pinax3@garnet.berkeley.edu (02/17/89)
In article <1050@bdmrrr.bdm.com> davis@bdmrrr.bdm.com (Arthur Davis x4675) writes: >My solution was to begin using the TOPS spooler instead, since we >have TOPS on the net. The TOPS spooler is Think/Symantec's >LaserSpeed repackaged. It has performed admirably without a single >failure to my knowledge since we switched over. The TOPS 2.1 >recent update has a version of LaserSpeed which supports the 5.2 >Laser driver, so it is commercially available. Actually, I've been having an awful time lately, and I've begun to suspect that the latest version of Tops Spool is the culprit. Here's the story: When the upgrade to Tops 2.1 arrived, I upgraded everyone's machine to System 6.0.2. (I'd been waiting because the spooler that came with 2.0 wouldn't work with the new Laser driver.) I then upgraded everyone to Tops 2.1 and the new spooler. Within a few days I was getting complaints of system errors. I then tried selectively retrofitting System 5.0 to the machines which had had problems. This did no good. Then I tried putting Tops 2.0 on the problem machines, while retaining the new spooler. There have still been problems. Most, if not all, of the system errors have occurred while running Microsoft Excel or (less often) Microsoft Word. Yesterday I tried to print an Excel chart. After I okayed the print dialog box, the Mac tried to post a dialog box about the size of the standard System Error message, but only a flickering outline of the box appeared without any text. After restarting, I was able to print without any problem. Today one of my coworkers complained of a similar error in Excel. He had left his machine on, and it displayed the same flickering box. I rebooted and opened the file which he'd tried to print, then I ran the Tops Spool DA and turned on "Notify End of Printing", which had not been highlighted. Then I opened the Chooser and selected the Laserwriter icon and the name of the laserwriter on our network. Then I tried to print the document and got exactly the same error. In the hope of finding out what was happening, I tried installing MacsBug on the machine. I reproduced my actions as closely as possible, but this time the print spooling and printing went off without a hitch. In addition to the above problem, I have received reports of system errors while saving in Excel and Word, although I have not experienced them myself. I have also seen cases in which a document was spooled but failed to print. It was listed in the Tops Spool DA, but nothing ever happened until the machine was rebooted, at which point Tops Spool would go ahead and spool the material from the last session. I tried calling Tops technical support, but they were of little help. The person I spoke to could only offer the suggestion that I remove Vaccine from everyone's machine and reinstall Tops. I did this, but the problems are still occurring. The most recent problem was on a machine which did not have Vaccine and which was running Tops 2.0 with the latest spooler. I had even reinstalled the system on this machine. Our network consists of: 18 Macintosh SE's and Plusses 2 PC compatibles One Apple Laserwriter One Imagewriter Configurations on the Macs vary. The machine which had problems this morning was an SE with 1MB of RAM and an Apple 20MB internal drive. Mine is a Mac Plus with 1MB of RAM, a DataFrame XP20, and a CMS 40 MB drive. None of the Macs on our network runs Multifinder, except for two 2MB SE's, neither of which has had a problem. The only "nonstandard" files (aside from those associated with Tops) in the system folder which are common to all the Macs which have had problems are Broadcast.5b3 and Quote Init. I would deeply appreciate any information on the cause and/or solution for our problem. At the moment I'm thinking of giving up entirely and going back to the older printer drivers and the older spooler (although I'd like to retain the new system). If anyone has some answers, please mail them care of my name to this account. I will summarize the response for the net. --Elliot Wilen This is a shared account, so please be sure to include the name of the addressee in the "Subject:" line of all mail.