Hardware & Peripherals Tips
Read these 7 Hardware & Peripherals Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Macintosh tips and hundreds of other topics.
What is Removable Media?
Removable media is any cartridge-type data storage device. Technically, this includes floppy disks, although you rarely hear them referred to as such.
CDs are the most ubiquitous removable storage, having in the last couple of years become not only writeable, but re-writeable. However, it requires special software to master a CD; you can't just write directly to them as you do a hard drive.
SyQuest pioneered the first removable hard drives in the early 90's, but companies like Iomega Corp. quickly moved into the field, producing smaller, faster drives with more storage, at lower prices. Iomega currently produces the ZIP® drive (using 100Mb or 250Mb cartridges), the JAZ® drive, which uses a 2Gb cartridge, and the 40Mb PocketZip® for digital cameras, MP3 players and notebook computers.
Another type of removable storage is the Compact Flash® card, a 1.5x1.5-inch memory card commonly used in digital cameras and MP3 players; the card slips directly into a slot on the device, and when you run out of space, you can just pop it out and slide in another one.
The Microdrive, a recent development, holds 340Mb of data and will work with most digital cameras and MP3 players which use Compact Flash® cards, and can plug directly into a laptop using a PCMCIA adapter.
Technology moves faster every day; by the time you read this, there may well be more types of removable storage on the market.
Adapting Legacy Devices
So you got your hot new tower Mac -- great! But now your machine is USB. Are you gazing sadly at your external drives, your scanner, and your printer? Gonna cost a fortune to replace those, huh? Hey, no need! There are adapters available for just about anything.
First, you'll need to pick up a SCSI card, for your external drives and your scanner. If you have normal SCSI connectors (DB-25), get the Asante 2906 SCSI adapter card. It's easy to install, and you'll have your familiar SCSI connection in no time. The card will run you around $50. That's the simplest route, and more dependable than the SCSI cable-to-USB cable adapters.
If your printer has an ethernet port, you're in clean, since all the new Macs have ethernet ports. But if you've been using a LocalTalk connector, Asante also makes an ethernet-to-localtalk bridge, called the AsanteTalk. Another option is Farallon's iPrint adapter. Check with the Asante or Farallon websites to be sure your particular printer is supported. Either adapter will cost around $125.
There is also a serial-to-USB adapter which is less expensive, but I've heard some complaints about dependability.
You can find all these adapters, and more, at most Mac stores. If there's no Mac store in your area, you can order them from most Mac catalogs (or online), like MacWarehouse, MacZone, and ClubMac.
Mousing from The Dark Side
The MicroSoft IntelliMouse has been out a while and has good drivers. It has programmable buttons and a scroll wheel, all of which even work on older Macs, if they're equipped with a USB PCI card. Consider giving it a try.
EIDE and ATAPI
Will and EIDE CD-Rom drive work as a replacement for an ATAPI CD-Rom?
Sadly, no. If you need to replace your ATAPI CD-Rom, you must get another ATAPI drive. ATAPI is an extension of the original EIDE standard. At this time, IDE interfaces (also known as ATA) will support both CD-Roms and hard drives, but ATAPI will only support ATAPI CD-Roms.
Monitors That Won't Go Past 256 Colors
You've got that great new 17" monitor you wanted, but hey, what's this? The color depth won't go above 256 colors??
Chances are you don't have enough VRAM. If your Mac has only 1MB of VRAM, you may not be able to use a monitor of more than 15" ... BUT then again, you can always add a PCI graphics card with more VRAM to support your 17" display. Or, you could try setting your monitor to a lower resolution ... try 640x480 instead of 1024x768, and see if that makes a difference.
USB or Not to Be?
So you added a new USB device, and now every time you try to use it your Mac locks up? Or maybe you just can't persuade the computer to recognize it? Two simple things can cause your USB chain to suddenly become the Chain of Doom!
Underpowered Hubs
Buying an inexpensive no-name hub at a discount store is a gamble. The big difference between cheap hubs and the pricier ones is power! Decide before you buy whether you're going to be plugging in just a few low-powered peripherals, or loading it up with all your favorite gadgets. If the latter is true, go for a good, name brand hub like Belkin.
Inadequate Drivers
Some makers of peripherals don't yet have it quite right. In the rush to market, a new device may be packaged with a driver that's not quite up to snuff. At the first sign of trouble, it's a smart idea to visit the manufacturer's website and check around for an updated driver you can download.
PC and Mac Drives
Can't find a Macintosh drive for your Mac? Well, IDE is IDE, and SCSI is SCSI ... they are not platform dependent. So go ahead and get that PC IDE drive for your Mac ... it should work just fine (and will probably be cheaper than the same size drive that's sold "for the Mac").
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