Strange SE/30 Goings On

[robertg]

Need some help please with my new SE/30...

Purchased it last week on ebay and it's acting very strange. Boots right up, but all folders except the System Folder, files and apple menu items keep disappearing and reappearing. When you open the System Folder it appears empty. The SE/30 (4MB, 40MB HD) came loaded with 7.1, but after this issue cropped up, I loaded 7.0.1, ran the updater and the problem continued. Even a version of 7.0.1 that I loaded directly from a zip drive (works perfectly on my Mac Plus) did the same thing. And here's where it gets even stranger... 6.0.8 works great from the HD or the zip. As a further test, I just loaded 7.5.3 and the disappearing/reappearing is back.

Anyone have any ideas or suggestions??

Thanks, Robert

 

[Macdrone]

Recap motherboard after a good cleaning.

 

[Bunsen]

What leads you to think caps are the culprit, Macdrone? Just curious.

This sounds a lot like a SCSI chain issue to me. I assume the SE/30's internal drive is terminated, but who knows, plugging an external terminator into the rear SCSI port might help. SCSI is weird like that. And it's a cheap, plug-and-play fix, if it works.

My next guess would be that the drive itself is on its way to drive heaven.

 

[Macdrone]

Caps cause all sorts of issues and can kill scsi chips. So I've been told over and over. Plus since its old and you haven't popped it open yet and age it's a good bet. So far fifty percent of my macs have had leaky caps, including 2 SE30 boards.

So just a guess and a shot in the dark. :beige:

 

[AichEss]

So 6.0.8 works just fine, 7.x does not.

Suspect the HD capacity/RAM requirements for 7.x. vs what you actually have functioning.

Edit: Try it with 7.x with "Extensions Off" as a start

 

[uniserver]

praise the lord! a re-cap to the rescue!

Caps! -- Macintosh SE/30

http://68kmla.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=19773&start=0



Caps! -- (Supplies For Beginners) What do you need?

http://68kmla.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=19844&start=0

 

[classic]

I'm no expert on the hardware side of things, but have you tried rebuilding the desktop?

Hold down command/option at start up

 

[onlyonemac]

Sounds like a hard drive with a flaky directory block. Try reformatting the drive. This would also fit with the System Folder and the Apple Menu Items folder staying around, because yesterday I was reading that they were handled specially by the operating system, as a kind of almost pseudo-folder.

 

[robertg]

Thanks so much for all the advice...I really appreciate your thoughts and suggestions. My game plan at this point is to clean the motherboard and reformat the drive and will let you know how it goes. I'll probably get to it on Saturday.

Thanks again,

Robert

 

[phreakout]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't some of the early versions of System 7 have issues with disappearing or missing folders and icons? And wasn't there an extension or enabler issued to fix that problem?

73s de Phreakout. :rambo:

 

[markyb86]

I thought that was what the 7.0- 7.0.1 update was for?

 

[phreakout]

Correction: System 7.1 through Mac OS 7.6 Compatibility With Macintosh Computers. The SE/30 DOES NOT utilize system enablers, no matter what version of System 7 you run.

Try downloading the System 7 Tune-Up version 1.1.1 from the Old Apple software downloads page: Here, and this is the "Readme" file, concerning the Tune-up.

73s de Phreakout. :rambo:

 

[robertg]

Well, couldn't wait until tomorrow, so here's the board. Other than 20+ years of dust, I didn't see any evidence of leaky capacitors and the battery (dated 1990) was perfectly intact. The new replacement battery should be coming next week. After a couple days of drying, I'll pop it back in and will let you know how it goes. Fingers crossed!!

 

[tt]

Although it does not hurt to clean your board, I am leaning toward this problem coming from a software issue. If you can, run some sort of disk utility program to diagnose the drive. I would be interested to hear recommendations here. I usually use Norton or Apple's DIsk First Aid.

 

[robertg]

Well, good news and some bad. Cleaning the motherboard seems to have addressed the disappearing files and folders issue, so I can check that one off the list. The remaining problem appears to be scsi related...my setup includes a ZIP 100 and an Asante Mini EN/SC. When I boot up with the scsi devices attached, about half the time I get no chime and a garbled screen that doesn't clear. After powering down and disconnecting the scsi devices the system works perfectly.

Any suggestions on my next move?

 

[phreakout]

Is that a Zip 100 or a Zip 100 Plus? If the first, I would check to see if termination is enabled. If the latter, the 100 Plus should enable termination automatically. Next, make sure that the Zip and EN/SC adapter have different SCSI ID numbers. Finally, try turning both external devices on first, then power on your Mac. It should boot normal from there.

73s de Phreakout. :rambo:

 

[James1095]

Replace the capacitors before you bother chasing problems. Even if they look perfectly fine, they're bad. They dry out and deteriorate with time, if you know someone with an ESR meter they can show you just how shot they are. I'd be surprised if the needle even twitches on most of them.

 

[robertg]

Quick update: the SE/30 has settled down over the last few days and is working pretty well. The SCSI issue seems to be as phreakout said...a termination and power up sequence issue. I do plan on recapping at some point in the future (am going to need some help with that), but for now, I've upgraded to System 7.5.5. and have 16MB of ram on the way.

Thanks for all your help and Happy Holidays!!