Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

my7200 · Jun 26, 2002, 07:01 PM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by timster:
frankly, i dont have time to repeat the information that lies within this thread that'll answer your question. go read the thread and the one at xlr8yourmac and you'll find out. <img border="0" alt="[Skeptical]" title="" src="graemlins/bugeye.gif" />

-tim<hr /></blockquote>smart comments like that often come from f_u_c_k_s like yourself... the thread is to long and I wanted a simple answer

SirCastor · Jun 27, 2002, 02:15 AM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by my7200:
 <blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by timster:
frankly, i dont have time to repeat the information that lies within this thread that'll answer your question. go read the thread and the one at xlr8yourmac and you'll find out. <img border="0" alt="[Skeptical]" title="" src="graemlins/bugeye.gif" />

-tim<hr /></blockquote>smart comments like that often come from f_u_c_k_s like yourself... the thread is to long and I wanted a simple answer<hr /></blockquote>And it's poor language like that which makes us want to give it to you even less. Really, you could take the time to run through it. If you don't want to read, use the forum's search function. If that's not good enough for you, go to each page and just use your browser's find command. "128" doesn't occur all that often in a thread unless it's related.

The fact of the matter is the real answer is quite long and complicated. The short answer is: No, it doesn't work (or actually "It's not worth risking because your chances of success are quite low.")

Don't ask us to do your homework because you're too lazy.
-A

olePigeon · Jun 27, 2002, 05:22 AM

I was under the impression they weren't exactly the same. The Mac edition is QuickTime enhanced while the PC version is DirectX enhanced... or are all these "enhancements" contained in the bios which is overwritten anyway?

normyzo · Jun 27, 2002, 02:02 PM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by olePigeon:
I was under the impression they weren't exactly the same. The Mac edition is QuickTime enhanced while the PC version is DirectX enhanced... or are all these "enhancements" contained in the bios which is overwritten anyway?<hr /></blockquote>First, cards have DirectX/OpenGL/QuickDraw/QuickTime acceleration, not because its coded into the card's silicon or BIOS, but because the card implements functions that these APIs use. For example, you write your driver for the card to support DirectX and OpenGL, but your driver translates those calls into something the hardware supports, but is NOT DirectX or OpenGL.

DirectX and QuickTime interface to the cards low-level hardware functions, but through the driver, never directly to hardware. That's why drivers are there: so that a program writer doesn't have to code to each card on the market, but can target a standard API. The drivers then handle the API->hardware end.

So basically, DirectX, OpenGL, and QuickTime/QuickDraw would use specific functions enabled in the card, like texturing, buffering, etc, not the other way round.

That said, part of the reason for differences in BIOS is this: when the computer boots up, the PC card has to identify to an Intel-based BIOS, while the Mac card has to identify to OpenFirmware. The code is different and the interaction mechanisms are different, hence different BIOS.

Chuck3d · Jun 27, 2002, 05:05 PM

I've attempted twice now to buy and I've learned that Dual Head is what you want if you are going to power 2 monitors. And those cards are always OEMs, despite any mention of ''retail box.'' [lowest I found is $130 to your doorstep, PLUS what you spend for a converter (eight bucks?)]

What I want to know is this:

--if buying an OEM, do i have to edit the Mac ATI ROM flasher to bring down or up the core clock?

--if I know im getting a 250/275 card (and have read those marks are in sync with the Mac Edition boards we're trying NOT to pay for), then I just run the flasher and Im home free (no fuss)?

Thanks!

Todd Madson · Jun 27, 2002, 08:31 PM

Wow, this thread is still happening. Glad there's a new driver update for my Radeon 8500.

Here's the deal: the ten or so people who have tried to make a 128 meg card work have had MIXED
results. I heard of ONE success (over at macaddict.com's forums) and about eight or nine "sort of's"
that resulted in many returning the card due to problems with the color pallette (i.e. colors were
way off).

You take your risks with the 128. Frankly, since the 64 meg is much larger than the 16 megs in
my old Rage 128 I'm not worried.

