problems booting 7.5.3

[Andrevas]

so I have been playing with my old Powerbooks after neglecting them for years and have run into an issue with my 520. I was attempting to install Open Transport when the install failed after the first disk (only have one good floppy laying around, so I was trying to install each disk, then wipe and load next disk image on my 520c). couldn't exit so I did a hard reset and haven't been able to boot off the hard drive since

I get a startup chime, then a happy Finder icon, but after the disk starts working just a bit the GUI seems to reset and comes back unable to find a boot disk. been searching around on Google for specific incidents/solutions but haven't gotten anywhere. I made a boot floppy and ran Disk First Aid, which did say the disk needed repair and repaired it successfully but subsequent restarts net same as before.

I'm not interested in a reformat, I'm interested in downloading some files to the 520c (and my webserver for storage on my Windows box) that I almost certainly won't find these days on the net. stupid little things like video clips, etc.

I found my Zip drive, but no powersupply. not feeling like spending 20 bucks shipped off eBay for one (anyone want to help me out?). going to UCSB Surplus on Tuesday to see if I can score that, a second AAUI transponder and maybe if I'm really lucky some AppleTalk gear.

once I'm done pilfering the data I want off the 520 it's drive will be used to attempt to resurrect a 540c. I have a few other Powerbooks as new as a Pismo G3 that were throw-aways from un-named source but I wrecked all of them in the name of taking crap apart for the hell of it just to see what makes it tick, save for the Pismo; I don't have power supplies for any of them except the 5xx's. if anyone's interested in the box of crap and the 520 when I'm done with it someone can come pick it up for free if they want to save it from the local e-waste drop off.

so yeah, any help on fixing the boot issue would be great. thanks.

 

[beachycove]

It sounds to me that you will eventually need to reinstall a system, or at least update to a later one via a Clean Install.

However, if I understand you correctly, you want to get some personal files (video clips etc.) off of the drive before going any further, so as to be safe and make sure that you preserve them (though frankly, a simple Clean Install without drive reformat should not hurt them at all).

If so, do you have another old Mac around that could be used to create a new boot floppy, and to which the 520c could be networked via ethernet or localtalk? You need the Network Access Disk image (search, it's there), and to create a floppy from it.

Boot the 520c from the Network Access Disk (floppy), connect to the other machine over AppleTalk, and backup the whole drive or those files you want before proceeding further. The Network Access Disk runs a cut-down version of System 7.5, with the requisite network extensions for connecting to an AppleShare volume. This is, among other things, useful for doing a software installation to the hard drive of the machine you are working on, without needing to create a bazillion actual floppies. It is arguably the single most useful floppy disk to have around if working with machines from approximately the 1988-96 era.

Saw your other post. My interest begins to wane with the G3s too, and a 9600 would be ... perfection.

Does this sound like a plan?

 

[Andrevas]

It sounds to me that you will eventually need to reinstall a system, or at least update to a later one via a Clean Install.
However, if I understand you correctly, you want to get some personal files (video clips etc.) off of the drive before going any further, so as to be safe and make sure that you preserve them (though frankly, a simple Clean Install without drive reformat should not hurt them at all).

If so, do you have another old Mac around that could be used to create a new boot floppy, and to which the 520c could be networked via ethernet or localtalk? You need the Network Access Disk image (search, it's there), and to create a floppy from it.

Boot the 520c from the Network Access Disk (floppy), connect to the other machine over AppleTalk, and backup the whole drive or those files you want before proceeding further. The Network Access Disk runs a cut-down version of System 7.5, with the requisite network extensions for connecting to an AppleShare volume. This is, among other things, useful for doing a software installation to the hard drive of the machine you are working on, without needing to create a bazillion actual floppies. It is arguably the single most useful floppy disk to have around if working with machines from approximately the 1988-96 era.

Saw your other post. My interest begins to wane with the G3s too, and a 9600 would be ... perfection.

Does this sound like a plan?

reinstall yes, after swapping disks from the 520 to a 540c. my 520c works great with 7.6.1

I am using the Network Access disk to boot the 520. is there another way to successfully restore bootability off the hard disk to the 520 without reinstall?

also, the reason I was installing Open Transport was due to some funky PPP crap I couldn't decipher to get the 520 on my network. can you give me some pointers on getting the 520 online using the network access disk? the machine has Fetch FTP installed so I can offload files with that method (what I've been doing with the 520c right now). if not I will have to wait until I see what I get at UCSB Surplus tomorrow since I only have one AAUI transponder and nothing else to get the two working PBs networked together.

I <3 UCSB Surplus. my friend picked up a 400MHz G4 plus big ass Apple CRT for 40 bucks in working condition, using it for internet duties in his barn.

 

[Andrevas]

UPDATE

I found a System 7.5 installer on the drive, however it's telling me it cannot install to the disk (am I missing something?)

off to Google again.

edit: read the official Apple Installation Guide for 7.5, did not know about the command key shortcut to select clean install. IT'S WORKING

going to have a cigarette and see where I'm at when it's finished.

 

[Andrevas]

and problem solved, ended up figuring it out

I now have it booting up just fine and have Open Transport 1.1.2 installed, now I can backup the 520 via FTP like the 520c and only need another AAUI transponder so I can do both at the same time, woohoo.

