Frequently Asked Questions About System 7.5.5 Update The following is a list of the most commonly-asked questions about System 7.5.5 Update. More information will be added as appropriate. 1) What is System 7.5.5 Update? This is a three-disk set of system software enhancements that delivers improvements in stability and performance improvements for Macintosh and Mac OS-compatible computers. This important update is for all Macintosh and Mac OS-compatable computers running System 7.5.3, and will update a system to System 7.5.5. 2) Who should install System 7.5.5 Update? Apple is recommending that any Macintosh or Mac OS-compatable computer with System 7.5.3 install this update. 3) Should I install System 7.5.5 Update if I do not have System 7.5.3? You must have System 7.5.3 in order to install this software. You can tell if you are currently using System 7.5.3 on your system by choosing "About This Macintosh" from the Apple menu. In the top right-hand side of this window will be the system software information. Your system has System 7.5.3 installed if it reads: System Software 7.5.3 If you have System 7.5, 7.5.1, or 7.5.2, you can update to System 7.5.3 by obtaining System 7.5 Update 2.0. If you have a version earlier than System 7.5, you will need to purchase it from an Apple reseller, or by calling the Apple Order Center. In the U.S. call 800-293-6617. 4) Do I need to install System 7.5.3 Revision 2 before installing System 7.5.5 Update? No. System 7.5.5 Update includes all of the improvements delivered with System 7.5.3 Revision 2, making installation of System 7.5.3 Revision 2 unnecessary. 5) What improvements does System 7.5.5 Update deliver? System 7.5.5 Update provides reliability improvements for all systems by eliminating some causes of system freezes and improves the reliability of sharing a printer over the network. In addition, there are a number of improvements which only affect certain models, including: More reliable use of the floppy drive on DOS-compatible systems improved floppy formatting and better reliability during system startup for high performance (180MHz or higher) 604 or 604e microprocessor-based systems Improvements in the reliability of the remote control included with the Apple TV tuner and Macintosh TV The elimination of one cause of Type 11 errors on PowerPC-based systems More trouble-free networking with the 5400 and 6400 series systems Improvements in data integrity when accessing a 5400 series system over the network More reliable use of sound-intensive applications for Macintosh Quadra and Centris systems which have been updated with the Apple Power Macintosh Upgrade Card. A revised Energy Saver control panel which removes references to the EnergyStar program. The performance improvements provided in System 7.5.5 Update are primarily for people who use Virtual Memory (VM). The VM offered in System 7.5.5 Update will deliver significantly better performance when performing specific tasks than the VM provided in earlier versions of the system software. Areas where you may see performance improvements include launching large applications, switching between large applications, switching between large documents in applications, and accessing SCSI devices. This improvement will vary greatly, however, depending on the amount of RAM installed in the system, the amount of virtual memory allocated, and the applications being used. A revised Code Fragment Manager enables some large PowerPC-native applications to launch faster, while enabling some applications to be launched in low-memory situations. The Universal System Folder capability has been enhanced to support the latest Apple computers, including the Apple Macintosh 5400 and 6400 series. With this enhancement, customers with System 7.5.3 can now create a single system folder on an external hard disk or removable-media drive and use it to start up everything from Macintosh Plus to a Power Macintosh 9500, including all Mac OS-compatibles. 6) Why can't I see performance improvements when I run MacBench with the new Virtual Memory? The performance measurements made in MacBench do not measure the particular type of performance improvements delivered with System 7.5.5 Update. Other benchmarking programs also may not measure these particular performance improvements. 7) I sometimes have problems playing Audio CDs with Energy Saver installed. Does the updated Energy Saver control panel fix this? On some occasions when playing an Audio CD on a Macintosh with Energy Saver installed, the CD will play for a while and then stop, resetting to track 1 and time 0:00. This problem is caused by the Energy Saver control panel and will be fixed in a future system update. This can affect all PCI-based Power Macintosh computers. The problem can be avoided by opening the Energy Saver control panel, deselecting "Shutdown instead of Sleeping", and then closing the Energy Saver control panel. 8) The "About System 7.5.5 Update" document says that I may have to increase the preferred memory size of some applications by 23K. Why? System 7.5.5 Update includes a new library of mathematical routines. Certain applications which use this library may require 23K additional memory in order to run. You do not need to change the preferred memory size of every application you use. Only change the preferred memory size for applications which report an insufficient memory message when you try to launch them. 9) What is different about this new math library? This library includes more efficient routines for calculating certain mathematical functions. You may see a slight performance increase when using applications that use these improved mathematical routines. 