Macintosh Performa 405 hard drive replacement

For a volume size smaller than 2 GB, it is not going to be a problem (regardless of operating system for this computer). If necessary, it is even possible to use several <2 GB partitions on a larger hard drive.

In order to format a hard disk drive with an Apple logotype, one would use a utility called Apple HD SC Setup. This utility (unmodified) will not work with third-party hard drives; these do normally require a third-party formatting application like Lido 7.56. Apple's Drive Setup 1.7.3 may also work with some third-party drives.

It is not wise to try to carry out the hard disk formatting at a Windows computer. Instead, one should use a bootable floppy (with an appropriate formatting utility) in the Performa 405. Do you already have a bootable Disk Tools floppy? One could also connect an external hard drive to the SCSI port of the Performa.

Please note that the DB-25 port on the Performa is SCSI, not parallel (connecting a parallel device to a SCSI port or v.v. could/will cause damages). However, you could connect a parallel (or USB) Zip drive to a Windows computer, and a SCSI Zip drive to the Performa, and then use a Zip disk for transfers. A Windows computer would need a special Mac-disk utility (like a suitable version of TransMac or MacDrive) in order to handle Mac-formatted Zip disks or 1.44 MB floppies.

As long as we are talking about plain file transfers between a Windows XP computer and an already working Performa 405, it is relatively easy (providing that certain rules are followed). Making certain bootable Mac-floppies on a Windows XP machine is possible, but relatively complicated. Modifying Mac disks on a Windows computer is either not possible or just difficult.

In this case, you should really try to find a fully working approx. 1991-1997 Macintosh (with a built-in floppy drive for 1.44 MB, and preferably with a CD-ROM drive and Ethernet) to be used as an intermediate computer.

Do not hesitate to post back with any additional questions.

Regarding the disk...wouldn't something like this work too?

It's been a very long time since I last used a pre system 8.0 machine, but I remember tinkering with the LCII back in the day (It was the same model as the Performa 405 but built for the educational market).

I would echo what @JanHelund says regarding transferring the information across. One trick I used to use a lot back in the day was to use the Disk Tools Floppy to get things running and format the drive. System 7.5.x will be your best bet for the final OS, but if you can find a 7.0 or 7.1 boot disc I seem to recall they had a little more free space, allowing minimal network drivers.

Of course, that approach will only work if you have an LCPDS ethernet or localtalk card fitted...

If you can't find a classic mac from the 90s with a built in floppy (I advocate the beige first-generation G3s because they have EVERYTHING you need to talk to both new and old machines alike...) you could also go for something like a first or second-generation iMac running 9.x with an Imitation SuperDisk connected.

If you do have an iMac of the right vintage running 9.x, SuperDisks are supercheap... http://www.ebay.com/bhp/imation-super-disk-drive

As long as you have the right version of 9.x, these will quite happily read and write to floppies that the 405 will read...

Are you sure that the Windows XP computer can handle SCSI drives (this would mean that it has a SCSI controller, which by no means is standard for a PC)? Even then, you would run into difficulties. A formatting utility like Apple HD SC Setup 7.3.5 or Drive Setup 1.7.3, or third-party alternatives such as Lido 7.56, will only run on a Macintosh computer. The application under your link (I have not tested it) appears to be similar to MacDrive or TransMac, and would allow you to write to and read from Mac floppies (1.44 MB) and other disks. This is fine, as long as you only need to transfer files on floppy disks, but remember that once the Performa has System 7.5.x installed, it will be capable of handling PC disks (via the PC Exchange control panel, which is part of the system).

As I indicated above, the best way would be to look for a pre-1998 Macintosh computer (with a built-in floppy drive for 1.44 MB, and at least a CD-ROM drive) to be used as an intermediate machine. Preferably, with (a working) System 7.5 or higher. Such a computer should be relatively inexpensive.

It appears as if the startup floppy is damaged or unsuitable. Have you tried booting from a Network Access 7.5 disk (http://download.info.apple.com/Apple_Support_Area/Apple_Software_Updates/English -North_American/Macintosh/Utilities/Network_Access_Disk_7.5.sea.bin)?

Once the computer has started from the Network Access floppy, do you see a hard disk icon on the Desktop? If so, and if the hard disk does not contain anything worth saving, you could click on the hard disk icon and then choose Erase Disk from the Special menu. Once the hard disk has been erased/initialised this way, one can try to drag-copy the System Folder from the Network Access floppy onto the empty hard disk. That should create a temporary system, which makes it possible to use the floppy drive for subsequent file transfers. If you switch off the computer, and then start again from the temporary system on the hard disk, is everything working OK, or does the machine still restart automatically?

Which exact operating system version are you planning to install?