Performa 6200CD Won't Boot from CD

[Sunoo]

I recently picked up a Performa 6200CD that I'm working on. However, no matter what I do, I cannot get it to boot off of CD, so I'm unable to install Mac OS 8.6. Can anyone provide any advice here? I'm using a burned CD of 8.6, if it makes a difference.

Also, if it matters, the CD drive it came with was completely shot, it just made loud grinding noises and never mounted the CD. I got a new drive that appears to work better, but I can't tell if it mounts or not as I stupidly wiped the hard drive during an earlier attempt to install. It boots fine off of floppy and the hard disk (before I wiped it) as well.

 

[Compgeke]

Do you have any other systems to try the CD with? Being a home burnt CD it's entirely possible the issue is with the CD rather than the system itself. It'd be worth tracking down another image (even if it's another version) and see if it works.

 

[Sunoo]

I don't have anything else I can try booting with it from, but it mounts on an older MacBook and also in my SE/30. That's really as far as I can test.

 

[Compgeke]

I'd go ahead and try finding another install image and see if it works instead. Sometimes the discs will mount but not boot. Sometimes they'll boot on one system but not another.

Another alternative if you have a USB IDE adapter is to use sheepshaver (or emulator of choice) to install the OS onto an image the size of your 6200's hard drive then write it to the 6200's drive with DD or utility of choice. I've made use of that method a lot on systems with smaller hard drives. Being as you've got a Macbook this also has the advantage of making it really really easy to transfer software over without floppies or breaking resource forks. 

 

[Sunoo]

I just tried burning a disc of Mac OS 8.5, with the same result. I do have an IDE adapter, but I'd really like to figure out what's wrong with this computer that's preventing it from booting.

 

[BadGoldEagle]

but it mounts on an older MacBook and also in my SE/30. 

So you must have an external SCSI CD drive then. Perhaps you'll get better results with the external drive connected to the 6200CD? It *should* boot from an external drive, right?

Edit: My CD SC looked and sounded all right, but it wouldn't mount anything because the lens was dirty. Perhaps your internal IDE drive needs servicing?

 

[Sunoo]

I have an AppleCD 300 on the SE/30, and it didn't seem to boot off that either.

 

[IlikeTech]

I have found that you have to go into startup disk and pick it on a mac that can boot.  Have you tried command-opt-shift-delete-<number that is scsi id>?

 

[Sunoo]

I have found that you have to go into startup disk and pick it on a mac that can boot.  Have you tried command-opt-shift-delete-<number that is scsi id>?

I just tried that for both the internal and external CD SCSI IDs, and no change on either one. I never even saw the access light blink on the external drive.

 

[Sunoo]

IAnother alternative if you have a USB IDE adapter is to use sheepshaver (or emulator of choice) to install the OS onto an image the size of your 6200's hard drive then write it to the 6200's drive with DD or utility of choice. I've made use of that method a lot on systems with smaller hard drives. Being as you've got a Macbook this also has the advantage of making it really really easy to transfer software over without floppies or breaking resource forks. 

I just gave this a shot, but when using the image of the IDE drive, the drive shows up as locked, and I have no idea how to resolve that.

 

[Sunoo]

I just remembered I took a DD image of the drive when I first got it. I just re-imaged the drive with that, and both internal and external CD drives mount the install disc just fine. So it seems that everything works with the exception of CD booting.

Additionally, while I was booted into that image, I flipped the startup disk to be the CD, but that also seemed to make no difference.

 

[Sunoo]

I think I accidentally found the problem while I was poking around: http://www.applerescueofdenver.com/products-page/cd-dvd-drives-scsi-internal/applecd-600i-cd-rom-drive-scsi/

That page says: "Note that the Matsushita CR-504-L drive in stock is not Apple branded and may not contain the firmware needed to actually boot from the drive."

So it sounds like I need to have an actual AppleCD 600i in order to boot from CDs. That's pretty surprising.

 

[Sunoo]

I tracked down a retail copy of Mac OS 8.5 and the Performa booted just fine off of it. So that's case closed and problem solved.