Cameron Kaiser wrote:
>> I bought a Powerbook 150 years ago and my brother
has been using
>> it for years in the studio to run the MIDI
sequencer FreeStyle.
>> The PB 150 recently died and I bought a couple of
Powerbook 540c
>> on eBay to replace it.
>>
>> My current problem list:
>>
>> 1. My AppleCD 600e (which works fine on the PB 150)
does
>> not show up on either of the PB 540c, so I have
no way
>> to read CDs on the 540c machines.
>
> This sounds like an Extension problem. Do you have all
the CD extensions
> installed on the 540c? I don't remember them off the
top of my head, but
> they're things like Apple CD, Hi-Sierra, etc.
I don't recall there being any extensions that were CD
related. Would
they have come with the default OS install?
And how does an extension affect the ability to boot from
the CD? I
would have thought that the boot ROM code would have to know
about
the CD without the aid of an extension...
> I assume you are using the same cable (HDI-30 to
"Centronics" SCSI).
Yes, I'm using the funny Apple SCSI cable. It is the same
cable/setup
that works fine with the PB 150. Perhaps the 600e is just
too new for
the 540c, but the PB 150 came out in 1994 and the PB 540c
was certainly
in about that same time frame. The AppleCD 600e came out in
1995, so
maybe that is the problem. I guess I should pick up an
AppleCD 300
to see if that works better.
>> 2. FreeStyle uses FreeMidi to talk to a MIDI
interface over
>> the modem/printer port. This was a complete pain
to setup
>> on the PB 150 as there were bugs (possibly MacOS
7 related)
>> which made the natural automated MIDI
configuration fail
>> to work and hang the computer.
>> Setting up FreeMidi on the 540c running MacOS
7.5 has
>> similar problems. Setting up FreeMidi on the
540c running
>> MacOS 8 does not have these problems (which is
why I
>> think it is probably MacOS7 related). I am
unable to make
>> either 540c talk properly to the MIDI interface
such that
>> it sees the various MIDI keyboards, etc.
>
> I haven't had much experience with FreeMIDI; I've
always used Open Music
> System. The current version is 2.3.8 but I don't
remember if OMS is PPC only.
> It is freely downloadable -- at worst it just won't
install. I looked at my
> backup installer in HexEdit and didn't see anything
that implied it was PPC
> only, but I really don't know for sure.
>
> How did you get Mac OS 8 installed on the 540c without
a CD??
One 540c came with 7.5 installed and the other with 8.0. I
have not
upgraded either OS, primarily because of the lack of 600e
support.
>> 3. I thought that updating the version of FreeMidi
from 1.3
>> to the latest 1.48 would be a good idea. The
image size
>> is 4Mb, which does not fit onto a floppy.
>
> I suspect this problem will be solved when you get the
CD working 
>
How does the working CD solve my problem? I realize that I
will be
able to write a large file on my PCs CD-RW, but will the
MacOS be
able to read the file structure? And if it does, will it
handle
the file type problem correctly? The new FreeMidi version is
a .hqx
file. Will the OS know what to do with that or will I have
to get
some Stuffit type thing to take it apart?
This is exceedingly frustrating, especially as Macs are
touted as
being straight forward. I have to admit that in my
experience over
the years, they have never lived up to that name, but then I
guess
I try to do things which are less than mainstream.
Thanks for your help!
--tom
|
> > > 1. My AppleCD 600e (which works fine on the
PB 150) does
> > > not show up on either of the PB 540c, so I
have no way
> > > to read CDs on the 540c machines.
> > This sounds like an Extension problem. Do you have
all the CD extensions
> > installed on the 540c? I don't remember them off
the top of my head, but
> > they're things like Apple CD, Hi-Sierra, etc.
>
> I don't recall there being any extensions that were CD
related. Would
> they have come with the default OS install?
Not necessarily. I'll have to look on my IIci to tell you
the exact
extensions, although keep in mind my IIci is 7.1.
For 7.5, although not necessarily for OS 8 (which I *think*
was CD only),
it's certainly possible to install from floppy and therefore
there would
be no CD Extensions if no CD drive were detected. I don't
remember if there
were floppy installs for OS 8. However, there *is* a floppy
Disk Tools for
OS 8, so the OS will definitely boot off one.
Point being, no, you can't assume that they came with the
default install
and may have been pulled if the 540c wasn't using a CD.
However, look in
the Extensions Manager just to see if they are enabled or
even exist (or
you can browse through the System Folder).
Regrettably, I do not have an OS 8 Mac running anymore --
all of these
systems are either 7.x or 9.x -- and 8.5 and 8.6 won't help
because those
are PPC only. I might have an OS 8.0 CD around but I would
need to dig
for it.
> And how does an extension affect the ability to boot
from the CD? I
> would have thought that the boot ROM code would have to
know about
> the CD without the aid of an extension...
