What is the System 7.5.5 Update?
The System 7.5.5 Update is a set of system software enhancements that improves the reliability and performance of all Macintosh and Mac OS-compatible computers running system software version 7.5.3. The System 7.5.5 Update also includes all of the improvements delivered with System 7.5.3 Revision 2. Therefore, it is not necessary to install System 7.5.3 Revision 2 before installing System 7.5.5 Update.
Who should install the System 7.5.5 Update?
Apple recommends that all customers who are currently using System 7.5.3 should install the System 7.5.5 Update. If you are using a system software version prior to System 7.5.3, you must upgrade to System 7.5.3 before you install this update. (If you are using System 7.5, 7.5.1, or 7.5.2, you can use System 7.5 Update 2.0 to upgrade to System 7.5.3.).
To find out what system software version your computer is using, follow these steps:
1. Make sure you are in the Finder. You can do this by selecting the Finder item from the application menu in the upper right corner of your desktop.
2. Choose About This Macintosh from the Apple menu. The system software information is in the About This Macintosh window. Make sure System Software 7.5.3 is in the upper-right corner of the window.
What does installing the System 7.5.5 Update do?- After you install the System 7.5.5 Update, you should notice improved performance and stability, specifically:
Significant performance improvements when using virtual memory
If you use virtual memory, this software improves the time it takes to:
- launch a large application program that requires a significant amount of RAM
- switch between large application programs
- switch between large documents within an application
- access SCSI devices - Improved memory management on PowerPC computers
If you could not launch an application program because you did not have enough RAM to open it, you may be able to use the application after you install this update. This update also eliminates the cause of one Type 11 error. - Improved reliability when using floppy disks in a computer equipped with a DOS Compatibility Card
If you have a computer with a DOS compatibility card installed, you may have experienced problems inserting floppy disks while Windows is launching. T - Improved reliability on PowerPC PowerBook computers (PowerBook 5300 and 2300 series computers) and PCI-based computers (Macintosh 5400, 6400, 7200, 7500, 7600, 8500, and 9500 series computers)
If you have a PowerPC PowerBook or a PCI-based computer, your computer may have frozen from time to time while accessing a hard disk. - Improved reliability when using Ethernet and virtual memory
If you use Ethernet and have virtual memory turned on, you may have experienced problems transferring large files over Ethernet. - Better reliability when using the Apple TV Tuner or Macintosh TV Remote Control
When using the remote control for the Apple Video Player, the channel and volume buttons may have stopped working when you press them rapidly. - Improvements in LocalTalk
This update includes improvements in LocalTalk that provide:
- better reliability on Macintosh 5400 series computers
- better performance when using some third-party infrared software products - Improved stability when using multiple background application programs
If your computer crashed when using more than one background program, this update fixes the problem. A background program is one that works behind the scenes, so you don't see it in the Application menu. Some e-mail programs have this background feature. - Improved stability when using a shared printer on a network
If your computer crashed when you were trying to use a shared printer on a network. - Improved reliability on high performance (180MHz or greater) Macintosh and Mac OS-compatible computers that have the PowerPC 604 or 604e processors
If you have experienced system freezes during startup or difficulties when formatting floppy disks. - Improved reliability when using Ethernet on the Macintosh 5400 and 6400 series computers
- Improved reliability when using sound intensive applications on Macintosh Quadra and Centris computers that contain the PowerPC upgrade card
- The System 7.5.5 extension set in Extensions Manager now includes all of the QuickTime 2.5 extensions.
