Table of Contents for this issue:
Re: MacII and Superdrive
good source for (used) macs?
Hello and position to fill
Re: Getting a IIcx up to Net speed
Re: HD SC and my IIcx
Re: IIsi upgrades
Alternatives to RAM Doubler for 68000 Macs
Re: 7.5.5
Re: IIsi with multiple monitors

From: Robert Zusman, rzusman
What you need is the SWIM (Super Wozniack Integrated Machine) chip. It is not a ROM, but is custom to Apple. Apple used to charge $400 for this upgrade, and I doubt they still offer it. You might be able to find an otherwise dead logic board and remove the chip. Since Mac IIx boards are available for around $200, that might be the cheapest way to go. (I bit the bullet when the upgrade first came out and spent the $400 on my Mac II).

Are you _sure_ that's all that's needed? I thought the ROM upgrade was required too in order for the system to deal with the larger disks.

Apple has discontinued this upgrade though you can still find dealers/repair shops that have an upgrade kit or two in stock. They still charge a ridiculous $400 for it though.

--Marc

try nexus at www.go-nexus-go.com/nexcomp/parts.html or 317-743-8720 and ask for odem. i purchased a color classic from him.

Hello! I am a recent subscriber to this list and have been lurking for a couple of weeks. I was really excited to come across this list because I am the Assistant Systems Manager for a 40-Mac network. The majority of our computers are LCIIs but we have everything from an SE (our fax server) up to a PowerMac 9500 (our webserver).

My reason for posting to the list is that we have a position to fill. The complete text of the ad follows. Please reply via e-mail to the person listed at the end of the ad, not to me. We are located in the Chicago area (northwest suburbs).

Thank you.

****
Systems Assistant

Entry level position in NW suburban medical association. Macintosh experience and organizational skills required. Ability to install programs and upgrades, and troubleshoot software and hardware needed. Application experience in word processing, DTP, spreadsheets and relational databases a plus. Some data entry. E-mail resume and salary requirements to:
Janice L. Plack, Systems Manager.
****

I'm reconditioning my venerable (and much loved) Mac IIcx on a shoestring for my brother and 7-year-old niece to use. My brother wants to websurf (of course) and I'd like it to run good games and CD-ROMs for my niece.

I'm going to put at least 20MB of RAM in the machine, which has an 80MB hard drive cannibalized from a IIci and an Apple color monitor (with video card). (Am looking for a larger hard drive.) I'm planning to buy a 33.6 modem, maybe the FastMac V.34 for $100.

* System version: I understand the IIcx has problems running 7.5.5. Is this so? What System 7 variation would be best? (Mode32 would of course be installed.)

I run my IIcx with 7.5.1 without any problems. If I still own it, I would use 7.5.3, because it faster and stabler in general.

* Netscape version: Which would be best? Where does the IIcx top out?

Version 2.x. Netscape 3.0 is RAM eater.

* Video, etc.: Would this setup be able to support the Connectix videocam and software?

AFIK the videocam works on every Mac.

* Audio: How about stereo speakers?

The sound output is stereo. Just connect a headset or active speakers like the same for a walkman. For maximum sound connect it to your hifi amplifer :-)

dIrk

Kris Lander wrote at 19.11.1996 21:33 Uhr about "HD SC and my IIcx"
Recently I bought a 150MB hard drive for my IIcx, and it wasn't an Apple or Quantum hard drive, it was an IBM. Then I decided to upgrade to 7.5.3 from 7.1, so I ran HD SC to update my drivers, but it wouldn't recognize my HD. (It said something to the effect of "No SCSI devices found.") I did the install anyways, and everything seems to work relatively fine.
So, my question is, did I do something wrong, and that's why it won't recognize my HD? And, will not installing new drivers come back to bite me someday?

Apple's HD applications only work with drive containing a special Apple ROM.The solution is to use a commercial tool like HDT or to patch the Apple HD setup to work with every drive. Such patches are available on Info-Mac.

General, working with old drivers can make problems with modern software and result in crashes and/or data loss.

dIrk

-snip-
Other options: more IIsi ram, fpu, larger hard drive, OS upgrade. I can't afford to do all this but would be grateful for feedback on what you think each of these actions would cost and a ranking of them based on utility/performance gain.
-snip-

My IIsi (9/80, 15" Trinitron, fpu, 7.5) exists solely for the Internet. I bought my brother a IIsi (5/80, 14" Apple Multiscan, no fpu, 7.1) for word processing and simple art. I'd opt for the FPU ($50-$75 used; $75 - $150 new) first. It's cheap, it's a NuBus adaptor, it's a part that's unique to the machine, and I love how it helps a few arcane bottlenecks. Upgrade to 9 megs so that you can use virtual memory. Use 7.1 if you have 5 megs; 7.5 or 7.5.3 if you have 9 megs or more. Video cards are ludicrously expensive, IMHO, but two monitors is a marvelous luxury.

Mark Chapman wrote:
It only has a 68000 (actually the manuel calls it a MC68HC000) so that eliminates RamDoubler. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Virtual Memory is a part of the system software (look in the Memory control panel). You can use part of your hard drive as RAM. Also RAM Charger from Syncronys Softcorp works on 68000 Macs. It optimizes the allocation of memory, making it work more efficiently.

Tiago Kimsey
Chicago, IL

FDrake3335 wrote:

Also, older (7.1) versions of Control Panels etc. tend to be smaller (_why_ is newer usually bigger -- sheesh!) than recent counterparts.

There is a MB or two of PPC code in 7.5.5 for 68K. (This also applies to other 7.5 varients.) This might be why the control panels are bigger. Note: PPC code is in both data and resource fork.

There are several PPC code cleaners out there. I cleaned up the entire 7.5.5 load, and it still worked! You do not need that stuff, so why does Apple install it? (Retorical question.)

Bruce

Eric's signature says he runs a Mac IIsi with a 13"Color and a Grayscale portrait monitor. I didn't know that a Mac could handle a simultaneous mix of monochrome and color monitors!

I do not know about a IIsi, but my IIci runs three monitors:

13" color on NuBus card.
4-gray fullpage on a NuBus card.
12" on internal video.
That is not exactly true...
One week ago, the IIci was upgraded to a Q700.
Same monitor arrangement, but now the 12" is 32 bit.

No problem dragging between depths.
When color is dragged to the 4-gray, it becomes ugly B/W.

I have only encountered one problem:
Some programs will choose the wrong screen,and not let the screen be moved, or If I hack a move, the depth is wrong. (Example: "Magic Death" CD.) But reconfiguring montors will stop this behavior.

Why do I have three monitors?
Because I can!

Bruce