Bootdisk? Rescue disk? First Aid disk?

[iolair]

I am a Unix/Novell/Windows admin who just received a PowerBook 5300c to learn the Mac OS on. It has version 7.5.3 of the Mac OS on the laptop. The PowerBook has a floppy drive. I ran the Mac OS Disk First Aid to check the hard disk, and it said to run repair. I can't run repair on this disk, because it is the startup disk and the Mac OS says it is locked. Is there a way to create a bootable floppy disk with Disk First Aid on it, that will allow me to fix the hard drive errors? What is the normal procedure? In Windows, I would format a floppy disk with the necessary boot files, (command.com, io.sys, and msdos.sys) and add a couple of utilities to the disk - scandisk and defrag. Any help would be appreciated.

Iolair MacWalter

 

[jimoblak]

I would not recommend trying to learn MacOS on system 7.5. This is like trying to learn Windows 3.1 today: USELESS!

You have my sympathies if you are a system admin for users still stuck on anything prior to OS9.

You could just as easily get a Mac emulator on your PC to tinker with this very old OS. There is not even much point to learning OS9 anymore. You have a doorstop/paperweight in your hands.

It has been so long since I used 7.5 that I barely recall making a system disk. You basically copy the 'Finder' and 'System' and 'Disk First Aid' files to the floppy.

- - picklefish - -
Why is everyone in this forum responding to me as picklefish?

 

[iolair]

jimoblak - Thanks! Have you had any experience with Unix? I ask that because I know Mac OS X is basically an implementation of BSD ported to the Mac. I'm wondering if I would be able to use any of my previous BSD experience on Mac OS/X system.

Iolair MacWalter

 

[jimoblak]

As a unix user, you will soil your shorts in OSX. It is heaven. It has the capabilities of unix with all the glitz and glam of Apple design.

While OSX has a glitzy interface, you still have access to terminal and any other gearhead utilities you want.

X11 runs on OSX and you can get unix standards from

http://fink.sourceforge.net/

(don't even think about using that older laptop for OSX )

- - picklefish - -
Why is everyone in this forum responding to me as picklefish?