CC Mystic Bus Error Puzzle

[PackingTape]

In between bouts of schoolwork, I've been trying to get some kind of OS on my Mystic CC, but nothing seems to work. First I tried to make a System 7.1 boot CD (with the system enabler ResEdit hack), but it won't boot. I think that the image as burnt by the OS X disk utility wasn't bootable. Next I tried burning an OS 8.1 image that I got from macintosh garden. This got as far as the Welcome to Mac OS part. But before the part where extensions begin to load (this happens with them off or on) there is always a "bus error" bomb.

This is all conducted through an apple external CD drive. When this is plugged in, the mac occasionally starts up with a sad mac, error codes 00000f 000001. If it isn't plugged in , this never comes up.

All of this is made more difficult by the fact that the CC's internal floppy drive is broken (I think), and my only other computer is a 12" PowerBook G4 with (clearly) no floppy drive. However the floppy used to work, and I used to have a computer to make floppies on, and then I did get the machine to boot to a minimal system 7.1 floppy. As far as this went, it worked just fine back then.

I'm afraid this is kind of a barrage of frustration. But I'm out of ideas.. any suggetions? The machine has the stock 68LC040 and 36 MB of RAM.

 

[LC_575]

Sure the CD drive is properly terminated? That can cause a lot of issues at boot time.

 

[PackingTape]

Maybe not. It's jumpered to provide term power, and there's one of those pass-through terminator things on the unused SCSI port of the enclosure. Also, even if I unplug the internal HD of the mac, the problem stays.

 

[PackingTape]

A slight update:

The problem persists if I use a different CD drive. Also, a cold boot with the OS 8.1 CD I burned always results in the sequence: happy mac, CD eject, reboot. Warm reboots never do this, always making it to the "Welcome to MacOS" then bus error bomb. My best guess now is that the image I got from macintosh garden is corrupted. There was some mention of it not working in the comments there. Anyone know a source for a known good image?

Alternately, does anyone know how to make a bootable system 7.1 CD from within OS X? I think there is some secret I'm missing, since the right files are all there on the CD I made, but it won't boot.

 

[Byrd]

What with all the issues of putting an LC575 board in a stock CC, at its default resolution (and no physical mods), and that obscure errors like these will occur without any ResEdit patching ...

I'd just pull the SCSI HD, install an universal system onto it from another Mac, apply your ResEdit patch on that Mac, and plug it back in your CC. Alternately, do you have the original CC board to put back in for a little while?

JB

 

[PackingTape]

I'd LOVE to just take the SCSI HD out and install the OS on it from another mac. That would definitely seem like a solution. But, my only other computer has no SCSI. :'( Maybe if I dug out my old PB1400, though... I'll try it!

 

[Byrd]

Ah - so that does sound very tricky then Once you get access to another Mac though (with SCSI), I think you could solve this dilemma fairly quickly.

Excusing software, are you good with a dremel/soldering iron? The 640 x 480 67Hz mod on the CC is relatively easy to do (once you strip the machine down), and allows you to use a lot more software. No software hacks required!

JB

 

[PackingTape]

I'm trying to do this without the VGA mod, half because of my bad soldering skills and half because I kind of like the bigger type from the lower resolution.

I pulled out the 1400, and instantly remembered why I hadn't tried it before: no powerbook SCSI cable. I did boot up the powerbook with the OS 8.1 CD, worked fine. So I think the image is fine. You're right, though, that I should do something where I pull out the HD and load it up from another computer. At work there is a IIci that should do the job. I'll try it tomorrow.