This Read Me is divided into the following sections:
• About the Updater
• How to Use the Updater
• Troubleshooting Tips
• Important Updates
• New Features
• Version History
- Version 8.1
- Version 8.0.1
• Important Information About
- The Control Panel
- Faster Emulation
- Faster Disk Performance
- Faster File Copying & Speed Erase
- Keyboard Power
- Hot Keys
- Copy Agent
• Compatibility Issues
• How to Contact Connectix
ABOUT THE UPDATER
This updater will update versions 8.0 and 8.0.1 of the Speed Doubler 8 control panel and extension to version 8.1.
HOW TO USE THE UPDATER
1) Place the Speed Doubler Updater 8.1 on your hard drive.
2) Startup your computer with extensions off by holding down the SHIFT key at Welcome to Macintosh.
3) Double-click Speed Doubler Updater 8.1 to launch the Updater.
4) Select Update. The Updater updates the installed extension and control panel to version 8.1 and prompts you to restart when completed.
TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS
You can disable Speed Doubler 8 by holding down the SHIFT key at boot immediately after the “Welcome to Mac OS” screen appears. You may release the SHIFT key after Speed Doubler 8’s icon appears with an “X” through it.
Speed Doubler 8 consists of six main features: Faster File Copying, Faster Disk Performance (Mac OS 7.5.5 through Mac OS 8.0), Faster Emulation (on PowerPC's only), Keyboard Power, Hot Keys and Copy Agent (on Mac OS 8 or later). If you suspect a problem with Speed Doubler 8, try isolating the problem by turning off individual features in the Speed Doubler 8 control panel.
Holding down the CONTROL key in Mac OS™ 7 or the SHIFT key in Mac OS 8 while initiating a copy will disable Speed Doubler 8’s Faster File Copying for that one copy session, reverting to a normal Finder copy. If you are having a problem copying files with Speed Doubler 8, try disabling Speed Doubler 8 (as described above) to see if the Finder exhibits similar problems.
IMPORTANT UPDATES
If you are using RAM Doubler™, you must use RAM Doubler 2 version 2.0.2 or later. If you have an earlier version of RAM Doubler 2, you may download the updater from the following location:
If you have RAM Doubler version 1.x, contact Connectix to find out how to upgrade to RAM Doubler 2.
Speed Doubler 8 requires Mac OS 7.5.5 or later. For more information about updating to Mac OS 7.5.5, visit the Apple Web page at:
<http://www.apple.com/support>
In order to take advantage of Speed Doubler 8’s Faster Network Copy Protocol, you must have Open Transport 1.1.2 or later installed. Open Transport 1.1.2 is available from the following location:
Faster File Copying and Speed Erase can intercept “duplicate” and “empty” Apple Events sent to the Finder. The “duplicate” and “empty” events are typically sent to the Finder using AppleScript, although other applications such as Find File may also send these events.
To enable or disable this feature, turn on the Intercept Finder Apple Events check box in the Copy panel on the Speed Doubler 8 control panel.
Keep Speed Doubler 8 Open
Added an option to allow the Speed Doubler 8 application to run continuously. This avoids the overhead of launching the application during copies and when the trash is emptied.
To enable or disable this feature, turn on the Keep Speed Doubler™ 8 open check box in the Copy panel of the Speed Doubler 8 control panel.
Mount Network Volume or Open Folder Hot Key
The Open hot key now has the ability to open a folder or disk or mount a network volume.
To create a hot key which can open a folder or network volume:
1) Open the Speed Doubler 8 control panel
2) Click the Keyboard tab
3) Click the Add button
4) Select Open from the Type popup menu
5) Click the Choose Folder button
6) Highlight the desired folder or network volume in the list above and click the Select button
7) Click the Press field
8) Press the desired key combination for this hot key
9) Click the OK button
VERSION HISTORY
Version 8.1
• The Control Panel
--The control panel is now part of the Speed Doubler 8 application. You can access it by selecting Preferences from the Edit menu or by double-clicking the Speed Doubler 8 control panel icon.
--“Use Faster Network Copy Protocol” and “Use TCP/IP if Available” are no longer disabled if the user opens the control panel when the computer is started with extensions off.
• Faster File Copying
--Compatibilty with the new Mac OS Extended format.
--Faster File Copying and Speed Erase can now be activated through the Finder’s contextual menu.
--Faster File Copying and Speed Erase can intercept “duplicate” and “empty” Apple Events sent to the Finder.
--Added an option to allow the Speed Doubler 8 application to run continuously. This decreases copy times by avoiding the overhead of launching the application during copies and when the trash is emptied.
--Added a warning notification if the Speed Doubler 8 application cannot be launched due to low memory or another run-time error.
--Improved performance of copying to or from a tape mounted via Optima Technology's DeskTape software. Optima can be reached at <http://www.optimatech.com>.
