5500/225 advice

[3nik]

Hi, I just found this site and it seems alive: it has recent posts, so I registered. Recently I dragged out my 5500/225 which I was given maybe 15 years ago.
Soon after getting it I updated it to 7.6.1, which, according to release notes I shouldn't have. I can't remember how I did it, I guess by downloading it on another machine and burning a CD. Now it starts up with extensions disabled but window borders look a bit stripey. Without disabling extensions I get a mess of bits of windows on the desktop.
My classic mac OS experience ended when I first put OSX on my 233MHz iMac and my 1GHz TiBook and I'm wondering whether maybe life is too short to bother with it.
Maybe I should try BeOS. I'd get rid of the 5500 if it wasn't so heavy to carry to my nearest recycling centre, so I wonder if I can justify keeping it just to have a CD player and floppy reader. How do I connect to an ethernet cable? Any thoughts?

 

[phipli]

Hi, I just found this site and it seems alive: it has recent posts, so I registered. Recently I dragged out my 5500/225 which I was given maybe 15 years ago.
Soon after getting it I updated it to 7.6.1, which, according to release notes I shouldn't have. I can't remember how I did it, I guess by downloading it on another machine and burning a CD. Now it starts up with extensions disabled but window borders look a bit stripey. Without disabling extensions I get a mess of bits of windows on the desktop.
My classic mac OS experience ended when I first put OSX on my 233MHz iMac and my 1GHz TiBook and I'm wondering whether maybe life is too short to bother with it.
Maybe I should try BeOS. I'd get rid of the 5500 if it wasn't so heavy to carry to my nearest recycling centre, so I wonder if I can justify keeping it just to have a CD player and floppy reader. How do I connect to an ethernet cable? Any thoughts?

If you just update it to Mac OS 8.1 it will be fine again.

The cheapest way to get ethernet is a PCI ethernet card. There are some common cheap models that work in old macs, for example, ones based around the RTL8139 or RTL8169S chip.

The mac drivers can be found here :

https://macintoshgarden.org/apps/realtek-rtl8169s-gigabit-ethernet-card-driver

https://macintoshgarden.org/apps/realtek-ethernet-pci-card-drivers-rtl8100blrtl8100clrtl8101lrtl8139cl-rtl8139clrtl8139dlrtl8100

The cards are common as muck on eBay for less than 10 monitory units of choice.

Mac OS 8.1 is here : https://macintoshgarden.org/apps/macintosh-system-81-mac-os-81

 

[3nik]

If you just update it to Mac OS 8.1 it will be fine again.

The cheapest way to get ethernet is a PCI ethernet card. There are some common cheap models that work in old macs, for example, ones based around the RTL8139 or RTL8169S chip.

The mac drivers can be found here :

https://macintoshgarden.org/apps/realtek-rtl8169s-gigabit-ethernet-card-driver

https://macintoshgarden.org/apps/realtek-ethernet-pci-card-drivers-rtl8100blrtl8100clrtl8101lrtl8139cl-rtl8139clrtl8139dlrtl8100

The cards are common as muck on eBay for less than 10 monitory units of choice.

Mac OS 8.1 is here : https://macintoshgarden.org/apps/macintosh-system-81-mac-os-81

Thanks, that's great, I take it 8.1 is as high as it'll go, then. I'll see if I've got 10 pesetas lying around anyway and meander down eBay ;-)

 

[phipli]

Thanks, that's great, I take it 8.1 is as high as it'll go, then. I'll see if I've got 10 pesetas lying around anyway and meander down eBay ;-)

It will go all the way to 9.1, or 9.2.2 with a bit of messing. You struggle to get OSX on them because they have low maximum RAM limits. I said 8.1 because it is the next "good" OS on from 7.6.1. Plus it's memory requirements are pretty similar to 7.6.1 and so without finding out how much RAM you have I know it will work fine

10 pesetas sounds fine to me people use those things to wedge doors open.

 

[3nik]

It will go all the way to 9.1, or 9.2.2 with a bit of messing. You struggle to get OSX on them because they have low maximum RAM limits. I said 8.1 because it is the next "good" OS on from 7.6.1. Plus it's memory requirements are pretty similar to 7.6.1 and so without finding out how much RAM you have I know it will work fine

10 pesetas sounds fine to me people use those things to wedge doors open.

ta again, I wouldn't try OSX on it, but I seem to remember 9.2.2 being much better behaved on the iMac than the 8's. I should try to max up the RAM too. I bought a stick off eBay before which didn't register in the 5500, so I presumed it was duff, I'll try again. I like the chime and the extra heat it throws out will be good in the winter.

 

[phipli]

ta again, I wouldn't try OSX on it, but I seem to remember 9.2.2 being much better behaved on the iMac than the 8's. I should try to max up the RAM too. I bought a stick off eBay before which didn't register in the 5500, so I presumed it was duff, I'll try again. I like the chime and the extra heat it throws out will be good in the winter.

Personally I wouldn't got past 8.6 for my only boot. 9.x is less stable on beige macs than it is on iMacs and other later macs, plus it takes forever to boot... and uses loads of RAM...

9.2.2 needs hacks to install on a beige mac, 9.1 is the maximum that just installs.

I'd just install 8.1 or 8.6

Well, I'd install both on two partitions, but then you'd have to wipe the machine and do a clean install.