FreshApple · Jun 27, 2002, 08:46 PM

that is so right

Chuck3d · Jul 2, 2002, 06:06 PM

For anyone still following this thread, I tracked eBay for the ATI-built retail cards (make sure they are dual display if u have 2 monitors) and they basically go for about $100 w/$15 for shipping and insurance. lowest prices for PriceWatch were $130 plus shipping. I got mine for $90.

drums are rolling and the fat lady is gettin ready to sing!

cdrgonzo20 · Jul 2, 2002, 09:32 PM

I bought the PC version, flashed it, and it worked perfectly. It was purchased off of U-bid, sealed in box. The only problem is, and its something i can't believe I forgot about, but my CRT studio display's ADC isn't compatible with DVI-ADC adaptors, so I ended up splurging and buying the Geforce 4. Anywho, I listed the card on ebay, the last bid I saw was for 150... The card works like a charm, if anybody would like your more than welcome to bid on it. You will end up saving a ton of money over what they charge retail (299)

mrchin · Jul 3, 2002, 12:58 AM

You can actually get the Apple DVIator for $149 to get your DVI-ADC to work. It's got power running through it. You just won't be saving since you've gotta pay more cash for the adapter but...

cdrgonzo20 · Jul 3, 2002, 05:45 PM

thats what I thought to, but when I got it home, right before I powered it up, I remembered reading somewhere that the adaptor doesn't work with the CRT studio display that was discontinued recently in favor of an all LCD line. The adaptor is useless with my monitor, as the monitor requires a direct ADC connection due to the fact the way it recieves signals, which is different from the LCD monitors.... So anybody that has a CRT ADC model from Apple, don't touch the radeon 8500.. There is no ADC connector and your throwing money down the toilet, but for everybody else, at 150, you can still buy the 8500, and the adaptor and wind out ahead.

Chuck3d · Jul 3, 2002, 11:56 PM

My card didnt work. Sucks. reading this forum, saving all the instructions, following some simple steps...just sucks.

I got a retail card but not in a new box off an ebay who'd sold about 20 of em.

Just basically got no video on reboot.

Ignis Fatuus · Jul 4, 2002, 12:46 AM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by Chuck3d:
My card didnt work. Sucks. reading this forum, saving all the instructions, following some simple steps...just sucks.

I got a retail card but not in a new box off an ebay who'd sold about 20 of em.

Just basically got no video on reboot.<hr /></blockquote>Have you tried it on a PC? If not, try it, and see if it works on a PC. If it does, then explain little more on what exactly you did. As long as the RADEON 8500 card work in a PC, it should work on a MAC. I tried on an OEM (Powercolor), which was missing a chip on board, and it still worked fine. I was even able to hack it to adjust the clock to get rid of some artifact problem (it was suppose to be 250/250, not 250/275).

Chuck3d · Jul 4, 2002, 04:24 PM

Well, what I did was make 9.2 the boot volume. Put the updater in the startup folder. Shut down and swap video cards and disconnect my monitor. I had a PCI card in there to power the other monitor and I left that connected.

I rebooted and waited 3-4 minutes after the OS came up, then shut down. Hooked up the monitor and could not get video from the AGP, all connections secure. I zapped the PRAM (but it oddly only zaps ONCE no matter how long I held the keys down--and even pushed the magic button the mobo next to the battery, officially zapping it).

OS X and 9 produce no AGP video. I dont have the march update in there because I had already gone to 10.1.5 but I didnt think that would impact it.

rats to all hell ...

Ignis Fatuus · Jul 4, 2002, 07:36 PM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by Chuck3d:
Well, what I did was make 9.2 the boot volume. Put the updater in the startup folder. Shut down and swap video cards and disconnect my monitor. I had a PCI card in there to power the other monitor and I left that connected.

I rebooted and waited 3-4 minutes after the OS came up, then shut down. Hooked up the monitor and could not get video from the AGP, all connections secure. I zapped the PRAM (but it oddly only zaps ONCE no matter how long I held the keys down--and even pushed the magic button the mobo next to the battery, officially zapping it).