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

and problem solved, ended up figuring it out
I now have it booting up just fine and have Open Transport 1.1.2 installed, now I can backup the 520 via FTP like the 520c and only need another AAUI transponder so I can do both at the same time, woohoo.

Welcome, new comrade! I'm glad you solved your problem, but I still have a couple of "peripheral recommendations" to help w/future problems.

1) Get a the proper cable, a/o adapter and a bootable, external Mac CD-ROM drive and start collecting the Disc Images you need to do boot/installs.

2) Get the SCSI Disk Mode Cable and a pass thru terminator to couple with the above cabling/adapter and you can back up any Problematic PB with that mode without any working OS on the 'book. [] ]'>

3) Using SCSI Disk Mode you can install any system on a 'book from any stable Mac w/OS compatibility. [] ]'>

 

[Andrevas]

and problem solved, ended up figuring it out
I now have it booting up just fine and have Open Transport 1.1.2 installed, now I can backup the 520 via FTP like the 520c and only need another AAUI transponder so I can do both at the same time, woohoo.

Welcome, new comrade! I'm glad you solved your problem, but I still have a couple of "peripheral recommendations" to help w/future problems.

1) Get a the proper cable, a/o adapter and a bootable, external Mac CD-ROM drive and start collecting the Disc Images you need to do boot/installs.

2) Get the SCSI Disk Mode Cable and a pass thru terminator to couple with the above cabling/adapter and you can back up any Problematic PB with that mode without any working OS on the 'book. [] ]'>

3) Using SCSI Disk Mode you can install any system on a 'book from any stable Mac w/OS compatibility. [] ]'>

I got a power supply for the Zip Drive for a buck at UCSB Surplus and I still have the install floppy turns out so I'm basically dumping the 520's drive in StuffIt archives to the 520c with the Zip and either leaving them there or FTPing them as .bin files to load in the emulator.

 

[coius]

A zip drive is great for backups but make sure that Zip disk works fully!

I would suggest getting iomega's tools and check that disk over.

Back in 1997 or so, we had a large solar flare in the summer that ruined all but 3 of my zip disks. And yes, solar flares can do that!

I ended up throwing out the old disks with data because the way zip disks are made, the track is written magnetically to the disk in a spiraling way that if ANY part of that gets wiped, you get the "Click of death" which is where the zip drive can't find the soft track on the disk. Once that happens, the only way to get it working is to send the disk back to the factory (not likely) or just suck it up and throw it out (likely)

What would be a totally awesome even BETTER way to backup, is to grab either an external Jaz drive or an internal Jaz drive connected to external case, and use that for backup. Mmmm... 1GB or 2GB external HDDs that are removable

I actually have used 1GB and 2GB Jaz disks to boot a PC and mac as a utility thing. Allows me to store my tools and such on it and run Windows 2k and have a fully functioning system to work from. These days, I use DVD-RAM/RW and USB Flash drives to do that.

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

I reiterate: SCSI Disk Mode is where it's at! If you have a desktop or a working PB with a CD-ROM burner, hook the target system up to the ROM Burner equipped Mac in SCSI Disk Mode and then back up to CD as you would from any other HDD installed inside/connected to the Burner equipped Mac!

With the right cables/adapter/passthru termination, you can do all sorts of neat tricks to save time, effort & cost! [] ]'>

And have far more reliable backups on CD!

 

[Andrevas]

most of my Zip cartridges are solid (I have a lot of them), they haven't left my house ever and my house has a gnarly old aluminum roof that damn near kills all cell reception in the house =P but I hear ya on even solar flares killing unshielded magnetic media. but so far no clicks of death from any of the disks. I'm not using them for backup anyway, more of a faster means of just swapping from one PB to the other, then offloading them via FTP to my Windows box and just store/use the files/apps with Basilisk

I reiterate: SCSI Disk Mode is where it's at! If you have a desktop or a working PB with a CD-ROM burner, hook the target system up to the ROM Burner equipped Mac in SCSI Disk Mode and then back up to CD as you would from any other HDD installed inside/connected to the Burner equipped Mac!
With the right cables/adapter/passthru termination, you can do all sorts of neat tricks to save time, effort & cost! [] ]'>

And have far more reliable backups on CD!

only working Macs I have are a 520 and a 520c PB, and one AAUI transponder and one Zip drive. so this is really my only option. another reason why I wish I hadn't of ditched my 840AV because I had a SCSI internal Plextor burner in it.

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

I ended up throwing out the old disks with data because the way zip disks are made, the track is written magnetically to the disk in a spiraling way that if ANY part of that gets wiped, you get the "Click of death" which is where the zip drive can't find the soft track on the disk. Once that happens, the only way to get it working is to send the disk back to the factory (not likely) or just suck it up and throw it out (likely).

IIRC, the "Click of death" was a hardware issue with the drive itself. ISTR having a drive replaced for that problem. The disks are written magnetically and indexed optically, so the situation you described shouldn't happen. Even if it did, reformatting/initializing the disk should fix the problem with the disk, while permanently borking your data, win some/lose some! [V] If you're getting "Click of death" try to find/snag another Zip Drive to test the disks before chucking them. [] ]'>