New to old macs, just got 4 of them,

[m-man]

Hey
I just got 2 mac classics and 2 mac plus's and a bunch of mice and keyboards
i know nothing about them or mac in general, (but i'm very proficient in PC)
i am really interested in these, but need some help

1 of the computers, when you turn it on just has a black and white vertical striped screen

2 of the computers turn on, and go to a blank desktop with a flashing floppy disc icon in the middle

and the other classic turns on and seems to work fine.
______
starting with the working classic,

where can i go to find out how to use this OS which, after going to "about this macintosh" says its system software 7.1
total memory 4,096k

also when it turns on there is a picture of a cartoon bear that comes up while loading, and the disk? icon has the name of a person in this case "harley", how can i reinstall a clean OS?

_____
on all 4 of them, what kind of disks do these take, that load in the front?
on the 2 mac plus's, the keybord has like a telephone jack looking connector, i didn't get those, so where can i obtain those?



also what is the proper sequence for taking the cover off, i want to blow them out and check out the internals
thank you for any help

 

[upinflames900]

What are you planning on doing with those computers? I only ask because those aren't just old they are like really old. You cannot use any thing close to the latest OS.

 

[windywoo]

First one sounds like its screwed or needs a new logic board which will cost as much as you paid for the machine most likely.

Second pair sound like they need their OS reinstalled.

 

[m-man]

What are you planning on doing with those computers? I only ask because those aren't just old they are like really old. You cannot use any thing close to the latest OS.

i just plan to keep them, they seem to be fairly collectible,

i didn't mean i wanted to put a different OS on, i just want to bring them back to stock, as if they came from the factory.


also how do i format floppy disks to work in these computers?

 

[Mac SK]

Insert the floppy a new on and in the box that appears click on initialize it. In 1988 Apple introduced the superdrive that can read and write 1.4mb disks or 1.4mb formatted for pc's. You eject the floppy by click once on the icon 'highlite it'and in the file menu choose put away.

 

[m-man]

Ok I can do that, I have beendraggibg the icon to the trash to eject the disk, is that bad?

But the files os files I have are on my windows pc, and when I put the disk into the windows machine it is no longer recognized by both windows or the mac
I have the program macdrive but I can't get anythig to work right

 

[DZ/015]

m-man,

Dragging the disk icon to the trash will do no harm, it is the quickest and easiest way to eject a floppy disk.

To restore these machines to original, you would need install disks for the system you wish to install. The Plus has no hard drive and must run off of a floppy or external drive. The Classic has an internal drive. As they only have an 8MHz processor, I would stick with System 6. Max out the ram to 4MB and System 7 will be tolerable. How to make the diskettes on a windows pc, I'm not sure. Never had to do it. Just remember that the Plus has an 800k drive that no windows pc can write diskettes for. This was similar to the pc 720k drive, but used a variable speed to squeeze 800k out of the diskettes. You can check eBay or a local Mac user group for install diskettes.

As for the vertical stripes, I would say you have some bad capacitors on the logic board. A great source of information on repairing old Macs is a series of manuals by Larry Pina. Check Amazon, many of his books are still available there. The Dead Mac Scrolls covers the early Macs like the Plus, 512k and 128k. It is invaluable for working on these older units.

To open the compact Mac, a really long torx wrench is needed. Either a T10 or T15. I don't really remember. Or a similarly sized hex key can work if the screws are not too tight. There are 2 screws at the top and 2 on the bottom. Remove these and try pushing on the power connector while pulling on the back cover. When working on old CRTs, you really should discharge them before digging in too deep. The flyback transformers on the Classic had bleed off resistors to dissipate the high voltage charge that these units hold. But they can fail. The Plus did not have them. Work on these at your own risk. If you are not killed by the discharge, the shock will make you respect these things.

If you run in to more trouble making install diskettes, PM or email me. If needed, I can make and send you some.

 

[Mars478]

You can make a Long Torx By taping a small torx to a pencil.
Also The Stripes on the screen are Called Simasi mac.
It means the capacitors have leaked, you can either replace them or use this temporary fix.
Remove the Logic board from the computer
Put it in a tub of hot water for like a day or so
then remove it and let it dry for 2 days so that you do not fry it.
Put it back into the machine and see if it boots.
I am serious about this, it may seem crazy because Electronics+water=BOOM!
but it works. Trust me. You may want to join the 68Kmla for more help on these macs, and also to get some software for them.
Good luck and PICS PLEASE~