OS X and 9 produce no AGP video. I dont have the march update in there because I had already gone to 10.1.5 but I didnt think that would impact it.

rats to all hell ...<hr /></blockquote>Were you able to see anything on the PCI card? Try to get the PCI card woking, add the RADEON 8500, then flash it. If all else fails, try it on a PC, make sure the card works.

Chuck3d · Jul 4, 2002, 07:43 PM

My PCI works great. I got to watch it boot up and OS 9 run the firmware update (like 5 seconds or something). Then it's all still and quiet, so I shut down and plugged the monitor in. Big Zero.

My friend is trying now to put the pc bios back on it, give it a run on the PC. Im in the middle of big rendering and couldnt slow the workflow down to test the card on the pc. i have to say I had my hopes up, was careful in shoping for the right card and wound up simply a hundred bucks out. I'll get the card running and sell it unless someone posts a miracle fix.

villalobos · Jul 5, 2002, 12:23 PM

I was successful in flashing an AGP Radeon 8500LE. I got the card from Ubid.com for about $90 with shipping. This is the FIC AT008 Radeon 8500 64MBDDR AGP Video w/TV. It is rated at 250 MHz, hence the LE label.

I used the MacOS9 method, with firmware update in the startup items folder. I needed to zap the PRAM though in order to get the card to work. It does work under mac os 9.2 and 10.1.5.
I don't have a DVD player, so I can't comment on that matter.

Hope this helps.

Wolfhouse

G4 533MHz, digital audio

Helly · Jul 6, 2002, 09:23 AM

Chuck3D: I encountered the same problem you mentioned. When I first flashed my PC Radeon 8500 using the ATI Firmware Updater, I got no video. Flashed it again, same thing.

What I did was used the ATI Firmware Restore app in place of the ATI Firmware Updater. I got video after that. ROM version at this point is version 123. Then I used the ATI Firmware Updater (under OS 9) to update the ROM to version 126.

No harm in trying, maybe it'll work for you as it did for me.

stuffedmonkey · Jul 6, 2002, 11:56 AM

Looking at other forums, I found a utility that lets you easily edit both MHz settings on the 8500's rom. You drag the Radeon 8500 updater to the util, change the values, then flash the rom. I saw earlier posts showing how to do this in Hexedit - but this seems way easier. the link is here (site is in French):

<a href="http://www.macbidouille.com/niouzcontenu.php?date=2002-06-22#2835" target="_blank">macbidouille.com</a>

For those of you editing the roms before flashing - Is the wisest thing to to make the new mac rom exaly match the default speed of the card you are flashing? That would be my guess...

Now all I need to do is scrape enough cash together to get myself a card!

Johnny_B · Jul 7, 2002, 03:31 PM

Here is a good howto flash page (128MB models are not known to work ).
<a href="http://www.coffeehaus.com/radeon8500.html" target="_blank">http://www.coffeehaus.com/radeon8500.html</a>

One thing I wondered, I am to buy one myself. I've seen some ppl get there pc radeon to work great, and some with bugs/etc. I wondered which is safe to buy ? I want a Radeon 8500 card that is just as good as, or better than Radeon 8500 Mac edition. I would grateful if you could provide some tips of where to get it cheap and if possible an url(/s). Also maximum "safe" overclocking (if there is such a thing :O) ratings if possible .

Ignis Fatuus · Jul 8, 2002, 04:16 AM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by stuffedmonkey:
Looking at other forums, I found a utility that lets you easily edit both MHz settings on the 8500's rom. You drag the Radeon 8500 updater to the util, change the values, then flash the rom. I saw earlier posts showing how to do this in Hexedit - but this seems way easier. the link is here (site is in French):

<a href="http://www.macbidouille.com/niouzcontenu.php?date=2002-06-22#2835" target="_blank">macbidouille.com</a>

For those of you editing the roms before flashing - Is the wisest thing to to make the new mac rom exaly match the default speed of the card you are flashing? That would be my guess...

