Sonnet Encore Duet MDX 1.8 not recognized by OS9 anymore

[Stephan-O]

Hi Guys
Stefano from Italy here.

I've been far away from my studio's G4 for the last 5 years because of my new sport-based life ond lack of music motivation also, but now, I would like to resume my studio machine from basics in case of sellin it on E**y.

The Mac is an MDD originally dual 1.25 FW 400 (which as far as I know is the only machine capable of booting from classic), featuring 2gb of RAM under OSX and of course 1,5 gb under Classic.

I switched on the MDD after many years of silent sitting down on the desk but I am not able to make it to boot from Classic anymore.
..sigh..
And more, yesterday evening, switching on the G4 with option key pushed, the "OSX Tiger" Hard Drive is not recognized anymore also.
Damn!!!

The mac, with the Option key pushed, see the "MacOS9Lives" CD and of course (which I have downloaded), I am trying to boot the G4 from it but at the end of the startup process ("MAC OS; Starting Up"), at the time which Classic should recognize the "crescendo" drivers of the sonnet CPU, it dramatically Freezes and I am not able to boot the machine from NONE of the systems that I have, which are: 10.4.11, 10.3.9, and Classic of course.
Bear in mind that I do have the installation CDs of All the OS described above (including the "MacOS9Lives" CD) but the situation is critical..
After being many years far from the digital studio's world, I REALLY do not have idea the point to start from...

Asking PLEASE for someone who can kindly help me to resume the machine.

MAAAAANY Thanks guys!   

[Knezzen]

Have you tried "zapping" PRAM to begin with? Hold Command+Option+P+R while starting the computer. Release the keys when you hear the boot sound the second time.

[Stephan-O]

Have you tried "zapping" PRAM to begin with? Hold Command+Option+P+R while starting the computer. Release the keys when you hear the boot sound the second time.

Done.. NOTHING changes...
Classic always freezes the mouse @the startup process.

In the meanwhile, I have freshly re-installed Tiger, Then I ran the sonnet OS 7-9 (not classic) installer under Classic ambient in OSX.
The sonnet patch IS inside the extension folder in the OS9 HD BUT, when I try to start Classic even from Tiger, the startup process, never come to an end and classic quits at the end of the startup process.
what I am not able to understand is WHY I am able to run the "sonnet OS 7-9 (not classic)" installer under OSX Classic ambient and at the same time I am not able to fully open Classic itself.

Dilemma...

I also tried to redo the sonnet patching process under OSX and system says that the processor is correctly patched.

I am going crazy...

[Knezzen]

The MDX dont need anything to be patched in Mac OS at all, except the first open firmware patch you run before you install the upgrade the first time. Sounds like you might have problems with the Multiprocessor plugin. This is more or less the only thing that can cause problems in combination with the MDX. Try removing it from The Apple Cpu Plugins folder in your extensions folder.

[Stephan-O]

The MDX dont need anything to be patched in Mac OS at all, except the first open firmware patch you run before you install the upgrade the first time. Sounds like you might have problems with the Multiprocessor plugin. This is more or less the only thing that can cause problems in combination with the MDX. Try removing it from The Apple Cpu Plugins folder in your extensions folder.

Done, Tons of times...

 

[Knezzen]

The MDX dont need anything to be patched in Mac OS at all, except the first open firmware patch you run before you install the upgrade the first time. Sounds like you might have problems with the Multiprocessor plugin. This is more or less the only thing that can cause problems in combination with the MDX. Try removing it from The Apple Cpu Plugins folder in your extensions folder.

Done, Tons of times...

 

Damn

[Stephan-O]

The MDX dont need anything to be patched in Mac OS at all, except the first open firmware patch you run before you install the upgrade the first time. Sounds like you might have problems with the Multiprocessor plugin. This is more or less the only thing that can cause problems in combination with the MDX. Try removing it from The Apple Cpu Plugins folder in your extensions folder.

Done, Tons of times...

 

Damn

This issue is drivin me nuts...
I have ridden some of your posts, guys...

[MacOS Plus]

  I have an MDD FW 800 with same Sonnet.  When I installed the MacOS9Lives 9.2.2 Universal ASR I ran into three problems.  First thing was the Apple CPU Plugins file.  Removing that from the System folder got the boot to the desktop stage at which point it froze without showing it was actually Setup Assistant failing, which had to be force-quit and then boot completed.  On second boot it then froze on the ATI Rage extension which was not valid for my later ATI card.  Removing that fixed the final freeze.  (The ATI drivers in this ASR are not the final versions anyway.)

  If doing these three things, including possibly removing all video drivers temporarily, won't restore the machine to its original operating state in OS 9.2.2 then I would next look at hardware issues.  I've had machines run for years before one day suddenly deciding they didn't like a particular RAM DIMM ever again, and I also recently had an IDE cable go bad.  Don't even get me started on the nonsense it just took to get one B&W G3 powering on correctly after years of sitting in storage.  Dead PRAM battery also potentially causes all sorts of unpredictable weirdness.

