Anyone using Mac OS 7.6 should update to 7.6.1. You must have Mac OS 7.6 installed before installing the Mac OS 7.6.1 Update.
NOTE: Do NOT attempt to install OS 7.6, and then the 7.6.1 Update, on the following computers: PowerMac 4400, 5500, 6500, 7300, 8600/200, 9600/200, 9600/200 MP or 9600/233. These computers will work with the full Mac OS 7.6.1, but not with Mac OS 7.6. In order to install 7.6.1 on these computers, you need a full 7.6.1 installer (i.e. one which doesn't require you to install 7.6 and then install 7.6.1 Update). This can be obtained from the MacOS Up-To-Date program on Apple's web site.
WHAT WAS ELIMINATED
The 7.6.1 Update automatically deletes the files listed below unless you have renamed any of them, in which case you should remove the files manually. The benefits of these file have been incorporated into the System file itself, or the problems that necessitated these files have been fixed:
54xx/64xx Update version 1.0
54xx/64xx Update version 1.1
7.5.5 SCSI Server Update
Assistant Toolbox
PCI Network Legacy Layer version 1.0
PCI Network Legacy Loader version 1.0
PowerBook 1400 ATA Flash
PowerBook 1400 PMU Updater
PowerBook VM Tuner for OS 7.6
PowerMac Format Patch
PowerPC Interrupt Extension
WHAT BENEFITS IT PROVIDES/FEATURES IT ADDS
窶｢ Improved stability.
窶｢ Most Type 11 errors either eliminated or correctly classified as Type 1 or Type 2 errors (previously, many of these errors were falsely labeled "Type 11"). In addition, Type 1 and Type 2 errors will now often cause only the affected application to quit, rather than "crashing" the whole system (even so, you should always save all of your work and restart when you get the chance).
窶｢ Type 112 errors eliminated.
窶｢ New CFM-68K Runtime Enabler included for 68030 and 68040 Macs. These computers can now use shared code/library resources (see entry under "CFM-68K).
窶｢ Fixes problems with Performa 5400/6400 computers and the PowerBook 3400 where serial devices would not be able to communicate properly with the computer.
窶｢ Fixes problems with the infrared port on PowerBook 1400 and 3400 computers.
窶｢ Improves reliability when using large QuickTime files, or using QuickTime in low-memory situations
窶｢ Printing improved for Performa and Power Macintosh 5400 and 6400 series computers using non-Apple printers over LocalTalk networks.
窶｢ Video applications recognize that MPEG is installed.
窶｢ Storage PC Cards no longer require a utility program to appear on the desktop.
窶｢ Only two low-battery messages displayed on PowerBooks before computer shuts itself down.
窶｢ PowerBook 1400 computers now wake from sleep faster.
窶｢ Contrast and brightness controls work as expected on PowerBook 1400 computers (under OS 7.6, the controls were reversed).
窶｢ On the PowerBook 3400, the CD-ROM drive works correctly if inserted when the computer is on.
窶｢ New version of AppleVision software, which improves reliability on computers with use AppleVision monitors.
窶｢ Graphics acceleration software works correctly with a universal System Folder
窶｢ Additionally, the Graphics Accelerator extension and the Graphics Accelerator 2 extension have been merged into the ATI Graphics extension.
窶｢ In the Energy Saver control panel, automatic startup and shutdown settings are now saved properly.
窶｢ Fixes a problem where transferring large files between two IDE hard drives would cause a crash.
窶｢ Better performance when using video-capture expansion cards and ATI accelerators
HOW TO INSTALL IT
NOTE: If you are installing the FULL version of 7.6.1 (i.e. your System software CD says "7.6.1" rather than "7.6"), you should follow the instructions for installation found in the previous chapter ("7.6 Info"), since the full 7.6.1 installation does not require this update. However, the "problems/incompatibilities" section below will still apply.
NOTE: In order to install 7.6 (or the 7.6.1 Update) on a Mac with a DayStar Digital 040 card installed, you will need to remove the card, install the System software, then reinstall the card.
