Powerbook 500 serial number

[Iesca]

Is there any way to determine an older mac's serial number besides the one on the case? Past me in his youthful naïvété removed and discarded the sticker on the back of his 540c some years ago...

Thanks!

 

[MOS8_030]

The System Profiler app in later versions of OS8? or 9 should tell you the serial number.

 

[Iesca]

I tried looking in Apple System Profiler but couldn't find it... I'm running 8.1. Should I try copying the version from OS 9 over?

 

[MOS8_030]

Hmm.

Either you need the later version or it could be the earlier Macs don't store the serial number in the firmware.

I don't when Apple started doing that.

 

[Iesca]

I just tried the OS 9 version (v2.4.4). Sadly it's PPC only... I suppose if I ever get a PPC upgrade card for it I can try again.

 

[techknight]

On old world macs there is no where to store the serial number. There are no EEPROMs, and there is only the ROM which is the same between all units. 

 

[Iesca]

Drat

 

[Iesca]

So I managed to find a serial number inside the powerbook on the motherboard. There is a larger S/N sticker which probably corresponds to the board itself (there are other stickers like that one on the various components). But the smaller print one resembles the general format of Mac serial numbers, although it does seem to have an extra digit. Any chance anyone knows how to decode it? I know the first two characters mean manufactured in Cork, Ireland.

Here is the full s/n: CK50613T2U88 (or BB? see picture)

 

[Charadis]

So I managed to find a serial number inside the powerbook on the motherboard. There is a larger S/N sticker which probably corresponds to the board itself (there are other stickers like that one on the various components). But the smaller print one resembles the general format of Mac serial numbers, although it does seem to have an extra digit. Any chance anyone knows how to decode it? I know the first two characters mean manufactured in Cork, Ireland.

Here is the full s/n: CK50613T2U88 (or BB? see picture)

To my recollection taking apart 500 series, the mobo serial does not match case serial. The serial on a numbers-matching box corresponds to the case serial. :-/