with 7.5.2, but they won't sound as nice. You won't hear the gunshots,
for example and the sounds aren't as rich as the movie sound tracks do
in my Studio Vision Pro and all with Apple Midi Instruments.
Check out Bond.midi in a high end midi player, it even has the
gunshots of the movie opener!
The applause voice is stereo panned to get a ricochet effect! I guess
simpletext just can't figure that out. But, who the "naughtyword" did?
You can download tv/movie midi from :
http://www.synapse.net:80/ftp/contrib/m ... v%26movie/
If you ask me, dispite the Dallas Morning News, Apple is "shaken
not stirred".
Wow! Take heart Michael Spindler, Apple Computer CEO!
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Jan 1996 23:39:14 -0800
From: [email protected] (Paul Mullen)
Subject: D'oh! Type 1 problems with Homer!
Attached is a copy of an email I sent to Homer's author several
months ago, which went without reply (Do programmers have lives, too?
). It best describes my predicament with this wonderful IRC app. Apologies
for the bandwidth...
> Well, I sure hope you can help me with this one. To be brief,
>Homer won't run on my Mac (Perf. 630CD) anymore. I'll try to describe the
>problems I've been experiencing and solutions I've attempted as orderly as
>possible.
> Many months ago when I first heard of and downloaded Homer, the
>few times I used it things went flawlessly (or as flawlessly as I've come
>to expect a TCP app to run!). Since then I have moved, and am with an
>entirely different Internet service provider. Going through my TCP apps (a
>little like Christmas, since I had been without Net access for too long!),
>I found Homer. Being the archetypal college student, I couldn't resist the
>urge to chat instead of doing homework.
>
> The following is what I experienced:
> 1. After starting Homer, it goes through the elaborate
>splash-screen routine, and eventually connects to a server (my ISP is
>overloaded).
> 2. When I choose the "Join a channel" option, Homer crashes
>entirely, and I get the message "Application 'unknown' has quit
>unexpectedly due to an error of type 1."
> 3. On many occasions I have tried to restart Homer. Sometimes it
>crashes even before the splash-screen, and it never gets past my trying to
>join a channel.
> 4. After a few successive crashes, weird things begin to happen in
>the Finder. My mouse pointer turns into a crazy-colored square; the Finder
>freezes when I try to start other apps; it even screws up the shut-down
>process.
> 5. Oddly enough, I have been able to get up and running twice.
>Both times I had shut off several of the new extensions that I've added
>since Homer last ran properly. Alas, I could not get these "solutions" to
>work repeatedly. The next time I would try I'd be back to square one.
>
> Here's what I've tried so far:
> 1. I tried to think of what has changed since Homer worked last.
> *I've changed ISPs (new settings in my ConfigPPP and
> MacTCP control panels, naturally)
> *I added RamDoubler and Conflict Catcher III (RamDoubler
> uses an extension, CC3 uses both an extension and a
> control panel)
> *I installed Now Contact and Up-To-Date with their respective
> control panels QuickContact and Reminder
> *I installed the shareware-app "HoverBar" which comes with an
> extension called "TSM Fix 1.03"
> *I began using At Ease, which utilizes the At Ease Startup
> extension, which I previously had disabled.
> 2. Apparently, though, these new additions (or any start-up file)
>were not the problem. I disabled _everything_ but the following, ran Homer
>without any other apps in the background, and still had the problem. These
>were the start-up files I figured were mandatory for a successful
>connection.
> * Extension Manager and its extension, "EM extension"
> * Config PPP control panel
> * MacTCP control panel
> * Teleport control panel (for my GV Platinum)
> * GV Toolbox extension
> * MacTCP Token Ring extension
> * PPP extension
> 3. Still, the problem persisted. (BTW, I have tried throwing out
>Homer Prefs... didn't help.) Next I downloaded a fresh copy of Homer 0.94,
>and threw out any old Homer-related files except for the Homer Manual.
>This didn't help either!
> 4. I threw out my PPP and TCP files and their relatives and
>reinstalled "clean" copies... no dice. Zapped my P-RAM, rebuilt the
>desktop... nothing. I even gave Homer a RAM increase from 1300k to
>1800k... sorry, try again.
