How to transfer data from Centris 650 to iMac?

Hello Karba650,

According to the following document, the Centris 650 needs at least System 7.1 and a special system enabler (040).

http://support.apple.com/kb/TA47341

It would probably be correct to assume that you do not have access to another older Mac (between the Centris 650 and the 2006 iMac). Do you have any other computer (including a Windows PC) with a built-in floppy drive?

One way could possibly be to look for an old Zip 100 USB drive. It should then be possible to use Zip disks for transfers between the Centris 650 and a modern computer with USB ports (providing that the latter machine would recognise the drive in question).

Alternatively, a USB floppy drive could be used for file transfers from/to a modern computer (but because of size and other limitations that may not be optimal). It is even possible to use a Windows PC with a floppy drive as an intermediary, if it has a program(such as TransMac) for the handling of Mac disks.

Another method is to use Ethernet. However, do not expect normal file sharing to work. You would have to use TCP/IP (System 7.1 needs a separate MacTCP control panel for basic TCP/IP tasks).

It would be better if you somehow could transfer and install System 7.5.3 (a free download from Apple, nineteen floppy-sized files), complete with files for Open Transport networking (such as a TCP/IP control panel).

http://www.info.apple.com/support/oldersoftwarelist.html#system

With System 7.5.3 it should be relatively easy to connect the Ethernet port of the Centris 650 to one of the LAN ports of a router, and thus gain access to the Internet. With a small FTP client installed, the Centris 650 would be able to connect to an FTP server on another machine. One could also place a web or FTP server on the Centris 650 and then connect to that machine from another computer. If necessary, an old email program could be used to transfer files as attachments. Limited web browsing is possible (via iCab or the text-based WannaBe) but is going to be very slow. How much memory (RAM) is installed on the Centris 650?

Do not hesitate to post back if you have any additional questions.

Jan

>One way could possibly be to look for an old Zip 100 USB drive

I recently transferred my entire collection of Floppy disks to a hard disk archive. I was faced with similar issues to yours. Itried many "solutions" but the only one that I could make work reliably was the ZIP disk apporach suggested by Jan. I have an old Mac SE that can read all of the floppy formats (400KB, 800KB and 1.4 MB). Attached to it is an external ZIP 100 drive via the SCSI port. So I would insert a floppy disk into the SE, drag the Icon of the floppy to the ZIP drive and a couple of minutes later, I would have an exact duplicate of heFloppy on the ZIP disk. I would then dismount the ZIP drive, move it to my archive machine and copy the image of tghe floppy to the hard disk on my second machine. The key to making this work was a second ZIP drive attached to the USB port on my more modern archive computer.

You should be able to find a USB ZIP drive using Google that will plug into your iMac. The USB database of devices that comes with the Mac OS (Mac os 8 and above including X) is fairly complete so you shouldn't need to hunt for driver software. The ZIP disk should just plug in and go.

Then it is a rather simple task to copy the stuff on your Centris to ZIP, take the ZIP disk to the iMac and copy the ZIP disk onto the iMac.

Gary

>I'm not sure how to do to see the Centris in the new Mac

I tried all sorts of things to do the same thing. Nothing worked. I gave up on Ethernet/TCPIP.

Gary

Hi José,

>I'm not sure how to do to see the Centris in the new Mac or viceversa (what type of configuration do I need to set up)

For earlier versions of Mac OS X, it was possible to handle file sharing in connection with an older Mac if TCP/IP was used. There were certain limitations, including how and from where the connection was initiated. A TCP/IP control panel (part of System 7.5.3) was typically required. However, because of changes in newer versions of Mac OS X you can not expect normal file sharing to work any more.

Instead, you could use other ways of sharing/transferring files via Ethernet. System 7.5.3 would still be needed/recommended. One method would be to use a web or FTP server on one of the machines. One computer would then use an appropriate client to connect to the other (and download or, if applicable, push files). TCP/IP is used as the basic protocol. The physical connection would be via an Ethernet switch (typically, the LAN ports of a router). A connection can be established locally or over the Internet (proper configuration required).

If the Centris 650 has a CD-ROM drive, it should be possible to transfer and install a 7.5.3 system and any necessary programs via CD-R discs in an appropriate format (burn at a low speed). 1.44 MB floppy disks can also be used for such transfers.

