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From: olson@endor.UUCP (Eric Olson)
Newsgroups: comp.laser-printers
Subject: Re: reset page counter
Message-ID: <8707231928.AA12464@brillig.umd.edu>
Date: Wed, 15-Jul-87 11:55:49 EDT
Article-I.D.: brillig.8707231928.AA12464
Posted: Wed Jul 15 11:55:49 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 25-Jul-87 15:36:02 EDT
References: <8707151322.AA02222@brillig.umd.edu>
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Reply-To: harvard!endor!olson@seismo.CSS.GOV (Eric Olson)
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Organization: Aiken Computation Lab Harvard, Cambridge, MA
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Approved: laser-lovers@brillig.umd.edu


In article <8707151322.AA02222@brillig.umd.edu> mkm@JUNE.CS.WASHINGTON.EDU (Mark Murray) writes:
>
>We've a number of LW's here, most of which have been throught the
>experience of having their page counters reset to random numbers at
>undetermined times.

The LaserWriter and LaserWriter+ keep the page count in the non-volatile
memory (statusdict), along with other permanent settings like the name
and whether to print the startup page.  My understanding was that 
the memory used to store this information can be written on the order of
40,000 times before it "wears out" and will no longer {change|work at all}.

If this is the case, then if the printer sets the page count on each page,
it would wear out rather quickly.  If the printer detects powerdown and 
copies a volatile page count into the NVR, then it would last longer,
but it would still eventually wear out.

There's also the (somewhat more likely) possibility that a PS interpreter
crash could write into the NVR.  Has anyone had the _name_ of their LW
change unexplainedly?

Anyone at Apple or Adobe care to comment?

-Eric


Eric K. Olson		olson@endor.harvard.edu		harvard!endor!olson