looking to obtain Mac OS 8.6 for a powerbook 1400cs.
PowerBook, Mac OS 8.6 or Earlier
That Powerbook will run up to Mac OS 9.1. Is there something you want that will only run on 8.6?
Is your data on it backed up?
Hi a brody,
I have a powerbook 1400 cd with only 48MB of RAM. I read in a blog somewhere that 8.6 was faster than 9.1 on this type of machine. I do have a G3 processor in it (Sonnet). I actually have 9.2 which will not load. I used to be an apple developer back when the dinosaurs still roamed the earth but apparently did not keep my 8.6 system software developer's disk(s). I have not backed it up. I just got my CD ROM working by obtaining the OEM drive from Alan Computech International via Amazon. (They were the only folks who had a 19 year old replacement CD ROM. That's why I mention them because they only have a few left if someone else is interested.) So I am looking for 8.6 or 9.1 (I am running 8.5 now but I am using Conflict Catcher and I think it has substituted some original extensions/control panels making it difficult to connect to the Internet.) What software do you recommend to back up the 3GB hard drive? I used to use Retrospect.
Thanks,
classicmac1
There was a Mac OS 8.6 update (US version http://download.info.apple.com/Apple_Support_Area/Apple_Software_Updates/English -North_American/Macintosh/System/Mac_OS_8.6_Update/Mac_OS_8.6_Update.smi.bin), but it required Mac OS 8.5 (which was not free).
Generally speaking, if necessary, file transfers to a PowerBook 1400 can be carried out on a CD-R, or on a CompactFlash card in a PC Card adapter for CF in a PC Card slot.
9.2 was designed only for those with G3 on board processors after the Powerbook G3 Kanga (the 250 Mhz Mac) based on the same form factor as the Powerbook 3400. Sonnet might have an update to allow 9.2 to work, but you'd have to check with them. 9.2 also is there to optimize performance with the Classic environment of Mac OS X, which the Kanga of course can't access either.
I agree that you can update 8.5 to 8.6 with the update that Jan suggested. Conflict Catcher sadly is made by a company that no longer exists, so getting an update to ensure it runs with 8.6 or later is no guarantee. However, I've found many issues with the Extensions Manager can be isolated with the base extension set, and then building on it. I've run every Mac system since 6.0.5 on a Mac II, and even played some with the original Macintosh system.
PCMCIA USB card, although I'm uncertain if it worked with Mac OS 8.5. I only started playing with it on 9.1.
It was a slow USB 1.1, but at least it worked for any wall powered USB device. Not sure if it would be compatible with the 1400 either. You could consult with them what they may have in old drivers.
I agree that 8.6 was faster overall than 9.1 needing less overhead, but a sufficient size hard drive should help. Macs have always worked best when you allowed the hard drive at least 15% free capacity in addition to system specifications.
Lastly, you'll find this user tip for finding old Apple software useful:
How to find Mac OS 9 downloads?
and many http://www.apple.com/usergroups/ have users of older Macs, and http://www.lowendmac.com/ an excellent source of old Mac information.
Hello Jan Hedlund,
Thanks for your help. I will try to locate a Pc card that I can load with the update.
Thanks,
classicmac1
Thank you again a brody,
I'll work with Jan Hedlund's file. I noticed that the apple web site that Jan listed is no longer active. I will look for a PCMCIA card that is either a storage card or one that will let me try USB in the 1400 PC slot.
Thanks,
classicmac1
Hi classicmac1,
There were complete PCMCIA storage cards, but it is usually easier to just use an inexpensive (from approx. USD 10) PC Card adapter for CompactFlash, which can be found in a computer or photo store. In this adapter one would place a standard CompactFlash memory card. The CompactFlash card is typically PC-formatted, and can be used as such for transfers of BinHex or MacBinary Mac files. It is also possible to reformat the CompactFlash card to Mac (in many PowerBook computers, it could then even operate as a bootable "hard disk").
PC Card slots can be useful (see, for example, http://www.penmachine.com/techie/airport1400.html).
looking for Mac OS 8.6. Where can I obtain this?