Now all I need to do is scrape enough cash together to get myself a card!<hr /></blockquote>Well, I read the article about hacking the bios using ResEdit from that site. Like I stated in an earlier post, I think there were some additional things he changed that I don't think was necessary, so I wouldn't try that program unless I know exacty which part of the bios the program is changing. I've been using my PowerColor Radeon 8500 (hacked bios running at 250/250) for awhile now. Playing DVD, Quake 3 Arena, Team Arena, Unreal Tournament, Starcraft/Broodwar, and Warcraft 3, all without a problem. I did have some problems with Warcraft 3, but after I reinstalled the driver, it worked fine. I hacked the bios to 250/250 (the default speed of my card) because I was seeing some artifacts playing games/DVD. It is save to say, yes, modify your bios first before you flash, unless you know for a fact that your card can run at 250/275.

Ignis Fatuus · Jul 8, 2002, 04:34 AM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by Johnny_B:
Here is a good howto flash page (128MB models are not known to work ).
<a href="http://www.coffeehaus.com/radeon8500.html" target="_blank">http://www.coffeehaus.com/radeon8500.html</a>

One thing I wondered, I am to buy one myself. I've seen some ppl get there pc radeon to work great, and some with bugs/etc. I wondered which is safe to buy ? I want a Radeon 8500 card that is just as good as, or better than Radeon 8500 Mac edition. I would grateful if you could provide some tips of where to get it cheap and if possible an url(/s). Also maximum "safe" overclocking (if there is such a thing :o ) ratings if possible .<hr /></blockquote>If you are not daring enough, I'd suggest goto a B&M (Circuit City, Best Buy, Fry's, etc) and pickup a 'Build by ATI' (Retail ATI) Radeon 8500 64MB for PC and flash it. If you screw up, you can alway return it and get another one (And no, I do not encourage this practice ;-)). It's basically the same card, minus the software CD and about $200. I have a PowerColor Radeio 8500 that will only run 250/250 like the sticker on the box says. I also have a retail Radeon 8500 that I tried running at 295/295 without a problem. Strangely, I was able to run the PowerColor at 275/275 on a PC, but not on a Mac. I'd suggest not to overclock, since the 5 frames you gain won't help you live any longer in a FPS any way. I know it didn't for me :-).

Johnny_B · Jul 8, 2002, 09:45 AM

Good news, I found a cheap card here in Norway (pc). The only problem it's VIVO, or is it a problem ??

ATI Radeon 64MB DDR VIVO

Video in/Video out

I though that video in wouldn't work, but will the rest work ?

Nice to get a fast reply :o )

timster · Jul 8, 2002, 12:27 PM

I noticed those Radeon 8500s for sale on CDW for about $89, no promises on whether they'll be flashable (and will work).

<a href="http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/default.asp?EDC=390834" target="_blank">http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/default.asp?EDC=390834</a>

[ 07-08-2002, 12:28 PM: Message edited by: timster ]

Ignis Fatuus · Jul 8, 2002, 12:57 PM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by Johnny_B:
Good news, I found a cheap card here in Norway (pc). The only problem it's VIVO, or is it a problem ??

ATI Radeon 64MB DDR VIVO

Video in/Video out

I though that video in wouldn't work, but will the rest work ?

Nice to get a fast reply :o )<hr /></blockquote>That's a 'Powered by ATI' (OEM) Radeon 8500, or is it just Radeon with 64MB? I don't remember ATI made any retail Radeon 8500 with VIVO.

Johnny_B · Jul 8, 2002, 01:45 PM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by Ignis Fatuus:
 <blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by Johnny_B:
Good news, I found a cheap card here in Norway (pc). The only problem it's VIVO, or is it a problem ??

ATI Radeon 64MB DDR VIVO

Video in/Video out

I though that video in wouldn't work, but will the rest work ?

Nice to get a fast reply :o )<hr /></blockquote>That's a 'Powered by ATI' (OEM) Radeon 8500, or is it just Radeon with 64MB? I don't remember ATI made any retail Radeon 8500 with VIVO.<hr /></blockquote>Check out this page: <a href="http://www.qxl.com/cgi-bin/qxlhome.cgi/NO/QXL/PR/Q1013928736/_33131948" target="_blank">http://www.qxl.com/cgi-bin/qxlhome.cgi/NO/QXL/PR/Q1013928736/_33131948</a>

The picture shows that it is a Radeon by ATi.

