Need help with SE/30

[musicpyrite]

I downloaded System 7.1 from http://home.earthlink.net/~gamba2/syslist.html and I now have 9 disk images that I do not know what to do with.

First could someone first tell me which ones to copy to a 1.44MB floppy and then install the OS off the floppy? Do I need to use all 9 disk images?

Second, how do I copy the data from the disk images to a floppy? Normally I just copied the data over to the floppy, but the first time I tried that it would let me install on my SE/30. So how do I make the floppy able to install on the computer?

 

[musicpyrite]

Anyone?

 

[emw]

Anyone?

A couple of questions...

Are you downloading the files from a PC and saving them to a floppy from a PC? If so, it will likely never work. AFIK, you have to have a Mac-compatible floppy for those Macs, which means the floppy needs to be formatted and items saved from a Mac with a floppy drive.

I don't know a bunch about 7.1, so I can't tell you which images to copy, but I would assume just copy all of them and have them at the ready.

Do you already have a system on the SE/30 and you just want to update, or is there nothing on it? If there's nothing on it, at least one of the floppies has to have the System and Finder files on it to copy to your hard drive. This site (http://www.headgap.com/~macstar/bootdisc1.html) gives some info on Mac boot discs.

 

[musicpyrite]

I'm using my Mac (Panther) and an external USB floppy drive. The floppy disks were all formatted on the SE/30 and I'm just using my my iMac to copy the data over. I'm asking how to copy it over because I know that when I try to burn a Linux distro to a CD, I can't just copy the data over, I go into the Terminal and type 'diskutil burn <iso image>' so I figured that there would be a special way you have to copy the data over.


The SE/30 already has System 7.1 on it and I just wish to replace it later on with system 7.5.

 

[emw]

Since you have the disk images on your Mac, just open them up and copy the files onto the floppy disks.

Otherwise, you could copy the images onto the floppies, then copy the images onto your SE, then use Disk Tools on you SE to rewrite the images to the floppies, but I can't see how this would be necessary. Just try copying the data from one of the images (say the Disk Tools one) and bringing it over to the SE to see if it works.

 

[Macky-Mac]

still working on reviving those SE30s then?

Have you tried the following?

I think you need to open each disk image and then copy all of the files inside to a floppy.....one floppy per disk image......and name the floppy just as the disks are named.... for example "printing.image" would be opened and the contents copied onto a floppy that you would name "printing".......maybe I'm not remembering correctly (hey this goes back ages!!), but I'm pretty sure that you need to name the floppies properly because the installer program will look for disks by their correct name....and keep looking until it finds it....seriously!!

I think you should be able to copy by simply dragging the icons to the floppy....that's how it worked in the old days as I remember and it seems to work for me when I tried copying the contents of one of the images to a zip disk

there seems to be a compatiblty checker on the "before you install disk" so I would assume you could run that first if you want but I would guess your actual installation would start with the "install" disk and then continue with the others as it asks for them.............that's my guess anyway

that's my 2 cents worth ......good luck

 

[EminenceGrise]

I know for sure that DiskCopy will work, however that doesn't come with OS X (anymore at least). It's 'replacement' is Disk Utility, but I don't see any floppy specific options in there... it's all "Burn" this or that. Normally (in OS 9 or earlier) you would run DiskCopy to write the image out to disk. Since I don't see a similar option in Disk Utility, it might not do it - but I don't have a floppy drive either, so maybe it will only show up when one is present. Try Disk Utility first, and if that doesn't work, you may want to try using DiskCopy from Classic.

You could also download DiskCopy from Apple and install it on the SE/30, then copy the disk images to the hard drive as well and build the disks on the SE/30. This might be a better way to go since the SE/30 floppy drive is ancient by now, and might not like disks formatted in other drives that much. It will also clue you in to any problems that may exist with the drive as you make the disks (if you get lots of failures, etc.). Make sure you verify the disks after you build them as well, if there is a problem you don't want to be on the last install disk and have it die - leaving you with a nice grey doorstop until you manage to cobble together a working disk. Build all of the disks - some of them you may not need depending on what install options you choose, but you won't know which ones until you are installing things (the installer will skip certain disks if they are not needed). The images by themselves are worthless (for install purposes) until you write them out to floppy, unless they are part of a network install image.

You can download the 'latest' version of DiskCopy from Apple for free. I think you need at least v4.2 to be compatible with most of the images available from Apple. As I was writing this, I realized that you didn't get the images from Apple - you should know that you can get most of the final System versions directly from them. See this page, and browse a while; lots of goodies. Apple is also kind enought to include instructions in an accompanying text file. Also note that System 7.1 has never been a free download from Apple - it contains some bits that apparently they never wanted to release for free. Assuming however, that since your SE/30 already has a copy on it, somebody bought a license for it at some point - I also don't think that Apple would really care at this point anyway. You can get 7.0 and 7.5 from Apple (argueably, there really isn't anything extra in 7.1 over 7.0 anyway). I recommend sticking with the Apple stuff, as it's a bit easier to work with. The site you reference seems to have a different archive format for every stinking disk. Uggh.

 

[MisterMe]

I downloaded System 7.1 from http://home.earthlink.net/~gamba2/syslist.html and I now have 9 disk images that I do not know what to do with.

First could someone first tell me which ones to copy to a 1.44MB floppy and then install the OS off the floppy? Do I need to use all 9 disk images?

Second, how do I copy the data from the disk images to a floppy? Normally I just copied the data over to the floppy, but the first time I tried that it would let me install on my SE/30. So how do I make the floppy able to install on the computer?

Those System 7.1 disk images are of 1.44 MB floppies. You will need Apple's Disk Copy 4.2, Allume Systems's (formerly Aladdin Systems) ShrinkWrap, or possibly MacOS X Disk Utility to create the set of floppies from the images. Disk Utility can most certainly mount the images on your MacOS X desktop. You will need the complete set. Minimal installations of System 7.1 are used only to run emergency utilities. You cannot just copy System 7.1 from the disk images. Once you have created your set of installation disks, insert Disk 1 and boot from it. Then launch the installer and shuffle floppies until the installation is complete.

 

[musicpyrite]

Thanks for all the replies guys, I think I now know what to do. I'm going to try to install it tomorrow, I'm too tired right now....11:50 PM

If I screw up, I've made a back up floppy disk with System 6.0.3 and a few utilities including Norton Disk Doctor, multiple data recovery programs, defragmentors, hard drive formatters, etc. so it'll be at the ready when I screw up. And I've made sure it works since I can boot off of it.

By any chance does anybody know if a SE/30 can boot off a floppy with out a hard drive installed like a 512K?

 

[IJ Reilly]

By any chance does anybody know if a SE/30 can boot off a floppy with out a hard drive installed like a 512K?

Yes, it should, assuming you have a compatible version of the OS on the floppy.