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Macintosh LC II

M

mitmap

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 9, 2008
8
0
Leningrad, USSR
Hi! I just found an old Mac LC II in school server room, so I spoke with sysop and he gave it for me as a present. I made several floppies with system 6.0.8 and 7.0.1 installation floppies. I still haven't got an SCSI HDD, but I purchased one from eBay, so it'll be soon.
I have several questions about my mac:
  1. What games are still available for my mac?
  2. Where can I download them and other software?
  3. How to transfer files from PC to this Mac?
  4. What size is PRAM battery? (I use CMOS battery and several roubles to fit it in a battery holder)
  5. Can I connect Mac to my home network and how? (I purchased an PDS Ethernet card)
My questions might be foolish, but it's my first mac. :)
 
I hope you're only doing this as a project for fun. A Mac that old is literally not worth spending $10 dollars on if you're hoping to make it into a useable computer.

I realize you posted this in the collectors section, so you're probably already aware of this, but from what you wrote I just wanted to make sure.
 
motulist said:
I hope you're only doing this as a project for fun. A Mac that old is literally not worth spending $10 dollars on if you're hoping to make it into a useable computer.

I realize you posted this in the collectors section, so you're probably already aware of this, but from what you wrote I just wanted to make sure.
Click to expand...

I just wanted to make it working and set it to granny's flat. Please write your answers in simplified english. (I sometimes use translator to understand them :confused:)
 
mitmap said:
I just wanted to make it working and set it to granny's flat. Please write your answers in simplified english. (I sometimes use translator to understand them :confused:)
Click to expand...

If you want to wind up with the best low cost computer for your grandmother to use, spending any money on this computer is definitely NOT a good choice.

Unless you are from a country where modern computers are very rare, this computer is WAY too old to be useful. A few months ago I managed to get a G3 350 Mhz PowerMac for $10. The G3 is roughly 7 years newer than the LC II, and much much more powerful.

the LC II is from the year 1992

http://lowendmac.com/lc/macintosh-lc-ii.html

the G3 I bought for $10 is from the year 1999

http://lowendmac.com/ppc/blue-white-power-mac-g3.html

While I got a good deal, you would easily be able to get one for less than $50.
 
motulist said:
If you want to wind up with the best low cost computer for your grandmother to use, spending any money on this computer is definitely NOT a good choice.
Click to expand...

She'll probably never use it (She is 75 years old and still preferes stationar phone instead of cell-phone). It's just a part of collection (with Sinclairs, Ataris, Commodores, Soviet ES and so on).
 
It is good if you are trying to make the LC II work again just because you think it is fun to explore old computers. But if you are hoping to make it a good computer to use, you are wasting your money.
 
motulist said:
It is good if you are trying to make the LC II work again just because you think it is fun to explore old computers. But if you are hoping to make it a good computer to use, you are wasting your money.
Click to expand...

Of course it's just a part of a collection, so please help me wih my questions.
 
I saw that all of those software runs only on 7.6.1, so does anybody know where can I download 7.6? or shall I write to Apple Computer Inc. to get one?
 
I just found one on these in a classroom this afternoon, I remember when that machine came out, i wanted one so bad to replace my Macintosh Plus.
 
You can still download most versions of the classic Mac OS directly from Apple here
http://download.info.apple.com/Apple_Support_Area/Apple_Software_Updates/English-North_American/Macintosh/System/
look in the Older_System/ folder

Unfortunately, System 7.6 isn't available. As I recall there are IP issues so Apple can't freely distribute it.

you should also check out the 68kmla website, it's got great forums for older Macs.

mitmap said:
I saw that all of those software runs only on 7.6.1, so does anybody know where can I download 7.6? or shall I write to Apple Computer Inc. to get one?
Click to expand...
 
motulist said:
Find old games here

http://mac.the-underdogs.info/

http://mac.the-underdogs.info/forum.php?forum=1&thread=2956&topic=6


The PRAM battery question may be listed on the lowendmac page I linked to above.


EDIT:

Lowendmac says:

PRAM battery: 3.6V half-AA
Click to expand...


Here you go: I just bought one of these batteries. I know EXACTLY what you need. The battery # is a 23-026 at RadioShack. You can probably get this elseware but RadShack is most likely the easiest. However, I must warn you that the battery is very expensive. I paid $21 for mine. (kinda like gas) Such small battery cost so much...
 
froggytreafrogg said:
Here you go: I just bought one of these batteries. I know EXACTLY what you need. The battery # is a 23-026 at RadioShack. You can probably get this elseware but RadShack is most likely the easiest. However, I must warn you that the battery is very expensive. I paid $21 for mine. (kinda like gas) Such small battery cost so much...
Click to expand...

