Encore/ZIF G3 & G4
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Driver (2)
Firmware (0)
Manual (2)
FAQ (13)
IDArticle TitlePost Date
72 The Crescendo/Encore installer hangs, or crashes the system; occurs most often when run from the Sonnet installer CD.May-12-09
78 Why does the Encore/ZIF (700MHz and faster) require that my Blue & White or PCI Graphics G4 bus speed be slowed to 66MHz? Doesn't that slow down my computer?May-12-09
169 May I discard my original CPU after installing Sonnet's upgrade cards? May-07-09
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
175 The Crescendo/Encore installer hangs, or crashes the system; occurs most often when run from the Sonnet installer CD while using Mac OS 9.May-07-09
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
238 System will not start following installation of the processor upgrade card, or may fail shortly after restart. IMPORTANT! Do not continue attempts to restart—immediately unplug your computer.May-12-09
239 Encore firmware updater must be run to allow installation of a G4 processor in these machines, but this software is not available for Mac OS X.Jun-25-09
240 During Crescendo/Encore Install 1.4.6 software installation, the system displays an error message stating "Your computer's firmware does not have the Sonnet G4-enabling patch installed."May-12-09
241 While applying the Sonnet G3 firmware patch on a Power Macintosh G3 (Blue & White) computer, the updater stops and either: a) The error message, "Assertion (modPtr) failed in firmwareUpdater.c on line 236" appears. OR b) Your system boots to the desktop and a message stating, "Your computer's firmware does not have the Sonnet G4-enabling patch installed" appears.Jul-23-09
242 After following all of the instructions in the included User's Quick Start Guide and installing the Encore/ZIF G4 upgrade card, the computer freezes at random during boot up or boots to the desktop without any issues, but crashes randomly, and/or programs unexpectedly quit.May-12-09
In many cases, older third-party PCI adapter cards using out-of-date firmware are at fault. When used with a 700 MHz or faster Encore/ZIF G4, a PCI card that does not have up-to-date firmware can cause the issues described here.

To confirm whether a PCI card is at fault, you will need to remove each PCI card from your computer, one at a time, and reboot the computer after each card is removed. When your computer boots successfully and operates without crashing while a particular card is removed, it is likely that you have isolated the card causing the problem(s). Be sure to take all precautions against static discharge during this process, or you may inflict permanent damage to part, or your entire computer. This process will also help you determine whether multiple PCI cards are at fault. If your system\u8217 s boot drive is attached to a PCI card, you will need to boot from a drive attached to the internal ATA bus or a Mac OS installation CD to check that card. When removing any video card, you will need to attach your monitor to the video port on the logic board. If your computer does not have onboard video, you will need to install a known-compatible PCI video card to complete the testing.

To solve this issue, update the firmware and use the latest software with the PCI card(s) in question. You can usually locate the latest firmware and software on the manufacturer\u8217 s web site; contact the manufacturer directly if you can\u8217 t find what you need. Remove the Encore/ZIF processor card from your computer, reinstall the original processor, and then update the firmware and install any software following the PCI card manufacturer\u8217 s instructions. Once this is done, you may reinstall the processor upgrade and your system should operate without issue. If there are no new updates and your PCI card is already running the latest version firmware, you should replace the card.
 
243 After removing and replacing my Encore/ZIF card during the course of troubleshooting, or after moving it from one machine to another, my computer has stopped booting, or started crashing shortly after booting.May-12-09
The processor card may be overheating. When the Encore/ZIF is installed and the heat sink attached, thermal grease on the processor contacts the bottom of the heat sink to transfer heat. When the card cools after operation and the heat sink is removed, the thermal grease can come off with the heat sink, making it difficult to reestablish an effective thermal bond when the computer is put back together.

Before reinstalling the processor, or installing it into another machine, you must remove the residual thermal grease off both the processor die and the heat sink, and apply a new layer to the processor die. Thermal grease may be purchased at most electronic stores; Radio Shack, for example, carries a product called Heat Sink Grease (online catalog #276-1372)

To remove the residual grease, simply apply some rubbing alcohol to a lint free wipe and carefully clean the remaining material from both the processor area of the Encore/ZIF card and the heat sink\u8217 s bottom surface. Once clean, you can apply more thermal grease to the processor die. Apply a smooth, thin layer of the material to the center section of the processor die, making sure it covers the entire area. Take special care that the material is consistently smooth across the surface of the processor die. Repeat this process each and ever time the heat sink is removed from the Encore/ZIF card.
 
244 After following all of the instructions in the included User's Quick Start Guide and installing the Encore/ZIF G4 upgrade card, my computer crashes during boot up. The computer generates the boot chime and video is displayed, however, the boot process stops with just a cursor on screen.May-12-09