  Unfortunate it sounds like you don't have a second machine to do the installation from.  It takes a lot of the hassle out of the process and eliminates a number of possible questions about the target system's behavior.  I just did that for a PowerBook yesterday.  (It also experienced the Setup Assistant freeze oddly enough, but everything else was fine.)  Be certain also that your drive is getting properly formatted during the installation process so it is prepared correctly to boot OS 9 stand-alone in the first place.

[GaryN]

The MDX dont need anything to be patched in Mac OS at all, except the first open firmware patch you run before you install the upgrade the first time. Sounds like you might have problems with the Multiprocessor plugin. This is more or less the only thing that can cause problems in combination with the MDX. Try removing it from The Apple Cpu Plugins folder in your extensions folder.

Done, Tons of times...

 

Damn

This issue is drivin me nuts...
I have ridden some of your posts, guys...

I don't see anybody mentioning or seemingly aware of the need to replace the "Apple CPU Plugins" file with the Sonnet version. The boot will freeze just before desktop without this file in the Multiprocessing Folder. We just this week had a long discussion about this regarding a Sonnet Duet for a Sawtooth.

This file is NOT mentioned in the MDX instructions because it evidently was found to be necessary and then developed after the lit was printed. Some of the MDX packages got a single sheet addendum, some didn't. The ones who didn't would eventually call Sonnet support and they would point them to a download for it. That download and knowledge of it are long gone.

THIS is the file. Unstuff it and put it in the Multiprocessing folder. If you have no way to unstuff it, try the already-unstuffed version. I think it might work even without Binhex protection.

[Knezzen]

The MDX dont need anything to be patched in Mac OS at all, except the first open firmware patch you run before you install the upgrade the first time. Sounds like you might have problems with the Multiprocessor plugin. This is more or less the only thing that can cause problems in combination with the MDX. Try removing it from The Apple Cpu Plugins folder in your extensions folder.

Done, Tons of times...

 

Damn

This issue is drivin me nuts...
I have ridden some of your posts, guys...

I don't see anybody mentioning or seemingly aware of the need to replace the "Apple CPU Plugins" file with the Sonnet version. The boot will freeze just before desktop without this file in the Multiprocessing Folder. We just this week had a long discussion about this regarding a Sonnet Duet for a Sawtooth.

This file is NOT mentioned in the MDX instructions because it evidently was found to be necessary and then developed after the lit was printed. Some of the MDX packages got a single sheet addendum, some didn't. The ones who didn't would eventually call Sonnet support and they would point them to a download for it. That download and knowledge of it are long gone.

THIS is the file. Unstuff it and put it in the Multiprocessing folder. If you have no way to unstuff it, try the already-unstuffed version. I think it might work even without Binhex protection.

Seeing what I wrote now after getting some sleep it makes less sense. I blaim lack of sleep for mixing up file and folder names.
Of course I meant what you mentioned Gary, sorry to be an utter idiot .

Well, either you replace it with the Sonnet file to use dual processors with the MDX in OS9, or you just move/remove it from the extensions folder and get the usage of a single CPU, but the machine will boot.
So removing the Apple CPU Plugins file from the Multiprocessing folder is a good start in finding the error. Of course one can put the Sonnet file in it's place when the machine boots and all is well.

[Stephan-O]

The MDX dont need anything to be patched in Mac OS at all, except the first open firmware patch you run before you install the upgrade the first time. Sounds like you might have problems with the Multiprocessor plugin. This is more or less the only thing that can cause problems in combination with the MDX. Try removing it from The Apple Cpu Plugins folder in your extensions folder.

Done, Tons of times...

 

Damn

This issue is drivin me nuts...
I have ridden some of your posts, guys...

I don't see anybody mentioning or seemingly aware of the need to replace the "Apple CPU Plugins" file with the Sonnet version. The boot will freeze just before desktop without this file in the Multiprocessing Folder. We just this week had a long discussion about this regarding a Sonnet Duet for a Sawtooth.

This file is NOT mentioned in the MDX instructions because it evidently was found to be necessary and then developed after the lit was printed. Some of the MDX packages got a single sheet addendum, some didn't. The ones who didn't would eventually call Sonnet support and they would point them to a download for it. That download and knowledge of it are long gone.

THIS is the file. Unstuff it and put it in the Multiprocessing folder. If you have no way to unstuff it, try the already-unstuffed version. I think it might work even without Binhex protection.

Thanks Mate!
It Works!
Now I am ready to re-list the machine on E**Y
  

[GaryN]

Well, either you replace it with the Sonnet file to use dual processors with the MDX in OS9, or you just move/remove it from the extensions folder and get the usage of a single CPU, but the machine will boot.

As can be seen from Stephan-O's post, it does NOT always work that way. In his machine, MY machine and evidently others as well, the modified file MUST be in the Multiprocessing folder to successfully boot the MDD. If you have an MDD that actually works without it, treasure it.