SE/30 help

[SE30_Neal]

Hi everyone,

Ive just purchased a working vintage Macintosh SE/30 and wanted some advice on how best to transfer software to it from my mac mini (os x 10 snow lepard). Now i do have a usb floppy drive but it hadnt occured to me that the file format (HFS) on the se/30 means i cant write to the floppy from my mac mini. Now my SE/30 does have the PDS network card but as it came with a fresh install of 7.1 it doesnt have the drivers and it also has a strange 15 pin serial type connector rather than the now standard RJ45 on my router, any assistance would be much appreciated as i would like to put the old girl to work as a word processor, do my family accounts and use it as an email client.

Alternatively if anyone has any old system 7 software they would sell like Claris works or ms word/excel so i can put her to good use until i can get her online

Thank you in advance

Neal

 

[Compgeke]

One of the easiest ways I've found is to find a slightly older system (like a G4) that can run an OS with HFS support and find two Zip drives: a USB and a SCSI. I personally use a TiBook 1 GHz for this, as it can run OS 10.4/10.5 which is new enough to access network shares and the internet but old enough I can still access floppies and HFS(+) filesystems.

 

[raoulduke]

Does Snow Leopard allow you to write floppies? I don't think file format is the issue.  The screenshot is of a floppy in an external USB drive, not an image.

 

[Elfen]

If you can get a USB Floppy Drive for the Mac Mini, it can format floppy disks in PC/MS DOS Format. You would need PC Exchange on the SE\30 or DataVis PC Data/File Exchange and then you can read PC Formatted disks on the SE\30.

Problem though, PC/MS DOS might lose the Mac File Headers, leaving you with "blank files." If you got a program called "Utility Dog" you can restore the headers and the file if you know the header information to put in (File Type & Creator).

 

[raoulduke]

I was under the impression Apple wrote floppy-write drivers out of OSX after 10.4 (or 10.5, I honestly can never remember which, and 10.5 makes more sense).

 

[Elfen]

That is for HFS/HFS+ Mac Formats for both floppy and hard drive on 10.6. But PC/MS DOS still remains. You can read/write/format floppy disks in MS DOS Format after 10.6 using a USB Floppy Drive.

But like I stated, you can lose file header information on Mac Files when you put them through a MS DOS formatted disk. If you know the header information, you can restore them by using a file header manipulator like "Utility Dog."

(The same thing happens when you use a USB Thumb Drive formatted for MS DOS to move Mac files.)

 

[raoulduke]

I'll have to try that; wait do you mean just up to Snow Leopard.  Does archiving (zipping/stuffing) retain the header info?

 

[SE30_Neal]

Many thanks Both of you and thanks again for your help earlier Elfan, Yes the Mini writes floppies fine and I've just checked im running 10.7.5 and yes strangely the Mini can only read the hfs files from the Se/30 but not write them without reformatting the floppy that the se/30 then won't read, I did try the ms dos formatting as I'd read that was an option but the Se/30 didn't like that either, to be fair the floppy in the se/30 needs stripping down as it doesn't mount well (it's a bit rusty and needs oiling) at the moment I'm having to use a risla packet jammed in above the floppy just to make it mount and even then it's a bit touch and go. That said today I've just acquired a 10-12 year old pc (my son cleared out his wardrobe) which has a floppy drive so I'm thinking that might br the easier machine to transfer files with that my mini (which is also in another room due to my wife) anyway I'll attempt to strip down the se/30 floppy drive once I've found a tork screw driver that will fit the se/30 handle. Raoulduke I haven't tried zipping yet as I've not been able get stuffit/zip program on the se/30 due to the transfer issue. My se/30 I got from eBay has no software at all just a fresh system 7.1. I'll try again using the old and see how I get on, I'll let you know

 

[SE30_Neal]

Sorry compgeke, I missed your post above. Not a bad idea if I can sneak in more old tech without my wife noticing lol

 

[Elfen]

What system is on that SE\30?

For a Zip file to be recognized on the SE\30, you will need a later version Stuff-It Expander on that system. There were old Zip File extractor programs for System 6 but I can't remember a name for them. But switching from MS-DOS to Mac, you would need the PC Exchange extensions to read PC formatted disks on the SE\30.

 

[SE30_Neal]

Thanks again Elfen,

I may have a new soiurce of software so I'll see what I can get to move my project SE/30 along.