Macintosh SerialKeys: System Requirements

Please note the following restrictions to the operation of SerialKeys for the Macintosh:

  1. The Macintosh version of SerialKeys requires the Macintosh computer Apple Desktop Bus (ADB) hardware to be present. Therefore, it will not work with the very early Macintosh computers, such as the original MAC Plus, MAC 128, or MAC 512 computers.

  2. The Macintosh version of SerialKeys has been written to utilize several new operating system features offered by the Macintosh System 7.0 (or newer) and therefore may not run properly, if at all, on systems prior to System 7.0.

  3. The Macintosh version of SerialKeys should operate on 68K as well as PowerPC Macintosh computers.

  4. The Macintosh version of SerialKeys has not been tested on any of the Macintosh "clone" computers now appearing on the market.

  5. The Macintosh version of SerialKeys requires an unused serial port on your Macintosh computer. This can be either your modem or printer port. If one of these ports is not available, you will not be able to run SerialKeys. Note, sometimes these ports appear available (e.g., nothing is plugged into them), yet they are still being used. For example, an internal modem may tie up your modem port and/or AppleTalk can tie up your printer port, even if cables are not connected to the computer ports themselves. Disabling your internal modem software (usually a control panel) and AppleTalk (usually under the Chooser) and rebooting your Macintosh may free up these ports for use with SerialKeys.

  6. If you wish to run Easy Access MouseKeys with SerialKeys, you must start MouseKeys prior to starting SerialKeys. The latest version of Easy Access allows you to have any of the access features automatically turn on when your computer is powered on. This option provides a nice solution to the need for MouseKeys to be on prior to starting SerialKeys, provided you wish to use the two features together. Please see the readme file for more information on this.

If you meet these requirements, and SerialKeys will still not run on your computer, the software should provide some kind of error message. Please contact us with this information.

Mark E. Novak
Trace R&D Center
1500 Highland Avenue
Madison, WI 53705-2280
(608) 262-6966
(608) 262-8848 (fax)
(608) 263-5408 (tdd)

email: menovak@facstaff.wisc.edu

BACK to INFORMATION ON MAC SERIALKEYS