. | Accession to Mac OS 8.1- 5 Oct. 1999
Eric "Zoltan"
DeStefano
Working with the Macintosh has proven harder then I
thought it would be. Having to relearn such minuscule tasks
as adding drivers, changing settings, and adding new
hardware have all taken their toll on me. After many nights
that I should have spent sleeping, several cups of coffee,
and an ashtray full of butts, I rub my unshaven face in awe.
I think I understand how to think different. - Like a painting that has a picture hidden beneath its
chaotic surface, you need not look at certain parts of
the picture to understand it. You need to look at the
picture as a whole.
I understand now that working with a Mac was meant to be
simple. Not "do this, then do that, then install this."
Merely, "do this and your done." As difficult as it has
been, it feels extremely good to be doing something new and
exciting. The Macintosh has really rekindled that childlike
wide-eyed look and the love for technology that I lost to
the PC many years ago. My first project is to get Mac OS 8.1 running on a
Quadra 605. The machine
was given to me with 20 MB of RAM and System 7.5.5 installed
on its 230 MB hard drive. Immediately after getting it home,
I opened the case, removed the 16 MB 72-pin SIMM, and
dropped in a shiny new 64 MB 72-pin SIMM. After looking at the machine in awe at how quick and easy
it was to install the memory (5 min.), I decided to turn it
on. I reached around the back and flipped the on switch. A
brief chime sounded, and the LEDs on the Apple Extended
Keyboard II flashed. Waiting patiently for the screen to
come on and the little "happy Mac" to pop up (a character I
have become quite fond of), I realized something was wrong.
The screen never lit up, and no "happy Mac." Feeling somewhat depressed, I gave it another try, and to
my dismay it was the same result. I decided to turn it on,
and leave it on until something happened. Maybe it knew I
was a PC user and was mad at me. The Quadra 605 was left on for about 10 minutes, but the
screen would not come on. I noticed one other thing -- when
I turned it on the hard drive would not spin up. It was
getting late by this time, but I had to make my little Mac
work. While it was still running, I flipped the power switch
off, and then flipped it back on. After about 15 seconds the
screen flashed, and there was my "happy Mac!" System 7.5.5
booted, and all was well for about 5 minutes. While just
clicking on random things and getting to know my new friend,
it decided to lock up on me. "No problem," I thought as I
turned off the power and turned it back on. I ran into the same problem as before, where the screen
would not come on. While the system was still running I
again flipped the switch off and on, and it booted just
fine. I came to find out later from Quadlist
that the battery was dead. If you turned on the power,
waited for the chime, and then flipped the switch off and on
again, it would work just fine. I have been doing that for a
couple of weeks; it works every time. My second task was to get a CD-ROM drive working on the
Quadra so I could install Mac OS 8.1. I had a Panasonic
SCSI-2 CD-ROM drive lying around and decided to use that.
After daisy chaining it with my hard drive, I did my little
power on trick and saw the most depressing and horrific
sight my eyes have seen. It was a black screen, with a "sad
Mac" on it. I immediately turned off the power and stared at
the screen as if I had seen a ghost. After poking around a
bit, the problem presented itself. The CD-ROM was on the end
of my chain, and not terminated. Now with the CD-ROM drive terminated (I also disable
termination on the hard drive), I felt it was time to
proceed. The power trick worked yet again -- there was my
"happy Mac." I was a little teary eyed at the sight of it.
However, System 7.5.5 did not mount the CD-ROM drive. After
rechecking all the hardware, and assuring that I did
everything right, a huge question mark lit up over my
head. Thus began my deep, dark, accession into Apple ROMs, and
extensions.  Mac Metamorphosis IndexRecent Editorials at Low End Mac- PC to Mac and back and back,
My First Mac, 1/18. "I still love and use my original Mac Plus --
I would never get rid of it for anything."
- SAM, the Sixteenth
Anniversary Macintosh, Anne Onymus, The Rumor Mill, 1/18.
Cross a Color Classic with a G3 and what do you get?
- The main difference between
Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, Rodney O. Lain, Things Macintosh,
1/17. "...there is one redeeming trait that Steve Jobs has over
Bill Gates: Steve Jobs is a loser."
- Skin off Apple's nose, Dan
Knight, The iMac Channel, 1/14. "...Apple should be
flattered."
- New @ Low End Mac:
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