>
> Well, I'm at my wits end. I can only think of one possibility.
>Perhaps there is something different about the settings in MacTCP with my
>new ISP than with the old. I sure hope you can help. I can't face another
>two years of computer science classes without IRC. Thanks a lot,
>especially if you've read this far!
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 31 Jan 96 13:28:34 -0500
From: [email protected]
Subject: Excel 5.0 launches very slow in PPC 8500/120
Greetings all. In addition to our woes on the new 8500,
my coworker complains that Excel 5.0 takes a long time
(35 sec) to launch, it launches much faster on his old
6100/60. He just dragged the files from his old HD
over (to reinstall is a bunch of floppies!) and we
are wondering if anyone has any suggestions as to what
may be causing the problem. After we double click on
the Excel icon, nothing happens for about 25 sec, after
which the application launches. We just want to avoid
doing a reinstall if possible.
Thanks.
Romulo Romero
Bayer Pharmaceutical Division
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 31 Jan 1996 14:12:55 -0400
From: [email protected] (Bailey Ford)
Subject: font limitations and Quark XPress
Dear Info-Macers,
I have been strugling with a strange two-fold font problem:
Using Quark XPress, any non-apple font (fonts that didn't come with the
system software or the Apple Font Pack) refuse to work after a restart. I
can boot the machine and install new fonts (either TT or PS) by dropping
them on the system folder (and allowing them to be placed in the font
folder). After installation, I can boot up Quark and the fonts look great
on-screen and on paper. After a restart, they are no longer accessible by
Quark, but all other programs can use them flawlessly.
The second fold of this is that I just installed Now Utils, Now Contact,
and Now Up-to-Date. I had been running Suitcase to handle my font load, but
it doesn't seem to like to run with the new additions to my system folder.
I would really love some utility that would let me break the 128 fonts
barrier without using Suitcase.
Thanks in advance for any help or sugestions,
Bailey Ford
[email protected]
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 31 Jan 96 19:25:18
From: Andrew Morley
Subject: Fonts for primary (ie ages 4-7) teaching
My girlfriend often prepares worksheets for her teaching handwriting
to children aged around five. Where the child is expected to copy the
letter it is clearly unacceptable to use most fonts as they use the
printer's "a" and sometimes also "g" (eg in Palatino). Monaco is the
best one we've found so far but even that has problems. For example
she would like the "t" to be a simple cross and "l" to not have a curl
at the top and bottom. Already some of the kids in her care are
starting to write with some of the distinctive eccentricities of
Monaco [wouldn't it have been cool if she'd used Chicago
anyone have any suggestions?
Thanks. Email would be appreciated and I'll summarise if there is
sufficient interest (also my news feed has been a bit sad recently!).
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Jan 1996 20:46:01 -0600
From: [email protected] (William D. Thompson)
Subject: Hide Always
In Info-Mac V14 #26, Jack Countryman wrote:
From: Jack Countryman Subject: Hide Always location?
"In response to a recent query, someone (I don't recall who...sorry!)
"suggested a control panel called "Hide Always" which I have been unable to
"find on Info Mac or any of the other servers I have access to. Does anyone
"know where to find this, who the author is, etc.? Thanks in advance."
Hide Always is a control panel written by Mike Throckmorton. I believe
it's ZiffWare available from MacUser. They allow downloading of some of
their programs from their W3 page at:
http://www.zdnet.com/~macuser
I haven't checked to see that Hide Always is available there, but if you
can't find it, e-mail me and I'll either send you the file as an attachment
or let you know how to contact Mike directly about getting a copy of it.
Saludos de Mexico,
Memo
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Jan 1996 21:04:27 -0600
From: "Rick Tait"
Subject: Kwik Cam on PB160?
I've got a Powerbook 160 with 14MB physical RAM and I am thinking about
getting a Kwik Cam so I can try out stuff like CuSeeme, digitise things -
stuff like that.
Anyway, I was wondering what port the Kwik Cam plugs into, what sort of
performance I can expect out of a 25Mhz 68030 - any other issues people can
think of when using a Kwik Cam on a lower-end machine.
