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Using old mac hardware for something... useful?

S

stultus

Golden Member
I liberated an old Quadra 800. Being the power PC user, I know nothing about mac hardware (particularly hardware circa 1993). Is there anything useful I can use this for (web server or something), or some alternative OS I can put on it. I'm guessing the answer is a resounding "no." (But if there is, this is a totally working system, sans monitor, power cable, mouse and keyboard.)

Next question: there was a 500-odd meg Seagate HD in there, using a 50-pin cable. Is there any way I can get it to talk with PC hardware, and what sort of conversion stuff would I need? I can always use an extra HD for a clunker, provided the adapter ribbon isn't $50 🙂
 
Originally posted by: stultus
I liberated an old Quadra 800. Being the power PC user, I know nothing about mac hardware (particularly hardware circa 1993). Is there anything useful I can use this for (web server or something), or some alternative OS I can put on it. I'm guessing the answer is a resounding "no." (But if there is, this is a totally working system, sans monitor, power cable, mouse and keyboard.)

Next question: there was a 500-odd meg Seagate HD in there, using a 50-pin cable. Is there any way I can get it to talk with PC hardware, and what sort of conversion stuff would I need? I can always use an extra HD for a clunker, provided the adapter ribbon isn't $50 🙂
Click to expand...
Heheh. I guess you don't know that Macs use PowerPC chips. 😉

Anyways, as far as I'm concerned that machine is now junk. You might be able to find a use for it I suppose. I personally wouldn't bother. It's supposed to share a case design with the 8500, which in my view is the worst case design in computing history.

Plus for the cost of the RAM, monitor adapter, a new SCSI drive (which may or may not work, depending on what OS you use and what software you have), etc. you'd be better off just going to the 2nd hand computer shop and buying a PII 266.

I just threw out my 8500 by the way, after I came to this conclusion. I built a Celeron 400 instead out of old parts (+ a $35 motherboard) and now have a very functional XP computer instead.
 
That would make a fun little NetBSD box. No need to upgrade the hard drive even! 😉

Eug: thats an m68k box, not a power pc machine. But thats the first thing I thought when he announced he is a Mac user! 😉
 
Installing freebsd on an x86 system would be challenging enough. I'm getting the idea that doing this on mac architecture, which I know nothing about, is probably not worth the trouble (unless I can just stick in netbsd and have it be running magically, which is not how I think things work ;-)).
 
Originally posted by: n0cmonkey
Eug: thats an m68k box, not a power pc machine.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I know. Just a little joke since he called himself a "power PC user". 😉

 
That 500MB hard drive is a regular old SCSI drive, it will work on a PC if you have a SCSI card. You can even use the cable from the Mac.

As far as doing anything useful, well, you can get Mac OS 7.5 for free from Apple's download page. Linux is gonna stink on there.
 
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