190cs crashed during OS update, can't boot it now:

[manimal347]

I have a Powerbook 190cs that is really irritating me. I was updating from 7.5.3 to 7.5.5 when it froze up

at the very end. It will see its hard disk, but before it makes it to the "Welcome to Macintosh" screen, the Powerbook

displays the Sad Mac screen and chimes. I've tried boot disks, including System 8.1 Disk Tools and the At Ease 7.5x

disks. It will show a Happy Mac screen, then eject the diskette. I've tried booting it off a 256MB Sandisk

CF card using a copy of 7.55. The Mac won't see it. I created it using a Linux box, dragging over the system folder

to the CF card that I formatted HFS using hfsutils. I have no external SCSI perhipherals, and my 2.5"

to 3.5" IDE adapter is defective. By defective, I mean it arrived NIB with a cold solder joint, broken power adapter,. and *two*

delaminated traces. But yeah. How might I proceed without any other Apple hardware?

Lastly, the machined has a fully dead PRAM battery. The system just clicks and needs to be deprived of power if I reset the CMOS-thing. Al;so, thr floppy drive was working prior, though

with occasional I/O errors. I've used veriied disk copies, though, completed with no funny noises, 3X over. It was never

close to that bad under Finder.

 

[Strimkind]

I find when machines I have do silly things that I just let them sit unplugged, without a main battery, for a few days.

Further, it is possible that something went on the logic board while you were updating. The Sad Mac hexadecimal numbers should give some kind of indication on the problem.

Have you tried pulling the RAM module and booting the unit?

 

[manimal347]

My. Sorry for the terribly slow update. I misplaced the powerbrick. Just found it today. But, I'm not sure there's much point in reading off the hex from the screen given I know it was working prior to the failed install. A JAZ drive with a Traveler adapter would be mighty fine right about now, but an even better alternative would be just buying another machine with a working OS install. Like your pair, Strimkind. Check your PMs.