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connecting a 7.5.5 machine to my network

mcgarry

mcgarry

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Oct 19, 2004
616
0
I want to salvage the HD contents of an apparently functional PowerBook 5300cs running Mac OS 7.5.5 (the battery is dead, but everything else seems to work). It has a Farallon Ethernet PC Card, and my router has a spare port for it to plug into.

But I can't get it working! It has been so long since I tried to do anything like this in anything not OS X-- my already limited skills are quite rusty.

I tried configuring using DHCP in the TCP/IP control panel, didn't work. Then I entered IP, subnet, router, etc. manually-- still didn't work. No connection from the laptop, and no green light on my router to indicate that it recognizes that something has connected to it on that port. (The Farallon card also has a green indicator light, which was steady in DHCP mode, and blinked in manual config mode.) Am I missing something obvious? I don't know anything about OS 7 anymore. AppleTalk is active.

Optional info below for fellow Mac nerds below, read at your own peril:
A couple years ago I rounded up all of the legacy Mac hardware of myself and all of my family, including in-laws to back up all our old crap once and for all. I rounded up the files from a Mac Plus, Mac SE, Performa 6300CD, and PowerBook 5300 (with broken screen, thanks foot). The PowerBook already included the files form my old Quadra 605, RIP. I used AppleTalk (if I remember correctly) to move from the SE and the PowerBook to the Performa. The Plus, with no HD of course, had its Rodime 20MB external HD (case could fit at least 20 iPods) plugged directly into the Performa. From there I moved everything onto Zip 100 disks using a SCSI Zip drive, then loaded everything back onto my old iMac G3 using a USB Zip drive. At least I think that's what I did, the details are fuzzy. I remember I also had a SCSI adapter for the 5300, so maybe I have its and the 6300's role mixed up, but whatever.

Shortly thereafter, I got rid of all of this crap in one way or another, except for the Mac Plus which occupies a special place in a box in my garage. (The 5300cs is a friend's.) I always wanted to make it into a fish tank ... Anyway, If I still had any of the old stuff, I'd do something like this again for the 5300cs; alas it is gone. BUT the ethernet card should work, right?
 
It sounds like hardware to me. If the router doesn't recognize there is something plugged in, then perhaps the Ethernet card is bad or the Ethernet cable you are using? It sounds like you are doing the right things to get networking up in the OS.
 
You ARE doing everything right . . . . . but . . . . .

osprey76 said:
It sounds like hardware to me. If the router doesn't recognize there is something plugged in, then perhaps the Ethernet card is bad or the Ethernet cable you are using? It sounds like you are doing the right things to get networking up in the OS.
Click to expand...

Two possibilities - Older Macs do not auto switch between Straight-through and Cross over Cat5 Cabling, ensure you are using the correct cable. . . . .

Also "some" revisions of Macs did not always recognise a network connection unless it was plugged in and active at Boot-Time - funnily enough a lot of DELL PCs STILL have this particular gripe !

Good Luck !
 
The cable seems to be a proprietary sort, with a flat/thin connector at the Farallon card, and standard Ethernet on the other end. The cable itself has no writing on it. If it wasn't so non-standard, yes, I would have tried another patch cable. Anyone know anything about this old cable? Would a picture help?
 
This might be a little extreme...

...but, it occurs to me if you're not going to use the 5300 anymore, you could open it up and simply remove the HD, re-encase the HD in an external USB casing and load the files from it that way. It would appear as if the internal interface is IDE, which means it *should* connect to a standard laptop IDE connection that can be found in a lot of mini external USB cases. I also found this: http://www.powerbookcentral.com/reviews/5300csreview.shtml -- It seems the PB would also take a differenct PC card, so if you could find another (and the 7.5.5 drivers) this might also work.

Good luck, sounds like a fun project. :)
 
I don't know what type of hard drive it uses, but if it's the same standard that's been around for a long time, then you could use an adapter. I picked one up from CompUSA for about $15. It plugs into the drive, and you can then use a standard ATA cable to plug it into a tower.
 
Do you mean something like this:

www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-146-605&depa=0

(they have many brands and similar stuff)

How do I know it will be compatible with the cable/connector coming off the 5300's internal HD? Is all IDE more or less the same for my purposes?

Would a case built for a 3.5" drive work as well (and be more versatile down the road)?

Unfortunately I don't have a tower to test Peyote's idea, only an iMac G3 and a PB G4. But would it plug into whatever the iMac's CD-ROM is plugged into ... is that the same bus/connector? I don't mind opening up the iMac to get to it.

If I still had that SCSI Zip drive and the PB SCSI adaptor this would be so easy! I have no idea what I did with them, I thought I was done with this crap.
 
