TOPIC
This article contains detailed information found in the Mac OS 7.6 Read Me file.
DISCUSSION
You may purchase Mac OS 7.6.1 on CD in the U.S. ($99.00 +tax and shipping) by calling 1-800-293-6617 or in Canada by calling 1-888-295-0653 ($149 +tax and shipping). The updater from Mac OS 7.6 to Mac OS 7.6.1 is available as a download on the web Two places to check online are: Sun Remarketing: ' http://www.sunrem.com/ ' Shreve Systems: ' http://www.shrevesystems.com/ ' About Mac OS 7.6 This document provides information about improvements you'll find in Mac OS 7.6, supplementing the information in your installation manual. This document also contains information about known problems with this release and possible solutions. Mac OS 7.6 includes the following new features and improvements: * Performance improvements when using virtual memory Performance is faster than previous versions of virtual memory when you - open a large application program that requires a significant amount of RAM - switch between large application programs - switch between large documents within an application - access SCSI devices The amount of improvement will vary depending on the amount of RAM installed, the amount of virtual memory allocated, and the applications being used. Virtual memory is automatically turned on when you install Mac OS 7.6. If you have less than 16 MB of built-in memory, do not turn virtual memory off or you may experience problems. * Volume buttons on 5200, 5300, 6200, 6300, and 630 series computers Problems with the volume buttons on the front of your computer have been fixed. * Support for multiprocessor cards on computers with PowerPC microprocessors You can install cards with additional processors to increase speed and performance when using applications that take advantage of multiprocessor technology. * WorldScript Power Adapter provides performance and stability enhancements on computers with PowerPC microprocessors Computers that use languages based on the Roman alphabet (French and English, for example) also benefit from the improvements provided by WorldScript. * Computers with 68040 microprocessors and computers with PowerPC processors that use the NuBus expansion bus can use large disks These computers can now use disks larger than 4 gigabytes, up to a maximum of 2 terabytes. On 68040 computers, large disks cannot be used as startup disks, and cannot contribute to virtual memory totals. * Enhanced screen capture options You can copy portions of the screen, and copy the screen images to the Clipboard or a file. Use the following keyboard combinations: - Command-Shift-Control-3 copies a picture of the entire desktop to the Clipboard. - Command-Shift-4 creates a picture file of a rectangular selection of the desktop. After pressing and releasing the key combination, position the cursor at the upper-left corner of the area you want to capture, then drag to the lower-right corner. If you continue to press the Shift key while dragging the cursor, the capture area will be constrained to a square. - Command-Shift-4-Caps Lock creates a picture file of a window. After pressing the key combination, click the window you want to capture. To save the rectangle or window on the Clipboard instead of as a file, press the Control key as you click. To cancel a Command-Shift-4 screen selection, press the Space bar. * Compatibility problem fixed Mac OS 7.6 fixes a problem in system software versions 7.5.3 and 7.5.5 in which the system took some of an application's memory, which occasionally caused compatibility problems. * Fewer out of memory messages when using the Finder The Finder has more memory allocated to it, which should reduce error messages and reduce conflicts with certain extensions. * Improved data integrity Mac OS 7.6 will save information stored in the disk cache more often, which reduces the chance of a crash causing disk corruption. * Improved Resource Manager Resource Manager performance has been improved. Since both system software and applications use the Resource Manager, overall performance is enhanced. * Shorter startup time Input devices are no longer reinitialized during startup. * Virtual memory uses less system RAM More RAM is now available for applications. * OpenDoc performance improved A commonly-used memory allocation routine was made twice as fast as it was previously, resulting in faster OpenDoc performance. * The Modern Memory Manager is always on The Modern Memory Manager, used on computers with PowerPC processors, cannot be turned off in the Memory control panel. You will