--Improved the performance of copying files from a remote volume when using Faster Network Copy Protocol and Use TCP/IP if Available.
--Fixed a rare problem which could cause Faster Network Copy Protocol to fail with a “server unexpectedly disconnected” error.
• Hot Keys
--Added the ability to open a folder or disk or mount a network volume via Hot Keys.
Version 8.0.1
• Faster File Copying
--Fixed a crash at startup under Mac OS 8 when Aladdin StuffIt Browser™ -- a part of Aladdin StuffIt Deluxe™ -- is installed.
--Fixed a problem which disables Faster File Copying if Finder is restarted in the background. (For example, using the shareware program File Buddy’s “Restart Finder” command.)
--Fixed a problem which could cause items to be copied multiple times when copying from a window in list view and items within folders are selected as well as the folders.
--Fixed a problem when dragging items from the Desktop causes both a move and a copy to occur. This could inappropriately delete moved items if running under Mac OS 7.
--Fixed a problem which could inappropriately notify the user that AppleTalk is required to be installed even when Faster Network Copy Protocol is turned off.
--Fixed a problem which under rare circumstances could cause an unimplemented trap error at startup if a copy is scheduled to take place before the Finder is launched.
--Fixed a problem where the user was not notified that AppleScript is required to be installed for Faster File Copying to work. This feature is now disabled if AppleScript is not installed.
--Fixed a problem which could prevent the user from restarting when Faster Network Copy Protocol is enabled.
--Fixed a problem which prevents comments from being copied on folders under Mac OS 7 and both files and folders under Mac OS 8.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT
The Control Panel
Since Speed Doubler 8 now has the ability to run continuously in the background, the Speed Doubler 8 icon will appear in the application menu. Selecting this icon in the application menu will not cause the control panel to open. To open the control panel, double-click the Speed Doubler 8 icon in the Control Panels folder or select Preferences from Speed Doubler 8’s Edit menu.
Faster Emulation
The Faster Emulation feature is designed only for the Power Macintosh®. It is compatible with the PowerPC 601, 603, 604, 740 and 750 (G3) processors. Faster Emulation is disabled on machines booting with a 680x0 processor.
Faster Disk Performance
Faster Disk Performance is not needed with Mac OS 8.1 or later and will disable itself at startup. The redesigned Mac OS 8.1 File System cache provides performance equal to or greater than Speed Doubler 8’s Faster Disk Performance. Faster Disk Performance is still available under Mac OS 7.5.5, 7.6, 7.6.1 and 8.0.
Faster Disk Performance uses the amount of memory allocated to the disk cache in the Memory control panel. The amount is set automatically during Speed Doubler 8 installation and can be adjusted at any time through the disk cache setting in the Memory control panel.
Photoshop Users: Faster Disk Performance is “Photoshop Aware.” This means that this feature understands the disk caching mechanisms used by Photoshop and will let Photoshop handle its caching when appropriate, regardless of the size of the disk cache. Adobe currently suggests setting your disk cache to 32k when using Photoshop. If you are using the Faster Disk Performance feature we recommend you ignore this suggestion and leave your cache at the setting created during Speed Doubler 8 installation, or at the very least 128Kb.
Faster File Copying & Speed Erase
Faster File Copying and Speed Erase will fail to function if the Speed Doubler 8 control panel is removed from its original location, the active System Folder is unblessed or there is not enough memory to launch the copy application.
Under Mac OS 8, Speed Doubler 8’s Faster File Copying requires AppleScript to be installed. AppleScript is installed by default on all supported versions of the Mac OS.
You can bypass Faster File Copying and Speed Erase by holding down the CONTROL key in Mac OS 7 or the SHIFT key in Mac OS 8 when copying, duplicating, or emptying the Trash. In these cases, the Finder will complete the task.
Shutdown Items which directly or indirectly cause applications to be launched will halt the Shutdown or Restart process. This can happen if the Shutdown Item is an AppleScript which empties the trash or copies some files and Speed Doubler 8’s Intercept Finder Apple Events is enabled. To workaround this problem, enable Keep Speed Doubler™ 8 Open to allow Speed Doubler 8 to run continuously in the background or disable Intercept Finder Apple Events to prevent the Speed Doubler 8 application from being launched. Instead of creating a Shutdown Item, you can create a AppleScript applet which will perform the desired task and then shutdown or restart the computer. Store this applet in the Apple Menu Items folder and select it from the Apple Menu to shutdown or restart the computer instead of using the Special menu in the Finder.
As with the Finder, users wishing to copy (or Smart Replace or Synchronize) folders on the Desktop should remember that drag-and-dropping a like-named folder to or from the Desktop and the same volume on which it is located results in a move not a copy. In the case of a move, the dialog “An Item named <folder-name> already exists in this location” will not contain the Smart Replace and Synchronize buttons. To make a move into a copy, simply hold down the OPTION key while dragging the folder.
