Performa 6400/200 OS Install

[moze229]

Hey everyone! I've picked up a old 6400 in excellent shape. The problem is that it has no software on it. All that I would like to do right now is get 7.5.3 on it. I feel a little out of place since I've been in the computer industry since I've started working Never faced a Mac before. I've downloaded the 7.5.3 OS but I do not know where to start. I'm also going to have to use a PC to get any software I need onto a floppy. Is this possible? I've seemed to get a couple of boot disks to read with the combination of Aladdin and WinImage, but I keep getting a message stating "This boot disk will not work with this model Macintosh." I just need to get something on the drive so that I can get an OS on there. Where should I start? Thanks for any info!!!!

Matt

 

[steveedge]

wow

Wow, Old stuff you got there. You need to lay your hands on a Mac OS 7 Installation disc. if I remember correctly, PC's will strip the resourse fork in applications and OS files making them useless.
Also your disc have to be formatted for Mac as opposed to windows. You may find OS Install disc online somewhere (Google or Ebay) Should be cheap, same goes for other software for it.
Good luck,

 

[moze229]

Yeah, I know it's old but I like playing with stuff. It was free afterall. Perhaps I shouldn't even mess with it since it's so old, but I didn't think it would be that involved. I knew nothing about Macintosh until last night, and what I know now is not even enough to get an OS on it. I'm the PC guy looking for a BIOS

Like I said, I was able to get a couple of floppies to at least read and be rejected . These were publicly available floppy images from Apple's site, and I used the software previously mentioned on my PC to get them going. As long as I could get them as a straight image file I can make the disks on my PC. It's just the decompressing that kills it. The utilities like Disk Tools that I need however I cannot get to an image properly. If I can't get that going them I'm stuck I suppose.

Matt

 

[spinne1]

This computer and set up is not worth spending any money on, but perhaps you can get someone to give you a bootable CD of 7.5.3 or floppies. Go to marketplace on here and ask. It can't hurt. You can probably buy a bootable CD or floppies for OS 7-9 very cheaply on ebay. That would probably be what I'd do (if I was insistent on getting it running).

The question is, what do you plan to do with this computer? Even if you boot it, what do you want to accomplish? If it is to learn Macintosh, well, you are learning the ancient history of Mac. It would be like giving a Mac user a 486 PC and having them try to get it running with Windows 3.1. Even if accomplished, what would be the point?

If you really just want to learn the Mac OS, you really need to jump in at at least a Blue and White G3 (very cheap now on ebay), so that you can run OS X.3 or X.4. More recommended would be an AGP G4 as a minimum.

Good luck.

PS Don't give too much effort to getting this machine running. Just give it away if you can or give it to a computer recycler.

PS II. Check and see if there is a Mac users group in your area. If so, someone there will have old OSs sitting around that they would likely give to you (especially OS 7.5.3 because it is free on Apple's ftp sites).