NOTE: The version of Apple Video Player installed by the OS 7.6.1 Update will cause a crash on 68040 computers using the Apple TV Tuner card and the Closed Caption feature. The version of Apple Video Player from the Mac OS 7.6 installation (v1.4) will not cause this crash. If this problem applies to you, before you install the Update you should move the older version out of the Apple Extras folder on your hard drive so that it does not get updated. If the Update installs a newer version, you should replace it with the older one (version 1.4).
1) Use the Disk First Aid application provided with your computer to make sure your hard drive has no problems (using the "verify" command). Also make sure that you have at least 10MB of free space on the hard drive that contains your System software.
2) If you are installing on a PowerBook, make sure the PowerBook is plugged in and set to "never sleep." NOTE: you cannot install System software onto a PowerBook in SCSI disk mode.
3) Using the Extensions Manager control panel, or any third-party startup file management utility (Conflict Catcher, Now Startup Manager, etc.), choose the set of Mac OS 7.6-only extensions. In Extensions Manager, this set is called "Mac OS 7.6 Base." If you have any extensions which must load (video graphics drivers, storage device drivers such as the Iomega drive extensions for Zip or Jaz drives, CD-ROM drivers, network card drivers), you should manually turn them on/enable them as well.
4) Restart the computer.
5) If you are using disk images, mount all of the Mac OS 7.6.1 Update disks.
6) If you are using floppy disks, insert the Mac OS 7.6.1 Update "Disk 1" and open the disk; if you are using disk images, open the Disk 1 image. Double-click on the Installer icon.
7) Make sure that the destination disk is set correctly, and click "Install." If you are installing from floppy disks, you will be prompted to insert the other disks.
8) When the update is complete, restart the computer. You will need to use your startup file manager to re-enable non-Apple extensions and then restart again.
9) If you have problems with the Update, as a last resort you can disable all extensions (either by using your startup file manager or by holding down the "shift" key at startup) and then try again.
PROBLEMS/INCOMPATIBILITIES
The following are known problems with Mac OS 7.6.1:
窶｢ Once you install 7.6.1 Update, you will no longer be able to use the "Easy Install" option to install OS 7.6. If you wish to reinstall 7.6 at a later time, you will have to use the "Clean Install" option. You can also use the "Custom Install" option if you wish to install specific items.
窶｢ If you select the "Mac OS 7.6.1 base" or "Mac OS 7.6.1 all" sets in Extensions Manager, the Monitors control panel will not be enabled. If your computer uses the Monitors control panel (meaning it does not use the "Monitors & Sound" control panel), you will have to manually select it in the Extensions Manager window.
窶｢ If you select the "Mac OS 7.6.1 base" or "Mac OS 7.6.1 all" sets in Extensions Manager, the "Printing Lib" file will be disabled, which will not allow you to use the LaserWriter driver to print. You will have to manually select it in the Extensions Manager window.
窶｢ If you've already installed the 7.6.1 Update, and then later try to do a custom install of an item from the 7.6 installer, you will usually get warning message that states "The file xxx already on [name of your hard drive] is newer than what you are about to install. Click Newer to keep the Newer file, Older to replace that file, or Cancel to stop installation." You should choose "Newer." NOTE: according to Apple, you should then reinstall the 7.6.1 Update to ensure that the items you just installed are fully updated for use with 7.6.1.
窶｢ The CD-ROM driver installed by OS 7.6.1 Update does not support most third-party SCSI CD-ROM drives. If you were previously using a third-party SCSI CD-ROM drive with Apple's CD-ROM drivers, after installing the update you may no longer be able to use your CD drive. You should either go back to an older version of Apple's CD-ROM software, or install a third-party driver which supports your drive.
窶｢ On some computers, the 7.6.1 Update will reset the disk cache in the Memory control panel to 96K, significantly affecting system performance. You should either click the "default" button to reset the cache to Apple's suggested level, or manually set it to your preferred size.
窶｢ On some 54xx/64xx computers, the Level 2 cache is disabled under 7.6.1. To solve this problem, you should install the 54xx/64xx L2 Cache Reset extension (see the "Extensions" chapter for details).
窶｢ If the Infrared control panel is selected on a non-infrared-capable computer, you will get a "192" error, rather than an appropriate message which states that the computer is not infrared compatible.
