sfr@praxis.co.uk (Stephen Rickaby) (02/01/91)
I recently posted an article suggesting that there was a conflict between
After Dark and the Apple IIci cache card I've recently acquired for my Mac.
Whilst there does seem to be a problem, it's not confined to After Dark,
and I don't believe that it is related to it. Sorry Berkeley.
The Scenario:
Apple Mac IIci, serial no. CK94112K740), no software changes in the last
six months, everything stable, 4 Mb memory, 80 Mb disk (Quantum, usual
oddities but non-fatal so far), using on-board video, system version 6.0.4b.
System ROMS rev. 342-073(n)-01 (64k, Colour Quickdraw).
The Event:
Add recently-acquired cache card (manfr. Cork, Eire, 1990, serial number
CF0003864), being *very* careful about static precautions and mechanical
force etc etc.
The Effect:
System boots up ok and seems to go a lot faster. Or at least, everything
goes a lot faster until it falls over. Get random application hangs, quite a
lot of Multifinder catching application crashes, mostly error 28
(heap/stack collision) but at least one error 1 (bus error?). Some system
bombs on ID=10, and at least one refusal to shut down, claiming `Damaged
finder'.
Problems are not consistently repeatable, but seem to be statistically
repeatable (ie if I do X with the card in N times, I know I will probably get
Z crashes, but I don't know what sort of crashes they will be). One good
way of bringing on crashes seems to be to do lots of windowey things with
Macromaker (v 1.0.1) (*please* no-one mail me to say I should be using
Quickeys instead: it's wonderful, I'm broke). Crashes and hangs *not*
confined to a single application, and once even the control panel hung.
The Investigation:
Remove cache card. Problems go away (well, they *almost* go away, and
thinking about it, the few crashes I've had since the card was installed and
then removed are no more than the normal statistical probability of things
going wrong. I think).
Remove all non-Apple INITs and cdevs except SUM Shield. Reboot with card
in. Problems still there.
Install minimal-system version 6.0.5, full of hope. Reboot with card in.
Problems still there.
Remove card. Problems go away. Put card back in, problems return. Do
scientific things like repeating the same macros fifteen times with the
card out and another fifteen times with the card in. Same thing: card in,
random crashes and hangs, card out, all ok.
It's worth re-emphasising that the *only* thing which has changed here is
the addition of the cache card. All software has been in use totally
satisfactorily for a while. I know that a batch of cards was recalled by
Apple in the States, but my information so far is that these UK ones are
known to be good. My dealer has been very supportive, and has offered a
refund, but I'd rather try and solve the problem and get it working, as I
want the speed.
Ideas, anyone (especially anyone at Apple)?
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Steve Rickaby, c/o Praxis Systems plc | ,,,
20 Manvers Street, Bath, BA1 1PX, UK | < O_O >
Tel: +44 225 444700 Tx: 465205 PRAXIS G | ==( . )==
sfr@praxis.co.uk | Prrrouwf, Wackawacka
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