Mac User For a Month #2
Low End Mac Reader Specials
Memory To Go Special: MacPro 8 Core Memory 4GB kit $154 / 2GB kit $94, New 2008 iMac 2GB $46. MacBook Pro / MacMini / iMac Intel Core2 DUO 2GB $44 / 1GB $23--Free shipping available.
Download Typestyler, still the Ultimate Styling Tool for Internet, Print and Video Graphics. Works great in Classic with a Native OS X Version on the way. Free Tryout: www.typestyler.com
LA Computer Company: Specials on AppleCare, iMac's, Apple Batteries and Apple A/C Adapters. Also Great prices on Used Apple Computers. Call 1-800-941-7654 Click Here.
Other World Computing has the Upgrades, Enhancements, and Accessories for getting the most from your Mac. Quality Products, Competitive Prices, Expert Support Staff - www.macsales.com
Mac users can finally play Party Poker for Mac. Not only that, they can also learn how to play PokerStars for Mac.
Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.
Compare products like desktop computers, laptops, and LCD TVs side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for a new cell phone GPS products or MP3 players. The Ciao network makes searching products easy for you.
New iMac 800Mhz Memory 4GB $90, 2GB $45 - Click to Maximize your Macs...
- 1999.11.04
So how's the Mac user for a month doing? Well, not good. My 7200/120 never showed up due to a snafu courtesy of Ubid. After waiting three long weeks for the new addition to the Zoltan family, a big box finally found its way to my doorstep. Feeling like it contained the answers to the universe, I ripped open the box with my bare hands, grabbed the beige piece of electronics, picked it up, looked at it, and saw it was a monitor! My heart shattered, and I think a few blood vessels exploded. It has now taken over a week to get this issue cleared up with Ubid. Never before have I encountered a more ridiculous or ludicrous customer service department. In any case "Zoltar" is on his way and will be here by November 4. His Ultra2 hard drive is really anxious to meet him.
My other source for hardware, We Love Macs!, came through with flying colors, and as I write this, Mac OS 8.1 is installing on my Quadra 605. I booted from my CD-ROM with no problem, and then double-clicked the "Install Mac OS 8.1" icon. The install started up flawlessly, so I picked the hard drive I wanted to install to, selected what I wanted installed, and the installer took the helm from there.
As usual, this level of simplicity was not achieved easily. This Quadra and I have come a long way together, and there are some corrections I need to make regarding my last tale. I initially stated that the Quadra 605 had 64 MB of RAM in it (well 68 MB with the 4 MB of RAM on the motherboard). This configuration left the system highly unstable. "The Little Engine That Could" decided that it wouldn't every chance it got. Not learning the errors of my PC ways, I once again decided to rip every component I could out the system. However, on this machine there really isn't much to pull. I removed everything I could and just left a CD-ROM, memory, keyboard, mouse, and monitor. Ever after booting up off the Mac OS 8.1 CD and attempting to access any kind of application, it still crashed. Some nights later I was thinking that it was a serious hardware problem, and that nothing could help my poor Quadra. I then remembered that the first thing I did when I got it home was replace the 16 MB SIMM that came with it with a 64 MB SIMM. "That has to be the answer! The memory!" my mind screamed at me while I was sleeping. (Yes, I dream of computers in my sleep.) In what I call my Superman maneuver, I sprang to life, jumped off the bed, ripped out the 64 MB SIMM, put back the 16 MB SIMM, and flicked the power switch. As inner instinct had pointed out, "The Little Engine That Could" could again.
Apple does not officially support 64 MB/128 MB SIMM's in the Quadra 605, but I have heard of cases where it has been done. The memory chip in question was single sided, 60ns, and EDO. Being that the chip was EDO may have been the answer why I had so many problems, but when I find they answer I will be more than happy to share it with you.
Mac OS 8.1 has been running for a few hours without a glitch. The install completed its task and was kind enough to give control back to me. I took a deep breath, then flipped the power switch. The system booted in less than 30 seconds! (Try doing that on a 486 with Windows 95.) A friendly "Installation Assistant" was the next thing I saw on my screen after booting. This feature I didn't particularly care for. I love the fact that the Macintosh is friendly, but that's too friendly for my tastes.
Performance is much better than I expected. While it can't do everything at the speed of light, it sure tries to. Despite the performance issues, I am trying to use the Quadra for all my day-to-day tasks. My tasks involve email, web browsing, telnet to work, and a little writing. So far I am very impressed, considering that the Quadra 605 was made six years ago.
Every new experience teaches you a lesson, and I think this
lesson is over. 
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: PowerBook 170, Oct. 1991 - At 25 MHz, the PB 170 was at the top of the original PowerBook line.
- List of the Day: The iPhone List Low End Mac's forum for discussing and supporting Apple's iPhone.
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- Looking for a Content Management System That's as Easy as Mac, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 08.29. Low End Mac needs to move to a content management system, but the few we've tried just don't cut it for people used to the simple elegance of the Mac.