Thanks in advance,
/rickt
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 31 Jan 1996 11:23:14 -0500
From: [email protected] (Neil Mickelson)
Subject: LaserWriter 8 Patch v3.2 Contact Info Change
Howdy all!!
Just wanted to let you know that the e-mail address for the author of the
LaserWriter 8 Patch v3.2 (i.e. ME) has changed. My new address is:
[email protected]
I will release a new version, v3.2a, of the patch in the coming weeks, once
I move to my new apartment in Los Angeles, CA, and have a phone number.
Thanks to everyone who has sent me e-mail about the patch!! I'm glad it's so
useful!!!
Neil Mickelson
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 31 Jan 96 13:25:14 -0500
From: [email protected]
Subject: Looking for LAT tool 1.3.1
Greetings. I am experiencing problems
running VersatermPro in a PPC 8500/120
using system 7.5.2. Versaterm tech support and I
have agreed that the problem is the LAT Tool.
I need at lest version 1.3.1 or later(?).
However, it is only available from DEC.
I have tried to call DEC, but no one yet
has been able to help get this product.
Do any of you know if it publicaly available
and if so from where?
Any help is appreciated.
Romulo Romero
Bayer Pharmaceutical Division
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 31 Jan 1996 11:29:53 +0100
From: [email protected] (Magnus Hoek)
Subject: Mac looks for diskett drive first ???
Hello there,
I would like to share with you a small story about my problems to start up
my PB180. If you have any comments or suggestions I would be most
grateful...
For a couple of days ago I got problems with my 120MB internal HD of my
PB180. Sometimes when I start up, the system could'nt find my internal
drive (I have my system on an external disk). OK, time to reformat and
initialize my internal, I thought. I used Silverlining for that. After
reformatting, I then shut down and started up again. However, to my horror
I got a "Sad Mac Icon" with some cryptical error message 000000F and
000000A (I think). If I understood things correctly, if it was a software
error I should get a blinking icon with a diskett and question mark. I.e.
insert a diskett with the system but I only got the "sad Mac". Therefore
the conclusion was that it must be a hardware error (EXPENSIVE !!!). I
tried to put in start up diskettes (with system) and connected 2(!)
external HDs (both with system) but I only got that fu... sad Mac icon.
Now, as I've learnt, the Mac first looks for a system on a diskett and if
it can't find any system on the diskett it looks for a system on the drive
with the highest SCSI address. In my most extreme case, I had a system on a
diskett, I had a system on SCSI 3 and a system on SCSI 2 and a formatted
and initialised drive on SCSI 0 (internal HD). Nothing worked...
I then asked a friend of mine (Mac Guru #1) and asked him. He suggested me
to remove my internal and try again. I did it and now it worked !!!! I
could start up from a floppy or from an external drive as it should. So now
I'm running my PB180 without any internal and everything works as usual.
WHY ???
He also suggested I should try to completely destroy all data (drivers and
so on...) on my internal with a big magnet. I've done that now and will
install my internal this evening to see if I can start up. This will be
very interesting...
Ciaooo
Magnus Hoek
WWW (Office hours): http://macmbh.aug.ipp-garching.mpg.de
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 31 Jan 1996 13:41:33 +1100
From: [email protected] (Bill Stanford)
Subject: Merging of software companies...
In Info-Mac Digest V14 #26, "Alun J. Carr" wrote (in
the context of Adobe's killing of Intellidraw):
>The user obviously
>benefits from the continued merging of software companies (roll on the day
>when we have MicroNovellSymanAdobeSoft, or some other monster).
Alun! isn't it so. And in the area of disk diagnostics it's frightening.
So many of the smaller independent companies who made these vital tools are
gone; and we're awaiting the day when Symantec comes to bury Norton
Utilities, and resuscitate their own not-really breathtaking set from the
'80's. Ladies and Gentlemen, let's hear it for the winner of the disk
wars, Symantec Utilities for Windows (and Macintosh)--was Disk Tools from
Central Point, was Norton, was Symantec Utilities for Macintosh, was...
Let's just hope Code Warrior keeps on standing alone out there....
development tools are even more important...