Copying files into a System Folder is always performed by the Finder, as various types of files may need to be auto-routed to specific folders in the System Folder.
When copying files with custom icons, the custom icon may not appear immediately. This is because the Finder may see the file before the file has been completely copied. The Finder may takes some time before it realizes that the copy is complete and will eventually display the file’s custom icon.
Occasionally items copied to the desktop will be placed off-screen. If you have difficulty finding the copied item, use Find File to locate the item and drag it to a visible area of the desktop.
Faster Network Copy Protocol (FNCP) accelerates copies to or from remote volumes which have Speed Doubler 8 or Speed Copy 8 Server installed. If Use Faster Network Copy Protocol is disabled on either the client or server, then files are copied normally via AppleShare Filing Protocol. When both the client and the server have Use Faster Network Copy Protocol enabled, the files are transferred via AppleTalk Data Stream Protocol (ADSP). If both machines have Use TCP/IP when available enabled, the files are transferred via Transmission Control Protocol (TCP). The following chart shows which protocol is used based on the settings of both the client and server computers.
For best copy performance on local area networks with TCP/IP, Load only when needed should be unchecked in the TCP/IP control panel and Use TCP/IP when available should be checked in the Speed Doubler 8 control panel. You can access the Load only when needed option by clicking the Options… button in the TCP/IP control panel while in advanced user mode.
Users with dial-up network connections (e.g. PPP, SLIP, ARA, etc.) should uncheck Use Faster Network Copy Protocol unless connecting to an AppleTalk network remote access server. Faster Network Copy Protocol cannot accelerate copies unless connected to an AppleTalk network.
Faster Network Copy Protocol does not accelerate copies to or from remote volumes on AppleShare IP servers.
Since Faster Network Copy Protocol bypasses AppleShare Client to copy files, adjustments made using the AppleShare Client Setup utility will have no effect on copy performance.
Speed Doubler 8’s Faster Network Copy Protocol is not compatible with Speed Doubler 2. Files transfers to and from computers with Speed Doubler 2 installed will not be accelerated by Faster Network Copy Protocol.
Keyboard Power
Under Mac OS 7, the help menu is represented by an icon. You can use Keyboard Power to access this menu directly by pressing the Keyboard Power modifiers and the question mark (‘?’) key. Using Keyboard Power’s default modifiers settings, this key combination is CONTROL+SHIFT+?.
Under either Mac OS 8 or Mac OS 7 with Appearance Manager installed and when System-wide platinum appearance is disabled in the Appearance control panel, the help menu is represented by an icon in applications which are not Appearance Manager-savvy. You can use Keyboard Power to directly access the help menu in these applications using the same method described above.
You can access the application menu directly by pressing the Keyboard Power modifiers and the backslash key (‘\’). Using Keyboard Power’s default modifiers settings, this key combination is CONTROL+SHIFT+\.
Hot Keys
In order to open files under Mac OS 7, Speed Doubler 8’s Hot Keys requires that AppleScript and the Finder Scripting Extension are installed. AppleScript and the Finder Scripting Extension are installed by default on all supported versions of Mac OS 7.
Hot Keys intercepts key strokes before an application has a chance to process them. If you create a hot key and assign it a key combination that is used by an application, Hot Keys will intercept those key strokes and perform the assigned action. The application will never see the keystroke. For example, you create a hot key to type the current date and assign it COMMAND-D. The Finder uses COMMAND-D as an alternative to selecting Duplicate from the File menu. When you type COMMAND-D in the Finder, nothing will appear to happen since Hot Keys intercepts the keystroke and attempts to type the current date. For this reason, you should avoid key combinations which are used by other applications.
Copy Agent
Copy Agent is available only under Mac OS 8 or later.
Copy Agent requires Faster File Copying to be enabled in order to function.
If a source or destination of a scheduled copy is on a server, the server’s volume must be mounted on the desktop before you can add it to the scheduled copy. Likewise, the volume must be mounted on the desktop when the scheduled copy runs.
COMPATIBILITY ISSUES
• Apple Find File
In Find File under Mac OS 8 or later, using a hot key to mount a remote volume will cause the volume mount dialog to have up/down arrow controls where text fields would normally appear. This is because Find File uses a custom control definition for the up/down arrow control which has the same ID as the Appearance Manager’s text control. To workaround this problem, switch to the Finder by clicking on the desktop before using a hot key to open a remote volume.
• Adaptec DirectCD
Faster Disk Performance is not compatible with Adaptec's DirectCD software and may yield data corruption when copying files to a recordable CD. If you want to use DirectCD, disable Faster Disk Performance and restart your computer. Connectix is working with Adaptec to develop a fix for this problem.