Well, it seems that there are a couple roads on which you could travel:

* The NewEgg USB enclosure appears to be the correct one you would need in order to hold the laptop-sized hard drive from your 5300. It is true that the IDE standard hasn't changed in a long time, so this should work with minimal hassle. The 3.5" enclosure wouldn't fit a laptop HDD without an addational adapter (since the laptop HDD is smaller, so is the IDE connection). Though we have one of those small USB cases at work, and with the purchase of an 80GB laptop hard drive, it really does make a great portable (more so than a 3.5" enclosure).

* Or, you could cull someplace like eBay or Craigslist.org to see if you can pick up an old external SCSI Zip100 with the adapter for your iMac or current PB. They're really cheap nowadays (like $10-$30).

Hope this helps!

Good luck. :)
 
a new idea

My father has a PowerBook G3 (Lombard) running 9.2.2. It has an IR port. The 5300cs has an IR port. Does anyone know if these are compatible? The transfer would be SLOW, but easier, cheaper, and probably less destructive than removing the hard drive from the 5300. Transferring from the PB G3 to anything else would then be a snap.

EDIT: a search of the web indicates that the IR on the 5300 is only compatible with the IR on Macs up to and including the PB G3 Wallstreet, but NOT Lombard. If anyone knows otherwise or a workaround, please let me know.
 
This may be a completely retarded solution, but I'll throw it out there anyway.


Can you plug the old laptop hard drive into your newer laptop? That is, I'm wondering if you could swap out your newer laptop's drive for your older laptop's drive. If so, maybe it would boot? I have no idea. However, if it did...maybe you could then use the newer laptop's ethernet port to connect to your iMac, burn CD's, or however else you want to move the data.


Of course this assumes that your old drive and old OS could run in the newer laptop...

Anyway, I guess it could be worth a shot since you don't have to buy an external case or anything else to do it.

Has anyone ever tried something like that before?
 
Hey,

I've just recently had the unpleasurable experience of trying to get two 7.6.1 Powerbooks (1400c I think) with the same Farallon card talking w/ each other.

My problem was actually with drivers. Is the card showing up on your desktop when it's inserted? When you bootup the mac, does it feed you an error about "No driver for PC Card in ___ slot?" I can point you to the place to get the correct drivers if need be. (I hope you've got a floppy drive somewhere!) Make sure all the Network related control panels are looking for Network on the Ethernet card. That includes AppleTalk CP, Network CP (if it's there), and TCP/IP CP.

Another problem could be the Extensions. Do you have extensions for "OpenTransport" loaded? If the card is giving you a solid green in DHCP mode, then you definitely need to be in DHCP mode. Make sure "Built-in Ethernet" and "Apple Ethernet" are enabled. They talk (or something) to the Farrallon card driver.

Yet another error could be in the router. Make sure that that spare port isn't a crossover port... that's an obvious one, but sometimes the obvious ones are the ones the best geeks overlook. Also, is the Green light on the router a light that represents any connection, or simply a light that represents full 100Mbps connection? I believe the Farallons are only 10Mb cards.

That's all the probs I can think of offhand. Keep us updated!

-rand()
 
Small Dog

What about SCSI disk mode between the 5300 and Lombard?

SCSI Disk Mode

You would need the cable, but I reckon they are not that expensive. Small Dog must have one.
 
Ok thanks for all of the replies. In no particular order:

-- I do not currently own any hardware that will boot up in 7.5.5 other than the 5300.

-- the Farallon card does show up on the desktop; when I click on it it opens AppleTalk

-- I have been selecting it as "alternate ethernet" in the tcp/ip and AppleTalk control panels

-- OT 1.1 is loaded. I have tried configuring extensions myself, and just turning them all on. no difference.

-- if this is a driver issue of some sort, I don't think I have anything to work with floppies other than the 5300.

-- I used to have that annoying L-shaped HDI-30 to DB-25 SCSI adapter (I used to have a 5300 myself) but I have no idea where it is. I probably gave/threw it away. My father never got one for his Lombard. I guess I'd rather buy the USB drive enclosure if I'm going to have to buy something to make this work. Not that it's that big a deal, but the drive enclosure would be more useful to me at this point than a somewhat working 5300cs.

-- my router is an Orinoco BG-2000. It only has one spare LAN port, and I routinely use it to connect my iMac (10.2.8) via DHCP, so I know it works at least in that sense.

This isn't a big rush project for me, but since there seems to be interest, I will keep you updated. If I am in a store with reasonably priced USB enclosures anytime soon, I may just pick one up, but I have no specific plans to do so at this time.

And keep the helpful suggestions coming, I keep feeling like I'm missing something obvious!
 
Update:

I did some digging. Boxes, bags, drawers, etc. I am more of a packrat than I supposed. I found the SCSI adapter, and cable, and I will go see my father (we live in the same city) sometime soon. I really thought it was gone.

Worse, the SCSI adapter was not alone ... I still have frighteningly more of this old Mac stuff lying about than I thought .... (Kensington SystemSaver, anyone?)

Sorry for not looking around so thoroughly-- in the real world rather than online-- before making my original post ... although it still would have been nice to get the old 5300 on the 'net.
 
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