Re: Apple Disk Drives

[dempson@actrix.gen.nz (David Empson)]

william strutts <wrstrutts1@home.com> wrote:

> "David Empson" <dempson@actrix.gen.nz> wrote in message
> 1evtk50.1rtdkax1ey7bcwN%dempson@actrix.gen.nz">news:1evtk50.1rtdkax1ey7bcwN%dempson@actrix.gen.nz...
> > william strutts <wrstrutts1@home.com> wrote:
> >
> > Formatting a 400K disk to send to someone with an older machine would be
> > the obvious use.  It is also worth noting that you can connect a 400K
> > drive to a Mac Plus (probably also an SE or II, but I don't know about
> > later models).
> 
> The Mac Classic II that I got yesterday has a disk drive port like the
> older system but I don't know if it will work with 800K drives.  The
> system I have crapped out on me and I can't boot it.  It worked for
> about an hour before it died.  It is getting a "System Bus Error" when
> I try to boot off the floppy and it doesn't find any system files on the
> HD anymore (ie Flashing ? Disk icon)
> 
> <snip>
> > The last system version which works on a Plus is 7.5.5.
> 
> I thought the last version that worked with a Plus is system 7.1 because
> they discontinued 800k support with later releases.

You could install it over a network after booting from an older system,
or it might be feasible to use a CD.

Otherwise, I agree - it isn't practical to run 7.5.x on a Plus (or even
on an SE or II which hasn't had the FDHD upgrade).

> > (7.6 dropped support for all 68000 and 68020 machines, plus 68030
> > machines which were not "32-bit clean", i.e. the IIcx and SE/30.)
> 
> I think it works with the Classic II though which is a revised SE/30
> machine.  Does this mean that the Classic II is 32 bit clean?

The Classic II hardly qualifies as a "revised" SE/30 - it loses the
slot, has no FPU, no colour video support, has half the data bus width
and has a maximum memory capcity of 10 MB instead of 128 MB.

But yes, it would work with Mac OS 7.6.

> > For a high density disk, the choice is between HFS, MS-DOS or ProDOS
> > (all 1.44M).
> 
> What system will support these formats?  I was trying to figure that out
> when the Classic II bombed on me.

I know that these choices were offered around 7.6.x, but don't recall
whether they also applied in 7.5.x (probably).  I don't think I've tried
to format a floppy since I started using 8.x.  :-)