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John B Black

Q: Another PowerBook 5300 Question

These PowerBooks came preloaded with System 7.5.2. I need to get or create a boot disk so I can repair the hard drive, which according to Disk First Aid it needs. I used Floppy Disk Maker to create a backup set of software disks, but none was labeled Disk Tools, so if it's in those I don't know where to find it. I thought the installer might be like OS X, which lets you go to Disk Utility before installing software, but there's no option on the 5300's installation Disk One.

If you know what I need to do, I'd appreciate your posting the information.

Thanks.

John

G4 DA NewerTech 1.7GHz; iMac G3 500; PowerBook Firewire G4; SE/30, iPod 4th Gen, Mac OS X (10.4.11), 10.4.11 on G4; 10.2.8 on iMac; 10.3.9 on PowerBook; 7.5.5 on SE/30

Posted on Sep 22, 2008 7:37 PM

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Q: Another PowerBook 5300 Question

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  • by Niel,Helpful

    Niel Niel Sep 22, 2008 7:41 PM in response to John B Black
    Level 10 (314,197 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 22, 2008 7:41 PM in response to John B Black
    Click here and download the Disk Tools floppy.

    (35813)
  • by John B Black,

    John B Black John B Black Sep 22, 2008 7:47 PM in response to Niel
    Level 2 (320 points)
    Sep 22, 2008 7:47 PM in response to Niel
    Thanks, Niel. Unless I missed something, however, that version says it's for OS 8.1. Will it work with 7.5?

    John
  • by Niel,Helpful

    Niel Niel Sep 22, 2008 7:50 PM in response to John B Black
    Level 10 (314,197 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 22, 2008 7:50 PM in response to John B Black
    Will it work with 7.5?


    Yes, for the purpose of starting up the computer and repairing the drive.

    (35815)
  • by John B Black,

    John B Black John B Black Sep 22, 2008 7:53 PM in response to Niel
    Level 2 (320 points)
    Sep 22, 2008 7:53 PM in response to Niel
    Thanks. I'll try it.

    John
  • by Jan Hedlund,

    Jan Hedlund Jan Hedlund Sep 23, 2008 10:56 AM in response to John B Black
    Level 6 (9,901 points)
    Sep 23, 2008 10:56 AM in response to John B Black
    Hi John,

    Just as a side-note, a PC Card adapter for CompactFlash and a CF memory card (reformatted to Mac) can be very useful. With an appropriate system folder, the card will be bootable in one of the PC Card slots of a PowerBook 5300. The card could contain disk utilities et cetera. CF can also be used for file transfers from/to other computers (a USB card reader may be needed).

    Jan
  • by John B Black,

    John B Black John B Black Sep 23, 2008 1:00 PM in response to Jan Hedlund
    Level 2 (320 points)
    Sep 23, 2008 1:00 PM in response to Jan Hedlund
    Thanks again, Jan, for another helpful suggestion. If I do that I'd go for an SD adapter, as I have SD cards and a reader already on hand.

    John
  • by Jan Hedlund,

    Jan Hedlund Jan Hedlund Sep 23, 2008 2:19 PM in response to John B Black
    Level 6 (9,901 points)
    Sep 23, 2008 2:19 PM in response to John B Black
    Hi again,

    If you can, use a PC Card adapter for CompactFlash. CF appears to be faster than SD (the latter in a 6-in-1 PC Card adapter). This is probably more related to adapter differences than to the cards themselves.

    Jan
  • by John B Black,

    John B Black John B Black Sep 23, 2008 7:15 PM in response to Jan Hedlund
    Level 2 (320 points)
    Sep 23, 2008 7:15 PM in response to Jan Hedlund
    If it comes to using this approach, Jan, I'd use SD cards because I already have them, and I'd have to buy a CF card. Speed isn't an issue because I'm only fine-tuning these machines, not working on them to keep.

    I may have to try this approach though, as the disk tools file I downloaded that says it's for OS 8.1 failed to start up the 5300. I tried twice but the floppy drive spits the disk out and defaults to the hard drive. I found a 7.5 disk tools on an OS 7.5 Install CD which I had around here, so now I just need to get a system folder and enabler that will fit on a floppy and boot the computer.

    Working with old hardware and software can be challenging! It doesn't seem so long ago though that this stuff was current.

    John
  • by Jan Hedlund,

    Jan Hedlund Jan Hedlund Sep 24, 2008 1:16 AM in response to John B Black
    Level 6 (9,901 points)
    Sep 24, 2008 1:16 AM in response to John B Black
    I'd use SD cards because I already have them, and I'd have to buy a CF card. Speed isn't an issue because I'm only fine-tuning these machines


    OK. SD cards can be made bootable, too. The 6-in-1 PC Card adapter that I use for SD is from SanDisk (as is an adapter for CF only), but other makes/models may work as well. Remember the re-formatting (HFS).

    When starting from a flash card, one can press and hold the four keys Command(Apple) + Option(Alt) + Shift + Delete(Backspace) in order to bypass the internal hard disk (and its system folder). One can also choose a startup disk in the Startup Disk control panel.

    I found a 7.5 disk tools on an OS 7.5 Install CD


    The PowerBook 5300 requires minimum 7.5.2.

    the disk tools file I downloaded that says it's for OS 8.1 failed to start up the 5300. I tried twice but the floppy drive spits the disk out and defaults to the hard drive.


    The Disk Tools PPC can, as Niel indicated, be used in a PowerBook 5300. Do not forget the Make a Floppy command (under the Utilities menu) in Disk Copy 6.3.3 for a properly sector-copied diskette from the disk image.

    Alternatively, the At Ease-IDE Utility Disk here could possibly be of interest to you.

    If you wish to install an operating system onto an SD card, you could use the system software installer (Easy or Custom Install). If necessary, a full System 7.5.3 is downloadable from Apple (for instance, the North American English version here).

    Jan
  • by John B Black,

    John B Black John B Black Sep 24, 2008 11:28 AM in response to Jan Hedlund
    Level 2 (320 points)
    Sep 24, 2008 11:28 AM in response to Jan Hedlund
    Thanks to both Niel and Jan. Making the Disk Tools PPC download work depended on using Disk Copy 6.3.3. It had been so long since I had used that software that I had forgotten about it. Disk Copy made a usable floppy that enabled me to do the disk repair, the need for which prompted me to start this thread. Now that the hard disk is where it needs to be I intend to take this 5300 up to 7.5.5, for which I have the installation floppies from when I did it many years ago on my SE/30.

    John