Am I being thick? (Polite answers only, please!)

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Goat - 17 Jan 2004 14:37 GMT

I want to install Panther on my Powerbook. I don't want to join the
many people on the Apple forum complaining about the screen going black
and turning the PB into a rather expensive tea tray.

So, it seems that most of the problems are ATI video based. How do I
tell what ATI I have and if it's safe. System Profiler under Devices
and Volumes shows ATI(AGP) on the PCI bus. Does anyone know what that
translates to in terms of a model and if it is the Panther safe one or
not?

Other versions of Panther problems seem to be related to Firmware. How
do I discover which version I have? Am I right in thinking it is the
Boot ROM info in the System Profile? In which case that shows 4.3.7f3,
which isn't listed in any of the Firmware updates on the Apple site.
Next step, then was to see what Firmware Apple thinks I should have.
But, how do I tell which of the multitude of Titanium PBs it is I have?
I looked at Article 88248. From there, my back panel looks like a
Powerbook DVI, but I have a 667MHz and it only lists a 867MHz version
in that flavour. System Profiler again tells me I have a Version 2.1,
which of course isn't translated anywhere on the Apple site.

Sometimes a nice simple "Model xyz" would make life so much easier...

Dave

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Goat

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Jim Taylor - 17 Jan 2004 14:59 GMT

> I want to install Panther on my Powerbook. I don't want to join the
> many people on the Apple forum complaining about the screen going black
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> translates to in terms of a model and if it is the Panther safe one or
> not?

Does System profile not give you ant more info than that?

> Other versions of Panther problems seem to be related to Firmware. How
> do I discover which version I have? Am I right in thinking it is the
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> in that flavour. System Profiler again tells me I have a Version 2.1,
> which of course isn't translated anywhere on the Apple site.

Firmware should be fine as there's no firmware updates for your model.

Jim

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Goat - 17 Jan 2004 17:27 GMT

> > I want to install Panther on my Powerbook. I don't want to join the
> > many people on the Apple forum complaining about the screen going black
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>
> Does System profile not give you ant more info than that?

It doesn't give any more info, no. ATI(AGP) is all it says.

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Woody - 17 Jan 2004 16:51 GMT

> I want to install Panther on my Powerbook. I don't want to join the
> many people on the Apple forum complaining about the screen going black
> and turning the PB into a rather expensive tea tray.

I have installed loads of powerbooks and not had that problem

> So, it seems that most of the problems are ATI video based.

I wouldn't have thought so as all powerbooks are ATI video based.

> tell what ATI I have and if it's safe. System Profiler under Devices
> and Volumes shows ATI(AGP) on the PCI bus. Does anyone know what that
> translates to in terms of a model and if it is the Panther safe one or
> not?

> I looked at Article 88248. From there, my back panel looks like a
> Powerbook DVI, but I have a 667MHz and it only lists a 867MHz version
> in that flavour. System Profiler again tells me I have a Version 2.1,
> which of course isn't translated anywhere on the Apple site.
>
> Sometimes a nice simple "Model xyz" would make life so much easier...

If it is a 667 with a DVI it is a Powerbook DVI 667 with a 1280x854
pixel screen using an ATI Radeon Mobility 7500. Its codename is Ivory.

more about it here:

http://www.lowendmac.com/pb2/g4-800.html

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Woody

www.alienrat.com

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Goat - 17 Jan 2004 17:44 GMT

> > I want to install Panther on my Powerbook. I don't want to join the
> > many people on the Apple forum complaining about the screen going black
[quoted text clipped - 24 lines]
>
> http://www.lowendmac.com/pb2/g4-800.html

So I should be safe then! The ATI query comes from this thread on the
discussions:

http://discussions.info.apple.com/WebX?13@10.4KUwaEeGa30.9@.599b3d3e/528

where they talk about the ATI Rage 128 being the stock card for a
Powerbook Titanium G4, which mine is. Since System Profiler is not very
forth coming with which flavour of ATI is fitted, I was more than a
little nervous. Would running the hardware diagnostic CD tell me any
more? Not that I imagine PC World (where I bought it, embarassingly.
Should have kept the box!) would mislabel anything, of course :)
Extensions in system profiler lists ATIRadion.kext,
ATIRadeon.8500.kext, ATIRadeon9700.kext, ATIRagePro.kext,
ATIRage128.kext, so everything except the 7500 you mention. I'm not
well enough up on OS X to be able to tell which one is actually in use.

Given that I still can't get the display to mirror to my widescreen TV,
I am already very suspicious of the video.
Dave

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Goat

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Woody - 17 Jan 2004 17:55 GMT

> > > Sometimes a nice simple "Model xyz" would make life so much easier...
> >
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
> where they talk about the ATI Rage 128 being the stock card for a
> Powerbook Titanium G4, which mine is.

The ATI Rage 128 was fitted in the early ones (like I had) - the 400 &
500. I installed panther in mine and it had no bad effect.

> Would running the hardware diagnostic CD tell me any
> more?

It will tell you a lot less than that web page. There are 4 ranges of ti
powerbooks, 400-500, 550-667, 667-800 & 866-1000. The first range to get
the DVI was when the 667 was the lower one, so thats where your
powerbook fits, mine too as mine is the 800.

> Not that I imagine PC World (where I bought it, embarassingly.
> Should have kept the box!)

Not that much embarassing about buying it from PCWorld - they are there
and no more expensive. Hard to belive you got rid of the box though!

> Extensions in system profiler lists ATIRadion.kext,

Thats the one

> Given that I still can't get the display to mirror to my widescreen TV,
> I am already very suspicious of the video.

you can't? works fine on mine - obviously when you select something
lower than 1280x854

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Woody
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Goat - 17 Jan 2004 19:20 GMT

> The ATI Rage 128 was fitted in the early ones (like I had) - the 400 &
> 500. I installed panther in mine and it had no bad effect.

Tomorrow's the day then. (Ater CC Cloning and proving I boot the
back-up, of course!)

> Hard to belive you got rid of the box though!

I know, I know! Oh for a country mansion with lots of spare rooms..

> > Given that I still can't get the display to mirror to my widescreen TV,
> > I am already very suspicious of the video.
>
> you can't? works fine on mine - obviously when you select something
> lower than 1280x854

It's never worked on any combination of settings using Apple's S-Video
to composite adaptor. Annoying since I I was hoping to use the PB as a
DVD player for non-UK DVDs.Never got anything other than a black screen
on the TV. I've tried every combination of monitor resolutions,
PAL/NTSC formats on both the TV and the PB. It was a very long and very
boring afternoon!

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Mac Forum / Country Specific / UK Mac Group / January 2004

Am I being thick? (Polite answers only, please!)