Ignis Fatuus · Jul 8, 2002, 06:56 PM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by Johnny_B:
 <blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by Ignis Fatuus:
 <blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by Johnny_B:
Good news, I found a cheap card here in Norway (pc). The only problem it's VIVO, or is it a problem ??

ATI Radeon 64MB DDR VIVO

Video in/Video out

I though that video in wouldn't work, but will the rest work ?

Nice to get a fast reply :o )<hr /></blockquote>That's a 'Powered by ATI' (OEM) Radeon 8500, or is it just Radeon with 64MB? I don't remember ATI made any retail Radeon 8500 with VIVO.<hr /></blockquote>Check out this page: <a href="http://www.qxl.com/cgi-bin/qxlhome.cgi/NO/QXL/PR/Q1013928736/_33131948" target="_blank">http://www.qxl.com/cgi-bin/qxlhome.cgi/NO/QXL/PR/Q1013928736/_33131948</a>

The picture shows that it is a Radeon by ATi.<hr /></blockquote>I don't believe that's an ATI Radeon 8500.

ginoledesma · Jul 8, 2002, 11:51 PM

The only Radeon 8500 "VIVO" card that ATI may have made themselves is the ATI All In Wonder, which I think works only on PCs. The picture shows the box of the original Radeon, which is older and slower than the Radeon 8500.

[ 07-08-2002, 11:52 PM: Message edited by: ginoledesma ]

peter 8-) · Jul 9, 2002, 05:32 PM

Well guys and dolls, no luck for me,
I bought a PC radeon 8500 64mb 3.6 ns ddram. folow al the instructions, from coffeehaus. but no video for me

with the R8500FlashEditor i have tried the folowing gpu/mem settings,

1 standaard ati RADEON 8500 Firmware UPDATE
2 250/270
3 270/250
4 230/230

because i wasn't sure of the system booting ok i put a systemsound in the startup items, and named it zzz, so i could hear the rom updater dit start. This often wasn't thru. so i made a clean instal of a 9.1 system and then it worked fine.

i notised that the monitor react on the computer very soon after it is switsched on... but with the new card there was no signal...

does anybody have an idea of somthing i can try to get this thing working???

my mac is a G4mp450...

best regards, peter

villalobos · Jul 9, 2002, 07:11 PM

Peter,

maybe the PRam zap could help you there. It did help me with the flashing of a PC 8500.

Hope this helps

Wolfhouse

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by peter 8-):
Well guys and dolls, no luck for me,
I bought a PC radeon 8500 64mb 3.6 ns ddram. folow al the instructions, from coffeehaus. but no video for me

with the R8500FlashEditor i have tried the folowing gpu/mem settings,

1 standaard ati RADEON 8500 Firmware UPDATE
2 250/270
3 270/250
4 230/230

because i wasn't sure of the system booting ok i put a systemsound in the startup items, and named it zzz, so i could hear the rom updater dit start. This often wasn't thru. so i made a clean instal of a 9.1 system and then it worked fine.

i notised that the monitor react on the computer very soon after it is switsched on... but with the new card there was no signal...

does anybody have an idea of somthing i can try to get this thing working???

my mac is a G4mp450...

best regards, peter<hr /></blockquote>

Johnny_B · Jul 10, 2002, 05:22 PM

Stupid me, hit myself in the head. STUPID, arghhh... Radeon and no 8500 ?? What was I thinking

Anyway

Laurence · Jul 12, 2002, 03:05 PM

Well, I finally took the plunge, bought a 8500 of eBay for 92.00 USD and following the procedure outlined here tried to flash it.

I do have it working now, although the odd thing is, like someone else stated here, I had to use the firmware restore to get it working. I then ran the flasher update and now have the latest firmware, however I find it odd that some people have been able to use the updater on the PC Card, and others have to use the restore file.

Anyway, it works great.

--laurence

PS: One other thing, has anyone had any troubles with Return to Castle wolfenstein after the upgrade? Every other game works fine, although RTCW locks after the opening movie with the 8500, however it played fine with the Rage128 previously installed (well, not fine, a bit slow) I have removed it, the prefs and plists and reinstalled and still no go. Ideas?

