[WinMac] Re: Problem Reporting [Was: Mac OS 8.6]

Daniel L. Schwartz(expresso[at]snip.net)
Thu, 27 May 1999 15:24:43 -0500

        G'Day!

        I'll respond inline...

At 10:08 AM 5/27/99 -0500, David Bell wrote in detail:
>Re my previous comments:
>
>>In my view, while perhaps the 8.6 installer might have handled this a bit
>>more cleanly, one always needs to take care in such situations, and be
>>ready to re-install the additional drivers if necessary.

        My comments apply to both NT and MacOS, except as obvious...

        First, it always pays to KNOW what's inside your machine:
What is the make
and model of that PCI option card?

        Next, surf on over to <http://www.MacInTouch.com> for daily
bulletins. Any
suggestions for an NT equivalent, besides BugTraq?

        Then, check the (Mac) disk driver publisher's site - ESPECIALLY FWB &
Apple! - for updates.

        Next, check the Web site of the computer or motherboard
manufacturer for
ARC, BIOS, AlphaBIOS, or other firmware updates - Pay special attention to
embedded PCI devices (SCSI, ethernet, audio, yada yada yada) which may need
updating as well;

        Then, check the PCI/ISA/NuBus card manufacturers' sites for
driver updates
and compatibility bulletins;

        Next, check the software publishers' sites for any updates
and warnings.
This is ESPECIALLY important on the Mac with Extensions and Control Panels
that are deeply intertwined in the OS. Notable offenders are antivirus,
Suitcase, ATM, and Conflict Catcher. Basically, stuff that likes to load
early or patch the Menubar are likely candidates!

        RDISK /S -- I hammer this home whenever I can!

        Decompress and assemble each of the downloads into their own
folders; (NT)
and name them with simple names & paths you can remember, such as C:\video
C:\intel C:\SCSI and so on;

        If you have multiple partitions &/or drives (Mac), drag a copy of your
present System Folder to another volume and throw out most everything
(fonts, unneeded CDEV's & INIT's, most preferences, etc.) except what is
needed to boot the machine and hook up to the LAN &/or Internet. This will
be a godsend if something blows up and you only have one machine to pull
down additional files! For NT, install a minimal Workstation installation
in a directory anywhere - I usually call it "NTHelper"

        This second instance (System Folder/installation) is in addition to any
backups you may have: This will bail you out if you screw up your primary
installation. (NT) NT/Workstation can use RAID 5 (striping with parity)
volumes created in NT/Server, since the drivers are the same. (Mac) Be SURE
to get Conflict Catcher 8.x - It's "Installer Merge" takes the pain out of
figuring which Extensions & Control Panels are no longer needed, i.e. their
function has been rolled into another INIT or into the System itself.

>There seems to be a variety of experiences in relation to OS upgrades.
>Perhaps I could sum up the various responses in this way:
>
>People may or may not experience problems with OS upgrades on any
>platform depending on what software and drivers are installed.

        MacOS upgrades seem to "break" more third party INIT's & CDEV's, though
even-numbered NT4 Service Packs can occasionally break stuff too. The
difference worth keeping in mind is that NT Service Packs usually break
NT's own functionality, while MacOS upgrades usually break 3rd party stuff.

>The corollary is that if you don't have a decent backup, a reasonable
>understanding of how your system (and OS of choice) operates and how it's
>configured, then sooner or later an upgrade is going to go horribly wrong
>and you'll be left trying to pick up the pieces and looking for someone
>to blame! (And for the avoidance of doubt, IMHO if you find yourself in
>that unfortunate position - then it's at least partially your own fault!
>:-) Where we can help each other is to offer timely warnings of
>problems to avoid and/or resolve them.

        It was a lot easier with System 7.1 & 7.5.x than it is with
MacOS 8. And
Micros~1 doesn't help matters with THEIR Mac INIT's, either.

>But what really concerned me when I posted my original message was the
>tendency for reporting what is really no more than unsubstantiated
>rumours of possible problems. If people feel moved to report problems,
>then can they please:
>
>1. Ensure that there really is a problem.
>
>2. Identify the source of the problem. If it's a problem you've
> been having, then say so - maybe someone on the list can help
> resolve it. If you're reporting information you've found
> elsewhere, then identify (and check!) the source.

        Ha Ha Ha! If one could easily *identify* the source of a problem, then
listserv traffic would be cut in half because if you can identify it you're
already well on the road to fixing it. The only traffic remaining would be
"How do I do this?"

        [cut]

>David Bell
>Alpha Information Services Ltd
>Glasgow

        Cheers!
        Dan

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