I have a geeneric Firewire USB 2.0 combo card that I got for next to nothing. On the box it says it works with 10.2 (which I'm running) so I install the drivers and install the card. Once I restart It works for a couple minutes (max) before it shuts down and eventually crash the system (Beige G3) The error I get is a "USB overcurrent" and it shows up even if its just the card that is installed (no devices hooked up to the card)
Try a different slot in the Beige. That could work. It could just be a faulty slot if it is saying that it takes up too much power.
Oli
Bring Back The Clamshell
All the slots work, as I've had it fully loaded before (9500 vid card, radeon 7k and an Apple 10/100 enet card - 9500 vid card is being removed for the Firewire USB card). I'll try differet slot combos when I get a chance to move the cards around but I doubt thats going to fix it.
You might want to check the fine print on the box. I bought a generic USB 2.0/Firewire Combo card that said OS X compatible, and to my horror, I got the same message as you. Upon careful examination of the box, it noted that it was not compatible with the Beige G3. I gave up and bought an Orange Micro. Works great, and I'm lovin' it!
Do you know what chip set the card was based on? I'll check the box and manuals but I doubt they'll cover it.
This is a feature of USB to prevent overloading of the power ports. If you are getting this message with nothing attached to the card, then the USB card is bad and should be replaced.
Dr. Bob