Mac OS 8.6: Installing Mac OS 8.6

Before you install

1. Make sure you have at least 24 megabytes (MB) of RAM installed in your computer.
2. Turn off any security software that you may have installed on your computer.
3. If you have a PowerBook, make sure that it is plugged into an AC power outlet and set not to go to sleep.
4. Start up your computer using the Mac OS CD. (Hold down the "C" key while you restart). If you're installing from a network or your computer does not have a CD-ROM drive, you should turn off any virus-protection software and non-Apple extensions and control panels that you may have installed, then restart your computer. See the installation manual for details.
5. It's recommended that you do an easy installation to update your system software. If you plan to do a clean installation instead, write down your current Internet settings, such as the IP address, subnet mask, name server, and so on from the TCP/IP, PPP or Remote Access, and Modem control panels. After installation, the Internet Setup Assistant will ask you to enter this information. (If you do an easy installation, you do not need to write down this information.)
6. If you are the administrator for a NetBoot-capable server, before you install Mac OS 8.6, please go to the Apple support Web site in the Mac OS X server section at: http://www.apple.com/support/ for the latest version of the NetBoot Desktop Admin and follow the instructions in the related Read Me.
7. Although compatibility issues are not expected, check with the manufacturers of any non-Apple software you use to make sure it is compatible with Mac OS 8.6. For information on isolating compatibility issues, see the troubleshooting section in this document or the troubleshooting chapter in your installation manual.
8. Review the compatibility information in this document.

Compatibility information

• Installing Mac OS 8.6 on computers with Ultra Wide SCSI cards
  Some older Ultra Wide SCSI cards require a firmware update before they will work with Mac OS 8.6. If the card's firmware is not compatible, your computer will crash during installation or when you start up from the CD. Before installing Mac OS 8.6, contact the manufacturer of your SCSI card to determine if a firmware update is necessary.

• Internet Setup Assistant and LAN connections
  If you connect to the Internet over a local area network, select the "add a new Internet configuration" option when you use the Internet Setup Assistant. (Selecting the option to modify the default configuration will not configure your TCP/IP settings correctly.)

• Third-party Finder and utility software
  Some third-party programs that extend or add features to the Mac OS may not be compatible with Mac OS 8.6. Examples include programs that change the way menus work, change how files are stored, or alter the way you work with files in the Finder. You may need to upgrade these applications before you can access the files they affect. For more information, contact the third-party software manufacturer.

• Computers with DOS compatibility cards
  Apple DOS Compatibility cards do not work with Mac OS 8.6.

• Computers with PowerPC processor upgrade cards
  Computers with 680x0 processors that have been upgraded with a PowerPC processor upgrade card do not work with Mac OS 8.6.

• 400K floppy disks and Mac OS 8.6
  The 400K MFS disk format is not supported by Mac OS 8.6. If you have information or programs on 400K disks that you want to access, copy the files to your hard disk or another storage device before installing Mac OS 8.6.

• QuickDraw GX and Mac OS 8.6
  After installing Mac OS 8.6, you may not be able to print from application programs that use QuickDraw GX. For more information, see About QuickDraw GX on the Mac OS 8.6 CD.

• MacODBC and Mac OS 8.6
  If you use MacODBC, you should either install it before installing Mac OS 8.6, or perform a custom install of MacODBC and make sure the ASLM extensions are not selected. The MacODBC installer installs older versions of ASLM extensions that are incompatible with Mac OS 8.6.

• Installing Mac OS 8.6 on accelerated NuBus PowerPC computers
  If you have a Power Macintosh 6100, 7100, 8100, or 9150 with a third-party accelerator card installed, the Installer might not install Mac OS 8.6. For more information, contact the accelerator card's manufacturer.

• Performa or Power Macintosh 5000 and 6000 series computers
  Some Performa or Power Macintosh 5200, 5300, 6200, and 6300 series models cannot use Mac OS 8.6 until a hardware issue is fixed. The repairs are covered under the Apple repair extension program. To see if your computer has this hardware issue, use the 5xxx/6xxx Tester utility in the Utilities folder on the CD before installing Mac OS 8.6.
  
  IMPORTANT The Power Macintosh or Performa 5260, 6320, and 6360 do not have this hardware issue. You do not need to use the tester program if you have one of these computers.
  

Troubleshooting suggestions

If you experience issues during installation, be sure you have started up with the Mac OS CD. See your installation manual for further instructions. You can also check the following:

Updating your disk drivers
Some Apple-brand disks manufactured by third parties, including the Apple 365 MB external hard disk, are not supported by the Apple disk utilities. If your disk cannot be updated with the Apple utilities, you will need to use a third-party disk utility to update the driver.

Repairing disks
If you see a message that your disk has issues and cannot be repaired, make sure file sharing is off, then try installing again. If that does not work, try using another disk-repair utility. If that utility also does not work, you may need to reinitialize the disk. Before doing so, copy all your files to another disk as reinitializing erases the disk. For more information, see Mac OS Help in the Finder's Help menu.

Updating your firmware
If you receive a message during installation that your firmware is out of date, follow the instructions for updating your firmware in the CD Extras folder on your Mac OS CD, or at the Apple support Web site: http://www.apple.com/support/imac/.

Installing over a network
If you are installing over a network, or if you have a non-Apple CD-ROM drive and cannot start up with the CD, turn off all extensions that were not provided with your system software. Then restart the computer. For instructions, see your installation manual.

Additional troubleshooting information is available in the Mac OS installation manual. For up-to-date news and compatibility information, go to the Mac OS Late-Breaking News Web site at http://www.info.apple.com/latebreakingtips/.