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| Author | Living in sin with 7.5.3 (Read 43212 times) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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JoAT
32 MB  Posts: 58  
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on: June 01, 2007, 16:55
OK, I'm in the process of resurecting a Powerbook 1400 system. I was able to score 2 systems out of a warehouse bin of freebies. One is a 1400cs/166 with 16MB of RAM and no hard drive, the other is a 1400cs/? with 12MB of RAM and 750MB hard drive. (Don't know the processor speed; there is no Apple System Profiler on it.) The original System 7.5.3 install is on the hard drive (along with some really choice software and personal files from the previous owner.) Also, the 166 had a floppy drive in the bay, which works. Was able to buy a power adapter for about 10 bucks and am going to drop another 10 for a wireless card, but without a CD drive, I'm stuck with 7.5.3 for a while. (Even after getting a CD drive, I may be using it for a while since the only 'legal' OS CD I have is 8.5.1, which would need a RAM upgrade to install.) So even though I'm not married to 7.5.3, I'm living with it. While I know that S7T likes to focus on 7.6.1, I'm up a creek right now so to speak. Could use some advice from those in the know about the following: -Does version 6 of the Wavelan/Orinoco drivers work under 7.5.3? And, I think the latest version of Open Transport for 7.5.3 is up to snuff, but any advice here would be appreciated as well. -Best browser for 7.5.3? I was thinking of using the 68k version of iCab 2.9.9, as it seems to be the only version still for download that supports 7.5.3. -Best place to buy PB1400 batteries or RAM? I could get a used battery off Ebay for $25-30, a brand new standard capacity battery for $70-80, or an extra capacity battery for $95-100. None of those seem like great options to me. JoAT |
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dpaanlka
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1024 MB Posts: 1646
Reply #1 on: June 01, 2007, 17:13
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Quote from: "JoAT" Does version 6 of the Wavelan/Orinoco drivers work under 7.5.3? Yes. Quote from: "JoAT" Best browser for 7.5.3? I was thinking of using the 68k version of iCab 2.9.9, as it seems to be the only version still for download that supports 7.5.3. Hmm.. this is a good question. The PowerPC version of iCab will work. There are also probably some older Netscapes that will work or something. 7.5.5 is a free update that you can download from Apple, BTW.
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JoAT
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32 MB Posts: 58
Reply #2 on: June 01, 2007, 17:36
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Quote from: "dpaanlka" ... 7.5.5 is a free update that you can download from Apple, BTW. I am aware, but I was under the impression that the 7.5.5 update was incompatible with the 1400.
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sierraredd
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128 MB Posts: 212
Reply #3 on: June 02, 2007, 04:04
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Ebay is good for ram. I've found that buying a 1400 with a broken screen for instance can get you alot of parts for nearly nothing. Powerbookguy.com is a good source as well, not the cheapest but everything I've gotten, including the new modem I'm using now, works.
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cballero
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1024 MB Posts: 1179 System 7, today and forever
Reply #4 on: June 02, 2007, 04:22
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I'm not saying a zip drive, although I think VST made zip bays for that model. If I remember right, you could actually boot from a cf memory card. From some notes I remember reading, the pc slot on the 1400 can handle these and I think they are OS independent. You can also use them (all or part) as a faster ram disk to get more ram usage. In fact, adding a 1gb cf card could be both your boot and ram drive, saving you some extra battery life as well; just a thought. You could even try using it to mount an image of 7.6 install and upgrade it that way.....now that would be cool! 
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Blessed Cheesemaker
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8 MB Posts: 13
Reply #5 on: June 02, 2007, 14:36
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Quote from: "JoAT" OK, I'm in the process of resurecting a Powerbook 1400 system. I was able to score 2 systems out of a warehouse bin of freebies. JoAT Where is this warehouse, by the way? FYI, I had a 1400cs and I loved the computer, but the battery life with it was always "not great." And the NiMH batteries were ok, but they seemed to rapidly deteriorate, at least compared to the LiON batteries. I guess my advice would be to only buy a battery if you had to be mobile with it, as the $ to performance ratio isn't that great. Ymmv, of course. They are *wonderful* 'books, however.
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sierraredd
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128 MB Posts: 212
Reply #6 on: June 02, 2007, 23:02
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I've completely rebuilt two 1400's. Logic boards, screens, drives, ram, ect. VST did make zip modules, have 2 myself. CF card readers work really great (picked one up at staples for $10) and I have read they can be used to boot up the computer, haven't tried it my self. The batteries suck, even new they held maybe a 2 hr charge. I have one that goes from 15 minutes to 2 hrs depending on what I am doing with it. So the cord goes everywhere. Bought a cigarette car adapter power thing to take it with me. CD drives are not too expensive if you can find them on ebay. They seem to pop up in batches where I'm sure they were yanked from a working system. You know the old saying, parts are worth more than the whole. As for the 7.6 system cd, it came with the 1400 when I bought it new.
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JoAT
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32 MB Posts: 58
Reply #7 on: June 02, 2007, 23:40
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Quote from: "Blessed Cheesemaker"
Long gone I'm afraid. The bins came out of a used computer store that went under. The guy that ownered the place was a friend of my wife's grandmother and stored the bins in her barn (yes, barn) for a few monthes. There were about 3 1400s and 2 5300s among the sea of Dells and Gateways. Unfortunately, I was only able to convince my wife that 2 of the 1400s needed a home before the bins disappeared. (to a landfill I'm sure.
