Need help for installing System onto Macintosh SE

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So, I've managed to get a working Macintosh SE unit with hard drive and non-FDHD (400k/800k) floppy drive. It has 6.0.3 System on it's hard drive, but the OS is in finnish language, so I can't understand a thing. So I have a few questions:

1. Would it be possible to attach Macintosh hard drive (It's SCSI, isn't it?) to a PC and just overwrite whole new pre-installed OS image onto existing os? Or at least access files using PC and put some kind of language pack to convert OS language back to english?

2. If not, would it be possible to make bootable 800k/400k floppies from those System 6 or System 7 images that Apple made freeware? I heard, that you need special floppy controller (KyroFlux,etc) to "burn" those, but my hardware capabilities stick with only regular 1.44 mb floppy drive. Tell me if there is a way to work this around with software.

3.KyroFlux controller is way too expensive for my student sallary, so is it possible to buy components separately and just solder it onto a PCB? Is there any other alternative cheaper floppy controllers to make/buy?

4. Any other way to solve this problem?


As far as I know, this little beast is capable of running System 7.5.5 on it, but any other (older) os will suit my needs.

Sorry for my bad english. I m from Lithuania (one of those small post-soviet Eastern European countries).
 
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I have done this sort of thing and it is a real hassle getting an OS transfered from a modern machine to an age old macintosh. Your dealing with incompatible file systems and incompatible hardware.

My oen SE 30 seems to have been broken, otherwise I would attempt to copy the install disks

You need to format an old scsi drive on a mac like a classic or SE, connect it to a more modern mac like a g3 or G4 and copy the install disk images onto it and connect back to the SE.

Unfortunately I dont have the old scsi drive I had, I must have chucked it out - you basically need a transfer mac that can bridge the gap between non internet old macs and modern macs, a tricky situation.

So, you need a vintage SCSI hard drive first - an external before you can even start transferring stuff across
 
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Is there any specific tutorial to do this? If not, could you please write down one? Because I m the guy who grew up with non-apple hardware and everything with old apple computers seems like dark woods to me.
 

dtravis7


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You really need the OS floppy disks. I have many sets here but don't know a way to get them to you. It would have to be sent in the mail unless you have another working Mac of that vintage to make the disks. Louis gave good advice.
 
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Emulated modern Mac OS X or Hackintosh wouldn't do the thing?

Anyway, dtravis7, could you calculate how much would cost to ship those floppy disks from your place to Kaunas, Lithuania? I asume that you were talking about non-original copies. So maybe I could cover the cost of those floppies and shipping?

P.S. Sorry for my noobness
 

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Emulated modern Mac OS X wouldn't do the thing?

It's almost more likely that human beings will grow wings & start flying before this would/could work!;)

Even if you could get this Mac SE from around 1987-1988 to work...what are you going to do with it?

- Nick
 
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Even if you could get this Mac SE from around 1987-1988 to work...what are you going to do with it?

- Nick

Well, it's a collectable, and it's very rare in my country.. I don't know, I guess I just want to deal with it till the end, to have fully functional unit. Why do people restore old cars? That's pretty much the same thing.
 

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Well, it's a collectable, and it's very rare in my country.. I don't know, I guess I just want to deak with it ill the end, to have fully functional unit. Why do people restore old cars? That's pretty much the same thing.

Just wanted to get a better understanding of your goals.:)

BELIEVE me...this is a VERY difficult & complex project. Having or obtaining original OS floppy install disks is really the most sensible solution.

Here's a link to Macintosh system software 6.0.3:

Index of /Apple_Support_Area/Apple_Software_Updates/English-North_American/Macintosh/System/Older_System/System_6.0.x

Your challenge is how to get it downloaded from the internet...and onto 3.5" floppy disks...so that it can be installed onto the SCSI hard drive.

You have many hardware hurdles here...and it would take me an hour to properly describe all of them...and list the options to overcome the hurdles (which would include buying more computers to get the job done).

So that really leaves only one sensible option...finding/locating/purchasing original Mac OS 3.5" floppy install disks (which is not very easy 25 years later).

- Nick

p.s. By the way...you said that Mac SE's are collectable in your country. ANYTHING can be "collectible"...but valuable is another thing. In the United States...I can buy these for $10-$15 dollars each. So yes collectible...but not valuable.
 
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In the United States...I can buy these for $10-$15 dollars each. So yes collectible...but not valuable.

Holy cow! It costs about 100 dollars or more in my country...

Yet, as I can see, the most reasonable method is to buy those floppies...
 
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If you can find a external Apple SCSI CD drive and cable. You can boot from a OS 7 cd. It must be an Apple branded CD rom drive..it has the firmware to connect to the SCSI input on the back. To boot from CD rom drive the key stroke is press: apple,shift,option,del keys at start up. This should bypass the internal drive.
 
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If you can find a external Apple SCSI CD drive and cable. You can boot from a OS 7 cd. It must be an Apple branded CD rom drive..it has the firmware to connect to the SCSI input on the back. To boot from CD rom drive the key stroke is press: apple,shift,option,del keys at start up. This should bypass the internal drive.

As a matter of fact, I have one of these, but it's a DVD-ROM from iMac G3. I'll give it a try.
 
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As a matter of fact, I have one of these, but it's a DVD-ROM from iMac G3. I'll give it a try.
It has to be an Apple Rom drive...a 3rd party drive will not have the apple firmware on board to talk to the SE30 Scsi port...unless someone installed 3rd party divers on the SE30. Hold the keys all down at the same time at start up...have the OS disc in the drive and on.
 

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