CIA · Jul 12, 2002, 03:33 PM

What are other cards that are easily flashable? Any luck flashing PCI video cards?

Chuck3d · Jul 12, 2002, 05:08 PM

Helly: Thanks a million. I will try that tonight when I get home. I had been on vacation and wondered if the forum would produce a similar response and it has!!!!

Thanks again

AssmanPhD · Jul 12, 2002, 09:48 PM

Hi, I have a huge problem, i bought the ati radeon 8500 64mb ddr oem version with 275mhz clock. I followed all the instructions for flashing without a extra pci card. When I tried to turn off the computer after i assume the flash had been complete, it goes to sleep instead of turns off. So i try pulling the power cord, attaching the monitor and boot up with extensions off and I see nothing. The screen just stays black.

Could anyone help me with this or know what the problem might be?

Is my card totally wasted or could i still flash it, or if at worse, flash it back to a pc card and sell it.

Thanx for any help in advance.

-Ray

AssmanPhD · Jul 12, 2002, 09:49 PM

Hi, I have a huge problem, i bought the ati radeon 8500 64mb ddr oem version with 275mhz clock. I followed all the instructions for flashing without a extra pci card. When I tried to turn off the computer after i assume the flash had been complete, it goes to sleep instead of turns off. So i try pulling the power cord, attaching the monitor and boot up with extensions off and I see nothing. The screen just stays black.

Could anyone help me with this or know what the problem might be?

Is my card totally wasted or could i still flash it, or if at worse, flash it back to a pc card and sell it.

Thanx for any help in advance.

-Ray

Chuck3d · Jul 12, 2002, 11:58 PM

Well, back at Failure Ranch my attempt to start up under 9 with the Radeon Restore, then shut down and startup under Radeon Updater....has not produced any video once I hook the monitor back up.

Running the System Profiler hardly showed anything at all.

... how frustrating

Helly · Jul 13, 2002, 09:04 AM

Chuck3d: sorry to hear that man. Laurence (a few posts up) also reported success with the firmware restore app, so I guess I wasn't alone. I actually flashed my PC Radeon 8500 without using a PCI vid card, so it was "boot into OS 9; put firmware restore app in Startup Items; shut down; install PC Radeon 8500; boot up and wait five minutes; shut down; plug in monitor; boot into OS X (hold down option key at boot and select OS X volume); success!". I booted into OS X after to bypass OS 9 and prevent it from running the firmware restore app one more time. Dunno if that's needed but just in case...

tonywong · Jul 13, 2002, 01:04 PM

Someone on xlr8yourmac noted that ATI may have silently revved the flasher to not update cards without a current mac bios. Try DLing the flasher from other sites like the coffeehaus one with flasher programs that are known good.

tr · Jul 13, 2002, 01:17 PM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by Laurence:


PS: One other thing, has anyone had any troubles with Return to Castle wolfenstein after the upgrade? Every other game works fine, although RTCW locks after the opening movie with the 8500, however it played fine with the Rage128 previously installed (well, not fine, a bit slow) I have removed it, the prefs and plists and reinstalled and still no go. Ideas?<hr /></blockquote>i just tried wolf, and upon trying to skip the title sequences, it locked. i restarted the computer, and tried wolf mp: worked fine. then i went back to wolf sp, clicked the mouse to skip the intro, and wolf loaded fine. i've been able to run it with no hitches since. i suggest zapping the PRAM (for 4 bongs). that usually helps me when i can't get video out on my 8500, it might help in this case too.

tr

Chuck3d · Jul 13, 2002, 02:00 PM

Helly, Tony: i know how ATI loathes having your card hooked up to a monitor when it flashes, so i will indeed unhook my pci card completely to eliminate one more thing. I will also DL the coffeehaus flasher just in case and try try again.. I appreciate the extra effort msgs from you.

Chuck3d · Jul 13, 2002, 04:39 PM

Argh.... failed again.

I think I've run out of answers. This card will not respond.

So far, the methods I've tried are everything shy of editing the card's original speeds top match the updater's. At that point of res-edit, I just throw my hands up because I cant follow the ABC's 190 posts up this thread.