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JoAT
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32 MB Posts: 58
Reply #8 on: June 02, 2007, 23:56
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Quote from: "sierraredd" ...CF card readers work really great (picked one up at staples for $10) and I have read they can be used to boot up the computer, haven't tried it my self. The batteries suck, even new they held maybe a 2 hr charge. I have one that goes from 15 minutes to 2 hrs depending on what I am doing with it. So the cord goes everywhere. Bought a cigarette car adapter power thing to take it with me. My longterm goal is to replace the aging HD with a 1 or 2 GB CF drive via the Addonics internal adapter that LowEndMac featured recently. That will be about a $50 proposition after shipping. So that is down the road a ways. Battery-wise, AtBatt has an expensive, increased capacity battery which I'd like to have, but can't justify the $$. I'll probably buy off of e-bay, just so that the bay is filled. If I can get a 1-hour charge out of it I'd be happy. I recently got to thinking about using SCSI disk mode to install a newer OS (which is the only reason I would need a CD drive for.) Anybody used this method for OS installs before? I know that it 'should' work, but I don't want to risk screwing the 7.5.3 install since I don't have a CD drive to work with.
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madmann
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256 MB Posts: 284 
Reply #9 on: June 03, 2007, 06:00
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I had a duo dock 210 and the scsi disk mode was sop. It works great it just shows up and acts like an extra drive on your 2nd computer. put in your install disk choose the hard drive and off you go. I am nearly 100% sure that I did this but it has been 15 years ago. you could create a disk image and copy it using the scsi disk mode. Before trying this you better see what the "wove" or Dan says michael
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wove
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1024 MB Posts: 1363
Reply #10 on: June 03, 2007, 14:07
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SCSI Disk mode (Target Mode) works fine for installing a new OS and for moving files over to a PowerBook. The only concern for installing a new OS is that the PowerBook is literally seen as a hard drive on the SCSI chain of the host computer. The installer will by default assume the new OS is being installed on the host machine. For instance in the case of a Powerbook 190 connected to a PM 7500, the installer will by default install a Power Macintosh OS for the 7500 and not install the 68k or "FAT" OS nor any of the PowerBook specific extras. The solution is to select the custom install option in the installer and make sure all the proper and needed components are installed. bill
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JoAT
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32 MB Posts: 58
Reply #11 on: June 03, 2007, 22:30
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Quote from: "wove"
Thanks for the advice. Would one of said needed components be the Powerbook 1400 enabler? Is an enabler even needed for Mac OS 8.5 and above?
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wove
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1024 MB Posts: 1363
Reply #12 on: June 03, 2007, 23:49
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No enabler is needed to install 8.5 on a PB 1400 and none is needed for 8.5 to operate on a 1400. When you select custom install, there will be a section labeled portables or some such. You would want to select that to make sure those items are selected for the install. Items you are looking for would be support for IR, portable power management, pcmcia card support, removable drive bay support, powerbook security and other items that are specific to the PowerBook computers. PowerBooks came with file syncronization software and battery recondition software too. I am not sure if those items are included on a system install disk, or if they must be obtained elsewhere. bill
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Mashroob
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2 MB Posts: 3
Reply #13 on: June 07, 2007, 17:35
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I was reading your topic and I thought of something that might be a supplemental help: I have a Power Macintosh 5400/180 with 16 MB of RAM running OS 7.6. I had a similar dilemma with my machine. Instead, I was trying to install OS 9.0.4 on it, then upgrade it to 9.1. But, of course, all versions of OS 9 require 32 MB of minimal system RAM. I tried starting the computer up from the OS 9.0.4 installer CD and it said, "the software to be installed requires at least 32 MB of system RAM which this computer does not have." Okay, so that's a problem. But, there's a way around this!! What you have to do is install the system software on ANOTHER computer that has the sufficient amount of physical RAM installed. Once installed, burn the System Folder to a CD or send over the network to the other machine. (If running System 7 and you want to "hack" up your System version, you need to partition your hard drive before doing this.) Example, my Powerbook 3400 has 40 MB of RAM. I installed the system on the Powerbook. I used Toast 4.2 and an external SCSI CD burner to write the installed system contents of the 3400's system to a CD-R. Once it was done, I popped the "installed" OS 9.1 software CD-ROM into the Power Macintosh with 16 MB of RAM. Using the drag and drop technique, I dragged the "System Folder" on the CD-ROM to the Power Macintosh. Then, using the "Startup disk" control panel, I chose the partition of the hard drive that contained the OS 9.1 folder. Restarted. The computer now loads OS 9.1!! :-) (With no memory messages.) If you are using OS 8 and have the version of startup disk that allows you to switch between multiple system folders on one hard disk partition, you can switch without having to create separate partitions. But since System 7 has the basic startup disk control panel, the only way to do this, is to partition your hard drive from the beginning. Anyway, this technique works with any Mac OS version. So, try it with your OS 8.5.1 install disk and see what happens...
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JoAT
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32 MB Posts: 58
Reply #14 on: June 07, 2007, 18:00
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Thanks for the post Mashroob. You echoed some of what I've been thinking about. My current plan is to (eventually) install 8.5.1 or 8.6 onto the 1400. I can install 8.5.1 once I either get a CD drive or thru SCSI disk mode since the minimum RAM requirements for it is 16MB. The 8.6 update would probably only install over SCSI disk mode (hooked up to my Performa 6360 with 136MB RAM) because it's min. RAM requirement is 24MB. Once installed, I didn't think I'd see any objection from 8.6 as long as I was using VM. For now though, because I don't have $200 to blow on all the misc. parts I need/want for the 1400 (including SCSI disk mode adapters), my next purchase is going to be a cheap/used wireless card to get on the web. I'll be using floppys to install what I can over from my 6360 onto my 1400 running 7.5.3. JoAT
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