A few notes regarding software:

System 7.5.3 download (see link in my first post). Set the Network Software Selector (in an Apple Extras folder) to Open Transport networking.

One example of an FTP client for the Centris 650:

Fetch http://fetchsoftworks.com/fetch/download/

Web browsers for the Centris 650:

iCab http://www.icab.de/dl.php

WannaBe http://mindstory.com/wb2/download.html

A very old version of Eudora (up to 1.5.5) could be used for email on a Centris 650, but only if SMTP authentication is not required by the ISP.

Jan

>I also wondered if the external HD (a SCSI) could be moved to another external box with an UBS connector

When the first iMac was introduced, there were some USB-to-SCSI converters. I do not know how reliable they are or whether these would work at all under modern versions of the Mac OS. It would probably be easier to test a used Zip 100 USB drive (they do not appear to be expensive).

Jan

Addendum

If/when you wish to transfer downloaded system or application files from a modern computer, do keep the files in their original format (BinHex = hqx, MacBinary = bin, StuffIt = sit) until on the Centris 650. Do not attempt to decode or decompress anything on the modern computer (be it a Mac or a PC). Once on the Centris 650, use StuffIt Expander for Macintosh (such as version 4.0.1) to carry out the decoding/decompression. Do not double-click on the files. Instead, drag them onto the StuffIt Expander program icon or open them from inside the utility.

If you do not have StuffIt Expander (4.0.1) for Macintosh, you may be interested in the last part of this message:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5643688?answerId=24092138022#24092138022

Jan

José,

If the Centris 650 has the (optional) built-in CD-ROM drive, or if an external CD-ROM drive is connected to the SCSI port, it is actually quite easy to copy System 7.5.3 and other downloaded files to the hard disk (thus eliminating the need for floppy transfers). As I indicated earlier, one could burn a CD-R disc containing all .bin files. You may want to burn the disc at a low speed (such as 2X). It is even possible to burn the disc on a Linux or Windows PC (a data disc with an ISO 9660 file system). If your present 7.1 system has the required CD-ROM helper files, the disc should appear on the Desktop on the Centris 650. The .bin files can then be decoded by StuffIt Expander (4.0.1), and a complete System 7.5.3 can be installed.

Once the Centris 650 is running under System 7.5.3 (with the Network Software Selector set to Open Transport networking), configuring TCP/IP can be done in a few steps. Open the TCP/IP control panel. "Connect via: Ethernet" and "Configure: Using DHCP Server" are (usually) the only settings needed. Close the control panel window.

You do not have to install a web browser, an FTP client or an email program at all if you place a small server on the Centris 650. One example could be NetPresenz 4.1.

http://archive.info-mac.org/_Internet/

Connect the Centris 650 and the modern computer to two LAN ports of a router. Disconnect any incoming Internet (cable to a WAN port) and switch off Wi-Fi (if possible). That would give you a purely local connection.

A QuickStart document describes how to set up NetPresenz as an FTP server.

Place all files to be transferred from the Centris to a modern computer in the chosen shared folder.

Turn on the server on the Centris 650. Note the IP Address shown in the TCP/IP control panel window (or the server's log window). The IP address depends upon the router (for instance, something like 192.168.0.nnn). Launch a web browser on a modern computer (Mac or PC). Enter ftp:// followed by this IP address in the browser's address field. Do not forget ftp:// (not http://) before the IP address. The files in the shared folder should now appear on the modern computer. Alternatively, a dedicated FTP client could be used to access the files.

Jan

With my PowerBook 540c getting older stuff to and from the hard drive can be a similar problem. I have the optional PCMCIA expansion module which can use type I II and III cards. I use both older Data Flash cards or Compact Fash cards with an PC card adapter. For the newer Macs I have USB CompactFlash and PC Card readers for transfer. A side benefit is that the 540c will boot from a clone on a PC Card and is faster than the internal HDD. Also one can really jack up the virtual memory by using the PC Card as a source.

If you can find one of these card readers for a SCSI bus then the data could be transfered easily via a usb card reader.

http://a4000t.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=180

http://68kmla.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=18478

Hi, you can use Easeus free software, the itune music transfer can help you transfer data.

http://applefool.com/se30/

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