Could I use a Mac Plus with a BlueSCSI to make 800k disks for other Compact Macs? If so, how would I do it?
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Mac Plus Bridge Machine
- Thread starter Retro_GamerC64
- Start date
Yes, you can do that with an external BlueSCSI. Please note that by default the Plus will not power the BlueSCSI and you need to use an usb power supply.
In fact you can make 800k disks with many other macs, as the SuperDrive is also compatible.
In fact you can make 800k disks with many other macs, as the SuperDrive is also compatible.
How would I make the disks from disk images?
You'd just format them in the plus and copy the files over, or use "Disk Copy" or similar to write disk images to the disk.
Where could I find a download for one of those programs?
What OS are you running?
For 7.0.1 or later, version 6.3.3 perhaps.
For System 6, you want version 4.2, but note it won't work with as many disk images (there are many formats).
I also use Shrink Wrap sometimes :
Some people use DiskDup
My guides may help. I have bootable hard drive images you can use with your BlueSCSI that contain the software you need to work with floppy disk images, and guides for how you can add disk images and other files to the hard drive image on your modern system using emulators and other tools
A Mac Plus does not make a good bridge machine. Connectivity options are limited, it doesn't speak modern filing systems, and its SCSI implementation is eccentric and, for some ROM revisions, buggy.
If you have more recent machines, nearly any of them will be more suitable.
If you have more recent machines, nearly any of them will be more suitable.
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I may be getting a SE soon, but I want to use the plus to make disks until I have the SE in working condition, and I get a keyboard and mouse for it.
Why not connect the BlueSCSI to the SE directly? Why bother with floppy disks at all?
Yes. Doing SCSI direct to the SE will probably be less annoying than putting the Plus in the loop.
I will use the SE once I get a adb keyboard and mouse.
I use a USB floppy drive on my PC and a small program called transmac. https://www.acutesystems.com/scrtm.htm
Transmac can format floppys ( 1.4 mb )
it can create images of mac floppies on your PC
it can also write 800k images to floppys
i use it to quickly get software from the internet onto a mac
its a bit tricky to use
connect usb floppy
run transmac
right click on floppy icon and you will see "format floppy " and "format floppy with image"
some versions these commands are under toolbars
its default images to write are .dsk
But if you change that from .dsk to 'all files' when browsing for the image it writes a few other different formats ( just change it from .dsk to 'all files' , select your image and it will tell you if it can write the floppy or not )
allot of software comes in .sit format - if the file is 1.4 mb or under , transmac can write these files to the floppy so you can
copy them to your mac and then use stuffit to unpack it on the mac
to copy files you click on the floppy icon , then click on the floppy name that appears under the floppy icon , that will show you the contents of the floppy - to copy the .sit file you just drag it from your PC desktop into the floppy window within transmac
its a slow program - when you first click on the floppy icon you hear the floppy drive reading - just wait until you hear it stopping until you move on
as i said Transmac is a bit 'fiddely' to use , there are many versions where the commands appear in different places but once you get it to work
it works great - ive been using it for years
one other thing i found - the floppies have to be good - i was using floppies over the years , that came with Macs I bought - floppies that are 20 to 30 years old ......... bad idea.
out of about 100 floppies only 10 of them actually work...... and after a few re/rites /re formats they stop working
if you are going to be transferring software via floppy do yourself a big favor and try get some new/old stock floppies
Transmac can format floppys ( 1.4 mb )
it can create images of mac floppies on your PC
it can also write 800k images to floppys
i use it to quickly get software from the internet onto a mac
its a bit tricky to use
connect usb floppy
run transmac
right click on floppy icon and you will see "format floppy " and "format floppy with image"
some versions these commands are under toolbars
its default images to write are .dsk
But if you change that from .dsk to 'all files' when browsing for the image it writes a few other different formats ( just change it from .dsk to 'all files' , select your image and it will tell you if it can write the floppy or not )
allot of software comes in .sit format - if the file is 1.4 mb or under , transmac can write these files to the floppy so you can
copy them to your mac and then use stuffit to unpack it on the mac
to copy files you click on the floppy icon , then click on the floppy name that appears under the floppy icon , that will show you the contents of the floppy - to copy the .sit file you just drag it from your PC desktop into the floppy window within transmac
its a slow program - when you first click on the floppy icon you hear the floppy drive reading - just wait until you hear it stopping until you move on
as i said Transmac is a bit 'fiddely' to use , there are many versions where the commands appear in different places but once you get it to work
it works great - ive been using it for years
one other thing i found - the floppies have to be good - i was using floppies over the years , that came with Macs I bought - floppies that are 20 to 30 years old ......... bad idea.
