[Info-vax] OT: For MAC Lovers Only :-)

[Mac Decman]

On 12 Oct 2012 20:47:31 GMT, billg999 at cs.uofs.edu (Bill Gunshannon)
wrote:

>
>As there are so many MAC lovers and Windows haters here I just couldn't
>resist this.
>
>One of the things I now have time to do is play with all my old computers.
>A bunch of them are Classic MAC's.  Needless to say, some of them are
>having a hard time getting into the mood torun again after all these
>years sitting on a shelf.
>
>I went out looking for advice on what might need to be done and this is
>one of the things I found.
>
>----------------------
>
>Uh-oh: You see a blinking folder or disk icon, and the Mac refuses to
>start up.
>
>This blinking icon is the Mac's way of telling you that it can't
>find the System software it needs to start up.
>
>Treatment 7: Perform a clean install.
>If the drive appears to work but its System Folder refuses to boot your Mac, perform a clean install of your System software. 
>
>------------------------
>
>And here I have always been led to believe this was a Windows only solution.
>
>:-)
>
>bill

1. Replace the PRAM battery
2. Clear the PRAM
3. Boot the repair disk for the System version loaded on the HD. There
are some strange issues which might occur if you use the wrong repair
disk.  PRAM gets updated with the current System version which is
newer than the one which is installed.  (Only occurs when certain
newer System version are booted and I can't remember which ones.) This
can stop it from booting, but normally will display an error screen.

4. Do the System Folder drop again and reboot.  (move System out of
and into the System Folder)

If that doesn't fix it there is probebly an issue with the drive its
self.  Bad block.  Actually about 50% of the drives on my older Mac
systems are failed.  Most due to frozen spindle though.  They have
been in storage since 1995.

On a side note, I got an old Quadra 950 of mine loaded up with AU/X
3.01 and System 7  not too long ago.  I even found a Mouse Systems 3
button mouse so that X11 works correctly.

Hope you get yours working too,

Mark DeArman