| ID | | Article Title | Post Date |
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69 | 
| What are the known incompatibilities with the Crescendo/7200 v1.1? | May-12-09 |
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71 |
| What type of RAM can I add to my Crescendo/7200 card? | May-12-09 |
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85 |
| System will not boot, or consistently crashes early in start-up. | Jan-28-10 |
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171 |
| The speed indicated on the G3 or G4 chip on my Sonnet processor upgrade doesn't seem to match the speed of the upgrade I purchased. What's the story? | May-07-09 |
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177 | 
| System will not boot, or consistently crashes early in start-up with a Crescendo/7200 upgrade card installed in computer. | May-07-09 |
| Issue 1: There are specific memory requirements for proper operation of this innovative upgrade. While these are documented in the Crescendo/7200 quick start guide, they may have been overlooked, so please review the solution below carefully.
Issue 2: Sonnet has determined that certain memory DIMMs are less stable than others when used with early production units of the Crescendo/7200 solution. Sonnet has since released both hardware and software updates to provide compatibility with a greater variety of memory. If implementing the solutions recommended for Issue 1 is not effective, you may be encountering a memory compatibility issue.
Solution for Issue 1 (all three must be followed):
1) DIMMS used for RAM expansion should be: 5 volt, 64-bit-wide, 168 pin, fast-page mode, and 70 ns or faster (smaller numbers are faster).
2) Total RAM installed on the Crescendo/7200 card must be equal to or greater than the RAM installed on the Power Macintosh motherboard.
3) In order to run System 7.5.3 through Mac\u172\u198 OS 8.6, there must be a minimum of 16 MB RAM on the motherboard, with equal or greater memory on the Crescendo card. In order to run Mac OS 9.0 through 9.1, a minimum of 32 MB is required on the motherboard, with an equal or greater amount on the Crescendo. While Sonnet plans to bring OS X to the Crescendo/7200, no final announcements have been made, and no RAM requirements have been defined at this time.
If you have satisfied all of the above conditions and are still experiencing problems, please proceed to the following solution.
Solution for Issue 2: Make sure you are using the latest Crescendo/7200 software.
Locate the serial number label on the back edge of the card on the side opposite the DIMM slots. If your Crescendo/7200 has a serial number that begins with an A (e.g. Axxxx), you are eligible for a free upgrade of your hardware that will provide compatibility with a wider array of memory DIMMs; contact Sonnet Customer Service at 1-949-472-2772 for instructions on returning it for this revision. If your card has a serial number that begins with a B, this revision is unnecessary; your card was manufactured with the latest updates.
If your card falls outside the identified ranges, and you continue to experience problems, call Customer Service at 1-949-472-2772 for further assistance. |
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218 |
| The computer's standard startup process takes noticeably longer after upgrading to any Mac OS 9.x system from Mac OS 8.6 or earlier. | May-12-09 |
| This is not a malfunction and is not related in any way to Sonnet upgrade products; this is the result of an additional Mac OS 9.x startup process that did not occur during startup in earlier Mac OS versions. There is a new "hidden" Mac OS 9.x feature called Startup Memory Tests in the Memory Control Panel, which defaults to the "On" setting. This adds time during a startup or restart, as all of the RAM installed in the computer is checked.
This issue affects any machine running OS 9.x (OS X status is unknown as of this writing), with or without upgrades installed. The more RAM installed, the longer the test. (Note that a Mac upgraded with a Sonnet G3 or G4 processor card gets through this process much faster than a "stock" machine.)