also notice these improvements, first provided in the 7.5.5 System Update: * Improved memory management on PowerPC computers If you could not open an application program in a low-memory situation, you may be able to use the application after you install this software. * Improved floppy disks reliability in computers with a DOS Compatibility Card Problems inserting floppy disks while Windows is starting up have been fixed. * Improved reliability on PowerBook 5300 and 2300 series computers and Macintosh 5400, 6400, 7200, 7500, 7600, 8500, and 9500 series computers If you have a PowerPC PowerBook or a PCI-based computer, your computer may have "frozen" from time to time while accessing the hard disk. This release fixes one cause of this problem. * Improved reliability when using Ethernet and virtual memory Transferring large files over Ethernet with virtual memory turned on is more reliable. * Improved reliability when using the Apple TV Tuner or Macintosh TV Remote Control The channel and volume buttons on the remote control now work when pressed rapidly. * Improvements in LocalTalk LocalTalk now works more reliably on Macintosh 5400 series computers and performs better when using some infrared software products. * Improved stability with multiple background application programs This release fixes a problem that caused a crash when using more than one background program. (A background program is one that works behind the scenes, so you don't see it in the Application menu. Some e-mail programs have this background feature.) * Improved stability when using a shared printer on a network The computer will no longer crash when using a shared printer on a network. * Improved reliability on computers with PowerPC 604 or 604e processors that run at 180 MHz or greater These computers are less likely to freeze during startup or experience problems when formatting floppy disks. * Improved reliability using Ethernet on Macintosh 5400 and 6400 series computers * Improved reliability using sound-intensive applications on Macintosh Quadra and Centris computers with the PowerPC upgrade card Known problems and compatibility issues * PowerTalk is not compatible with Mac OS 7.6 PowerTalk mail, catalogs, the keychain, and other PowerTalk services are not available with Mac OS 7.6. See the Mac OS 7.6 installation manual for more information. * OpenDoc, Cyberdog, and LaserWriter 8.4 are not installed on computers with 68030 and 68040 microprocessors OpenDoc, Cyberdog, and the LaserWriter 8.4 driver use a common piece of software called the CFM 68K Runtime Enabler. Apple has discovered a problem with the CFM 68K Runtime Enabler and is not including it with Mac OS 7.6. You cannot install OpenDoc, Cyberdog, and the LaserWriter 8.4 driver on computers with 68030 and 68040 microprocessors. Additionally, other application programs that use the CFM 68K Runtime Enabler will not work on computers with 68030 or 68040 processors and Mac OS 7.6. Other Apple products that use the CFM 68K Runtime Enabler include Apple Telecom software, version 3.0 and later, and the Apple Media Tool. * Select a printer driver even if you don't have a printer connected If you don't have a printer connected, either locally or over a network, you should still select a printer driver in the Chooser. To select a printer driver, open the Apple () menu and choose Chooser. Click a type of printer (for example, LaserWriter 8) in the box on the left side of the Chooser. If you don't select a driver, you could experience problems. * Using AppleVision software on computers with 68040 processors and on computers with PowerPC processors that use the NuBus expansion bus after a clean installation of Mac OS 7.6 Computers with 68040 processors and computers with PowerPC processors that use the NuBus expansion bus use AppleVision software version 1.0.2. If you do a clean installation of Mac OS 7.6, version 1.0.4 of the AppleVision software is installed. (If you do a normal installation, your AppleVision software is not touched, and you retain version 1.0.2.) AppleVision software version 1.0.4 was not meant for computers with 68040 processors or computers that use the NuBus expansion bus. You can still use your computer and monitor with version 1.0.4, but you won't be able to use all of your monitor's features. To regain all the features of your monitor software, reinstall your AppleVision software from its original disks. * PowerBook 190, 190cs and 5300cs The PowerBook 190cs and 5300cs display may appear blank upon the first restart after installing Mac OS 7.6, as