It will boot from any generic SCSI device assuming it is an
HFS file
system, including a CD, and exports a blocksize it can
understand (you
use the "snag keys" to tell the Boot ROM to boot
over external SCSI). However,
it will not be able to do "CD things" (like eject)
in MacOS, or at least not
without a lot of work, and it will not understand other
filesystems (i/o/w,
it will treat it like a slow read-only hard disk).
You *may* be able to get around this by having the CD
plugged in, turned
on and the disc in, and then booting the Mac. If the CD in
the drive does
not automatically appear as a mounted device, a tool like
SCSIProbe or
Mt Everything will find it and may allow you to mount it
without a driver.
However, the filesystem must still be HFS -- it will not
read ISO 9660
without an extension. Also, you will have to mount and
dismount it manually.
> > I assume you are using the same cable (HDI-30 to
"Centronics" SCSI).
>
> Yes, I'm using the funny Apple SCSI cable. It is the
same cable/setup
> that works fine with the PB 150. Perhaps the 600e is
just too new for
> the 540c, but the PB 150 came out in 1994 and the PB
540c was certainly
> in about that same time frame. The AppleCD 600e came
out in 1995, so
> maybe that is the problem. I guess I should pick up an
AppleCD 300
> to see if that works better.
No, I don't think it's the problem, necessarily. If the 600
worked fine
with the 150, it will definitely work fine with the 540c.
> > > 2. FreeStyle uses FreeMidi to talk to a MIDI
interface over
[...]
> > I haven't had much experience with FreeMIDI; I've
always used Open Music
> > System.
[...]
> > How did you get Mac OS 8 installed on the 540c
without a CD??
>
> One 540c came with 7.5 installed and the other with
8.0. I have not
> upgraded either OS, primarily because of the lack of
600e support.
Ah, okay, that makes sense. The 540c maxes out at 8.1, btw.
> > > 3. I thought that updating the version of
FreeMidi from 1.3
> > > to the latest 1.48 would be a good idea.
The image size
> > > is 4Mb, which does not fit onto a floppy.
> > I suspect this problem will be solved when you get
the CD working
> How does the working CD solve my problem? I realize
that I will be
> able to write a large file on my PCs CD-RW, but will
the MacOS be
> able to read the file structure? And if it does, will
it handle
> the file type problem correctly? The new FreeMidi
version is a .hqx
> file. Will the OS know what to do with that or will I
have to get
> some Stuffit type thing to take it apart?
As long as you put the .hqx on the CD, and the CD is ISO
9660, it will
work fine on the Mac. (Don't use Joliet long-filename
extensions.) This
assumes you have, again, all the right extensions
installed.
Once you copy the .hqx to the Mac, then StuffIt Expander
will turn it
back into a proper binary with both resource forks intact,
so yes, you
will need that on the other side. StuffIt Expander 5.5
should work on any
68K Mac running System 7 or later and will unStuff all but
the latest
.sitx files. (For this reason, I don't use .sitx.)
> This is exceedingly frustrating, especially as Macs are
touted as
> being straight forward. I have to admit that in my
experience over
> the years, they have never lived up to that name, but
then I guess
> I try to do things which are less than mainstream.
I liken what you're doing to jumping onto another freeway
from an overpass
... it takes a little while to get your legs back under
you.
Plus, in an entirely Mac ecosystem like I have here (almost
every system here
is a Mac from System 6 to Tiger 10.4.8, except the
Commodores, of course, and
a couple DOS PCs), these tasks are easy. All of them support
HFS, so
file interchange is a snap, and hardware of the same
generation are often
interchangeable. It's jumping back and forth from a PC
ecosystem to
a "couple token Macs" that causes problems because
the interchange path is
much less smooth for both hardware and software, and people
usually blame
the Mac because it's the different one (IMHO
unjustifiably).
It's much easier to have a Mac ecosystem and a couple token
PCs, because
Macs will read FAT, FAT32 and NTFS (and can write FAT and
FAT32), and Macs
can speak most Windows protocols (natively in OS X, and with
software in OS
9).
Granted, I'm at an advantage because I have a full LocalTalk
network in
parallel to my Ethernet network, and a system entirely
dedicated to serving
Classic clients. Your 150 would be happy as a clam in this
world and would,
indeed, "just work." On the other hand, I do
concede that it needed some
investment in time and hardware to set up, and it's worth it
to me because
I have so many Classic Macs, but it might be worth it for
others.
Doesn't make it any less frustrating for you, of course ...
> Thanks for your help!
No sweat!
--
--------------------------------- personal: http://www.armory.com
/~spectre/ ---
Cameron Kaiser * Floodgap Systems * www.floodgap.com *
ckaiser floodgap.com
-- Po-Ching Lives!
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