[ flame off ;-]
--Bill Stanford
-------------------
[email protected]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Jan 1996 20:46:42 -0600
From: [email protected] (William D. Thompson)
Subject: Out to Launch
In Info-Mac v14 #26, Mike Blackwell wrote:
"Subject: Seeking Desktop Icon Alternative: Drag Thing, Tiles, etc.
"I recently posted regarding my problem with desktop icons rearranging
"after my external monitor is detached. I've decided that, since the main
"reason I have those icons there is so I can drag-and-drop downloaded
"things onto various decoders, unstuffers, openers, etc., a simple
"icon-bar/tile program/palette thing/whatever would be an easier solution.
""
"I've never used one of these before, however, and I know there are about 8
"billion different kinds out there, some commercial, some shareware or
"freeware. ... I'd like to have a little palette at the bottom of the
"Finder, which will stay there all the time unless I specifically move or
"close it. I'd only need the icons at the Finder level: I _don't_ want a
"floating palette hovering over all of my applications. Is there a quick
"way to figure out which program (shareware/freeware preferred) is best for
"my needs?"
A recent article in MacWorld (Jan., '96, p. 139) reviewed 10 out of those 8
billion launcher programs you mention, including The Tilery (it used to be
known as Aplicon), Malph, HoverBar, DragThing, VersaTile, etc., etc. All
of them are available for download at:
http://www.macworld.com
and some of them are probably available on Info-Mac as well, but I don't
have the specific Info-Mac information on them.
I took a look at least 4 of those mentioned above and, for the moment,
settled on giving VersaTile Pro a further try-out. Its palettes can be
brought to the front by moving to a hot spot that you define; otherwise,
they're not always globally floating over everything else. You can define
a master palette of palettes to use for displaying your individual palettes
when and as you want. And you can make up a separate palette for those
applications you use primarily for drag'n'drop use. (Those are the things
you said were important to you.)
I've not yet seen any real problems from using it for just a short trial
period, but a couple of minor gripes I have about it: 1) it seems a bit
slow in switching from one process to another, 2) its memory footprint
(400K) is a bit larger than I'd like, 3) its pop-up menus don't always seem
to work, and 4) it always leaves its dirty laundry in the trash, so on
re-boot the Trash is always full (whooaaa! I said *a couple* of minor
gripes, didn't I?). But I suppose those are simply part of the price one
has to pay for (as its name says) all that VersaTile-ity.
Hope this helps,
Memo
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 31 Jan 1996 08:51:10 +0100
From: [email protected] (Francisco Lopez Sanchez)
Subject: Password when I boot my Mac
I need a freeware program that ask me a password when I boot my Mac. Thank
you very much for your help.
e-mail:[email protected]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Jan 1996 21:31:16 -0600 (CST)
From: Lanny Chambers
Subject: PowerMac Nubus adapter
>Can anyone tell me of any stores of any kind that still have Apple PowerMac
>Nubus adapter cards in stock?
Assuming you mean one for a 6100, I went through this last summer. I
called around 50 (!) mailorder outlets, and no one had seen one in
months, nor did they know when/if Apple would send any more to fill all
their backorders (anyone still wonder why Apple is in trouble?). I posted
for weeks in the usual Mac FS newsgroups--nil. I finally found one
locally, gathering dust in a Computer City. CompCity stores in my area
haven't been Mac dealers for years, although they still sell Performas; I
assume my adapter was from their original stocking in March 1994.
So anyway...call around to the discount stores, ones that aren't normally
known as Mac retailers. One of them just might have the part in the back
room. Call stores in small towns. Post an ad in your user group
newsletter. But don't buy a 610 adapter, it won't fit.
- Lanny
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Jan 1996 20:45:41 -0600
From: [email protected] (William D. Thompson)
Subject: RamDoubler/VM
In Info-Mac V14 #26, Mike Blackwell wrote:
"Subject: "Do "MaxRAM" and "Pump" Use Physical RAM, or Virtual Memory? "
""I have RAM Doubler 1.6.1, and was about to download either MaxRAM 1.6 or
""Pump 1.6.1, when it occurred to me that if either of these utilities
""increase the drain on the hard drive (i.e., by concentrating on virtual
""memory instead of working within physical RAM only), it might not be
""worth the effort. When RAM Doubler uses virtual memory, things slow w-a-y
""down, to the point where it's hardly worth the memory gain. If MaxRAM or
""Pump would only worsen that effect, let me know."
