Taking a PowerBook 2400c to Mac OS X

ghost_user_nameghost_user_name
Posted:
in Genius Bar edited January 2014
So I'm taking it upon myself to upgrade my 2400c to Mac OS X. Now, I know this isn't an optimal configuration yet, but as it stands, the machine barely has enough drive space, a total of 80MB of RAM, and it is still at 180MHz 603ev. I did, however, enable CardBus on it last night.



The plan is to eventually toss a G3 into the bad boy and bump the RAM up to 112MB and get a larger hdd. But for now, OS X 10.1 will install on it, albeit very, very slowly.



So I have this old 2x Apple CD Drive, SCSI based. I started to boot OS X off of it, but Mac OS X does not recognize the CD drive. So I barely got past the grey apple on the screen thanks to XPostFacto. Now, this one web site had this to say about utilizing another mac's CD Drive, but I am unfamiliar with this odd procedure.



Quote:

If your CD-ROM drive is connected to the SCSI port, which it probably is, you will need to install OS X from another CD-ROM enabled Mac. OS X does not support SCSI very well and thus using SCSI CD-ROM drives will not usually work properly in X. Insert the OS X disc into the latter computer, after connecting the 2400c to this computer via one of the methods described in the network section, mount the OS X CD on the 2400c's desktop, and click install. It should work.



So what, do I connect the PowerBook to my G4's SCSI connector and reboot both machines? I am confused by this process. Has anyone done this or familiar with it?

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 10
    lucaluca Posts: 3,833member
    I guess you'll want to use SCSI disk mode. It's like Firewire target disk mode, except you need a special SCSI cable for it to work. The PowerBook mounts as a SCSI device on the host computer's desktop. However, I've never done this so I am not totally sure how it works. I don't know if you'd be able to install OS X that way, but it's possible.
  • Reply 2 of 10
    ghost_user_nameghost_user_name Posts: 22,667member
    Is that really what that quote is saying? The quote made it sound as if I was putting the other computer into SCSI disk mode, because it asked that I mount the Install CD onto the PowerBook's desktop...
  • Reply 3 of 10
    lucaluca Posts: 3,833member
    Hmm... now that you put it that way, I really am not sure. Given the weirdness of SCSI, I thought that SCSI disk mode only worked when mounting the PowerBook on a host computer. Maybe you should contact the guy who wrote that and ask what he meant? It's really confusing.
  • Reply 4 of 10
    escherescher Posts: 1,811member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by LoCash

    So I'm taking it upon myself to upgrade my 2400c to Mac OS X.



    LoCash: I had no idea you were part of the 2400c club. Mine had CardBus enabled by MCE Tech, and I had a WaveLAN Wi-Fi card, and FireWire and USB PC Cards for it (and of course a combo Modem/Ethernet card). A green translucent Yu-Plan keyboard made it my favorite PowerBook ever. I still regret selling mine to finance the iBook/500 which I have now. But I had to do it at the time.



    I rember seeing pictures of a Comet with the 400Mhz G3 upgrade that was running OS X via XPostFacto on a Japanese website. It was linked from the mac2400 website, which is still the very best resource for PowerBook 2400c owners. Check it out and I am sure you will find more info.



    Good luck!



    Escher, aka nostalgic former Comet owner
  • Reply 5 of 10
    escherescher Posts: 1,811member
    PS: SCSI disk mode will work either way, but I'm not sure whether it worked with desktop Macs. Although I suspect that you will need to be running the other Mac/PB in SCSI disk mode so that you can properly install OS X on the PowerBook.



    I also used to install software from CDs by connecting to my iMac via Ethernet (over AppleTalk) and sharing the iMac's CD-ROM. Of course, 10 Base-T wasn't nearly as fast as SCSI. But it sure did the trick when I was in NYC while my SCSI CD-ROM was buried in a storage unit somewhere in the 'burbs.
  • Reply 6 of 10
    ghost_user_nameghost_user_name Posts: 22,667member
    Oh yeah man, I've had my 2400 since 1997 when I bought it new. It's my baby. I'll never let it go I am currently transferring a bunch of porn off of an external SCSI hdd so I can copy the OS X install CD to it and hopefully install that way. Hopefully.



    I did the Cardbus upgrade myself. All you had to do was take a pair of pliers and tear off C375 and C377. Was amazingly simple
  • Reply 7 of 10
    stoostoo Posts: 1,490member
    You could use the common SCSI chain method. It's a bit dubious.



    Turn on the Mac with the CD drive and hit command + power to bring up the interrupt prompt once it has fully booted. Now connect the PowerBook to the CD Mac's SCSI port (this is the dubiousity) and turn it on; You should now be able to use the CD drive from the PowerBook. I've used this quiet a few times on Classics and LC Macs.
  • Reply 8 of 10
    gardenofearthlydelightsgardenofearthlydelights Posts: 963member
    I'm no SCSI expert, but I play one on the internet...



    It sounds like you should connect the 2400 to another computer by Ethernet or Appletalk or whatever. On the second computer, insert the OSX install disk and using file sharing, mount it on the 2400's desktop. Install the from there.



    If that doesn't work, try using spherical cows.
  • Reply 9 of 10
    ghost_user_nameghost_user_name Posts: 22,667member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by GardenOfEarthlyDelights

    I'm no SCSI expert, but I play one on the internet...



    It sounds like you should connect the 2400 to another computer by Ethernet or Appletalk or whatever. On the second computer, insert the OSX install disk and using file sharing, mount it on the 2400's desktop. Install the from there.



    If that doesn't work, try using spherical cows.



    That is netbooting, and there is no way to do that with the OS X install CD. I'm going to try the previous suggestion when I get back from vacation...
  • Reply 10 of 10
    curiousuburbcuriousuburb Posts: 3,325member
    an Appletalk install would be sloooow.

    you'd probably do better pulling the 2400 HDD and chaining it in the Powermac, but perhaps the relevant drivers would then be detecting PM hardware, so maybe that's a bad idea.



    ethernet sounds best.



    and IIRC, Jagwire and Panther both explicitly say they won't support upgrade cards,

    but I'd be interested to hear how far you get and what hacks are required



    good luck
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