roessli@sc2a.unige.ch (David Roessli) (07/18/90)
Mayday, mayday, mayday ..
i'm experiencing deep trouble with a Mac IIx and various peripherics,
and was wondering if any of you out there had seen anything like it before.
Here it comes:
Context: we've purchased a Mac IIx, 8Mb RAM, 1 external 142Mb LaCie disk, 1
internal 192Mb LaCie disk (Tsunami or something like that), Sigma
Design ColorMax 19" screen (8 bits), Apple's CD-ROM drive, Ethernet
board, Howtek ScanMaster II (with internal board).
The whole thing upgraded to version 6.0.5
Inits and CDevs: Suitcase, Rear window, Boomerang, On Cue, SuperClock,
EtherTalk and Apple CDs stuff, NBGIB handler (scanner), Vaccine,
GateKeeper Aid and Dimmer.
.. and all goes wrong!
Trouble: at first, the little disk with the dreaded '?' comes up .. finds no
disk to boot on. Boot again, all's fine. Then suddenly, the *whole*
system crashes .. from within *any* application, even from the Finder!
and that at *any* time .. Then it's impossible to reboot for 20 to 30
minutes. You get that awfull 'hardware-problem-beep-sound'.. the
screen stays blank, or if it reboots (rare) you suddenly get a
dialog box with *nothing* in it, then bang! it all crashes again.
What's weird, is that it can work okay during a whole day, then crash.
Or just crash all the time.. (sigh)
What we've done: after having checked out for viruses, bad connections and so
on, we checked the disks out with our LaCie dealer, changed the
internal one once. Given the Mac to our Apple dealer twice, complete
check up, changed the motherboard the second check. And *NO* LOGICAL
ANSWER from any of them .. The LaCie dealer says its an Apple problem
(Motherboard, SCSI or whatever..), and the Apple dealer says all is
okay with *their* stuff, must come from the disks .. or the video
controler board .. or maybe the scanner, .. or this .. or that, but
get on with it!
Today: we have one Mac IIx fully equiped, crashing when it feels like it,
and no answer from any of the so called professionals supposed to
provide technical support. (sirrrrgh!)
So if anybody has any idea of what is going on, please give me a hint..
Is my configuration incompatible in some weird and hidden way ? Or what ?!
Looking forward to reading you
:david (might well go back to PCs in the end.. - cynic ?)
================
David C. Roessli Email: roessli@sc2a.unige.ch
Dpt Anthropologie & Ecologie ROESSLI@CGEUGE52.BITNET
University of Geneva david@scsun.unige.ch
12, rue Gustave-Revilliod Voice: +41(22)436.930
CH-1227 Geneva SWITZERLAND Fax : +41(22)3000.351
`any program that as been fully debbuged is probably obsolete' [Murphy et al.]austing@Apple.COM (Glenn L. Austin) (07/19/90)
roessli@sc2a.unige.ch (David Roessli) writes: >Mayday, mayday, mayday .. > i'm experiencing deep trouble with a Mac IIx and various peripherics, >and was wondering if any of you out there had seen anything like it before. >Here it comes: >Context: we've purchased a Mac IIx, 8Mb RAM, 1 external 142Mb LaCie disk, 1 > internal 192Mb LaCie disk (Tsunami or something like that), Sigma > Design ColorMax 19" screen (8 bits), Apple's CD-ROM drive, Ethernet > board, Howtek ScanMaster II (with internal board). > The whole thing upgraded to version 6.0.5 > Inits and CDevs: Suitcase, Rear window, Boomerang, On Cue, SuperClock, > EtherTalk and Apple CDs stuff, NBGIB handler (scanner), Vaccine, > GateKeeper Aid and Dimmer. First, I would remove all but the bare minimum needed to get the machine up. Remove the external drive, the Ethernet board, and the scanner board. Check to make sure that all the RAM is seated correctly in their SIMM sockets. The dreaded "chord" can tell you a lot about what is failing. From the sounds of your problems, I would say that one of your cards is failing, so it sets an internal flag (in the slot PRAM) not to reboot. However, the next time it reboots, it clears the flag, attempts to initialize the card and BOOM! The dreaded chord. However, you could have mismatched RAM SIMMs (no flames please! I've had this happen to me) where you have different speed SIMMs within a bank. Check it out and good luck! -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Glenn L. Austin | "Turn too soon, run out of room, | | Auto Racing Enthusiast and | Turn too late, much better fate" | | Communications Toolbox Hacker | - Jim Russell Racing School Instructors | | Apple Computer, Inc. | "Drive slower, race faster" - D. Waltrip | | Internet: austing@apple.com |-------------------------------------------| | AppleLink: AUSTIN.GLENN | All opinions stated above are mine -- | | Bellnet: (408) 974-0876 | who else would want them? | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
warner@scubed.SCUBED.COM (Ken Warner) (07/19/90)
>What we've done: after having checked out for viruses, bad connections and so > on, we checked the disks out with our LaCie dealer, changed the > internal one once. Given the Mac to our Apple dealer twice, > And *NO* LOGICAL ANSWER from any of them .. The LaCie dealer says > its an Apple problem etc. We are going through the same loop with a IIci and a SyQuest (from LaCie). We have not yet resolved the situation but information from magazines and other netters suggest that trying an external termiation on the SCSI bus perhaps using a IIfx external terminator with different addresses for the external drive might help. We have not tried this yet. I'm just passing on what I've heard. One article in a recent MacUser or MacWorld (I'm sorry but I can't supply the reference) described a similar problem and solution. Does any one else remember this article? Ken Warner
Garance_Drosehn@mts.rpi.edu (Garance Drosehn) (07/21/90)
In article <205@sc2a.unige.ch> roessli@sc2a.unige.ch (David Roessli) writes: > i'm experiencing deep trouble with a Mac IIx and various peripherics, > and was wondering if any of you out there had seen anything like it > before. Here it comes: > > Context: > we've purchased a Mac IIx, 8Mb RAM, 1 external 142Mb LaCie disk, > 1 internal 192Mb LaCie disk (Tsunami or something like that), > Sigma Design ColorMax 19" screen (8 bits), Apple's CD-ROM drive, > Ethernet board, Howtek ScanMaster II (with internal board). > > The whole thing upgraded to version 6.0.5 [...etc...] You might start out by trying to cut down on the number of devices you have. SCSI devices are simple to set up, as long has you have only one of them. Start tossing 4 or 5 together and getting the connections right can be a bit of a hassle. You might want to check a recent article in MacWorld or MacUser on the art of connecting SCSI devices, written by Thom Hogan, if I remember right. If it were me, I'd start by trying to run the system minus the external drive and the CD-ROM drive. That's just a guess though. Note that it isn't the *devices* that are screwed up (assuming the problem is what I think it is), it's the combination of devices & terminators in the entire SCSI string. I don't know what a "Scanmaster" is, but if that's a SCSI device too then take that off the machine. See how well it runs with that combination of hardware first. Oh, yes, and *do* make sure all your SCSI devices are at different addresses! Garance_Drosehn@mts.rpi.edu ITS Systems Programmer Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Troy, NY. USA