well as every time after resetting PRAM. This is because the power manager is being updated on the PowerBook. Restarting the PowerBook once more will result in a normal screen. To shut the PowerBook down safely, press the power button one time (which brings up the shutdown dialog) and then press return. * Power Macintosh Upgrade Card users cannot use LaserWriter driver 8.4 in 68040 mode LaserWriter driver version 8.4, installed on PowerPC computers, will not work on computers with 68040 microprocessors. If you have a Power Macintosh Upgrade Card and switch between PowerPC and 68040 modes, you will not be able to print in 68040 mode unless you install LaserWriter driver version 8.3.4 instead of version 8.4. You can install this LaserWriter version by installing a universal system on your computer. (The universal system is a custom installation option.) Some features in LaserWriter version 8.4 are not available in version 8.3.4. In LaserWriter 8.3.4, you cannot print a PostScript file by dragging it to a desktop printer icon; you must use the Apple Printer Utility or the LaserWriter Utility. (One of these programs was included on the disks that came with your printer.) Also, in LaserWriter 8.3.4, you set up printers in the Chooser, not in the Printing menu. * Printing with QuickDraw GX while using Cyberdog Printing is not available with QuickDraw GX while using Cyberdog (both QuickDraw GX and Cyberdog are available with Mac OS 7.6). To work around this problem, save e-mail messages and other Cyberdog files as text, then print them using another application. * Color OneScanner driver will not work with Virtual Memory turned on If you are using an Apple Color OneScanner with Scanner extension version 4.1 or earlier, you need to turn VM off. Apple will have a new scanner driver available to address this problem as soon as possible. * Macintosh Tutorial Part 1 will not work on computers with 68030 or 68040 processors Part 1 of the Macintosh Tutorial, version 1.2 will not work on computers with 68030 or 68040 processors and Mac OS 7.6. Part 2 of the Macintosh Tutorial will work normally. * PC Compatibility software and Mac OS 7.6 Mac OS 7.6 does not include PC Compatibility software. If you perform a clean installation of Mac OS 7.6, you will need to reinstall PC compatibility software. * Apple Telecom software and Mac OS 7.6 Mac OS 7.6 does not include Apple Telecom software. If you perform a clean installation of Mac OS 7.6, you will need to reinstall Apple Telecom software. * Apple CD-ROM and non-Apple CD-ROM incompatibilities If your computer or CD-ROM drive is not manufactured by Apple, or you have an Apple CD-ROM drive which has been updated with a non-Apple driver, incompatibilities may result. To permit your CD-ROM drive to function correctly, remove "Apple CD-ROM" from the Extensions Folder, and reinstall the software to support your CD-ROM device. * Macintosh Easy Open control panel renamed "Mac OS Easy Open" control panel Some software, including PC Compatibility software versions 1.5 and earlier, installs the Macintosh Easy Open control panel. If you install software that includes the Macintosh Easy Open control panel, remove it and use the Mac OS Easy Open control panel which is installed with Mac OS 7.6. * Network Software Installer version 1.5.1 installs older version of AppleTalk The Network Software Installer installs an earlier version of AppleTalk than the one included with Mac OS 7.6. If an earlier AppleTalk version is installed, Open Transport networking software will not work. Do not use the Network Software Installer after installing Mac OS 7.6. * QuickTake 150 software installs old version of QuickTime PowerPlug Mac OS 7.6 includes QuickTime PowerPlug version 2.5 for computers with PowerPC microprocessors. The QuickTake 150 installer replaces this with version 2.0. Remove the QuickTime PowerPlug file from your Extensions folder (inside the System Folder) before installing QuickTake 150 software. After the QuickTake software is installed, drag the PowerPlug file back to the Extensions folder. * Switching between a LocalTalk network and a serial printer If you use the same port to alternately connect to a LocalTalk network and a serial printer, the port is not always correctly released after you turn off AppleTalk to use the printer. If you have trouble printing after turning AppleTalk off, restart the computer. * Using the QuickDraw GX Installer when Adobe Acrobat is installed If you use the QuickDraw GX Installer to either install or remove QuickDraw GX and your computer has Adobe