PowerBook 165 and System 7.1b

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Level 1

111 points

PowerBook 165 and System 7.1b

My faithful PowerBook 165 has just thrown a wobbler! I'm getting the floppy symbol and flashing ? on booting. I've booted from the Disk Tools disk - but I can't see my internal hard drive.

My Norton Utilities disk is nowhere to be found so I guess it has long gone to that great disk cemetery in the sky.

There is only one document on the "missing" HD that I'd like to recover so this is more of an irritation than a disaster, but I would like to get the beast working again if at all possible although I'm realistic enough to know that it isn't worth spending serious money on it.

Any suggestions?

Thanks.

700MHz CRT PowerPC G3 iMac slot-loading CD-R/W, Mac OS X (10.4.7), 1GB Crucial RAM

Posted on Jul 26, 2006 2:00 AM

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Answer 1

Wishmkr

Level 1

0 points

Jul 29, 2006 8:49 AM in response to iBozz

I've had the same problem too. I recently purcchased a Powerbook 180 with 7.1 on eBay and brought i to school with me. It worked then, and I loaded it up with all of my stuff and programs. I charged it from there, and left it. When i came back, I tried to start it up. That hard drive didn't spin and I got the missing disk icon at startup. I do not have a disk tools disk to verify this, but I know I may be having the same problem as you. Can someone please help? At this point I'm thinking of bringing my 180 to an Apple Store but I have no idea if they would work on it. Please help!

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Answer 2

jpl

Level 7

28,285 points

Jul 29, 2006 10:07 AM in response to Wishmkr

Wish,

Try resetting the PRAM to correct this problem:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=2238

Message was edited by: jpl

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Answer 3

iBozz Author

Level 1

111 points

Jul 29, 2006 11:11 PM in response to Wishmkr

One suggestion, Wishmkr, is to zap the PRAM. As soon as you turn on the Mac, hold down simultaneously[/i[ all foru keys, namely the Command key (Apple key on some machines), the Option key (Alt on some machines) and the letter keys P and R.
If it chimes, then keep them held down for four of five series of chimes then release them all. It may boot from there (mine didn't, I didn't even get the chimes!).

Because this is, I presume, a somewhat esoteric and old type of error (and as this post seemed to elicit no immediate response), I posted on MacFixIt as well. That's not a reflection of this forum, but more of the fact that we old Mac users area dying breed and thus the more publcity to my problem the better the chance of exciting "An Old'un" like me!).

You might like to follow that thread here

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Answer 4

Wishmkr

Level 1

0 points

Jul 29, 2006 1:13 PM in response to iBozz

Well, i tried zapping the PRAM, Tried resetting the power manager, and still nothing. I really think my Hard drive is dead. it just won't start.

Another thing that might have hapened is that something on the inside might have gotten loose. So, i checked it out. I opened the sucker up, and found nothing. Although, I did find out a bit about the drive. it's an IBM 120Mb SCSI, And there's a 10MB RAM chip inside. The ceiling is 14.

it's either ddead or it is't geting any pwer to it. And I really need to get those files off it - after the transfer, the floppy disk failed, so the ones on the drive are my only copies. If ANYONE, and i mean anyone can help, please do.

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Answer 5

iBozz Author

Level 1

111 points

Jul 29, 2006 3:40 PM in response to Wishmkr

This means nothing to me, but has been emailed to me by a fellow Mac User Group member just this evening - I repeat exactly it as written in case I change something important:

The powerbook 165 support scis mode have You a scis mode cable and an old scis type mac that way you could inspect the hard disc directly."

Well, I have another PowerBook, this time a 520c, which I bought "without warranty and as seen" for £5 recently but I've never powered it up, (I will try tomorrow), but I have no cables and wouldn't recognise a scis (typo for scsi?) if it was served up to me on a sliver salver and surrounded by watercress!

If anyone can enlighten me as to how ro recognise a scsi/scis, and where I might beg borrow or steal the required cable, then maybe I can link the two machines as implied in the email.

Can anyone enlighten me - bearing in mind you'll be talking to a technophobe who panics when "on/off switch" is mentioed! :-))

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Answer 6

Jul 29, 2006 5:19 PM in response to iBozz

that guy is trying to tell you your old powerbook supports SCSI Target disk Mode -- where your entire PowerBook can be accessed through its SCSI connection as if it were a single SCSI hard drive. This support is provoded in its boot ROM.

However, it is not quite trivial to get working, and you need several terminators in addition to the cables.

I suggest you boot a Disk Tools diskette, and see if SCSI HD SC Setup detects that the drive is present. SCSI Probe is another small and handy utility, as is Mount Everything. The drive only has one connector that brings in all the data and power. If none of these utilities can see it, it has died.

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Answer 7

jpl

Level 7

28,285 points

Jul 29, 2006 8:36 PM in response to iBozz

iBozz,

May be worth a try:

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=7724

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Answer 8

Wishmkr

Level 1

0 points

Jul 30, 2006 7:29 AM in response to iBozz

Yes...

Well, That doesn't seem to be the problem either. I actually DO know about that lubrication problem, and that was the first thing I thought when I opened the casing of the PB180 for a closer inspection. I turned it on, and when the disk icon showed up, I tried hitting my hard drive to see if it would spin. nothing. but I DO remember there being that nasty "Death clicking" of the Hard drive when I was loading it with my documents. I thought perhaps that it was the Hard drive spinning down to save power. After I got done loading a simple application like Smpletext, it would click. Then, when I got done loading the documents it clicked. But The hard drive WAS working then. When I bought it I was really hoping to take it with me on the 3-week vacation I'm taking, but now I see that's not an option. I'm really desperate -- do you think that an Apple Store might help me?

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Answer 9

jpl

Level 7

28,285 points

Jul 30, 2006 10:13 AM in response to Wishmkr

Wish,

If the HD does not spin up after hitting it and you heard loud clicking when it was running, chances are the HD is dead, and there is nothing anyone can do about that.

I doubt most employees at an Apple Store have ever seen a PB 165; all they could do is refer you to an Apple certified service provider.

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Answer 10

Wishmkr

Level 1

0 points

Jul 30, 2006 2:00 PM in response to iBozz

OKay, thyanks for your help.

I sorta solved the problem by using my PC's Macintosh Emulator (BasiliskII) to make a Disk tools diskette with files I had on there. From here, since my HD did not appear in either of the two utilities, I now believe that my HD has gone to that big Computer in the sky...

I now have a fully functional Powerbook 180 Boot floppy and some other floppies full of apps. I also found the docs I thought I lost in the depths of my eMac 800, and right now I'm Using my PC laptop to type this up. Thank you everyone that helped me through this dark period of my life.

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