With this update, you also get the following enhancements, which were available with System 7.5.3 Revision 2:
- Better reliability for PowerBooks using RAM Doubler
If you have a PowerBook using system software 7.5.3 and you use RAM Doubler (version 1.6.1 or earlier), you may have experienced a problem when waking your PowerBook from sleep. - Overall performance enhancements for PowerBook 2300 series and PowerBook 500 series computers with the PowerPC Upgrade Card installed
- Improved reliability when using PC-formatted floppy disks with PowerBook 500 series computers with the PowerPC Upgrade Card installed
If you have a PowerBook 500 series computer with the PowerPC Upgrade Card installed, PC-formatted floppy disks that were formatted on your computer may be unreadable in DOS or Windows computers. - Improved reliability on PCI-based computers and PowerBook 5300 computers, PowerBook 2300 computers, and PowerBook 500 series computers with the PowerPC Upgrade Card installed
- Improved reliability when copying files to some 1 gigabyte hard disks
If you have a PCI-based computer with a 1 gigabyte hard disk, this software helps avoid problems when copying files to the hard disk. - Improved reliability when using the Startup Disk control panel
In rare instances, when you turn on a PCI-based Power Macintosh computer it may not start up from the disk selected in the Startup Disk control panel.
Known problems- Using Express Modem 3.0 (delivered by Apple Telecom 3.0) software with the System 7.5.5 Update
If you install Apple Telecom 3.0 or Express Modem 3.0 after installing the System 7.5.5 Update you will not be able to switch on your Express Modem. To fix this incompatibility, run the System 7.5.5 Update again. The System 7.5.5 Update updates your Express Modem 3.0 to Express Modem 3.0.1. (Note: Apple Telecom 3.0 shipped on some new Macintosh systems and is not presently available from Apple for download or purchase.) - Using the volume buttons on 5200, 5300, 6200, 6300, and 630 series computers
There is a known problem that if you rapidly press the volume buttons on the front of your computer, the computer may crash. This software does not fix this problem. Apple is working on a solution to this problem. - Using Assistant Toolbox with desktop computers
If you use the Assistant Toolbox extension (meant to be used on PowerBook computers) on a desktop computer, you will not be warned that the contents of your RAM disk will be lost when you shut down your computer. Apple is working on a solution to this problem. - Using the Motorola Math Library and Connectix Speed Copy 1.3.1 (part of Speed Doubler) 1.3.1
There is a known incompatibility with the System 7.5.5 Update when used with two specific products at the same time: the Motorola Math Library and Connectix Speed Copy 1.3.1 (part of Speed Doubler 1.3.1). If you have both of these items in the System Folder when you use the System 7.5.5 Update, Speed Copy 1.3.1 cannot be used. In order to use Speed Copy, remove the Motorola Math Library from the Extensions folder and restart your computer. - Programs use slightly more memory
If you are having new problems with programs reporting that they do not have enough memory, System 7.5.5 Update may require programs to use an additional 23K of memory. To fix the problem:
1) Quit the program if it is open.
2) Click the program's icon to select it.
3) Open the File menu and choose Get Info.
4) In the Info window, increase the value in the Preferred size box by 23.
5) Close the window. - Using Energy Saver and Audio CDs on PCI-based desktop computers
On PCI-based desktop computers, Energy Saver is known to interrupt the play of Audio CDs if Shutdown instead of sleep is selected. This update does not fix this problem. To avoid this problem, uncheck Shutdown instead of sleep in the Energy Saver control panel. - Using Desktop Shortcut feature of Aladdin DesktopTools with System 7.5.5 Update
One feature of Desktop Shortcut, a component of the Aladdin DesktopTools by Aladdin Systems, Inc. is known to fail under System 7.5.5 Update. If Shortcut is installed, when you are in an Open or Save dialog box, normally you can click in any window in the Finder. The files/folders in that window will then appear in the Standard File Dialog box's scrolling list. This feature does not work with System 7.5.5 Update. To work around this problem, navigate using the Shortcut Menu icon. Aladdin Systems has been contacted about this problem and expects to release an update in the future to address the issue. - Using Sagem GeoPort ISDN Adapter 1.0 with System 7.5.5 Update
There is a known incompatibility with the Sagem GeoPort ISDN Adapter 1.0 and System 7.5.5 Update, resulting in the inability to use the GeoPort ISDN Adapter. Sagem has been contacted about this problem and is working on a solution. If you have a Sagem GeoPort ISDN Adapter, you should not install the System 7.5.5 Update until Sagem resolves the conflict. For more information, visit the Sagem web site at http://www.satusa.com or e-mail sathelp@satusa.com.