I bet money it still runs on the PC after all this because my updaters cant penetrate it

wlescall · Jul 13, 2002, 09:46 PM

I was able to flash an OEM card from Newegg. It was rated 275/275.

Using the risky method:
used the firmware restore
used the firmware updater
zapped the PRAM 5-6 times.
Installed the new drivers and works great.

Looking forward to Quartz.

tonywong · Jul 13, 2002, 11:39 PM

Chuck3d,

Too bad you don't have a PCI video card to check it. You can also try to timbuktu/VNC into that particular machine if you have another machine to remote it to. In my experience (with 2 cards from the same source�bcomcomputer OEM) the cards flashed fine, but when I tried the auto (black screen) method it wouldn't work because I couldn't see if any error messages came up or which buttons to push. I had to resort to the PCI video card addition to make it work.

Do you have a part number listed on the card? It could be that the source of the cards will not allow flashing�has anyone else who got their cards to work bought from the same place you have?

AssmanPhD · Jul 14, 2002, 12:55 AM

hey guys, i got it to work by putting the restore file in the startup items and it just worked on the next start up, but now I have another problem, my tv out isn't working. I can't seem to find the 2nd display when i connect it on the display preferences. I've connected a tv to it through a s-video to component adapter i got from a powerbook, but my computer doesn't seem to recognize the connection. I'm thinking maybe i'm missing some software. Does anyone have any ideas on what might be the problem. Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

-Ray

Chuck3d · Jul 14, 2002, 12:16 PM

Hey Tony, thanks. I DO have a PCI video card running in it. My initial tests went awry so I thought maybe doing the blackout monitor thing might kick it in gear.

Here is a part number on the circuit board that I wouldnt know how to trace or if there is a different flasher for: PN 109-85700-00. Then, there is a made-in-china sticker with a bar code on the back and a a S/N as well as a P/N. The P/N reads: 1028571700 053475

I wonder about different flashers. Are there?

Chuck3d · Jul 14, 2002, 12:19 PM

Wlescall, when you zapped the PRAM 5-6 times, I found that interesting. I've tried zapping the PRAM and I only get one no matter how long i hold down the four keys.

G4 2x450

Chuck3d · Jul 14, 2002, 12:57 PM

OK, I'm doing this live as i write. I am trying the 230/230 flasher from Coffeehaus now, and I am first running the ROM Restore. Upon bootup it has crashed right when the ATI dialog comes up. All I can see in that dialog are the numbers highlighted with no words or instructions. 113-85710-123.

I am thinking it is crashing during the Restore and cannot complete it.

I will reboot with extensions off to see that makes a difference.

-------

With extensions off, I see NO action from the startup items execution. I wonder if that kept it from happening. I will try and run it manually. ... running it manually has crashed it. It really doesnt like this part. With no other option but one, I will reboot and put the 230/230 firmware update into the startup items and reboot again.

--------

Running the 230/230 updater manually has produced a crash... Im putting it in the Startup folder and running extensions to invoke the updater. ... The ATI dialog box comes on and again says ATI ROM Update with no other language but a number highlighted...it reads 113-85710-126. There is no OK button or anything. All I can do is shutdown, manually zap the PRAM with the button by the battery and boot up under OS X to see if anything flies.

--------

No video. For kicks, I will DL the other 250/270 updater from coffeehaus.

Chuck3d · Jul 14, 2002, 01:15 PM

Well, coffeehaus' link to the firmware updater for the 250/270 really only gets you to ATI's website, where I could not find that. For kicks I installed the June update and of course it does nothing.

I think the only way to get this card in gear is to edit something within it from the PC side, and Im not at all studied in DOS, just the basic Win2K thing.

Back to The Turtle (Rage 128) for now. I'll be interested to see what you guys think.

Chuck3d · Jul 14, 2002, 01:28 PM

Zapping the PRAM is tough!!!! And I dont know why.

cmd-option-P-R and nothing, zero, happens at restart. i waited more than a minute to see/hear any response and the Mac seemed in standby. once i let up on the keys, the mac boots but i lose any chance to zap it.

go figure...