I have a performa power mac 6400. I am running 8.5.1. My system does fine until I get online. I have a geoport teleport modem. I am using Netscape 3.0.4, (only because when I use the latest Communicator, I have even MORE problems). I have had alot of Java errors while online. When I get into sites that have sound or huge amounts of graphics my system freezes. This also happens sometimes when I copy several addresses from my address book to send emails. When my system freezes, I have to manually restart.

I upgraded to 8.5 because I thought that would help. I also updated my quicktime to 4.0 and this doesn't seem to have helped either. When I got this computer, I had other modem problems, but those problems were fixed. Tech support recommends it is my server, but I changed servers and it hasn't helped. What can I do to fix this?

There are a few things you should consider:

1. Get rid of the Geoport modem. Because it uses system resources to emulate the functions of a modem, it will significantly slow down your system, especially when viewing large webpages. You can either get a Global Village internal modem or pull the internal modem and hook up an external modem. More info can be found at the website listed at the end of this post.

2. Netscape 3.0.4 probably is not optimal for your browsing needs these days. The latest (non-communicator) version is 4.08 I believe. This may help.

3. Java runs pretty slow on the 6400 (603e processor). If you really don't want to part with your 6400 (and I don't want to part with mine), consider a G3 upgrade card. Both Sonnet and Newer make cards that fit into the L2 cache slot. I got a 300 MHz G3 from Newer for around $400 (they may be a bit less now), and the performance boost is incredible (especially if you also replace the stock hard drive with a more current IDE hard drive - not only will you get lots more disk space for cheap, but it will be much faster - once you have a G3, disk access becomes more of a bottleneck).

4. How much RAM do you have? You probably want 64 MB as a minimum (you can get up to 136 MB into the 6400 -- 8 MB onboard plus 2 64 MB DIMMs).

I hope some of this helps. For LOTS of great info on the 6400, be sure to check out the "6400 Zone" - I don't have any affiliation with it, but it has been a very valuable resource in helping me upgrade my machine:
http://members.aol.com/zone6400

John

John,

Thank you so much for the suggestions! You are a fountain of information. I had been wondering if I just needed to replace the blasted modem entirely. I seem to always have had problems of one sort or another since I bought this system. And you are right, I really don't want to part with this system. We have such a history...

I will most definately get started switching out my modem. The G3 upgrades are a wonderful idea, but I need to get my hands on more moo lah lah before I can do that. Eventually though, I will. Thanks a bunch!!!

>Thank you so much for the suggestions! You are a fountain of information.

Ah shucks...

Actually, I'm just passing on what I learned from upgrading my beloved 6400 this year. And the "6400 Zone" has been my #1 resource for information. A great website.

Best of luck with your future upgrades - just keep in mind that the $$ you spend to bring your 6400 up to optimum performance could also be used to buy a newer machine which will still beat the upgraded 6400 in terms of overall performance, and maybe even cost if you can sell your old system. But, I prefer to re-use and recycle before replacing my computers (besides, I'd have to convert all my peripherals to USB).

John