窶｢ The 3DMF Viewer will not work with QuickDraw 3D 1.5 or later, presenting an "insufficient memory" error. The only solution is to install an older version of QuickDraw 3D.
窶｢ On 680x0 Macs, having a RAM disk mounted can cause a freeze at shutdown.
窶｢ Printing speed is faster when printing to non-Apple printers over a LocalTalk network, but some PowerMac 5400/6400 computers with less than 200 MHz processors and no Level 2 cache will still exhibit slow printing behavior.
窶｢ If you are using the Apple TV Tuner card on a 68040 computer, using the Closed Caption feature in Apple Video Player will cause a crash. The fix is to reinstall Apple Video Player version 1.4 from the Mac OS 7.6 CD.
窶｢ The QuickTime MPEG card (the actual piece of hardware) is not properly recognized by the Apple Video Player under OS 7.6 or 7.6.1. To view MPEG files, you should install the QuickTime MPEG extension.
窶｢ On the PowerBook 3400, Apple Video Player is not installed.
窶｢ On the PowerMac 7100/80AV, installing 7.6.1 can mute the sound when using the Apple Video Player. To solve this problem, click on the "mute" button, then quit and relaunch the Video Player.
窶｢ After installing 7.6.1, if you try to import the "AppleVision 1710-9300" profile for ColorSync, you may receive the error "Could not complete your request because a ColorSync error has occurred." The solution is to reinstall the AppleVision software.
窶｢ On PowerMac 5500 and 6500 models, if external speakers are connected at startup, and later disconnected, the internal speakers will remain muted. The only workaround is to restart the computer after disconnecting the external speakers.
窶｢ If you have a 68030 or 68040-based Mac with more than 16MB of RAM, virtual memory will be turned "off" after installing the 7.6.1 Update. You will need to turn virtual memory on and then restart if you wish to use it.
The following are known problems with Mac OS 7.6 which were not fixed by 7.6.1:
窶｢ If you have installed Connectix Speed Doubler version 1.3.1 or earlier, or version 2.0, it will be disabled when Mac OS 7.6.1 is installed. You should update to version 1.3.2 or 2.0.1.
窶｢ The problem with the CFM-68K Runtime Enabler (see the 7.6 Info chapter).
窶｢ Under OS 7.6.1 and LaserWriter 8.3.4, if you print to "file" and then later drag that file to a desktop printer, an error message will appear which claims that the print library is not present. The fix is to update your printing software to LaserWriter 8.4.1, available from Apple's support sites.
窶｢ As with most versions of the OS, if you have QuickDraw GX installed, you will not be able to use any printer which does not have a GX-compatible driver. The solution is to get GX driver(s) for the affected printer(s), or remove or disable QuickDraw GX.
窶｢ If you install QuickDraw GX after Adobe Acrobat has already been installed, Acrobat will display an error message about "missing fonts" every time you start up. The fix is to either disable Acrobat or reinstall it. Simply turning off GX will not solve the problem, as the GX installer replaces the Acrobat fonts when it is installed.
窶｢ OS 7.6 mistakenly installs the Video Startup extension and the Apple Video Player on the Macintosh TV. You should remove these files from the Mac TV to avoid problems. If you install the 7.6.1 Update, these files will be updated, but still will not work.
窶｢ The 3DMF Viewer will not work with QuickDraw 3D 1.5 or later, presenting an "insufficient memory" error. The only solution is to install an older version of QuickDraw 3D.
窶｢ On the Mac LC 575 and use the "Monitors & Sound" control panel (via the AppleVision software or a "universal" system install), the volume buttons on the front of the computer will not register in the control panel.
窶｢ If no desktop printers are created, you may get mysterious duplicate active System Folders. You should go to the Chooser and select a printer, then click the "Create" button.
FINAL NOTES
I have included the summary above based on some of the most common problems people have had. Despite the "problems" listed, for most people OS 7.6 updated to 7.6.1 has been the most stable system software release ever. For a better discussion of 7.6.1-related issues, you may want to check out Ted Landau's "Troubleshooting System 7.6.1" page at:
