I'm in need of a System 7.6 boot CD as I have no floppies. I'm wondering if this is possible.
I tried putting Mac OS 8.6 but it's way to sluggish for my PowerMac 6100/60 :/.
Any ideas?
PowerMac, Mac OS 8.6 or Earlier
Sites like Hardcore Mac carry that CD -
Shop around for best prices. However - be sure to get a retail install CD, not one intended for a specific model.
Nothing like an image file I could burn? I noticed that Apple has System 7 for download but their for floppies :/.
No image files are available for OS 7.6.
The 'newest' full-install OS Apple offers for download is OS 7.5.3, and that only in floppy format. All downloads for versions later than OS 7.5.3 are updates only, not complete OS's.
I ran OS 8.6 in my 6100/60, but it had a 250 MHz G3 processor card upgrade in it. With the stock 60 MHz 601 PowerPC processor, your 6100 should be able to run OS 8.0/8.1, if you have adequate memory installed. OS 8.1 provides the benefit of HFS+ formatting of the hard drive, which reduces wasted storage capacity on larger hard drives. It also has a more modern feel than the OS 7.x.x versions. If you've formatted the hard drive as an HFS+ (Mac OS Extended) volume for OS 8.6, you'll need to reformat it as an HFS (Mac OS Standard) volume to be compatible with all previous supported OS versions, up to and including OS 8.0. I found the retail boxed edition of the OS 7.6 universal installer CD listed at eBay. If you were the only bidder, you'd end up spending $55 for it - which obviously exceeds the value of a 6100 today.
I don't know. I have 40MB of RAM. I don't exactly know if that's adequate for Mac OS 8 as I grew up with Windows :/ lol.
All I just know is that it seemed to be like a slug when using it.
The supported system versions for the Power Macintosh 6100/60 can be found in the following document:
http://support.apple.com/kb/sp312
The System 7.5.3 mentioned by Don (US version):
The download consists of nineteen files. These files are segments of a large disk image. The idea is to transfer/copy the segments to a hard disk (with the files "as is" in MacBinary = .bin format). Once on the destination hard disk, an appropriate version of StuffIt Expander can be used to decode the .bin files (resulting in one .smi and eighteen .part). The decoded files are supposed to be gathered in one single folder. Upon double-clicking the first file (the .smi), the total disk image will mount. The installer is in the mounted disk image.
Please note that System 7.5.3 requires HFS (Standard) hard disk drive formatting, not HFS+ (Extended).
If necessary, the nineteen downloaded .bin files are small enough to be copied onto 1.44 MB floppies. However, please note that such a set of floppies would not be bootable. A separate startup disk is used (such as the Network Access Disk 7.5):
With a working 6100/60, you could easily make a properly sector-copied floppy from the Network Access Disk 7.5 download. Decode (StuffIt Expander) and decompress the file on the 6100/60. Download Disk Copy 4.2:
Decode/decompress. Load the NAD 7.5 disk image. Create the floppy via the Make A Copy button.
If downloads are carried out on a Windows PC, PC-formatted floppies can be used if the Mac operating system has the files required for reading PC disks. Otherwise, it is possible to use a special PC utility for the handling of Mac-formatted floppy disks (for example, TransMac).
In principle, one could also transfer files to the 6100/60 on a CD-R (in a suitable format; burn at a low speed), providing that the existing Mac operating system has the necessary files for CD-ROM.
Jan
"I don't know. I have 40MB of RAM. I don't exactly know if that's adequate for Mac OS 8... All I just know is that it seemed to be like a slug when using it."
The Power Mac 6100/60 is built with 1994 technology, which - at almost 20 years-old - is ancient. No amount of patience can help overlook how slow it is. The question is, what is your intended use for the 6100 (I assume it's nothing that's internet-related)? If your expectations are reasonably low, you shouldn't be disappointed. OS 8.6 was a slightly-updated version of OS 8.5, which was the first Mac OS requiring a PowerPC processor. In terms of system resources, it was more demanding than OS 8/8.1, and far more demanding than versions OS 7.5.x/7.6/7.6.1. With 40 MBs of RAM, I'm guessing that each memory slot has a 16 MB SIMM in it. If you replaced each with a 32 MB SIMM, you'd be running with 72 MBs of overall physical memory (includes the 8 MBs of onboard RAM), which is more than enough for OS 8/8.1. If an OS 7.6 installer CD is overpriced, I'd consider buying a retail/universal installer OS 8.1 CD, if you can find a good deal on one. It won't have greater system requirements than 8.0.
From Apple's Mac OS 8 Installation Guide:
To install Mac OS 8, your computer must have
• a PowerPC or 68040 (including the 68LC040) microprocessor
• at least 8 MB of RAM (16 MB recommended)
Note: To use Mac OS 8, a computer must have at least 8 MB of RAM (random-access memory). If your computer has less than 16 MB of built-in RAM, you must use virtual memory. Mac OS 8 automatically turns on virtual memory when you install it. To use the Internet applications provided with Mac OS 8, your computer must have at least 20 MB of RAM, either built-in or by using virtual memory.
Alright, I found a System 7.6.1 disk and have it installed. Basically I want to network it with my LAN so I can access (hopefully) SMB or NFS shares. I'm running Linux and OS X if that were to help but I do have a G3 iMac that has OS 9.22 on it which I'm assuming would probably the best in terms of compatibility.
Any places where I can get an ethernet card for this too?
I want to play games like Prince of Persia 2 and other games from around that area.
"Any places where I can get an ethernet card for this too?"
You need an ethernet transceiver, to connect to your 6100's AAUI port and convert it to a RJ-45 (10BaseT) jack. Here's one listed at eBay for $20. There's also a guy named Herb, who sells vintage Mac hardware/parts/etc. His web site can be found here. He has the AAUI-to-RJ45 adapter listed for $12 on this page.
Where to get a System 7.6 boot CD?