MaxRam and/or RamDoubler Pump both work within the basic scheme of
RamDoubler itself. They have to, no?, because what they do is to modify
RamDoubler's multiplier and RamDoubler is at least in part, as you
indicated, a form of Virtual Memory. But it's a very 'smart' virtual
memory that RamDoubler invokes. Take a peek at the file VM Storage using
Find Pro or something similar; VM Storage is an invisible file that
RamDoubler creates to store files on disk as it needs to. VM Storage
increases dynamically as you load more and more into your pumped-up 'RAM'.
If you're experiencing a slowdown with RamDoubler, you may well get even
more of a slowdown with 'RAM' increased by MaxRam or Pump. But take a look
too at Info-Mac Digest 13 #170; in a note in that issue I wrote that as
you load more and more into 'RAM' the front-most process still showed no
signs of slowdown as measured by benchmarks even when using Ram Doubler
Pump and increasing 'RAM' by a factor of eight.
No doubt 'real' RAM is far preferable, especially if you're working with
graphics, but then again, 'real' RAM costs real money, eh?
Memo
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Jan 1996 23:09:39 -0600
From: [email protected] (William D. Thompson)
Subject: RamDoubler and Pump - Again
In Info-Mac v14 #27, Paul Thompson wrote:
"Subject: Pump My Ram!"
"I've just a mystifying and quite wonderful experience: I loaded up 37 megs
"worth of programs, opened them all, had lots of them running and had my
"CDrom playing the audio tracks in the background nary missing a beat."
"All this on an 8 meg LC475 Mac with RamDoubler 161 and PLUS Pump 161 ...
"Pump, in the words of its anonymous programmer, is an "ugly hackling" that
"allows you to multiply your logical ram by 2,4,8, & 16 times. I chose 8x
"and that gives me the equivalent of 67 megs which I think should do for a
"while
"... to me it's sheer magic."
Yeah, and ain't it wonderful??? As Sister Mary Margaret Peter Norton is
supposed to have said on her Cyber Nun Web page: 'RamDoubler: Now THAT'S a
miracle'. And with Pump, you get sixteen times as much miracle for your
money.
So as not to risk beating a dead horse (again and again and again), let me
invite you to take a look back at Info-Mac Digests v13 #170 (RAM Cram or
RAM Cramp?) and the postings of the last several numbers. Also have a peek
for yourself at the VM Storage file as pointed out in those notes. If you
don't have those notes, I'd be happy to dig them out and e-mail them to
you.
Saludos de Mexico,
Memo
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Jan 1996 20:46:27 -0600
From: [email protected] (William D. Thompson)
Subject: RamDoubler Pump
In Info-Mac v14 #26, Tristan Meisters wrote:
"Subject: RAMDoubler to RAM Tripler"
"A while back there was a thread about using patches for RAMDoubler to
"increase RAM from two times to threes times ... someone mentioned a way of
"using ResEdit to edit RAMDoubler such that you could change the amount of
"multiplication from 2 to 3 or 5 or so on . Well I saved the posting
"somewhere but can not find it now that I need it . So I was wondering if
"someone would mind telling me how to go about this business of editing RAM
"doubler with ResEdit . Thanks for any help that you could lend ."
Yes, it was me (or is 'it was I' more correct?) who wrote about increasing
RamDoubler to a RAM tripler from that note in MacUser, July, '94 about
using ResEdit to change it to a RAM tripler.
Here's the text of that tip (and I can only hope it's not a violation of
some copyright law to reproduce this here, but if it is, well, what the
hey; it's all in the interest of disseminating information and to you guys
at MacUser - just think of it as free advertising for your great Tips
column):
>From MacUser / July 1994 / page 146 / TIPS/Utilities:
BEGIN
You can triple your RAM by using ResEdit to doctor Connectix's RAM Doubler.
Make a backup of your RAM Doubler installation disk. Insert the backup
disk, and open the RAM Doubler extension from that disk, using ResEdit.