For advanced users who need additional technical information, please see the System 7.5.5 Update Tech note.
Before You Install
You should use the Disk First Aid application program before you install the System 7.5.5 Update to check your hard disk for problems. Disk First Aid comes on the System 7.5.5 Update, Disk 1 disk and on the Disk Tools disk that came with your computer. Follow these steps:
1. Insert the System 7.5.5 Update, Disk 1 disk into the floppy disk drive and double-click its icon to open it.
2. Double-click the Disk First Aid icon to open it.
3. Click the icon for the disk you are installing software on.
4. Click Verify.
5. If Disk First Aid tells you your disk appears to be OK, choose Quit from the File menu. If Disk First Aid reports problems with your hard disk, see the manual that came with your computer.
Note: If you have a problem using Disk First Aid, see the manual that came with your computer.
Installing the System 7.5.5 Update
Before you install the System 7.5.5 Update, your computer must have System 7.5.3 or System 7.5.4 installed. You should also have at least 10 MB of disk space temporarily available on your hard disk. To find out what system software version your computer is using, follow the steps in Who Should Install the System 7.5.5 Update? above.
It is very important that you follow these steps in the order listed below to install the System 7.5.5 Update:
1. Open the Extensions Manager control panel.
2. Choose System 7.5.3 from the Sets pop-up menu. (This choice will appear if you are using system software version 7.5.3. If this does not appear, you need to upgrade to System 7.5.3 before installing this update.)
3. If you have third-party peripheral devices that are required for installation and that require an extension, turn those extensions back on. (Examples include video drivers, alternative input devices, network card drivers, and removable media.)
4. Restart your computer.
5. Insert the System 7.5.5 Update, Disk 1 disk into the floppy disk drive and double-click its icon to open it.
6. Double-click the Installer icon to open it.
7. After you read the licensing agreement, click Agree to continue with the installation.
8. Make sure that the destination disk indicated on the screen is the one on which you want to install system software. If the wrong disk name appears, click the Switch Disk button until the correct disk name appears.
9. Click Install.
10. Follow the instructions on the screen. On-screen messages tell you when you need to insert the other disks.
11. When the installation is complete, click Restart to restart your computer.
12. Use the Extensions Manager to turn on additional extensions (you'll need to restart your computer for the extensions to work). If you encounter problems, choose System 7.5.5 from the Sets pop-up menu , restart your computer, then turn on other extensions one at a time to determine if one of them is incompatible.
IF YOU CANNOT INSTALL THIS UPDATE SUCCESSFULLY: If you have trouble installing this update, try choosing All Off from the pop-up menu in Step 2. If you are installing from a CD, turn all the extensions off, and then check the Apple CD-ROM extension so you can access your CD-ROM drive.
Updating a universal System Folder
This section describes how to update a single System Folder that can start up any Mac OS computer introduced since the Macintosh Plus. This update will allow the universal system folder to also support the 5400 and 6400 series systems.
Overview
Only some users need a universal System Folder. You might want to create a universal System Folder if you
- start up different Macintosh models using removable media or an external startup disk
- want to simplify support of multiple users by giving all users the same System Folder
If you are responsible for only one computer, you shouldn't need to create a universal System Folder.
Instructions
1) You must start with a universal System 7.5.3 folder with either System 7.5 Update 2.0 or System 7.5 Version 7.5.3.
2) Update your universal system folder by installing System 7.5.5 Update.
Important information regarding System 7.5.4 Update
System 7.5.4 Update was released by Apple Computer to a limited distribution, prior to an anticipated general release. Shortly after this limited distribution, an issue with the software was found which required a revision. This revision was named System 7.5.5 Update. It replaces System 7.5.4 Update and will install on computers which have System 7.5.4 Update installed.
The following Tech Info Library article can help you find the Tech Note mentioned here:
Article 24493: "Apple Tech Notes: What They Are, Where To Find Them"