new Dual 867 G4s / Combo drives

[hughc]

My latest look through the database informs me that the Philips CDD5101, shipped by Apple as the combo drive in my new Windtunnel Dual 867 desktop is not supported by Retrospect.

 

 

 

Firstly my reading of this is that it has been tested, and it will never be supported. Can anyone clarify that?

 

 

 

If this is the case, then I don't get it, and my frustration is not directed at Dantz, more at Apple that they would ship a drive that's not compatible with the premiere backup solution for the MacOS. Has something that dumb been done before?

 

 

 

So now what? Buy a second CD-R? Install a Superdrive in the other bay? Back up to a Firewire HD?

 

 

 

I think I'm gonna go with the latter. Too much data to be frigging around with CD-R storages sets night after night, better off backing up to Firewire, then archiving to CD-R later (on another machine of course... ha ha).

 

 

 

There must be a few other people out there in this situation, having just made a purchase. Any thoughts?

 

cheers,

 

Hugh

 

 

[xlntchef]

Yes I am in the same boat.I also got a new dual 867 and I can't use Retrospect Express.My combo drive is the same device as yours.I sure hope it gets support.It kinda seems that Apple does what ever they want to and they expect software producers to fall in line.

[jorgeasantos]

I've the same problem: Retro. Express 5.0 (with available updates) does not work with my new G4 DP867.

 

Trying different strategies only changes the error messages (205, 102, ...).

 

However, I do not agree entirely with you about responsabilities of Apple versus Dantz.

 

Good backup software for *nix systems, as Retrospect for Mac OSX should be, usually needs to access the hardware and media in non standard ways and/or through low level operations.

 

The OS vendor should ensure the normal access to devices and Apple did it:you can mount, erase, and burn CDs with aplications that rely on the OS to access the Philips combo drive in our computers.

 

If a proprietary, closed code backup software, has special access needs, as Retrospect seems to have, then Dantz should solve it.

 

The same combo drive is supported under Windows. Because of the *BSD foundations of MacOS, a reliable but not so friendly unix variant, it might be harder to solve the problem, but not impossible.

 

best wishes,

 

Jorge

[xlntchef]

I enjoyed reading your response. It sounds like you have more of a understanding of what's going on than most users .I spoke to Dantz about the Philips 5101 cdrw/dvd drive in the new G4 powermacs. I was told that they have been contacted a number of times about the drive and they will be getting to it in a future update.They also said we need to realize that Dantz is not a huge company with lots and lots of employees .They will get to it ,it is on the list.

 

I hope to see the update soon, I like Retrospect Express