(FYI, maybe also OT) Installing System Software on Mac Classic II (12 easy steps).

["john" <john@sympatico.ca>]

Materials:

Mac Classic II 10/80 with no system (formatted drive - how did I ever do
that?)
Performa 580 CD System 7.5.5 with no modem and a crappy 1X CD Drive
7.6 System Software on CD
About 20 diskettes with System 7.6 install images
Toshiba Tecra 8100 dual boot Win NT4 and Windows 2000 and a 56k modem


Objective:

Get the Classic working again.


Procedure:

1. Install System 7.6.
Diskette 2 is corrupt procedure terminates.  (maybe its the hard drive?
test on the Performa, craps out at the same place, its the diskette).

2. Repair install diskettes.
Try to read the System 7.6 CD.  No go.  Pull out the drive and pop it back
in, its in properly, Macs are cool (Yes I did shut down).  CD is working
because it is spinning and vibrating, but that's all, try the special lens
cleaning CD, does not even recognize it, unit must need more than a
cleaning, maybe a realignment or recalibration, oh well its obsolete anyway,
on to the next step.

3. Boot Disk.
I'm a DOS / Windows user, so look for the place in the OS where you can make
emergency boot diskette.... Hahahah its not there...Mac sure is funny.

4. Need new disk images.
Search the net for disk images, find out about older Systems, 6.0.8, hmmm
only 2 disks, its worth a try,
Using the Toshiba, download 6.0.8 images 608ladds.hqx and 608lstrt.hqx.
Copy the files to diskette and transfer to the Performa.
Unstuff the files and then try to create the images...  DiskCopy 4.2 does
not recognize the files, I must have the wrong file formats. or Microsoft
has messed them up, not sure.
I'm stuck.  Go surfing around looking for ideas...

(Step 4a. Consider Open BSD, looks cool until I realize it still needs a Mac
OS to run off/beside/under/over/wrapped around or something, whatever, its
not gonna happen here).

5. Still need new disk images.
Oh Look, the Apple FTP site has lots of goodies.  Download a different file
format (SSW_6.0.8-1.4MB_Disk1of2.sea.bin, and
SSW_6.0.8-1.4MB_Disk2of2.sea.bin), copy them to Performa and create install
disk, cool it works.

6. Install 6.0.8 on Classic II.
Hardware does not support this OS, use a newer one.  Urk!

7. Check Low end mac website.
Yup, I need 7.0.0 or later.  (What do they mean I have a Road Apple? -
Punks! what do they know?).

8. More downloads.
Back to Apple FTP site.  There is only one 5 MB file (System_7.0.1.smi.bin).
Download it ok, but how to get it to the Performa???

9. Zip.
Try Zipping it up, on multiple diskettes.  Creates 4 disks (must rename zip
files they are the same on each diskette).  Copy to Performa ok, try double
clicking the first one.  Expander gets halfway through then kacks.  Oops,
should have used the other Zip program, it works better....
System_7.0.1.smi.bin is back together!  Drop it on StuffitExpander, this is
better... Wait for a bit (system is slow).  New Icon finally appears on the
self extractor.

10. Create 7.01 install disks.
All ok here now (use the crappy System 7.6 diskettes for new media).

11. Install.
Works like a charm.


Results:

Wow all this for a computer that I can use .. well use for... mmmm, it seems
to have an alarm clock.  Ok a new alarm clock with 10 MB RAM and a near
empty 80 MB hard drive.

12. Rename hard drive to Alarm Clock.

Now the alarm clock needs some games.







--
Ronald Kadish, director of the US ballistic missile defense program
explaining why they're having so much trouble shooting down warheads:

"This IS rocket science"