Acrobat installed, Acrobat will display a message about missing fonts each time the computer is restarted. Reinstall or turn off Acrobat to stop the warning message. (Turning off QuickDraw GX in the Extensions Manager will not solve the problem.) * Using Open Transport PPP with other versions of PPP If you use other versions of PPP (such as MacPPP), settings for each control panel must be updated separately. If an application (such as the Dialer application included with the Apple Internet Connection Kit) makes changes to one control panel, the other must be updated manually. The Apple Internet Connection Kit Dialer will only work with MacPPP. * Quadra owners with a PowerPC Upgrade Card The Drive Setup disk utility does not work with your upgrade card. You can use HD SC Setup to update your driver or initialize a disk, but you need to turn off the PowerPC upgrade card before using HD SC Setup. If you need to start up your computer from a Disk Tools floppy disk, either turn off the upgrade card and use the Disk Tools 1 disk, or make a copy of the Disk Tools 2 disk and replace Drive Setup with HD SC Setup. Then start up your computer with the new Disk Tools 2 you just created. * Apple HD SC Setup should not be used to update the driver after using Drive Setup Once a hard drive has been initialized with Drive Setup, do not update the driver with HD SC Setup. * OpenDoc ODFLibrary and non-Apple installers Some non-Apple applications and OpenDoc part editors require a later version of the OpenDoc ODFLibrary than the one installed with Mac OS 7.6. In some cases the installers for these products may not replace the older version of ODFLibrary with the newer version they require. If a newly-installed OpenDoc product doesn't work, remove the ODFLibrary file from the Editors folder inside the System Folder, then reinstall the product. This should cause the product's installer to install the correct ODFLibrary. If the product still fails to work, contact the manufacturer. * Apple Menu Options, General Controls, and Views control panels restored to default values These control panels are restored to their default values after installing Mac OS 7.6. If you have made changes to either of these control panels, you will need to restore your settings. The Empty Trash warning is also turned back on. * Macintosh Guide has been renamed "Mac OS Guide" This change appears in the Guide (question mark) menu when the Finder and Energy Saver control panel are active, but not when some other control panels are active. All instances of Macintosh Guide will be renamed in a future release. * Aliases in Extensions Manager The Extensions Manager control panel does not display aliases. If you have aliases in the Startup Items folder or the Shutdown Items folder, you can't turn off those items using the Extensions Manager. * Using Assistant Toolbox with desktop computers If you use the Assistant Toolbox extension (for portable computers) on a desktop computer, the contents of your RAM disk will be lost when you shut down your computer. Apple is working on a solution to this problem. * Apple System Profiler program displays incomplete information With the exception of internal ATA hard disks, Apple System Profiler does not display information about non-SCSI devices, including PC Cards, ATA devices, and ATAPI devices. * Using Desktop Shortcut feature of Aladdin Desktop Tools with Mac OS 7.6 With Shortcut, when you are in an Open or Save dialog box, you should be able click any Finder window and see that window's contents in the Open or Save dialog box's scrolling list. This feature does not work with Mac OS 7.6. Aladdin Systems expects to release an update to address the issue. * Using MacsBug and Mac OS 7.6 Mac OS 7.6 requires MacsBug version 6.5.4. (MacsBug is a tool for software developers.) For information, check the Apple developer Web site at http://devworld.apple.com . Advanced users can find additional technical information in the Mac OS 7.6 Tech Note document (Tech Note document #1090). See also, Tech Note 1096, which provides technical information on Mac OS 7.6.1. The following Tech Info Library article can help you find the Tech Note mentioned here: Article 24493: " Apple Tech Notes: What They Are, Where To Find Them " This article can help you locate the software update mentioned here: |
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| Document Information | |
| Product Area: | Mac OS System Software |
| Category: | Mac OS 7.6 |
| Sub Category: | General Topics |
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