Upgrade WallStreet Part 1, Page 3 Neither OS is going to make your stock G3 PB run like the wind, but OS 9.2.2. is faster, more stabile and more feature rich than previous versions. OS X was designed for G4 processors, however you will also be impressed with how fast it will run on an older G3 PowerBook, faster than OS 9.x! In part 2 of this PowerBook series, I will cover processor upgrade kits that will take better advantage of OS X and the RAM we have added. ìDon't install both OS X and OS 9.2.2 on the same partition, Apple does not recommend it (even though they did that on every iBook I've seen) î Now here is the rub, because of the design of the original Apple Logic Board firmware in the Wallstreet and Lombard, you must install the boot OS within the first 8 MB of the hard drive. That means no matter whatever size hard drive you buy, you are going to have to set it up with at least a first partition of 8 and the reminder space as partition 2. If you are installing OS X, it requires that you install it within that first 8 GB partition, and that leaves you with installing OS 9.2.2 on the second partition. Don't install both OS X and OS 9.2.2 on the same partition if you can help it, Apple does not recommend it (even though they did that on every iBook I've seen). It will make things a lot simpler to trouble shoot or eliminate Classic when you're ready to go OS X exclusively. So, how about some convenient current generation ports? The Wallstreet lived in the old Apple world of ADB and SCSI (I miss SCSI) ports. PowerBooks with USB and Firewire didn't come until later models and that has locked you out of using some cool toys like DV Camcorders, Digital Cameras, external Firewire hard drives and CD/RW Burners, printers and the slew of USB mice. The USB CardBus and Firewire CardBus PC Cards I tested are from long time Mac hardware supporters Macally, Keyspan and VST. The Macally USB 1.0 CardBus needs no extensions or software as long as you are using OS 9.x or OS X. It gives you two powered USB ports and I've seen these online and even in stores for $59. Macally's USB 1.0 card has been around for long time and I can't say I've every heard anyone ever report any problems. Adrian Chan at Macally told me that they are coming out with a USB 2.0 version very soon. I hope to try it as soon as they are available and will review it in another report and I'll amend this article, stay tuned.				Keyspan's CardBus adapter is kind of unique here because it is already USB 2.0 "potential" for the Mac when and if Apple includes USB 2.0 extensions in the OS. Under Mac OS 9.x or OS X without the need for any manufacturer extensions, it will operate at USB 1.0. While Keyspan is optimistic that Apple will add USB 2.0, I have my doubts and so I hope that Keyspan will release their own 2.0 extensions for both Mac OS X and 9.x. It is also compatible with Windows notebooks, a bonus if you've also got a PC too as I do. A real nice feature of the Keyspan USB 2.0 CardBus is that it has two ports without using a "dongle adapter" and a power supply is also included for high power consumption devices. VST's Firewire CardBus PC Card gives you one powered Firewire port on the end of a dongle. Software on a CD is included in the package. I've used this Firewire PC Card with an external CDRW, an iPod and a DV Camcorder in conjunction with iMovie. Macally also make an interesting CardBus Firewire card with two ports on two dongles. I didn't have a chance to try this one, but if it's anything like their other products, it's good. All these CardBus cards are easy to install and worked without a single problem, you can't go wrong with any of them. Because I often use my portable Macs in place of a desktop, I really prefer a mouse instead of the touch pad in that application. Now that we have a USB port we can get rid of those hideous ADB mice and replace it with a nice optical mouse. While I do like the Apple Pro Mouse, I like a mouse with a scroll wheel and a right click button, so I installed a Logitech Optical Wheel Mouse. I can't find anything bad to say about it it and Logitech has just released beta OS X drivers that appear to work quite well. The price is right at about $27 around the Internet. Well that's about it for this Part 1 segment of the G3 Wallstreet PowerBook update. You now have a bigger hard drive, maximized the RAM, updated the Operating System to OS 9.2.2 and OS X, added all the same ports a nice new Titanium PB has, you still have SCSI for your old peripherals and can even use a Optical Mouse. All the peripheral bays accessories that you may have, like a Zip100, Floppy and CD/DVD still work under both Operating Systems. Oh, but you say it's still so slow and I don't have WiFi LAN capabilities? Come back for Part 2 and I will remedy that with some amazing results! back - to part 2
	about us | current articles | archive | home all right reserved copyright ©1999-2002.