----- Original Message ----- From: "A.Tuazon" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Vintage Macs" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Sunday, May 02, 2004 5:28 AM Subject: IIsi questions
> Hey folks, > > A few questions regarding my IIsi: > > 1) Which OS would be the most optimal for this machine? 6? 7.0? 7.0.1? 7.1? > 7.5? etc. > I use System 6.0.8 with MultiFinder turned ON on my IIsi. It is much, much faster than System 7 on these older machines. It also has a much smaller memory footprint than System 7. It boots up to the Finder desktop in a matter of seconds. There are extensions and INITs that will expand the functionality of System 6 to match that of System 7 (TrueType fonts, virtual memory, etc) so the only real reason to run System 7 on one of these is if you use a program that absolutely requires it. I think RAM Doubler might actually require System 7, but I'm not sure and could be wrong. But then, you have to consider if you really *need* RAM Doubler. Are you ever going to use a program on your IIsi that is going to make use of 128 megabytes of RAM, or even 64 megabytes? My IIsi has the 'full' 17 megabyte configuration, and I have never once came even *close* to using all the memory. > 3) If I had a VGA adapter, would it work on the IIsi? (it's a little > doohickey thingy that clips over the built-in Apple video port and turns it > into a VGA port). Anyone if it does work what would I expect in terms of > size of screen, quality of video, etc. > I have a few of these. One of them doesn't have any dip switches, and apparently tries to sense the video mode automatically. The rest of them *do* have dip switches which allow you to specify what kind of video conversion you're going to need. I tried the 'automatic' one (the one without the dip switches) on the IIsi at one point, and it didn't work. Apparently the IIsi's built-in video hardware isn't smart enough for these. The same adapter works fine on my PowerMac 6300. I think I read somewhere that the ones that *do* have dip switches on them, if set correctly, will work on a IIsi. I have never tried the dip-switched ones I have on it, though, because I like the stock IIsi monitor just fine. Especially since it draws it's power from the back of the CPU box and hitting the power key on the keyboard will power up the computer *and* the monitor in just one keypress. These things can be had very cheap, though, I got mine for $3/piece brand-new. As far as quality goes, it will vary depending on what kind of VGA/SVGA monitor you are using on your Mac. You'll get basically the same picture quality on any given monitor that you would get when using that monitor on a PC. Size of picture can be controlled using the monitor's sizing controls, just as on a PC. Pretty much any VGA/SVGA monitor made in the last 10 or so years has sizing controls. I noticed when I first hooked up an SVGA monitor to my PowerMac that the colors looked different somehow, like they were a few shades lighter than they were with the stock Macintosh monitor. This, again, will vary depending on what monitor you use. Generally, the cheaper the monitor, the worse the color will be. Anyway, I was able to get the color pretty damn close to what it looked like on the Mac monitor by fiddling with the brightness and contrast controls on the monitor, along with the Gamma controls in the Monitors control panel. > 4) I loaded the IIsi to the max with RAM (64megs). I then installed > RamDoubler (an old copy) and doubled the RAM to 128MB. It booted up just > fine, BUT after using any program for about 10+minutes, the whole thing > freezes. Any suggestions on how to double the RAM and avoid the system > freeze? Anyone know of the highest version of RAMdoubler that will work on > OS 7.1? FWIW, I have never been able to get RAM Doubler to run smoothly on my IIsi. Perhaps it is because, like someone else mentioned, that the IIsi uses the first megabyte of RAM for video RAM. I don't know. Good luck, Nat ------------ Nat Hall [EMAIL PROTECTED] ------------ -- Vintage Macs is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Enter To Win A | -- Canon PowerShot Digital Cameras start at $299 | Free iBook! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> Vintage Macs list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/vintagemacs.shtml> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/vintage.macs%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
