Mac Help

[Heaven's Cloud]

Hey all I need help with macs. I just got a 1994 macintosh that is good, and can get internet. I want internet in it. I have the phone jack, and the line, i just need an ISP and a internet browser. I live in IN for ISP's. So can anyone help? Thank you

[shooraijin]

I PMmed you this, but I'll post it here for those who might be looking at older Macs.

First, give me an exact model (1994 had many Mac models available), and how much RAM is in it, what you have installed, and what version of MacOS it is. You can get online with MacOS as far back as System 7.1, but the ways are different. If it's 8.x, it should have PPP (variously called Remote Access, PPP, etc.) built-in.

Macs of that generation can use regular PC external modems, but you need a converter cable (relatively inexpensive) to turn the Mac Mini-DIN-8 serial port into a regular DB-25. Fry's and most hobbyist chains sell these by the boatload, even today when no current Mac uses this type of serial port because there are so many of these old Macs still in use.

Depending on the version of MacOS, you can run Netscape no problem. You may need CarbonLib if you want to run a very current version, which you can download from Apple for free. Internet Explorer before version 5 is kind of problematic on the Mac, and I would not use it on a system version lower than 9.1.

Making OS X run on a Mac of this generation, besides having to pay $129 for it, is kind of dicey and usually requires a G3 expander card (another couple hundred), so forget it, just in case you were wondering.

I assume you have a keyboard and a mouse, but if you don't, ADB keyboards (not PS/2) and mice are cheap and easy to find on the used market for a couple bucks.

More specific questions -- tell me the model I'm dealing with.

[shooraijin]

Btw, to get the system version and the amount of RAM, go to the Apple menu in the Finder (the "default" application), and select "About This Macintosh ..." which will display an information window with the current applications, how much RAM they're using, how much RAM is free/installed, and which version of system software is running.

[Rashiir]

Oh, I dunno about ISPs... It should have Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator on it somewhere... If not I can probably get you a copy....

[Heaven's Cloud]

Okay. What I got from the About This Macintosh was this:

System Software 7.5
Total Memory: 20,480k
1983-1994

For the MacOS part I can't really find. Maybe you can help on that part. I'm kinda new on macs.

[shooraijin]

Actually (and I'm saying this as a person with NetBSD installed on multiple Macs in my server farm), I think this would be a bit of a tough tackle for a Mac newbie to do a NetBSD installation.

HC, you need to tell me the Mac model, too. It should be on the front of the unit. However, you have 20MB of RAM, which is decent for System 7.5.

If you're lucky, you already have PPP installed. Look under the Apple menu, select Control Panels, and look for something called Remote Access or PPP. You will also find many other useful control panels there, hopefully one called TCP/IP, which means that Open Transport (the lifeblood of networking on classic Mac OS) has been properly installed on the system. Have you ever set up a computer to do dialup PPP before?

Also look around the hard disk to see what other utilities you might have. The Applications folder is a good place to start. For now, stay out of the System Folder, or at least don't move or modify things in it for the moment.

[Heaven's Cloud]

Alright it's an LCIII.

I'll go check for the PPP thing. Nope, not on there. As for dialing up on PPP as you said, no I have not.

As for Open Transport thingy, I don't have that. For one I don't think this mac we're dealing with has ever ran Internet.

[shooraijin]

LCIII ... hmm.

An LCIII is a 25MHz 68030 system, roughly on par with the classic IIci (one of my favourite machines). One thing that's nice about it is that it's small, and take 72-pin SIMMs which are still pretty easy to find (sounds like yours has a 16MB SIMM in it, plus 4MB on the motherboard). Here's a nice site on it: http://www.lowendmac.com/lc/lciii.shtml

Now, as for your PPP issue, I agree, it sounds like your Mac didn't have Net access installed on it. It *may* have MacTCP, which should be in the Control Panels, but I have a better idea: go here:

http://www.rockstar.com/ppp.shtml

and download FreePPP, which works on just about any classic Mac. It will tell you if you have the right stuff installed on the system and how to set it up. FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS PRECISELY! I've used FreePPP on many computers, including my old IIci, a PowerBook 520c and a IIsi, and it works very well.

The latest OS an LCIII can run is 7.6 (8.1 with hacks but I wouldn't recommend it on an '030).

[shooraijin]

Incidentally, if your Mac has PC Exchange on it, you can just put stuff on floppies from your PC and put it in the LCIII. It should find it automagically, because 7.5 and up should be able to read most PC floppy disks without any help. Try it and see (the worst that will happen is it will say the disk can't be read).

[Mithrandir]

The latest OS an LCIII can run is 7.6 (8.1 with hacks but I wouldn't recommend it on an '030).

Heh. I wouldn't recomend it AT ALL. 8.1 isn't (IMHO) better than 7.6. And it's certainly not faster. Especially on an 030.

HC: You're talkin' to the right man, btw. If anyone can get that puppy workin' it's Shooby.

[Heaven's Cloud]

Alright I have a couple problems. I downloaded FreePPP and then I put it on a floppy. Then I popped the floppy in, and it opened in Microsoft Word. Then it had all these funky symbols and stuff.