Since this is not a malfunction, no solution is required. However, since RAM seldom fails after the first few days of regular use, you may turn this test off if a faster startup cycle is desired. To access this feature you must hold down the Command key and the Option key WHILE opening the Memory Control Panel. When the control panel opens, you will see a setting at the bottom of the control panel. Click the Startup Memory Tests' Off button, then close the Memory Control Panel. Be aware that from now on, when you start up or restart your computer, the Mac OS will NOT check your RAM. If in the future you suspect a memory problem and want to check your RAM, you will need to repeat this procedure and turn the Startup Memory Tests back on. |
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221 |
| After installing the Sonnet Crescendo/7200 into a machine with two other PCI cards, or adding an additional PCI card to a machine already running the 7200 upgrade, the computer does not boot past the "Happy Mac" icon. If I remove either one of the PCI cards or the upgrade, the computer will boot without a problem. The same is true if I boot up holding down the SHIFT key to boot with extensions off. | May-07-09 |
| In previous versions of the Crescendo/7200 enabler software, Sonnet was required to create specific "patches" for each PCI card supported. Whenever the firmware of a PCI card was updated, the 7200 enabler software required a version revision as well.
To address compatibility issues, upgrade the version of the 7200 enabler you are running on the machine to version 1.1 (or later) of the enabler software. In this new version an entirely new algorithm has been developed for recognizing PCI cards from the processor running on the PCI bus. This new breakthrough vastly expands compatibility to virtually all PCI cards. Also with the 1.1 release, PCI cards can be used in almost any combination, and utilize any and all available slots. It is still recommended that the Crescendo/7200 card occupy slot 1.
To update to version 1.1, remove the 7200 upgrade processor and boot the computer. Then download the Crescendo/7200 software. Once downloaded, run through the installation. The installer will remove any old version of the enabler that is currently installed and install version 1.1. When the installer is done, shut the computer down, reinsert the 7200 upgrade processor, and boot the computer normally. |
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222 |
| After installing the Sonnet Crescendo/7200 into my machine, making sure I followed the instructions on RAM distribution, the computer does not boot past the "Happy Mac" icon. If I remove the 7200 upgrade, the computer will boot without a problem. The same is true if I boot up holding down the SHIFT key to boot with extensions off. | Aug-06-09 |
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223 |
| After installing the Sonnet Crescendo/7200 into a machine with 128MB RAM DIMMs, or adding 128MB RAM DIMMs to the machine that already was running the 7200 upgrade, the computer does not boot past the "Happy Mac" icon. The DIMMs work when installed alone on the logic board without the 7200 upgrade installed. If I remove either the 128MB RAM DIMMs or the processor upgrade, the computer will boot without a problem. The same is true if I boot up holding down the SHIFT key to boot with extensions off. | May-07-09 |
| Issue 1: 128MB DIMMs are typically composed of 16 chips, each a 16Mx4 part. There are two types that are used, the "4K Refresh" and the "8K Refresh". The Crescendo/7200 is not compatible with some DIMMs made with "8K Refresh" parts because the timing margins are so thin that the electrical \u8218\u196\u250 noise\u8218\u196\u249 generated by the card causes errors. The "8K" versus "4K" parts can be identified by the part numbers of the chips on the DIMM, or by checking with the manufacturer of the chips.
One solutions is to contact the chip vendor/manufacturer and have the chips replaced with DIMMs that are built with "4K Refresh" parts. 4K Refresh DIMMs are considerably more prevalent, but users are advised to ask before purchasing.
Issue 2: The 128MB DIMMs do meet compatibility, however, you are running an older version of the 7200 enabler.
After checking and verifying that the 128MB DIMMs that are installed on either the logic board or the card are made with "4K Refresh" parts and not "8K Refresh", check to see which version of the 7200 enabler you are running. This can be found in the System folder of your Operating System hard drive. If you are not running version 1.1 or later, you will need to update. With the release of the 7200 enabler, Sonnet expands its support of RAM running on both the upgrade card and the logic board. To update to version 1.1, remove the 7200 processor upgrade and boot the computer. Then download the Crescendo/7200 software. Once downloaded, run through the installation. The installer will remove any old version of the enabler that is currently installed and install version 1.1. When the installer is done, shut the computer down, reinsert the 7200 upgrade processor, and boot the computer normally. |
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