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Should I restore an old Mac?

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  • Should I restore an old Mac?

    A friend just gave me a Mac Performa 580CD computer, (the beige computers with a CRT monitor and the PC components all in one body) and I just googled the model number, and I LMAO!

    It was a teachers' computer, and someone said that it didn't work.

    Is there life in this?

    (and for you mac geeks, if you want it, then just PM your info. It doesn't have a mouse nor a power cord)
    How'd I get so white and nerdy?

  • #2
    Re: Should I restore an old Mac?

    You may want to do some research at Low End Mac.com website. The Performa 580 is a Quadra class Macintosh utilizing a Motorola 68040 chip.. and the disabled version at that (kept prices low in the Performa line in those days).

    The Mac is at least 10 years old and can run operating systems 7.5 to OS 8.1. Hopefully the thing can boot and something shows up on the desktop. If not you will have to look around for these operating systems. One of Low End Mac's sponsors sells older operating systems. You can also go to Apple's website and download System 7.5 for free, however it may be humbug for you to try and get it out of a PC and to a Mac.

    For instructions on how to download old Mac files on a PC and then change it over to Mac, go to Jagshouse on the web: http://www.jagshouse.com/index.html

    Read this article "How to Download Mac Files on a PC". I don't know how well this works, but from all accounts, I have heard it does. I don't have a PC so I have never tried it myself.

    Once you get an OS going on this ancient Mac, which by the way is not a Power PC model, what do you want to do with it?

    The Mac will run older versions of word processors such as MS Word and Word Perfect for the Mac. If this came from a school more than likely you may have ClarisWorks 4.2 already installed. You can do word processing, drawing and spreadsheets with that.

    Internet? Hmmm... doesn't have built in ethernet, which mean high speed connection is out of the question. You can go with dialup and see if your ISP can provide connectivity with the ancient software used in 68K Macs to do that. Most old Mac browsers can't render newer websites correctly.

    About the only multimedia you can do is Quicktime movies up to version 3.0, midi file creation and playback... MP3s are out of the question. No iTunes, iMovies or any of that stuff. You can play standard CDs with this.

    Pretty much this is a good writing tool and simple desktop publishing platform (think Pagemaker 4.2).

    Probably the most fun thing you can do with this, is go to a Mac website that has old games and download those. There were a lot of freeware and shareware games for 680x0 Macs in the late 1980s and early 1990s. I have a couple of CDs loaded with these things. Only reason for me to keep an old Mac IIsi around.
    Last edited by mel; September 3, 2005, 06:20 PM.
    I'm still here. Are you?

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    • #3
      Re: Should I restore an old Mac?

      You could always turn it into a Macquarium.

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      • #4
        Re: Should I restore an old Mac?

        Originally posted by Glen Miyashiro
        You could always turn it into a Macquarium.
        Nah, after someone made a G4 case into a trashbin, I think Mac users deserve more respect for the older machines. You don't see a Mac user making a trashbin out of an alienware do you?
        How'd I get so white and nerdy?

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        • #5
          Re: Should I restore an old Mac?

          That's because Alienware cases are not proprietary and you can throw in an aftermarket mobo in it.

          What would be neat would be to throw in a late model Apple G-whatever mobo into an Alienware case and tease your friends by telling them you got this fantastic Mac emulator program when you boot it up to the desktop.
          Life is what you make of it...so please read the instructions carefully.

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