PowerBook 3400 Series: Questions & Answers

TECHINFO-0021000

TOPIC

This article contains the following frequently asked questions about the PowerBook 3400 series computers and answers to those questions.

1. Can the PowerBook 3400 Series CD install Mac OS 7.6 onto my desktop Power Macintosh computers?

2. Can I install Mac OS 7.6 (the general release) onto my PowerBook 3400 series computer?

3. When I "Get Info" from the File menu on the System File in my PowerBook 3400 computer's System Folder it says it is version 7.5.3. Is this a mistake? I thought it was supposed to be running Mac OS 7.6.

4. Will I be able to install newer Macintosh system software versions and/or Mac OS updates onto my PowerBook 3400 series computer?

5. Why do I get a dialog box when I restart my machine stating that, "QuickTime MPEG Extension did not load. It requires the Thread Manager extension or ThreadsLib extension (version 2.1.5 or later)"?

6. Why does my PowerBook 3400 series computer sometimes freeze/hang when I cancel a software installation?

7. Why can I not print some of the user manuals (.pdf files) any more? They used to print with no trouble.

8. Why does the sound from the right speaker of my PowerBook 3400 computer sound louder than the sound from the left speaker when I'm using the built-in modem that came with the computer?

9. Why can I not use the Speed access part of Speed Doubler version 2.x with System 7.6?

DISCUSSION

1 ) Question: Can the PowerBook 3400 Series CD install Mac OS 7.6 onto my desktop Power Macintosh computers?

Answer: No, the PowerBook 3400 series CD is specifically intended for use the PowerBook 3400 series of computers only. Although some past model-specific CDs have allowed installation on other computers, the PowerBook 3400 Series CD installer is set up to install only onto PowerBook 3400 series computers.

) Question: Can I install Mac OS 7.6 (the general release) onto my PowerBook 3400 series computer?

Answer: No, the PowerBook 3400 series computers require additional software that is available only from the version of Mac OS 7.6 that shipped with these computers. The General Release of Mac OS 7.6 does not contain this *software*.

*Note*: The PowerBook 3400 Enabler among several other files is not included in the general release version of Mac OS 7.6 and the PowerBook cannot operate properly without this file.

3 ) Question: When I "Get Info" from the File menu on the System File in my PowerBook 3400 computer's System Folder it says it is version 7.5.3. Is this a mistake? I thought it was supposed to be running Mac OS 7.6.

Answer: The version number in the Get Info window is correct. The PowerBook 3400 series computers are running a version of Mac OS 7.6 that was created especially for the PowerBook 3400 series computers. Although the "packaging" is a little different, the operating system itself is the same with some specific files added for this computer.

For the technically inclined: The same code is being executed at run time, but on the PowerBook 3400 series computers, the newer system code runs from the PowerBook 3400 Enabler file rather than from the System File.

4 ) Question: Will I be able to install newer Macintosh system software versions and/or Mac OS updates onto my PowerBook 3400 series computer?

Answer: Yes, when Apple releases an update to the system software, you should be able to install it on your PowerBook 3400 series computer.

5 ) Question: Why do I get a dialog box when I restart my machine stating that, "QuickTime MPEG Extension did not load. It requires the Thread Manager extension or ThreadsLib extension (version 2.1.5 or later)"?

Answer: It is possible that you have removed or altered the pre-installed System folder that was installed on your PowerBook 3400 series computer. If you have installed just the system software required (Mac OS 7.6 for PowerBook 3400 series), the Thread Manager extension is deleted because the functionality was rolled into the system file. Unfortunately, a newer version of the Thread Manger extension is needed by the QuickTime MPEG software. To remedy the situation, reinstall the QuickTime MPEG software. The QuickTime MPEG installer is available on the PowerBook 3400 Series CD in the Apple Extras folder.

6 ) Question: Why does my PowerBook 3400 series computer sometimes freeze/hang when I cancel a software installation?

Answer: It is possible that this freeze could be caused by having an old version of the ObjectSupportLib file installed. There are some third party applications that install an older version of ObjectSupportLib file in to the Extensions Folder. The older versions can cause the computer to hang when the Finder is restarted. This is a general system software issue, not one specific to the PowerBook 3400 series computers. The correct version that you need is ObjectSupportLib version 1.1.8. This version is installed by the PowerBook 3400 System Software Installer.

7 ) Question: Why can I not print some of the user manuals (.pdf files) any more? They used to print with no trouble.

Answer: The pre-installed software bundle on the PowerBook 3400 series computers is set up so that you can print and view Adobe Acrobat files. If you choose to erase the bundle and install just the system software, you have to install Adobe Acrobat Reader as well in order to view and print the .pdf manual files. The Adobe Acrobat Reader installer is located in the Install Applications folder on the CD.

8 ) Question: Why does the sound from the right speaker of my PowerBook 3400 computer sound louder than the sound from the left speaker when I'm using the built-in modem that came with the computer?

Answer: When the modem portion of the internal dual Ethernet/33.6 modem card is in use (online) or is waiting for a fax call it will attenuate (decrease the output to) the left channel sound level by 50 percent. This happens because the modem only drives the left channel and it is connected to the sound circuitry when the modem software is active. The balance control in the Monitors & Sound control panel may be used to restore the sound balance if desired during modem use.

9 ) Question: Why can I not use the Speed access part of Speed Doubler version 2.x with System 7.6?

Answer:

**IMPORTANT NOTE:** This information comes from a Connectix press release, the makers of Speed Doubler.

There is a problem which is usually triggered by using the Find function within the Mac OS Finder. Usually, the result is that the display within the Find results dialog box is missing the found information. Sometimes, after using Find, if you move, delete, or create new files. This problem can result in disk directory corruption.

Because of the potential seriousness of this issue, Connectix recommends that all customers using Mac OS 7.6 with Speed Doubler 2.0 do one of the following things:

1. Update to Speed Doubler version 2.0.1 - download from the web at: http://www.connectix.com/connect/update.html

   -OR-

2. Turn off "Faster Disk Performance" in the Speed Doubler 2.0 Control Panel.

If you are using Speed Doubler version 1.x and Mac OS 7.6, you should remove your Speed Access extension entirely.

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