(image courtesy DayStar Digital)
(image courtesy DayStar Digital) |
The Unofficial Turbo 601 SiteMacOS 8 |
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17 August - Updated the MacOS 8 Installation Guide to reflect the fact that if a Turbo 601 upgraded Mac gets re-set to 030 mode for some reason then it should be possible to boot from the MacOS CD. A system 7.5 boot floppy is therefore not required
Added a report from Jubel Chen to the Readers' Reports section.
12 August - Added a report from Brent Thompson to the Readers' Reports section.
I'm indebted to Gary Girolimon for clarifying the following:
(a) A Mac with a Turbo 601 upgrade will not boot with MacOS 8 in 030 Mode.
(b) It would appear that the Turbo 601 System Enabler is NOT required for the Turbo 601 to operate in PowerPC mode with the MacOS 8. Gary writes:
I had a few minutes today to head over to our print shop and check out the old II ci. System 8 installs a control panel called "601 processor upgrade" which seems to have the same function as the "Turbo 601 Control." It gives you the option of restarting with the 601 upgrade card on or off.If you choose "off", the computer will not start up. You are presented with a message that states: "This operating system will not work with this computer." You will have to reboot from the CD and set the "601 processor upgrade" to "on." You might want to do this and then discard the control panel so that someone doesn't accidentally turn it off. Never the less, the Daystar-supplied "Turbo 601 System Enabler" extension is not required as far as I can tell. I am not using it and the computer works just fine and is very stable.
Bronson has also confirmed that his IIci/Turbo 601 runs OK with MacOS 8 WITHOUT the Turbo 601 System Enabler.
Personally, I would prefer using the DayStar "Turbo 601 Control Panel" over the Apple "601 Processor Upgrade"--it does allow control of a number of parameters that the Apple Control Panel doesn't (SCSI Manager 4.3, CacheOn/Off etc).
The fact that the Turbo 601 System Enabler does not seem to be required for PowerPC operation with MacOS 8 is something I just find plain confusing. My instinct is that it is probably safer to keep it in the System Folder, but I can provide no rational or evidence for that opinion.
If the Turbo 601 and MacOS 8 work OK for you using Apple's Control Panel without the Turbo 601 System Enabler then what the hell...! Go for it!! But I can't explain it.
Intuitively, this SEEMS to imply that the hardware and software architecture that controls the 601 upgrade cards is common across the Turbo 601, PowerPro and Apple Upgrade cards. After all, the stuff that MacOS installs that works just fine with our Macs is actually MEANT for the PowerPC upgrade cards in 040 Macs. It's not intended for 030/Turbo 601 Macs, but, nonetheless, it works just fine.
24 July - This new section started for MacOS 8 topics. Everything in this section is under construction and regular updates will be added as we learn more about MacOS 8 /Turbo 601 combination.
Neither DayStar or Apple support MacOS 8 running on Turbo 601 upgraded Macs. What exactly does this mean?
What it means is that neither DayStar or Apple have tested MacOS 8 on a Turbo 601 upgraded machine. Because of this, neither DayStar or Apple will be prepared to help anyone who runs into problems using MacOS 8 with the Turbo 601.
It DOES NOT mean that MacOS 8 will not work with the Turbo 601. In fact the evidence is quite conclusive that MacOS 8 will install and run OK on a Turbo 601 machine. It is a worthwhile upgrade for owners of the Turbo 601 and offers both speed and stability improvements.
It's all to do with Gestalt IDs--
If you are using System 7.5 or 7.5.1 on a Mac fitted with a Turbo 601 the Mac returns a Gestalt ID of 207, 208, 209 or 210 depending on the base model. If you try to install MacOS 7.6, 7.6.1 or in the future MacOS 8 on a machine returning any of these Gestalt IDs you will get an error message saying that the installer doesn't support that particular model of Mac.
Strictly speaking this is correct. Apple does not OFFICIALLY support Macs with DayStar upgrade cards.
BUT--if you install System 7.5.3 on any Turbo 601 upgraded Mac then the Gestalt ID changes to 104 regardless of the base model. NOW THIS IS THE INTERESTING BIT. Gestalt ID 104 is really an LC475 (68040-based) with PPC upgrade--it's not a Turbo 601 upgraded Mac at all.
