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This article provides a brief overview of how to test the FireWire ports on a Power Macintosh G3 with the FireWire PCI card installed or a Power Macintosh G3 (Blue and White).
DISCUSSION
Before testing the FireWire ports, make sure the FireWire software has been installed.
FireWire PCI Card (for original Power Mac G3 computer)
The CD included with the FireWire PCI card installs an application named FireWire Card Tester in the FireWire folder of your hard drive.
When launched, the application will display one of the three alerts shown below, detailing the status of the FireWire ports on the card. (see Figures 1-3)
Figure 1: FireWire alert; no response.
The message in Figure 1 indicates that the computer cannot detect the card. Try reseating the card and make sure the internal power connector on the card is attached to one of the hard drive power connectors coming from the power supply.
Figure 2: FireWire alert; no camera.
If your computer displays the alert shown in Figure 2, make sure the FireWire camera is turned on and is not in sleep mode. Try launching the application again. If you continue to get this error message, check cabling and try a different camera.
Figure 3: FireWire alert; functioning properly.
The message shown in Figure 3 indicates that all is functioning as it should.
Power Mac G3 (Blue and White) With Mac OS 8.5 or 8.5.1
The FireWire Card Tester application is not compatible with the FireWire ports on the Power Macintosh G3 Blue and White. To test that the ports are active and responding, use the Apple Video Player application installed in the Applications folder on the hard drive.
Note: Apple Video Player is not designed to capture Digital Video (also referred to as DV) and Apple does not support using it for that purpose. However, it can be used to test the ports. Also note that this method of testing the FireWire ports is not reliable if another video capture device has been installed on the computer.
Figure 4: Apple Video Player; camera sensed.
Make sure the camera is connected to the FireWire port and turned on prior to launching Apple Video Player. If Apple Video Player senses the camera, the Apple Video Player Controls window will look like the one shown in Figure 4, which indicates that the ports and the computer are functioning properly.
Figure 5: Apple Video Player; camera not sensed.
If Apple Video Player does not sense the camera, only one option will appear in the Apple Video Player Controls window. See Figure 5. Double check the connection from the camera to the computer and make sure the camera is on and not in sleep mode.
If this fails, clean install the System Software and update the FireWire software to the latest version.
Power Macintosh G3 (Blue and White) With Mac OS 8.6 Or Later
The version of Apple System Profiler that ships with Mac OS 8.6 has the ability to check the FireWire ports of the Power Macintosh G3 (Blue and White).
Open the Apple menu and choose Apple System Profiler. When Apple System Profiler opens, select the Devices and Volumes tab. The information for FireWire appears under the USB information; see Figure 6.
Figure 6: FireWire information in the Devices and Volumes tab.
To detect a camera, the camera should be turned on prior to opening Apple System Profiler. Figure 7 shows what you will see if a camera is detected.
Figure 7: Camera detected by Apple System Profiler.