Open the resource called prefs, and find the RAM Multiplier field, which
contains a number consisting of 0s and the number 2. If you change the 2 to
3, close the window, save your change, and then run the installer again,
you'll find that your RAM has tripled!
This works best if you have lots of RAM and use small applicatons. Tripling
RAM may degrade performance if you use software, such as image-processing
apps, that requires big chunks of RAM.
END
But RamDoubler Pump gives you more flexibility in doctoring RamDoubler,
with the option of increasing RAM by a factor that's any multiple of two up
to sixteen (see also Info-Mac Digests v13 #170).
Buena suerte y saludos de MeHeeCoh,
Memo
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 31 Jan 1996 15:30:22 -0600 (CST)
From: Richard Bram
Subject: Re (Q) QuickCam conflict with AppleTalk
I don't know about the QuickCam, but your problem sounds very similar
to my situation with paperport. It goes into the printer port of my
9500 and I have apple talk set to use ethernet. If apple talk gets
turned off for any reason (such as restarting with the shift key down)
then I cannot restart appletalk to print. I have to remove the paperport
extension and reboot, then start appletalk and replace the paperport
extension and reboot again. Can you try that sequence with the
Quickcam extension (if there is one.)
------------------------------
Date: 1 Feb 1996 01:56:32 GMT
From: [email protected] (Shih-Tung Ngiam)
Subject: Reformatting Internal Disk (Was: File Allocation Block Size)
> However, I haven't been able to do that because -- duh! -- the system is
> running on that volume. Catch-22. There's only one floppy drive, and I
> can't create a System 7.5 startup disk and still have room for
> Silverlining. (In fact, I don't believe 7.5 will fit on a floppy any more,
There are two other solutions: 1) boot from an external SCSI drive 2)
boot from RAM disk.
1) Just get an external hard drive or Zip/EZ drive and boot from there.
As others have pointed out, you really do need to back up the hard disk
first anyway, so a Zip would be a good idea for that, too.
2) Alternatively, you can create a RAM disk and copy the System Folder
>From the Disk Tools disk onto the RAM disk. "Bless" the System Folder by
opening it and closing it again. The "blessed" System folder will then
have a Mac icon on it. Select the RAM disk as the Startup Disk using the
Startup Disk control panel, copy SilverLining onto it then Restart (not
shutdown!). The Mac will restart from the RAM disk and you can format the
internal disk. (This works on 68040 Macs running System 7.5 - don't know
about Power 100s)
Shih Tung
Chem E
Best l'il Tech School
on the Charles
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Jan 1996 22:39:39 -0500
From: [email protected] (nils dahl)
Subject: Replacing IDE hard drives in Performas
Folks,
I may have a slowly failing internal hard drive on my Performa 635.
I would like to replace it with a larger, faster IDE drive that is
supported by MacOS. Does anyone have experience with or information on the
supported makes and models of IDE drives for the Performa 63x series of
Macs or of any system 'features' that would make it impossible or difficult
to install a replacement drive? Thanks again for all the contributions and
the past help.
In the PC world, it is possible to obtain manufacturer information
on specific IDE drives, including the special commands that will cause a
drive to perform a low level format on itself. This function is built into
IDE controllers and is used at the factory to detect and swap out bad
sectors while the surface is given its basic pattern of sector areas - much
like the floppy diskette 'erase' procedure does when preparing a blank
diskette for use. Software is available that will transmit this command
sequence to the drive to repeat the low level formatting process. All IDE
drives have extra tracks that are normally inaccessible, being reserved as
substitutes for tracks containing bad sectors. This guarantees that a
drive will have the specified capacity. It is highly unlikely that any
comparable tools are available in the Mac world, but if anyone knows of
such things.....
Please note - low level formatting is not the same as the HD Format
procedure that Apple's drive utility performs. HD Format builds the
directory structure, partition information and start-up code only.
I probably will end up using external SCSI drives just because they
can and do perform much better than the internal IDE hard drive does. I
have only high praise for the LaCie Tsunami units, particularly one that
uses the Quantum Fireball 1080 drive mechanism. LaCie's web site contains
an enormous amount of information about how hard drives work
(http://www.lacie.com/).
