HDD boot issues and Sad Mac Error Code 000000F / 00000000C/1

[TimHD]

Hi,

been trying to get my 'newly' re-capped Mac Se/30 to fire up with a either its existing internal 40MB SC OS 7.1 (which worked pre-recapping) or a new (refurb) 160MB OS 7.5.3 SCSI drive (sitting in an ext Apple 80SC, no jumpers set, ID=0, and no int. HDD in SE/30). The 80SC ext hdd box is connected via an ext. Apple CD 300e (on ID 4) then to the Mac SE/30.

Two issues have emerged. 

1. When I try to test my various HDDs using the ext 80SC box (with no int HDD in the SE/30, no jumpers on the ext. drive (ID=0)) and connected via an Apple 300e CD (ID=4), I regularly get Sad Mac Error Code 00000F / 000000C or 000000F / 00000001 (which I can't make sense of from the Sad Mac Web Page http://www.gla.ac.uk/~gwm1h/Error_Codes/Sad_Mac_Codes.html). 

2. My 40MB 7.1 HDD (when in my SE/30) used to boot fine before the recapping but now can't get it to boot and have to load a boot floppy (OS 7.5.3 Disk Tools 1 with HD Setup 'normal') first before it will recognise the HDD (which has utils incl. HD Setup (Patched) and Lido 7 on it). The HDD passes all health tests, but just won't boot. Am I missing a step here? (I don't want to format it, but can offload HDD to zip drive and do so if that is what is needed to make it boot again). Have tried a few things (moving new System folder across, but no luck). Get Happy Mac then Floppy with "?" every boot.

NB: CD 300e SC works fine on it's own. Have active terminator on the Ext HDD bay's other SCSI port and no HDD in the SE/30 when testing these drives this way.

Any help appreciated.

 

[Juror22]

Not to second guess the recapping job, but since that is what changed  - is it possible to post a few pictures of the board, including the new caps in some detail?

 

[TimHD]

Recapping was done professionally, so should not be that.

In any event, have managed to get around the Sad Mac issues by rejigging the order of the SCSI devices and cable combinations (Mac->iomega->ext Hdd->CD300e) and moved the active terminator (the short SCSI connector) to new end device. That seemed to make things work - go figure! (if you know why that makes a difference, let me know!) 

That said, still no luck booting off that internal HDD so I bit the bullet and just reformatted the 40MB Quantum HDD and installed 7.5.3 over it. The install onto the 40MB actually failed right on the last disc/step for some reason, so either it's a SCSI issue, a power thing, else that drive decided to fail post recapping and hence was the issue all along. (That said 2 other drives I have, 1 a new refurb, all wouldn't come up either - suggesting internal issues).

Anyway, as it is, I just ended up swapping out my external HDD for a SCSI2SD 1.9GB drive and installed 7.5.3 on it without issue and my mac now boots 'fast' off the ext SCSI2SD (ID=1) and I scan see the 40MB drive (ID=0) too even though it won't boot!

Next step, I think I will probably swap this SCSI2SD and 40MB around - wondering if the AB or power supply is having issues with these mechanical drives (as I tried 2 which all failed to be properly recognised or boot from the internal spot) and might do better with the SCSI2SD internally (indeed I noticed the SCSI2SD seems to be able to power off the SCSI cable without power when it managed to boot up from the external Apple 80SC enclosure which was powered off!).

 

[gsteemso]

Hmm, reading that last post makes me wonder if your power supply is becoming marginal with age. Those old 40 meg drives suck huge amounts of power whenever they do, well, pretty much anything involving mechanical action, whereas a modern device like a SCSI2SD, with its more efficient electronics and no moving parts, will draw substantially less. If swapping the SCSI2SD into the internal drive bay causes the computer to suddenly become reliable, I’d call that a pretty good clue! Please let us know if that works.

 

[Macdrone]

great catch gsteemso.  I second that.

 

[TimHD]

Thanks Gsteemo and Macdrone. Have taken your suggestion and swapped out the power sucking 40MB HDD for my SCSI2SD 1.9gb drive/board. However, I am now getting this screen error on booting up after I hear the normal boot up chime sound. See image below. 

Some sites suggested 'checkerboard' is ROM/SIMM issues but I have swapped memory and checked and cleaned contacts, but still getting this error. That said, I had thought a chime on boot suggests memory is fine...? (NB: HDD light flickers up initially, but does not boot while this screen is up.

Will probably try to go back to the HDD only (though getting my SCSC2SD mounted in the drive bay was a little tricky first time round!)

 

[gsteemso]

I, wow, that's worse than I thought it would be. I suspect you have more than one failure going on at the same time there. Swapping major system elements like hard drives and the like tends to make stuff that was just-barely-sorta working, i.e. marginal, reveal itself for the kludgy mess that it secretly has been for, probably, years. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.