- First 3 Million Mac Quarter, Skinny on Mac mini Pricing, Mac-like gOS, and More, Mac News Review, 08.29. More plan to buy Apple products than ever before, complete reset can fix MobileMac synch problems, Apple boosting computer and smartphone share, and more.
- New 'Books Likely in September, 17" PowerBook Display Fault Site, SSD Security, and More, The 'Book Review, 08.29. Also 6 ways to speed up your MacBook, next generation MacBook Air CPU, MacBook Air Update, LapStrap carrying solution, rise and fall of ultraportables, bargains from $220 to $2,699, and more.
- iPhone 3G Reception 'Completely Normal', AT&T International Data Plans for iPhone, and More, iNews Review, 08.29. Also longer life for iPod earbuds, an alternative to MobileMe, new cases and apps for iPhone, AppStoreGems website launched, and more.
- Best Power Mac G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.29. Used 450 MHz AGP, $75; 500, $99; 800 QS, $199; 1.25 GHz MDD, $375; 450 MHz dual, $179; 867 dual, $300; 1 GHz dual, $395; 1.42 dual, $575.
- Best iBook G3 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.29. Used 300 MHz clamshell, $150; 500 CD, $150; 800, $200; 600 CD-RW, $240; 900 Combo, $300; 14" 600, $360; 900, $400.
- Best iPod nano Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.29. Used 2 GB iPod nano, $89; refurb 3G 4 GB, $99; new, $140; refurb 8 GB, $149; new, $179.
- 10 Mac Browsers Compared, Simon Royal, Mac Spectrum, 08.28. A look at Internet Explorer, Radon, Opera, Safari, Shiira, iCab, Firefox, Netscape Navigator, Flock, and Camino running in Leopard.
- Clone and Boot: Another Advantage of the Mac OS, Kev Kitchens, Kitchens Sync, 08.28. Unlike Windows, Apple makes it possible to clone a bootable drive (Classic Mac OS or OS X) and use it with another supported Mac.
- Best MacBook Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.28. Used 1.83 GHz, $799; 2.0 black, $875; refurb 2.1 GHz, $899; 2.4, $1,099; black, $1,299; new 2.1, $1,019 after rebate; 22, $1,094; 2.4, $1,219 a/r; black, $1,394 a/r.
- Best iMac G5 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.28. Used 17" 1.6 GHz Combo, $499; 1.8 SuperDrive, $530; 2.0, $600; 1.9 iSight, $625; 20" 1.8 GHz, $580; 2.0, $650; 2.1 iSight, $700.
- Best classic Mac OS Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.28. System 6, $10; 7.1, $12; 7.5.1, $4; Mac OS 7.6, $13; 8.0, $13; 8.1, $48; 8.5, $25; 8.6, $20; 9.0, $20; 9.2.2, $20; more.
- CrossOver Strikes Out, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 08.27. Running Windows apps on a Mac without paying for Windows is great in theory, but actually getting Windows software working is another story.
- MacDrought: 4 Months with No New Macs, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 08.27. The most recent Mac update was over four months ago, and the Mac mini has been unchanged for over a year.
- Resurrecting a Dead Pismo, Spotlight Search Tip, and EasyFind a Good File Finder, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 08.27. Lots of tips on bringing a comatose Pismo back to life, a Spotlight file name search tip, and EasyFind as an alternative to Spotlight.
- Best Intel iMac Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.27. Used 17" 1.83 GHz, $625; 20", $599; 2.16, $749; 24", $950; refurb 20" 2.4, $999; 2.66, $1,299; 24" 2.4, $1,299; 2.8, $1,549; new 3.06, $2,094 after rebate; more.
- Best 15" PowerBook G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.27. Used 1.25 GHz Combo, $600; SuperDrive, $650; 1.33 Combo, $640; 1.5, $680; SD, $725; 1.67, $730; hi-res, $800.
- Best Time Capsule and AirPort Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.27. 500 GB Time Capsule, $294; 1 TB, $468; AirPort Extreme Card, $39; 802.11n Base Station, $166; 802.11g AirPort Express, $60; 802.11n, $98.
- More links in our archive.
About LEM | Support | Usage | Privacy | Contacts
Have a question?
Ask an expert!
Navigation
Used Mac Dealers
Apple History
Best Used Macs
Video Cards
Email Lists
InfoMac's Low
End Mac Forum
Favorite Sites
MacSurfer
MacMinute
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
Macs Only!
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
PB Central
MacWindows
The Vintage Mac
Museum
DealMac
DealsOnTheWeb
Mac2Sell
ramseeker
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System
6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End
Mac FAQ
Abandonware
Petition
Mac vs. PC Info
Affiliates
The Apple
Store
Mac
Connection
MacMall
TechRestore
MacResQ
ExperCom
Crucial
Memory
batteries.com
Advertise