Thanks again.
Nils Dahl
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 31 Jan 1996 22:55:06 -0500
From: [email protected] (Paul L. Suh)
Subject: Seeking Desktop Icon Alternative: Drag Thing, Tiles, etc.
On Sun, 28 Jan 1996, [email protected] (Mike Blackwell) wrote:
>I recently posted regarding my problem with desktop icons rearranging after
>my external monitor is detached. I've decided that, since the main reason I
>have those icons there is so I can drag-and-drop downloaded things onto
>various decoders, unstuffers, openers, etc., a simple icon-bar/tile
>program/palette thing/whatever would be an easier solution.
>
>I've never used one of these before, however, and I know there are about 8
>billion different kinds out there, some commercial, some shareware or
>freeware. FWIW, I'm on a PB 540, 12/240, 7.1.1. I'd like to have a little
>palette at the bottom of the Finder, which will stay there all the time
>unless I specifically move or close it. I'd only need the icons at the
>Finder level: I don't want a floating palette hovering over all of my
>applications. Is there a quick way to figure out which program
>(shareware/freeware preferred) is best for my needs? Thanks for your
>advice.
Well, I use DragThing and like it very much. James Thomson just posted a
new version to the info-mac archives not long ago, version 1.5.1. It's in
/info-mac/gui/. IMHO, its best feature is the way that the icon docks can
be minimized and docked at the edge of the screen, yet expand themselves
when you drag something over them. Then again, I may be biased, since I'm
one of the beta testers.
MacChat or TidBITs had a multi-issue review of these sorts of utilities a
while back, maybe six months ago. You might want to look in some of the
back issues. However, as with anything in the computer industry, if it's
six months old, big chunks are out of date already.
Hope this helps.
--Paul
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 31 Jan 1996 20:16:34 -0600
From: [email protected] (Mike & Wende Conwell)
Subject: Unstuffing single files of a .sit archive
>Can anyone out there tell me where to find a drag-and-drop program that
>will use Bill Goodman's Compact Pro program to create a .cpt archive?
>
>If it doesn't exist, could someone out there write one?
>
>I would prefer to use Compact Pro because I can browse the archives
>easily and selectively expand sections of it. With Stuffit (.sit)
>I can't do this.
Wrong! You can do this with Stuffit Lite. Just run the program, open the
archive and browse away. If you want to expand 1 or more files, just
hi-lite them and push the Un-Stuff button. Very Simple. Very Easy.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 31 Jan 1996 13:51:38 -0500
From: [email protected] (Alexander Levinson)
Subject: Upgrade Path for IIcx
I have an aging IIcx that I'd like to upgrade. For various logistical
reasons I can't replace it with new a machine but can upgrade the insides.
I read it somewhere that the recommended upgrade path for IIcx is a IIci
or Q700. Does it literally mean that I can drop-in a Q700 logic board into
a IIcx case without cutting it, drilling holes, etc?
Alex Levinson
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 31 Jan 1996 10:05:26 +0100
From: [email protected] (Stefano Pizzetti)
Subject: Using a Mac as a speakerphone
Is there any downloadable shareware application to use a Mac with internal
modem as a speakerphone (I'm not shure this is the exact english word, what
I mean is that you can use your computer's microphone and speakers instead
of having to pick up the phone)? I tried PhoneFloater but it works only
with GeoPort. I have a Performa 6300 and AppleTel 2.1.
TIA
Stefano Pizzetti
Roma, Italia
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Jan 1996 22:33:56 -0500
From: [email protected] (Alan H. Stein)
Subject: Word Fails to Launch
I've been having trouble launching Microsoft Word 5.1a lately. If I try to
launch it immediately after booting my computer, I generally get a message
that there is too little system memory and I should decrease the memory
allocation for Word and relaunch. OTOH, if I've run other programs, it
usually launches without a problem.
I recently upgraded RAM Doubler and Speed Doubler, and wonder whether
there's a connection.
Alan H. Stein [email protected] http://cc.math.uconn.edu/~stein
--------------------------------
--Info-Mac-Digest--
End of Info-Mac Digest
******************************