10) What tips are there to ensure that I have a more trouble-free installation of System 7.5.5 Update? It is very important to read the "About System 7.5.5 Update" document which comes with the update, and follow the directions on installing System 7.5.5 Update. In general, it is best to not to rename or move files around within your System Folder. The System 7.5.5 Update Installer makes some assumptions that certain files will be in certain places, and if these files are moved or renamed, files that System 7.5.5 Update installs could be placed in the wrong place, or not installed at all. 11) Can I install the U.S. version of System 7.5.5 Update on a system which has a non-U.S. version of the system software? No. 12) When will System 7.5.5 Update be available in other languages beside U.S. English? Apple expects localized versions of System 7.5.5 Update to be available in many countries within 90 days after the U.S. introduction. Please contact your local Apple support center for local availability. 13) Why is there no "custom install" and "custom remove" option for the installer? System 7.5.5 Update only updates the existing installed components on your computer. It does not add functionality. These updates are necessary to ensure your computer is operating optimally based on your installed configuration. A custom install option is only available when an installation provides new features that you may not wish to install, such as those found in System 7.5.3. Because System 7.5.5 Update adds no new features to your computer, the custom install and custom remove options are not provided. 14) The installer says "optimizing system for speed" during the installation. What does this mean? Some resources installed in your System file by System 7.5.5 Update are compressed. The installer expands these resources to increase system performance. 15) Along with the announcement of System 7.5.5 Update, it has been stated that this is the last system software release for the Macintosh Plus, SE, Classic, Portable, PowerBook 100, SE FDHD, SE/30, LC, II, IIx, and IIcx systems. Why are future versions of the Macintosh system software not supporting these systems? Future Mac OS releases will require a 68030, 63040, or PowerPC-based system which support 32-bit memory addressing, which includes all other Macintosh models. However, while future system software releases will not install on these older systems, Apple will still support customers with these systems by providing telephone assistance. 16) If I have installed MODE32 on a Macintosh II, IIx, IIcx, or SE/30, does this mean my system will be supported by future releases of the Macintosh system software? No. System 7.5.5 Update is the last release which will support these hardware systems, regardless if MODE32 is installed. 17) Are there any known problems with installing this update which I should be aware of? Customers are encouraged to read the document which accompanies the update, titled "About System 7.5.5 Update". It has a "known problems section" which documents issues which Apple wants to make sure are brought to our customers' attention. 18) What happened to System 7.5.4? System 7.5.4 Update, which delivers System 7.5.4, was released by Apple Computer to a limited distribution, prior to an anticipated general release. Shortly after this limited distribution, a bug in the software was found which required a revision. This revision was named System 7.5.5 and replaces System 7.5.4. System 7.5.5 Update will install on computers which have System 7.5.4 installed. Since System 7.5.4 was released to a limited audience, there needs to be a way to easily identify this release in the event one of our customers installed it and is having specific problems. In order to make identification of 7.5.4 easy, the version number was incremented to System 7.5.5. 19) Where can I get System 7.5.5 Update? System 7.5.5 Update is available electronically via: Apple ftp and World Wide Web sites ftp.info.apple.com http://www.info.apple.com Most on-line services, including America Online, CompuServe, and AppleLink. In the U.S. customers also may order the update on three floppies for $13 by calling 1-800-293-6617, ext. 1322. Outside the U.S. contact your local Apple support center for further information. 20) What are the system requirements for System 7.5.5 Update? In order to install the update, you must have System 7.5.3. System 7.5.5 Update cannot be installed on earlier versions of System 7.5. 21) Where can I get more information about the Mac OS? More information can be obtained about the Mac OS on the Internet at: http://www.macos.apple.com/macos/siteindex.html Copyright 1996 Apple Computer, Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, AppleLink, Macintosh, OpenDoc, PowerBook, and Power Macintosh are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S.A. and other countries. Mac is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. Power PC is a trademark of International Business Machines Corporation, used under license therefrom. All other product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.