| ID | | Article Title | Post Date |
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72 | 
| The Crescendo/Encore installer hangs, or crashes the system; occurs most often when run from the Sonnet installer CD. | May-12-09 |
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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 |
| Developing a high-speed G4 upgrade for these systems required some very advanced engineering, and one of the compatibility issues could not be resolved with the bus at 100MHz. In the interest of offering the fastest-ever G4 upgrade for these users, the decision was made to adjust the bus to allow for flawless processor operation. Benchmarks show that the overall result is a very positive gain for Blue & White owners. As long as the Encore/ZIF is properly installed, there is a solid benefit in virtually all applications. |
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|
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 |
| A few early-production beige Power Macintosh beige G3 Desktop, Minitower and Server computers were manufactured with a Royal Technology brand Voltage Regulator Module (VRM) that is incompatible with processor upgrades.
This issue affects Beige G3 systems containing the Royal brand VRM. Figure 1 shows the location of this part in the slot next to the system battery on your computer's motherboard, and its specific appearance. Only the Royal VRM has this issue; Raytheon, Switch Power, and Fairchild VRMs do not.
Because most VRMs look similiar, you must remove and visually inspect it. If the words Royal Technology appear on your VRM, do not install the Encore card; if you have already installed it, remove it. It is critical that this VRM be replaced before the Encore/ZIF is installed (or operated again if you already installed it), as it could cause damage to itself or the Sonnet card. If your Macintosh no longer functions, even with the Encore card removed and the original CPU replaced, it is likely the Royal VRM is damaged and should be replaced. Sonnet has tested and recommends replacement VRMs manufactured by Creative Connections, Inc. You may purchase a replacement VRM from Creative Connections by visiting their website, or by calling them at 1-770-476-7322.
If the VRM in your computer was manufactured by Raytheon, Switch Power, or Fairchild, there is no need for further action. Reinstall the VRM and proceed with the installation of the Encore card as described in the installation manual. |
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|
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 |
| Note: Prior to performing any of the solutions provided, confirm if you are using Crescendo/Encore software later than version 1.4.6.
Issue 1: The firmware patch updater's timing may be affected by the presence of a SCSI card and hard drive in the computer, and causes the update to fail.
Issue 2: The firmware patch updater may fail if you do not hold down the programmer's button on the computer long enough while your system boots.
Solution for Issue 1: If there is a SCSI card and drive(s) installed in your computer, you must disconnect them, and boot the computer from the internal ATA drive. After the firmware has been updated, you may reconnect the SCSI card and drive(s).
Note: Implementing the Solution for Issue 1 does rule out the need to follow the Solution for Issue 2.
Solution for Issue 2: Shut down your computer. Then, while holding down the programmer's button, press and release the power button on the computer. Continue holding down the programmer's button until you hear the long single tone, then release it. (Please note, holding the programmer's key for too long will result in failure to update the firmware.)
If the firmware updater fails again, you must zap your computer's PRAM to clear the partial firmware patch code installation. To do this, first shut down your computer. Then, while holding down the Command + Option + P + R keys together, power up the computer. Continue holding down all four keys until you hear the boot chime four times; after the fourth chime, release the keys and the computer will boot to the desktop normally. Rerun the Sonnet Installer, and carefully follow each instruction as it appears on screen. |
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|
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. |
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|
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 |
|
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 |
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