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What would be the easiest way to take all of the files off of this old computer and move them to a newer computer? Please reasearch and tailor answers to this specific model. I do not want to remove the harddrive. (I would like the computer stay original and working.) All help is appreciated 🙂
Macintosh IIsi-OTHER, Mac OS 8.6 or Earlier
What is the newer computer? You can not easily move files across SCSI and USB without some hardware like zip or floppy drives for each type of bus. I don't think a llsi can burn CDs. Some have advised to use ethernet connections or a network but I am not experienced in these areas.
The Macintosh IIsi does have a port for 5 1/4 inch floppy disk.
The five and a quarter drive for mac is rare and expensive. Your options depend on your budget and access to recycled equipment. Seattle has a great store for older Mac options. What is the biggest city near you? Finding a mac user group might be the best route.
Having said that, the easiest route is to buy a couple of zip drives or a G3 if you can find them cheap. Ten buck tops. The hard drive from the IIsi will pull out of the machine or hook the si up to an external SCSI drive. Then you have to get the files to a G3 or newer with SCSI and USB on the same machine.
Another alternative is to create a LAN but that also is simplified by having a platinum G3.
Finally, you need to consider the file format that you are wanting to save. Word files or Claris files need to be saved as ASCII or RTF so they can be read by newer software. Some of us still use twenty year-old computers and can do this easily. You need to find an old timer, buy the older bridge machines, or, pay the price for a professional transfer. Good luck.
Does anyone know if I could get a converter to go straight from the harddrive of this computer to USB? I am kind of apprehensive to remove the harddrive but this seems like the easiest way to me.
When the iMac was new (1998), there were some USB-to-SCSI adapters. You may be able to locate one, but whether drivers exist that would allow use with a modern Mac is not at all certain. There are also hardware questions (connectors, power supply) to be solved. This is not a method I would recommend.
If the Macintosh IIsi is fully functional, you could use 1.44 MB floppies for transfers of smaller files. A modern Mac needs an external USB floppy drive. A Windows PC with a built-in floppy drive would have to use a special utility (such as TransMac) for the handling of Mac-formatted 1.44 MB disks. In both cases, do not expect to transfer applications, only data files.
It is also possible to transfer files via a serial null-modem connection. See the following discussion for some details:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4974860
A suitable Macintosh computer equipped with Ethernet can be used as an intermediary. For example, a PowerBook 520/520c/540/540c. A LocalTalk connection (by means of a Mac printer cable) is possible between the IIsi and a PB 5xx.
Jan
You could probably FTP/Telnet the files, or set up a smal web server on the IIsi to grab the files.
3.5" Floppy disks are also an option.
How do I get all files off a Macintosh IIsi and move them to a newer computer?
