connecting a 7.5.5 machine to my network

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?

 

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?

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.