Why won't my boot disk boot?

[System6+Vista]

I just got a free SE and SE/30, both of which ask for an OS at startup, but the bootdisk I made of 6.0.8 from the windows program at http://www.macgeek.org/downloads/index.html doesn't seem to work - just remembered the SE can't read the 1.44 disk. When I put the disk inside my working SE/30, it correctly reads as a startup disk, and brings me to the system 6 installer. On the other SE/30, no matter how many times I try, it doesn't like my boot disk at all. Any ideas?

 

[Gil]

Because your trying to boot from a 1.44 MB disk on a computer that can only read 800k disks?

 

[System6+Vista]

No, no. The SE/30 can read 1.44mb disks.

 

[Gil]

My bad, I thought you were talking about the one with the 800k drive. :I

 

[tomlee59]

Floppy drives suffer many indignities at the hands of users, and at the hands of time.

First try cleaning the drive (yes, you'll have to open up the Mac to do a proper job). Gently clean the heads. Make sure that dust and/or gummed-up lubricant is not inhibiting moving parts from doing what they're supposed to do. In particular, verify that the top head really does make contact with the disk surface, rather than stopping some distance above it.

Those are first steps.

 

[System6+Vista]

I made another boot disk and it seems to work. Now the task is making a 800k boot disk for the SE. I have a vista computer with a floppy drive attached and a working Classic and working SE/30. And plenty of spare 1.4mb disks I can tape over the part. Anyone know how I can make myself 800k boot disks?

 

[macgeek417]

I made another boot disk and it seems to work. Now the task is making a 800k boot disk for the SE. I have a vista computer with a floppy drive attached and a working Classic and working SE/30. And plenty of spare 1.4mb disks I can tape over the part. Anyone know how I can make myself 800k boot disks?

Tape over the HD hole. its the one oppisite the hold switch. then format said 1.44mb floopy. it will be seen as a DD (800k) floppy. Note that this isn't the most reliable method, but it works... kinda.

 

[System6+Vista]

Great, but I still only have a program that is designed to make 1.44 copies...

 

[porter]

Great, but I still only have a program that is designed to make 1.44 copies...

You make the 800k disks on the SE/30. What disk program are you using? I thought DiskCopy from Apple would work with the disk images from Apple.