Or, for 75 cents you probably coulda just taken three AAA batteries (which are 1.2 v each) and wired them in series and connected them to the computer's battery slot. If my college physics is intact in my memory, wiring batteries in series will add their voltages. So 1.2v + 1.2v + 1.2v = 3.6v.
 
Hey my LC II was my first Mac, period. I was 10 years old and it was 1992. The machine came with the *new* System 7 (I had only used Apple II and IIgs at school prior) so this was really my first taste of Mac. The LC II is a great little computer albeit SLOW. Mine came with the great little 12" RGB monitor, to match it sitting on top -- great colors, great quality monitor but the max resolution is 512x384. The LC II comes with only 256k of VRAM, enough to give you 256 colors @ 512x384. You can ugrade to 512k of RAM which will allow you to drive up to a 15" monitor (13" 14" or 15") @ 640x480 with 256 colors or the 512x384 @ thousands. I say this because your question: most *real* games will require 640x480 @ 256 colors. You can play Sim City on this little Mac and it's decent. Again, you are dealing with a 16MHz 68030 with no FPU, running system 7 @ 256 colors....so it's SLOW. I tried running Rebel Assault and it was choppy as hell. Anything 3D or action, forget it. But there are tons of good old games that will run on an LC II still, Eric's Solitaire, Carmen Sandiego, Oregon Trail. Any luck of Doom or Marathon on this machine is zero. Good luck with everything, hope I could have been of better help.
 
Any iPod have more power than that LCII =p

Anything that can run on it can run on a $50 iMac G3 much faster.
 
Consultant said:
Any iPod have more power than that LCII =p

Anything that can run on it can run on a $50 iMac G3 much faster.
Click to expand...

It is *really* slow operating and working with an LC II. About the only serious stuff I did with it (actually why I had it) was running ClarisWorks and doing heavy word processing, which I admit the LC II was good for. The Mac was actually very stable and rarely bombed. As far as OS, it's much faster in System 7 or 7.1 than 7.5 or 7.6. It can play QuickTime, like 160x140 sized files that are cinepak and less than 5MB in size, but only put out in 256 color. This isn't a media Mac. No Hope of MP3, however you can play AIFF sounds and such and output to speakers.

16MHz 030 is incredibly slow with a Color Mac running System 7. You click the menus and you wait for them to pop up several seconds later. Looking at the same form factor, same box machine, the Quadra 605 is about 10 times more powerful, but I see those go for good money on eBay these days. I love my LC II and will always keep it (the logic board shorted and I got a new one and translanted the logic board) -- I just want to keep it to show to my kids one day, so they get an idea of how it all started for me, Apple, and Macintosh...

But yeah, personally I view the the LC II now as an overproduced, underperforming Mac that is stuck in the dark ages and will never come out. For that size machine, like I said, you are much better with the Performa 475 or the Quadra 605 with RAM upgrade...will allow you to run 640x480 at thousands, play lots of games (this is 040) and surf the internet if you want. The LC II can surf the net with an external modem or a Ethernet LC card but it is slow as f*** and it's a waste of time. The LC is a nice piece of history and yeah, it's a working Mac...and they are good dependable boxes that stand the test of time...but I really just can't stand working on something that slow anymore. If I want something SLOW that's actually fun I pick up a Mac Portable, a PowerBook 170, or maybe an SE/30
 
dmr727 said:
NetBSD!
Click to expand...

Another option is running the old Mac version of Quid Pro Quo for 68k, which is great, I might add. It's a super simple web server which shows you a running log of all activity. Best if you have an ethernet card in the machine and a static IP. I've seen full domain web servers run off an old Mac like an LC II, a famous Hotline server ran off an SE/30 box awhile back, it had a chain of SCSI external HDs with all the files, and served files off a T3...from an SE/30 little black/white mac. WOW. Yeah, you can do stuff with it, but it's not quite the best Mac for web surfing or anything modern, it will work fine for e-mail and light server use.
 
I used to have an LCII back in the day. I loved that thing. I think it was my first Mac with a color screen. Have fun!
 
Macintosh LC II (1992) — also known as Performa 400, Performa 405, Performa 410, Performa 430.
 
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