More problems with the Centris 610

[Apostrophe]

Hi, this is Apostrophe, I'm the one with the non-responsive Centris 610.

Well, I bought a Mac OS 7.6 CD online, and it just arrived today. I loaded it into the disk caddy, inserted it into my Centris, and got the same message that it needs a new OS. Then I restarted the computer and this time I held down the "C" key. IT WORKED! I got past the message, and it loaded the desktop image. It also loaded the top toolbar menu and everything.

Here's the catch...the new disk needs to be initialized; I can't click on anything else. So I clicked on the Initialize option, and it gave me a message that the Mac OS CD is locked! I couldn't click anything else, and when I ejected the CD I lost all control over the Centris. I had to turn it off with the power switch, and I know that's not good; I had no choice.

Does anyone know how to unlock this CD so it can be initialized?

Thanks in advance,

Apostrophe

 

[ChristTrekker]

You can't, nor do you want to, initialize/reformat your system disk! Think for a minute what that would do.

What you need to do is boot off the CD, as you've done, then initialize and install to the hard drive. If the hard drive isn't in the list of drives you can format, that's the problem...it's undetectable for some reason. Are you sure that the cables are connected properly/securely to yours? Assuming so, there are some tools that will do a better job of drive diagnosis than the formatter on the CD. When booted from the CD you can run them from a floppy. If this still fails to make the hard disk recognized by the installer, then the HD may just be beyond salvaging.

 

[beachycove]

You have the option to choose which disk to initialize, or to put that a bit better, to change the drive that is targeted by the drive setup software. Click on the 'drive' icon (as I recall) before you click 'initialize' and the software will search for all available drives, and allow you to choose which is the target. As has been said, you'll want to initialize the internal HD (assuming that it is still working well enough for HD Setup to find it, or in this case, assuming it (a) is properly terminated, and ( B) that it has Apple Roms - but that's another story, so let's assume for the moment that it is and that it does have them).

The fact that you managed to boot from the cd means that the machine is otherwise sound, by the way, so that is a good sign; the only remaining question concerns the hard drive. Once you start the initialization process, and the little wheel begins to spin, just let the software finish its task and all should (touch wood) be well, with a mounted internal hard drive on which it will then be possible to install the system.

 

[Bunsen]

You can't initialise a CD as it's write-only. That's what it means (in this case) by "locked".

If the internal drive doesn't show in the list of drives you can install to, you'll have to format it first with Apple Disk Setup or whatever under the Applications or Utilities folder on the CD.

 

[returningmacuser]

You can't initialise a CD as it's write-only.

Dont you mean "read only?

 

[Bunsen]

D'oh

 

[tomlee59]

Well, it could be one of those specialty discs for ultra-secure applications. Write-only memories (WOMs) were quite popular back in the 1970s.