I've tried everything mentioned in Kris' message, and still no go. I
feel like there's some glaringly obvious thing that I'm missing or
haven't done, but I can't figure out what it might be(if anything).
Does anybody have anything else to add?
thanks
--Ian
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Kris Tilford <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2004 01:27:26 -0500
Subject: Re:beige g3 weirdness... (not posted)
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
NOT POSTED:
Ian Gowen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>wrote:
> I was given a used rev B (I think) beige G3
You should find out the Rev.# for certain, it's kinda important to know
which you're dealing with. Apple System Profiler under ROM version will
tell you; or you can look at the ROM.
=E2=80=A2 Rev. 1: $77D.40F2
=E2=80=A2 Rev. 2: $77D.45F1
=E2=80=A2 Rev. 3: $77D.45F2
Rev.1 is bad, it earned a "Road Apple, the worst Macs"
award:http://lowendmac.com/roadapples/
> that appears to be pretty
> much in stock configuration (with zip drive and a/v card) except for
> the fact that it has no HD. I got the G3 system CD (8.1) as well as a
> 9.2 CD with it. When I tried to boot of the 8.1 CD, I got a "bus
> error" bomb message. When I tried the 9.2, I got an "illegal
> instruction" bomb. Both times these appeared while the startup screen
> was still visible.
Clear the PRAM & NVRAM by using the Cmd-Opt-P-R to zap the PRAM, and
after a few Restart chimes move the P-R fingers over to O-F for the
Open Firmware boot (Cmd-Opt-O-F). At the prompt type:
set-defaults<Return>
reset-all<Return>
The reply should be "OK" and then a Restart. <Return> means hit the
Return key, not type <Return>.
If you're booting a CD it must be a "universal" installer CD that
includes the System Enablers for all Mac models. If these CD's are from
other models of Macs they probably won't boot since they're missing
System Enabler 777 for the Beige, and may be missing extensions
specific to the Beige such as video drivers, etc.. If you find that
these aren't universal CD's, you can download an OS 8.5 boot floppy
with the Beige/Wallstreet G3 System Enablers at:
http://www.alksoft.com/personal/stuff.html
The OS 8.5 floppy is the highest version of floppy that will boot a G3.
This is really helpful for times you're stuck. The BeigeG3's have very
flakey CD-ROM's and there was a firmware update for the CD-ROM itself
that can help a little (esp. if you're installing OS X), but a better
solution is to ditch the CD-ROM and get something newer, like any cheap
CDRW (they'll all boot). Here's the firmware update:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=3D24714
Ignore the OS warning if you're in OS 9.x because this was written for
OS 8.x but works fine in 9.x. Not all CD-ROM's needed this update, and
the program is smart and will tell you whether or not it's needed, so
there's no danger in ruining the drive by running it.
If you're going to try and install OS X, there is a problem where only
the drives set to 'master' can boot OS X, and so if you had the CD set
as 'slave', it wouldn't be able to boot OS X (shouldn't apply to OS 9
CD's, but these were really flakey, so you might try switching).
> Since then I have tried swapping out ram, removing the a/v card,
> removing everything but the cdrom, adding a hard drive, removing the
> floppy drive, zapping the pram, etc. etc. Every time I try to boot it
> either a) gives me a bomb or b) hangs at the startup screen. I think I
> booted succesfully on the 8.1 CD once, but I was never able to
> reproduce that.
Memory is always something to consider as a potential issue, and using
a single stick of known good RAM can help. There shouldn't be any
problem without the HD, and I've had a Beige that was VERY troublesome
and I stripped to just the bare CD-ROM to get it to boot OS X.
Here is one final tip that may be crucial. When zapping the PRAM &
NVRAM, there is also an issue with the power supply in the BeigeG3
storing residual power. Sometimes the PRAM & NVRAM don't reset
correctly. Check the PRAM battery to be sure it's good. If you're sure
it's good, and you're totally stuck, removing the PRAM battery and
pressing the CUDA reset button near the third PCI slot sometimes isn't
enough because the residual charge keeps some data from clearing. You
must also remove the cable from the power supply to the motherboard to
be absolutely certain the PRAM & NVRAM are flushed. Wait a few minutes
with the battery out, and repress the CUDA before reattaching the cable
& reinserting the battery. This applies to BeigeG3's only, not other
Macs. If you're still not booting from the floppy you're probably never
going too.
Good luck! Kris
PS-I tried to post this twice, both times it was rejected even though
I'm using "plain text" and have posted successfully from this setup
before. I've got no clue, the message says something about a Microsoft
character set, and my ISP (Cox) is in cahoots with Microsoft to "force"
windows on their world, so I'm betting that Cox & Microsoft switched
the text at their server?
> LIST module(list g-list) reports:
> Your message cannot be posted.
> It is composed using the 'windows-1252' character set,
> and this list accepts ISO-8859-1 only
--
G-List is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and...
Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives |
-- We have Apple Refurbished Monitors in stock! | & CDRWs on Sale! |
Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html>
G-List list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/g-list.shtml>
--> AOL users, remove "mailto:";
Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/g-list%40mail.maclaunch.com/>
Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
