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I opened up my spare adapter and there are no visible jumpers, and I don't think my eyesight will let me even attempt to solder anything that small.
 
Do you have any old conventional drives not being used? Usually a good source to find / scavenge them from. AND MicroSataCables may send you one - if you can't find one locally. And if you can't acquire one, message me your address and I'll send you one. And I wouldn't solder the pins anyway as... not certain exactly what their jumper setting should be. (It might be the other two pins?)

Jumpers.png
 
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I might take you up on your offer. I just can't understand why I'm having so much trouble. I've read a few things online about this exact same swap, and I don't remember anyone mentioning jumpers.

Just for sh!ts and giggles, I'm going to try the drive in a different Mac tomorrow, and see if the results are the same.
 
Appears that @Amethyst1 is correct… and with that, you may need to double check that your enclosure is properly oriented, seated & aligned into the female 820-1660-A board. Attached “top view” image shows a working Mac Mini Ableconn mSATA sled with no jumpers attached.

IF for some reason this approach then does not yield results, then you may have to experiment with jumpers. *The MicroSATACables enclosure might require a jumper for Master setting. Double-check also that the mSATA is properly seated within the enclosure.
NoJump.png
 
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Today I installed the drive in another 1.42 gig Mini. For today's exercise, I am using an external CD/DVD drive to attempt to load the OS. I tried my 10.4.2 install disk first. The machine booted but would not let me install the software. Encouraged, I tried the 10.4.6 disk. Nothing, just the flashing ? folder. I'm starting to think that the install disk is defective. Does anybody have an actual Apple install disk that you would sell, or sell me a copy of?
 
I tried my 10.4.2 install disk first. The machine booted but would not let me install the software.
It’s keyed to the newer 1.33/1.5 GHz minis. You could spoof the 1.42’s machine ID or use a 1.33/1.5 mini to boot the disc on, installing to the 1.42 via target disk mode. That requires a 6-pin FireWire cable to connect the two minis.

Encouraged, I tried the 10.4.6 disk.
Is this a genuine DVD or a burned one? Does another machine list the contents correctly?
 
The 10.4.6 DVD is one I burned from a link that you supplied.

I always thought Macs were easy. Why is this so hard? WTF am I doing wrong? It's a good thing I went to the liquor store yesterday.
 
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The 10.4.6 DVD is one I burned from a link that you supplied.
OK. That image has been used successfully by other members. Did you burn the .dmg (after unzipping) as an image (OK), or did you burn the actual file onto a disc (that's not going to work)? Can you insert the burned DVD into the machine you burned it on and post a screenshot of its contents?

If you want to try masquerading the 1.42 GHz Mini as a 1.33/1.5 GHz model so that your 10.4.2 DVD will work on it, boot into OpenFirmware by holding Command-Option-O-F after turning on the machine and insert the 10.4.2 DVD. At the prompt that appears, type the following four lines exactly and press Enter after each line:

Code:
dev /
.properties
" PowerMac10,2" encode-string " model" property
" PowerMac10,2" encode-string " MacRISC" encode-string encode+ " MacRISC2" encode-string encode+ " Power Macintosh" encode-string encode+ " compatible" property

If that worked without any error messages, type boot cd:,\\:tbxi to boot from the 10.4.2 DVD, which should finally allow you to set up the SSD and install OS X.
 
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I unzipped the .dmg file and burned it to disk. It opens into a window with couple of read me files, the OS installer, and a folder marked Xcode's.

I'm going to unplug my 1.33 Mini, put the drive in it, and see if it will work. I've been avoiding this because this is the Mini I use for work, and it will take awhile to get all the software reloaded onto it. If that works, then I might try using the target disk method that you mentioned. But not tonight.
 
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If you want to try masquerading the 1.42 GHz Mini as a 1.33/1.5 GHz model so that your 10.4.2 DVD will work on it, boot into OpenFirmware by holding Command-Option-O-F after turning on the machine and insert the 10.4.2 DVD. At the prompt that appears, type the following four lines exactly and press Enter after each line:
How would this work? The new hard drive will be in the Mini and it's blank, as in, no OS. Can I boot into OpenFirmware from the DVD?
 
Can I boot into OpenFirmware from the DVD?
OpenFirmware is, like, the BIOS on a PPC Mac. No OS required. Turn on the Mac and immediately hold down the four keys until the prompt appears. It's black text on a light grey background.
 
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Is changing the code a one time only deal, or would this need to be done anytime I find myself in a similar situation? I've never "gotten under the hood", so to speak.
 
Is changing the code a one time only deal, or would this need to be done anytime I find myself in a similar situation? I've never "gotten under the hood", so to speak.
Anytime you want to reinstall OS X on the 1.42 mini using the "wrong" 10.4.2 disc.
 
Lots of good research/info on upgrading IDE Macs to flash storage in this thread! It would be great if there was a Wiki or megathread or something where everyone could pool their findings. Have a comparison matrix for different chipsets/adapters/methods so it's easy to look at differences in compatibility/features/cost.

I'd recommend creating a page on the 68kmla wiki but it seems to be down, anyone know if that's permanent or just temporary?
 
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I just tried the procedure recommended by Amethyst1, and all went well until I hit boot. "Can't open device or file" is what it says. I have the boot disk in a external drive. Could that be the problem? I have booted from this drive in the past.
 
I have the boot disk in a external drive.
The boot command I posted is for the internal DVD drive. What you can try instead is the multi-boot command (after the commands to change the model ID), which should bring up a screen to select the external drive to boot from.
 
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