Mac 512k system installation

Question

Level 1

0 points

Mac 512k system installation

Hi! I was able to get an old mac 512 from a former programming teacher at my school but the hard drive is blank. I wanted to get it up and running but I'm not sure how or what to burn to a floppy! I'm using my school's XPs because they're the only computers I know of that has a floppy drive. I was able to find a .image file (not .img) from here: http://homepage.mac.com/chinesemac/earlymacs/disk_images.html and a .dsk from some dutch site. Here's a mobile me link of that file: https://files.me.com/p3313/fhqi3s
so.... Do any of you know how I can burn one of these to a floppy? Or if I'm even using the correct image? I'm using a windows xp to burn it because my mac doesn't have a floppy drive.

P.S. Do you guys know of anywhere I can get a mouse and/or keyboard for it?

Sorry for asking you guys for so much. Thanks!

Posted on Feb 28, 2011 4:43 PM

Reply

Answer 1

masteralpaka Author

Level 1

0 points

Feb 28, 2011 5:09 PM in response to masteralpaka

P.S.S. Does anyone know where I can get the kind of battery in the back of it which holds the time and stuff? The old one was dead and leaking. It was fatter than a AA and had 4.5 volts..... Thanks!

Reply

Answer 2

Feb 28, 2011 5:36 PM in response to masteralpaka

The only machine that can burn a Mac diskette for an older Mac is a beige Mac (with a built-in diskette drive). They used a variable speed motor that was not adopted by other manufacturers. The Macs eventually got 800K on diskette 2DD using both sides, while PCs only get 720K on those diskettes, because they do not change the spin rate.

If I remember correctly, the 512K is using only one side of those diskettes in a format called Macintosh File System (MFS). That format was dropped with the advent of Mac OS 8.0, so you will need a Mac running an older version of Mac OS.

High Density Diskettes labeled HD (with a second hole opposite the write-protect hole) use a different oxide, and data written on them by an older drive will begin to deteriorate in a few minutes. They may be completely unreadable inside if an hour.

The drive in a 512K may not be a SCSI drive, it may be an HD20. Since the driver for it may not be in the Mac's ROM, it may require a special start-up diskette that starts to boot up, then loads the HD20 driver, then continues and boots up from the HD20.

Reply

Answer 3

Feb 28, 2011 5:42 PM in response to masteralpaka

A Mac512ke was my first Mac & it did not have an internal hard drive. Later I bought an external HD.

Your Mac512k also does not have a HD. See spec page http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/macclassic/stats/mac512k.html

To boot the Mac512 you have to use 400K floppies with the system files.

Look at this link about the 4.5V battery http://lowendmac.com/triasic/02/1105.html

Suggest you join LEM-Swap for buying & selling Mac stuff. http://groups.google.com/group/lemswap
After you join, post a WTB (want to buy). You may find a set of system floppies, kbd & mouse.

 Cheers, Tom 😉

User uploaded file

Reply

Answer 4

masteralpaka Author

Level 1

0 points

Feb 28, 2011 5:45 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!! My dad has an old quadra in the basement so I guess I'll just have to get that up and running. Thanks! I was using an hd card so I'll try and get a dd or sd floppy. I had heard about the hd20 so I'll try both installations. Thank you so much! User uploaded file

(now to find out how to setup a quadra....)

Reply

Answer 5

Feb 28, 2011 6:21 PM in response to masteralpaka

I was just taking your word for it that it has a Hard Drive inside. As Tom (Texas Mac Mac) points out, there WAS no standard drive in those Macs. If yours has a Hard drive, it was added along the way.

Those Macs did everything off diskettes, and there sometimes was a great deal of swapping of diskettes to get your files saved or printed. Operating from diskettes meant that you needed a Working copy and a Master copy, especially of the Mac OS diskettes. Inserting them into the drive slammed the heads down hard on the data areas, and they gave out at the worst of times.

Reply

Answer 6

masteralpaka Author

Level 1

0 points

Mar 1, 2011 3:45 AM in response to masteralpaka

It doesn't have a harddrive. This may be a stupid question, but do I need a harddrive? And can a Mac quadra burn the floppy correctly? Thanks for helping me guys! I'm only 12 so in really in the dark.

Reply

Answer 7

Mar 2, 2011 9:41 PM in response to masteralpaka

masteralpaka,

Something you will want to find is an external 400k floppy drive. Check with recyclers. They usually set the old historic stuff to the side. In Seattle you can buy them for five Dollars when they have them. Here is a site with a run down on all the old drives:

http://www.vintagemacworld.com/drives.html

Make note of the drives that support the 400k format. Enjoy.

Jim

Reply