• Akimbo Systems’ FullWrite™
For compatibility with Faster Emulation, Users of Akimbo Systems’ FullWrite should use version 2.0.4 or later.
• Aladdin SpaceSaver™
• Now Compress™
• Now QuickFiler™
• Symantec AutoDoubler™
Files compressed with AutoDoubler, Now Compress, Now QuickFiler (part of Now Utilities), and SpaceSaver are decompressed when copied using Faster File Copying.
• APS PowerTools™
• Casablanca Works Drive7™
Users of APS PowerTools and Casablanca Works Drive7 should disable these drivers' caching functions (use the 'disable driver cache' setting in those products) and leave 'disable System cache' unchecked in these control panels. Otherwise, drive performance decreases with both Faster Disk Performance and driver caching enabled.
• Click, there it is
For compatibility with Faster Emulation, Users of the shareware extension "Click, there it is" should use version 1.0.6 or later.
• Desktop SpeedBoost™
• Symantec CopyDoubler™
Faster File Copying will automatically be turned off in the Speed Doubler 8 control panel if another copy-enhancing product is installed. In this case, you must remove or deactivate other copy-enhancers before you can turn on Faster File Copying.
• Exodus
For compatibility with Faster Emulation, Exodus (UNIX software) users should use version 1.0.2 or later.
• GDT PowerPrint™
For compatibility with Faster Emulation, GDT PowerPrint users should use version 3.0 or later.
• IXMICRO Twin Turbo
Some minor cosmetic display problems have been noted with the IXMICRO Twin Turbo Graphics/Video Accelerator card and version 4.0.2 of the Twin Turbo software installed. Specifically, two errant pixels appear at the start of text in the copy window. The problems are not apparent when the card's video acceleration is disabled.
• Kaleidoscope
A cosmetic display problem with Speed Doubler 8’s progress bars under Mac OS 7 has been noted when the shareware product Kaleidoscope1.7.3 or earlier is installed.
• Kiwi PowerWindows™
• WordFinder+
Extensions (for example: Kiwi PowerWindows, WordFinder+, etc.) that add their own menus in the menu bar should load after the Speed Doubler 8 control panel in order to be accessed by Keyboard Power.
• LaCie Silverlining™
For compatibility with Faster Emulation, LaCie Silverlining (drive formatting software) users should use version 5.6.1 or later.
• Momentum Port Juggler™
For compatibility with Faster Emulation, Momentum Port Juggler users should use version 3.0 or later.
• Netscape Communicator™
In Netscape Communicator when “By default, use HTML in messages” is disabled, using a hot key to type some text may result in some missing letters. To avoid this problem, either enable “By default, use HTML in messages” or choose a hot key that does not use the COMMAND key.
• Nisus Writer™
For compatibility with Faster Emulation, Nisus Writer users should use version 3.0.6 or later.
• Now Menus
• Now WYSIWYG Menus
When using Keyboard Power arrow keys in a WYSIWYG menu, the cursor may lock up. When using Keyboard Power with Now Menus 4.0/4.0.1, Keyboard Power may not select the proper items on menus which are long enough to be scrolled. You may still use Keyboard Power with WYSIWYG menus or Now Menus. To avoid conflicts do not use Keyboard Power in a WYSIWYG menu or in a Now Menu that is long enough to be scrolled.
• Onslaught™
For compatibility with Faster Emulation, users of the game Onslaught should update to version 1.0.5 or later.
• Proteron’s GoMac
Faster File Copying will not function when the shareware product GoMac version 1.4.2 is installed. GoMac version 1.4.3 or later is compatible with Speed Doubler 8.
• Sassafras KeyServer™
For compatibility with Faster Emulation, Sassafras KeysServer users should use version 4.0.3.3 or later. Contact Sassafras to get the latest version of KeyAccess. Sassafras can be reached on the web at:
<http://www.sassafras.com/>
• sAVe the Disk
Users of "sAVe the Disk", a freeware extension for the Centris/Quadra 660AV and 840AV should upgrade to version 1.5 or later.
• SmoothType
• TypeTamer
In general, software which anti-aliases the font used in the display of menus may prevent Keyboard Power’s underlines from appearing properly. For example, Keyboard Power’s underlines do not appear in menus when TypeTamer 1.1.9 is installed or the shareware product SmoothType 1.3.2 or earlier is installed and the current system font is not Chicago, Geneva or Monaco.
• Stacker™
Stacker and/or the Stacker Removable Extension allocates an amount of memory equal to the size of the disk cache setting in the Memory control panel. As a result, system memory requirements increase accordingly; for example a configuration with a 1024Kb disk cache allocation and Stacker installed sees a memory of usage of 2048Kb.
• Thunder 7™
For compatibility with Faster Emulation, Thunder 7 users should use version 1.5.4 or later. Thunder 7 is now a Casady & Greene product sold as Spell Catcher™.
