OT: paging MAC expert(s) --- What's a Performa? - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

18 Nov 2001

...
  Date: Sat, 17 Nov 2001 11:13:51 -0700
 From: "Richard Erlacher" &lt;edick(a)idcomm.com&gt;
 Subject: Re: OT:  paging MAC expert(s) --- What's a Performa?

 Right now, I'm pretty concerned about how to crack open the box without
 breaking
 it, so I can inspect the hard disk to see what it is, physically.  Does
 anybody
 have a recipe for doing that? 
I think I saw someone offer you the service manual. If not, contact me
off-line for a copy (pdf).

In short, on the underside of the front bezel are two tabs. You need to use
a large flat screwdriver, in a twistint motion, to release them. At that
point, the whole front should come off.

The hard drive is behind a shield under the floppy drive. IIRC, you need to
remove one screw to remove the shield. The drive is on a sled with a release
tab.

...
  Moreover, I imagine I'll use one of the
considerably larger IDE types I've set
 aside from PC use to replace the drives now in the machines.  It's safe to
 assume, however, that NOT any IDE drive will work, since Apple Computers, Inc.
 didn't like folks buying hardware at a resonable price from someone else
 rather
 than allowing Apple to gouge them.  (part of the MAC culture, I guess) 
True for SCSI drives. Oddly enough, Apple's Drive Setup will deal with
pretty much any IDE drive.
  I 
...
  note,
 also, that the CDROM is SCSI.  That being the case, I'd like to see whether
 there's room for a SCSI HDD in the box.  There certainly is room in the system
 (logically).  That would work even better, since I have lots of extra SCSI
 drives.   
The problem is, that in the 630 series, the only internal connectors to the
SCSI chain are in the CD-ROM bay. Better to stay with IDE drives internally
(nothing to stop you from an external SCSI drive).

...
  Have any of you MAC gurus got experience with
replacing MAC IDE
 drives? 
You're limited to PIO mode 3 (max). Also, Western Digital drives over about
1.2GB don't seem to work correctly. Mine has a 3GB Seagate drive, though it
came to me with a 600mb WD drive and I briefly installed a 500mb Quantum.

The big thing you need is a copy of Drive Setup.

...
  It looks as though the drives in the boxes are 250 MB
or so, which might be
 adequate for some things, but I doubt it would be adequate for internet
 activity. 
Hmm... I think that's a matter of perspective. MacOS and a browser will fit
well enough. Just not a lot of room left for downloads, etc.

<<<John>>>