Jaguar screen resolution always resets at boot

[poiihy]

Everytime I boot, it is in 800x600@60Hz. I have to go to System Preferences and set it to 1024x768@85Hz everytime I boot. Also, for some reason I cannot select anything higher than 256 colors. I think it worked the first time I had Jaguar (before PRAM died out and had to re-install OS X to get it to work; the OS X install disk has no start-up disk selector so the only way I could fix it was to "Upgrade" the OS with the same version). Are these just bugs in Jaguar? Sent from my Power Macintosh G3

 

[poiihy]

I selected 832x624@75Hz before I selected my favorite option, and now that seems to be the new 'default'. The problem with 832x624@75Hz is that it does not line up with my CRT display properly enough.

 

[poiihy]

Ok I've been having these random freezes, where it would freeze and the display shut off, and i'd have to press the power button to shut it off. Just now it froze, display went off, and I had to terminate it. After reboot, it used 640x480@60Hz, and so I went to System preferences to set it to my preffered one, and guess what? A whole lot more settings appeared! Now I am able to set it to my preferred resolution (1024x768@85Hz) at Thousands of colors, not only 256! What is going on? Is this a graphics problem? The display is connected through an adapter so the plug protrudes far out; maybe the port is damaged? Or is there something else? The display I am using is a Compaq CV735

 

[eyoungren]

Try resetting PRAM. That will force a default screen setting, but if it clears things you should be able to reset it to what you want and keep it.

To reset PRAM, boot the Mac. The moment you hear the chime press and hold CMD+OPTN+P+R. Keep holding it. The Mac will chime again. Keep holding until the Mac has chimed two or three times after the first chime, then let go and let the Mac boot normally.

See what happens after that.

 

[Nermal]

Next time you reboot, hold Cmd-Opt-O-F to get into Open Firmware. While I'm not familiar with your specific display, there is probably an "info" menu somewhere that shows the current resolution. See whether that matches what you were using before rebooting, or whether it's reverted to the generic resolution.

Type "mac-boot" to get back into OS X.

 

[poiihy]

Try resetting PRAM. That will force a default screen setting, but if it clears things you should be able to reset it to what you want and keep it.

To reset PRAM, boot the Mac. The moment you hear the chime press and hold CMD+OPTN+P+R. Keep holding it. The Mac will chime again. Keep holding until the Mac has chimed two or three times after the first chime, then let go and let the Mac boot normally.

See what happens after that.

I can't reset PRAM because it stores some data to make the machine able to boot into OS X. If I reset it then I have to go through OS X reinstall again. I am working on getting Mac OS 9 on it so that if PRAM reset I can set startup disk in that.

 

[eyoungren]

I can't reset PRAM because it stores some data to make the machine able to boot into OS X. If I reset it then I have to go through OS X reinstall again. I am working on getting Mac OS 9 on it so that if PRAM reset I can set startup disk in that.

Ahhh. OK. The processor on my Quicksilver is like that so I get it.

 

[catzilla]

I can't reset PRAM because it stores some data to make the machine able to boot into OS X. If I reset it then I have to go through OS X reinstall again. I am working on getting Mac OS 9 on it so that if PRAM reset I can set startup disk in that.

What data?
Out of curosity I dug out my G3 MT and booted it up. I put a bunch of leftovers into it a few years ago, Adaptec 29160 with a pair of 18GB SCSI 160 LVD drives, G4/400, and a Zip. It booted right up to OS 9.2 and a crash, restarted w/o extensions and it was fine. I was also able to boot into Jag and Panther on the 29160. In both X's it booted into a funky resolution on a MS 15 display but corrected itself before the desktop. I can't remember how I set this up but a couple of versions of X-post facto were on the desktop.

 

[poiihy]

What data?
Out of curosity I dug out my G3 MT and booted it up. I put a bunch of leftovers into it a few years ago, Adaptec 29160 with a pair of 18GB SCSI 160 LVD drives, G4/400, and a Zip. It booted right up to OS 9.2 and a crash, restarted w/o extensions and it was fine. I was also able to boot into Jag and Panther on the 29160. In both X's it booted into a funky resolution on a MS 15 display but corrected itself before the desktop. I can't remember how I set this up but a couple of versions of X-post facto were on the desktop.

I don't know what data but it is some data related to start-up. If I reset PRAM it would show the happy face for Mac OS 9 and get stuck.

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Oh also, after the last freeze, those extra resolutions disappeared
Is there a way to test hardware on this? I don't have the original install disks

 

[eyoungren]

What data?
Out of curosity I dug out my G3 MT and booted it up. I put a bunch of leftovers into it a few years ago, Adaptec 29160 with a pair of 18GB SCSI 160 LVD drives, G4/400, and a Zip. It booted right up to OS 9.2 and a crash, restarted w/o extensions and it was fine. I was also able to boot into Jag and Panther on the 29160. In both X's it booted into a funky resolution on a MS 15 display but corrected itself before the desktop. I can't remember how I set this up but a couple of versions of X-post facto were on the desktop.

It could be his processor or some other piece of hardware.

For instance, my QS has a 1.8Ghz Dual processor G4 by GigaDesigns. In order for the Mac to recognize the processor and even begin to boot you have to flash the Mac. THEN, you have to use an installer app that installs some kext files for OS X.

Additional things too if you intend to use OS9.

One zap of PRAM though and the flash you made to the Mac is gone and my QS goes back to not recognizing the processor card.

It's probably something like that.

 

[catzilla]

In my experience the G3/4 ZIF modules have never required SW for them to work. The logic board sets the processor speed via jumpers, usually requireing a little trial and error to find a speed that is copacetic. There was some cache enabling SW to optimize things.

 

[poiihy]

I just realized that these freezing problems started happening AFTER I updated to 10.2.8. I've heard that 10.2.8 might cause problems on a Powermac G3 beige. As for the problem with the resolution resetting at boot, that has always happened. That's why I updated to 10.2.8; I thought it may fix it.

 

[poiihy]

No it is not a 10.2.8 (or at least I think) because it froze in the OS X installer disk too. I think i have a hardware problem now! D:

 

[128keaton]

No it is not a 10.2.8 (or at least I think) because it froze in the OS X installer disk too. I think i have a hardware problem now! D:

I'll bet its the HDD, unfortunately. If you need an IDE, I have one floating around somewhere .

 

[poiihy]

I'll bet its the HDD, unfortunately. If you need an IDE, I have one floating around somewhere .

My OS X installation is on the Quantum Fireball on SCSI. I was going to install a new installation on the WD Caviar on the ATA bus but it froze in the install.
I need to do some more experimenting later