I have not been able to clarify if this is deliberate or not (I suspect not--I reckon it's just good luck), but either way this is what allows Turbo 601 owners to install and run Systems later than 7.5.3.
SO, once you've installed System 7.5.3 you can then go on and install System 7.5.5, MacOS 7.6, MacOS 7.6.1, and in the future MacOS 8 because the installer thinks you've got an 040 Mac with a PowerPC upgrade. Obviously our machines are NOT LC475s with PPC upgrade, BUT the System that gets installed works just fine with our Macs. What we actually get is a System for a Mac that is a "Power Macintosh Upgrade"--where, in this case, "Power Macintosh Upgrade" really means an 040 Mac with a PPC upgrade card fitted.
(Note--if you currently use Systems 7.5 or 7.5.1 you can go straight to a MacOS 8 installation without installing System 7.5.3 by using the MachID Wannabe utility. For more information see the MacOS 8 Installation Guide below.)
That this happens probably isn't as much of a surprise as you might think. Some of the PPC upgrade cards sold by Apple for 040 Macs were really re-badged DayStar cards--so by supporting the 040 upgraded Macs (which Apple MUST do because they sold the upgrade cards!!) Apple seems to have inadvertently kept the Turbo 601 in the game!!!
The problem that we might have is that our Turbo 601 upgraded Macs will probably not boot in 030 mode with MacOS 8. I never run my Mac in 030 mode anyway so I don't see this as much of a problem. It could prove problematic if the PRAM gets zapped because that re-sets the Turbo 601 to 030 mode--but the way out of this would be to boot from a System 7.5 emergency floppy and switch the Turbo 601 back to PowerPC mode and then reboot with MacOS 8.
TO SUMMARISE. MacOS 8 WILL successfully install and run on a Turbo 601 upgraded Mac in PPC mode because the installer thinks that the machine is an LC475 with PowerPC upgrade.
Although MacOS is NOT officially supported on Turbo 601 upgraded Macs, it WILL work OK because of the circumstances I have outlined above. It's worth pointing out we'll be entirely on our own. If it all goes wrong neither DayStar or Apple will be prepared to help. BUT--this has been the situation since 7.5.3 (DayStar will only help if you're still using System 7.5.1) and many, many people are successfully using System 7.5.5, MacOS 7.6 and MacOS 7.6.1 with their Turbo 601.
The other thing that's not clear is how well MacOS 8 will combine with the Turbo 601 and NuBus expansion cards. I've got a Radius Thunder/24 GT, FWB/StreamLogic JackHammer and Sonic Solutions Ethernet card fitted to my Mac IIvi/Turbo 601. This lot works beautifully with MacOS 7.6.1 and I'm hoping that everything will be compatible with MacOS 8. Unfortunately there's only going to be one way to find out...!
It's really up to you here--if you feel confident about troubleshooting your Mac then installing and using MacOS 8 shouldn't be too difficult. BUT--Caveat Emptor, Mea Culpa, Your Mileage May Vary....etc...etc
If you are running Systems 7.5.3, 7.5.5, 7.6 or 7.6.1 installation is straightforward. Just follow the instructions on the MacOS 8 CD. It's that simple!
If you can, we recommend booting from the MacOS 8 CD and then running the installation (note that you might not be able to boot from the CD depending on what CD-ROM you have fitted).
If you can't boot from the CD then you can make a suitable MacOS 8 boot floppy from the images supplied on the MacOS 8 CD.
If you're still running System 7.5 or 7.5.1 it's a bit more complicated, but it's still not difficult. Here's what you need to do.
Important Information (added 17 August)
If, for any reason, your Turbo 601 upgraded Mac gets re-set to 030 mode it will NOT boot with MacOS 8. You will get a mesage that says "This operating system will not work with this computer".
If this happens then you can boot from the MacOS 8 CD and use either Apple's 601 Processor Upgrade Control Panel or Daystar's Turbo 601 Control Panel to re-set the Turbo 601 to PowerPC mode. You can use whichever one of these you have installed in your boot drive's Control Panel folder (the 601/030 mode setting is held in PRAM so it doesn't have to set-up from the boot volume).