• Please review our updated Terms and Rules here

Just got a Performa 638CD need a ethernet card for it

NathanAllan said:
My ethernet card got here today and now there is another thing-- I don't have a browser installed. I thought, no big deal, I'll go get an old version of Netscape. I *did* find one, but it's in a .bin format and I am at a loss. I thought it was a disk image but it wasn't and I don't know how to install it.

I also found a .dmg format file that is Netscape. I'm working from a windows machine and don't have access to .dmg anything (unless someone can tell me how to use it on a Win machine).

Is there a disk image or something I can use or instructions on how to make this happen somewhere? I looked around but it's like looking for a needle in a haystack, there are so many things to read.

As far as the card, it's connecting to the router but I can't do anything with it yet. :(
Click to expand...

Screw Netscape, that thing can't render anything modern properly anymore.
Search for iCab. It's only marginally better but it is indeed better in my experience...I use an older 68k version of it on my LC 580 when I need to get it onto the internet.

At least you're not bombarded with Javascript errors when you visit Google.

For Mac disk images and all that jaz, find Stuffit Expander (there is a current version for Windows; it is not free software but...well I won't go any further with the but)

I don't remember the intricacies of getting software onto a Mac from a Windows system but I remember I did figure it out eventually by tinkering, so you should probably make similar progress as well.
 
Yeah, install Stuffit on the Mac. If it has PC Exchange, it will recognize it right away.

I'll check out that iCab, I have AOL and the now-useless eWorld installed on mine, but I want to try something else out.

How was connecting to a network, NathanAllan? Did you use the driver software or just plug in and go?
 
Oh, and how are you connecting it? Directly to a cable modem, or a router connected wirelessly to a cable modem?

If you could explain how you got your connection, I would appreciate it.
 
Last edited:
I looked into getting iCab but for that I'll need an OS upgrade, and for *that* I'll need a larger ram chip, and I don't have that type anywhere right now and can't afford anything either.

It's at OS 7.5 with 32MB ram, and according to the About this Mac... window it is using most of it already with very little free. Also has a ~350MB hdd.

How it is connected is through one router to a modem, got lights-on so it is connected but without a browser I can't really do anything with it. I'll need to find some utility or learn more about this OS before I can really work it or see what's going on. Times like this I wish for ifconfig in a terminal window!! One thing I forgot to check is if the router was assinging it an IP address, that would have helped (just busy).

I love older Apples but I guess I have forgotten most of my learnings :( So now I guess I'm looking for ram for it. One thing I did do yesterday was add a heatsink to that processor (can't believe they shipped without one). It was getting hot!

Once I get the right ram for it I'll upgrade the OS and get iCab. Maybe a new hdd and a CD-RW would be great for it. There's an older scsi one here but no caddy for it. Working on it.

Nathan
 
350 MB is minuscule for a Performa running 7.5. My 6230CD has a 1.2GB harddrive, and it still has 300MB free, the OS takes up around 700MB.
 
You said it had only one slot, right? (for the ram) Will it take more than 32mb?

My newer models like the 6220cd will only take 64, thats 32mb per slot.
 
I'll have to open it up and take a look at what else can be put into it. This was a cost reduced model, so some of the expansion was never installed. The 7.5 disks are here, so if I need to reinstall I can do it the viontage way or else I can burn a cd from the apple site.

A new hdd is definitely wanted, and I think the second ram slot was not there, too. I'll pull the board tomorrow and take a few good pictures of it, see what I can learn from it.

At least I now have an ethernet card in there. One upgrade accomplished. A little at a time.

/edit Looks like I'm not getting any more ram, according to everymac.com, here are a link to the specs:

http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/mac_performa/stats/mac_performa_638cd.html

and do mine eyes deceive me, does it really have an IDE drive?? I thought all older Macs had SCSI in there??
 
Some of the cheaper performa models went to IDE (I know the 6200, 6400, 6500 series was IDE while the Powermac 6100, 7100, 8100, 7500, 8500, 9500 stuck with SCSI).
 
Having IDE in there means I have a drive ready for it NOW. How big is the largest it can take, anyone know?? iirc I have a lower gig one around somewhere, maybe 6GB. Excellent news.

Also, I'm going to give a slight upgrade a shot since I'm already at my max ram anyway.
 
I don't know if there's a limit, but IDE harddrives can be pretty big. What I would wonder how to do is how to format it for a Mac and how to install the system software on it.
 
Any OS install CD has the tools to format a HD (boot from the CD). The issue you have with Performa IDE drives is speed, they are not DMA enabled and probably ATA/16 (slowest) interface. Anything under 8gb should be plenty of space.
 
No chance to play with it today, but I do have a Seagate ST38421a 8.4GB ready to go in, and both the floppies and a disk image for the new OS. When I get the chance I'll get it installed.
 
Sure, but I have to get everything imaged/copied first from a Mac-- I have done similar projects before, had bad results from windows. So please give me time and I'll upload the disks for you no problem. Soon, when I get the chance to get it done.
 
I finally got my card today, I plugged it in and it recognized it right away!

I don't have an extra cable modem, but I'm getting that soon. I would be happy to have some of those OSes, but I can't seem to be able to burn a Mac-compatible disc on my PC.
 
Covered up with actual work, so no time to get to the fun stuff right now.

@Tupin, I made a cd from my win pc, just made it as a data disk and it read fine; gave me the name of the disk an everything. Tip: burn slow. Also, I used Nero 6 as my burner program. The windows burn function has led to crappy results.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top