Help installing System 6.0.8 on a plus WITHOUT a floppy drive available

[BlackFalcon448]

Hi guys, I have a plus that I'm trying to get going and I think i have a solid way of doing it. The easiest way I can tell to do it is make boot floppies, boot from them and erase the plus's hdd, then install to the hdd. My problem is that I have no way of making boot floppies, so I have devised a way that may work that doesn't involve any floppies.

Basically, I have a Powermac 7600, with 8.6 installed with the system 6.0.8 floppy images on it. My theory is that I can connect the SCSI hdd for the plus to the back of the 7600, and use the extracted floppy images to install to the plus's hard drive. I extracted the floppy images (2 1.44mb) to folders so I can run the 6.0.8 installer on the 7600. The installer asks for an install location, and in theory, I should be able to choose the plus's hdd and install to that.

I guess my question is, would that work? The new hdd for the plus should be here by friday, and I plan on doing what I just outlined, basically.

If that method doesn't work, I noticed a system folder in the 1st floppy image. Theoretically, if I copy that directly to the plus hdd, it should boot? I'm not experienced with installing anything under mac os 8 so thats why I'm asking so many questions. ANY help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[gr8tfly]

Unfortunately, there's no SCSI equivalent to FW Target Disk mode. The controllers on the main boards for both Macs will have SCSI addresses of "7". The Plus didn't have a HDD (I don't remember if there was room in the case for one, but I don't believe so - the first was the SE.) edit: disregard - see edit below

If you do have an external HDD for the Plus, you could connect it to the 7600, then use the 6.0.8 floppy images to install Sys 6 on it. You could manually drag the components to their respective folders, but the installer is much easier. Note that you need to make sure its SCSI address is different than the HDD on the 7600. The default for internal drives is "0".

Edit: I misread your OP - for some reason, I thought you wanted to connect the Plus to the 7600. So, my 2nd paragraph is essentially what you had planned.

In answer to your question about booting the HDD on the plus with only the first floppy's System Folder: I'm not positive, but there's a good possibility not all the System Extensions are in it. The remaining items would be on the subsequent floppy(s). Since you've already tried the Installer on the 7600, and it runs, that should be your best bet (i.e. targeting the Plus's HDD). Since 6.0.8 is much older than even the minimum for the 7600 (7.5.5), there shouldn't be any conflicting enablers/extensions when booting the Plus from this install.

 

[BlackFalcon448]

Unfortunately, there's no SCSI equivalent to FW Target Disk mode. The controllers on the main boards for both Macs will have SCSI addresses of "0".

My best suggestion is to get an external SCSI case for the 7600's HD, but that runs into problems too - the Plus won't work with 8.6. However, both machines will run 7.5.5, from what I can find, so you would have to do a temporary install of

Your message seems to have been cut off. If I can't install 6.0.8 to the external plus HDD, would copying the system folder from the floppy image work?

 

[BlackFalcon448]

Unfortunately, there's no SCSI equivalent to FW Target Disk mode. The controllers on the main boards for both Macs will have SCSI addresses of "7". The Plus didn't have a HDD (I don't remember if there was room in the case for one, but I don't believe so - the first was the SE.) edit: disregard - see edit below

If you do have an external HDD for the Plus, you could connect it to the 7600, then use the 6.0.8 floppy images to install Sys 6 on it. You could manually drag the components to their respective folders, but the installer is much easier. Note that you need to make sure its SCSI address is different than the HDD on the 7600. The default for internal drives is "0".

Edit: I misread your OP - for some reason, I thought you wanted to connect the Plus to the 7600. So, my 2nd paragraph is essentially what you had planned.

Thanks for understanding my question. I'm not the best at clearly explaining things, so its good that you understood.

I have one other quick question. You said to make sure the plus external hdd has a different SCSI ID. Is that set up automatically or do I have to manually set it? If so how would I manually set it?

 

[gr8tfly]

Thanks for understanding my question. I'm not the best at clearly explaining things, so its good that you understood.

I have one other quick question. You said to make sure the plus external hdd has a different SCSI ID. Is that set up automatically or do I have to manually set it? If so how would I manually set it?

The case for the Plus's HDD probably has switch on the back (either a wheel, or a push-up/push-down button) to set the address.

Also, I forgot to mention you should have a terminator for the empty SCSI port on the external case.

Just for clarity: You're purchasing an external HDD for the Plus? I think there actually were some kits to shoehorn drives inside, but otherwise nothing inside from the factory to support an internal drive.

 

[BlackFalcon448]

The case for the Plus's HDD probably has switch on the back (either a wheel, or a push-up/push-down button) to set the address.

Also, I forgot to mention you should have a terminator for the empty SCSI port on the external case.

Just for clarity: You're purchasing an external HDD for the Plus? I think there actually were some kits to shoehorn drives inside, but otherwise nothing inside from the factory to support an internal drive.

Ah ok, I see the switch on the back of the enclosure now. BTW I have a Directdrive 70, apparently by a company called Jasmine. The original 20mb hdd in it died so I bought a 700mb apple drive off of ebay to replace it. And yes, I have one of the apple centronics terminators that you put in-between the end of the cable and the hd itself.Go to that ebay link to see what I'm talking about. The diagram on the back of the box shows what I'm explaining.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BRAND-NEW-SEALED-APPLE-SCSI-Cable-Terminator-M0209-/130564654715?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e6642867b#ht_500wt_997

 

[gr8tfly]

Ah ok, I see the switch on the back of the enclosure now. BTW I have a Directdrive 70, apparently by a company called Jasmine. The original 20mb hdd in it died so I bought a 700mb apple drive off of ebay to replace it. And yes, I have one of the apple centronics terminators that you put in-between the end of the cable and the hd itself.Go to that ebay link to see what I'm talking about. The diagram on the back of the box shows what I'm explaining.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BRAND-NEW-SEALED-APPLE-SCSI-Cable-Terminator-M0209-/130564654715?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e6642867b#ht_500wt_997

I remember Directdrive; vaguely Jasmine.

Looks good! You should be in business. Let us know how it goes!

 

[BlackFalcon448]

I remember Directdrive; vaguely Jasmine.

Looks good! You should be in business. Let us know how it goes!

I will report back to this thread by sunday, so by then I should at least have the plus up and running. I plan to set up a localtalk network between the plus and the 7600 using a serial cable so I can transfer all the programs I have stored on the 7600 to the plus without having to resort to using 20 floppies. (can't anyway so go figure)