out of about 100 floppies only 10 of them actually work...... and after a few re/rites /re formats they stop working
if you are going to be transferring software via floppy do yourself a big favor and try get some new/old stock floppies
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no idea porta
something that really gets me is when you transfer something in a .sit to the mac - run stuffit on it and it wont work - then you try different versions of stuffit ....... i have spent hours trying to get my head around it - as far as i can see you need stuffit 1.51 all the way up to the last versions installed on your mac ..... would that be right ?
at least sometimes on macgarden they tell you what version was used to compress what ever file
something that really gets me is when you transfer something in a .sit to the mac - run stuffit on it and it wont work - then you try different versions of stuffit ....... i have spent hours trying to get my head around it - as far as i can see you need stuffit 1.51 all the way up to the last versions installed on your mac ..... would that be right ?
at least sometimes on macgarden they tell you what version was used to compress what ever file
Aladdin Software’s decision in the 90s to make periodic updates to the Stuffit format that simply caused earlier versions to silently die is my single biggest frustration with the vintage Mac experience. Stuffit is and always was an awful bloated product after 1.5.1 and nobody should use it.
the 400 and 800k floppy drives used varying speeds that cant be replicated on the usb floppy
but I have ( only last night ) downloaded an 800k image of system 6.08, wrote it with transmac and my se booted from it - it comes up on the mac as an 800k disk
Again its something like stuffit - a pain in the ar$e to figrure out.
The floppy drive is an 800K as it wont read 1.4mb floppies but it will read the 800k disk from transmac
i dont know if all my disks are toast , if the roms were updated on the logic board. The floppy drive in the SE looks the same as the standard 1.4mb floppy drives but will not read 1.4mb floppies even if I tape over the little hold for 1.4 mb and 800k
Its only when I am trying to make 400K boot floppies for my 128k that I get real stuck - thats why my 400K boot floppies are kept in a seperate box
never to be used on anything but the 128K
was reading that there have been a few updates with the gotech floppy emulator - apparently there are some people working on it to try get it working on a mac
but I have ( only last night ) downloaded an 800k image of system 6.08, wrote it with transmac and my se booted from it - it comes up on the mac as an 800k disk
Again its something like stuffit - a pain in the ar$e to figrure out.
The floppy drive is an 800K as it wont read 1.4mb floppies but it will read the 800k disk from transmac
i dont know if all my disks are toast , if the roms were updated on the logic board. The floppy drive in the SE looks the same as the standard 1.4mb floppy drives but will not read 1.4mb floppies even if I tape over the little hold for 1.4 mb and 800k
Its only when I am trying to make 400K boot floppies for my 128k that I get real stuck - thats why my 400K boot floppies are kept in a seperate box
never to be used on anything but the 128K
was reading that there have been a few updates with the gotech floppy emulator - apparently there are some people working on it to try get it working on a mac
As for StuffIt…yes and no. My policy is if there’s something I am Stuffing for System 6 or 7, I will use 1.5.1 to stuff since basically anything can open it. Makes it a lot easier. You run into the issue when someone used some OS X version of StuffIt Deluxe or something to compress some System 6 software…and then you can’t uncompress it on the target machine.
Which image works with the plus, and what do I have to do to set it up? I read that the BlueSCSI is picky with the Plus.
