![[Mac Plus system]](mac-sm.jpg)
THis page was most recently updated Dec 10 2007. Links may be old however.
THis page was most recently updated Dec 10 2007. Links may be old however.
I have a variety of systems, acccessories, and parts for the "compact" or "9-inch" Apple Macintosh line, the Mac II series, and PowerMacs. Check my Mac home page for links to my stuff for sale via this pointer.
Meanwhile, this page lists Web sites which offer supporting information for these and related Apple Macintosh products. When ordering or to email me, please follow this link for ordering information, terms and conditions, and info about orders outside the USA.
It's all I can do to offer a variety of good Mac hardware: I can't also
provide all the information and software for these products! But there
are many INFORMATIVE Mac sites and discussion groups, selective Web searches will find them.
In the meantime, below are some pointers to some neat Mac sites
I've come across.As for books and early software,I have a few, listed in my books and software section.
Apple offers older operating systems such as
7.5.3, 7.0 & 6.0.8; you will need an operating Mac to create Mac disks from
these sites. I can provide copies of 800K and 400K system disks as a courtesy
for systems 7.0, 6.0.8 and some earlier, as released by Apple for redistribution,
for a modest fee.
Apple Developers Web site Tech Notes and other technical documents are indexed from this page (as of Dec 2004). Search for PDF's of Apple documents.
Here's a list of ALL of Apple's monitors by model number (MXXXX), as of Oct 2006
Apple Discussion groups. This Apple site sponsors a number of discussions of Apple products and services, including "older products" forums. This link added Aug 2004.
Apple Legacy Product Support Web page. Links to some (but not all) of Apple's LEGACY (old stuff) documents, FAQ's and other information, and to Apple's legacy discussion groups. This link added July 2004.
the menu for specifications
(brief technical features) of Apple's older products;
the menu page for Apple's "legacy" manuals;
a tech note with PDF links for System 7, 7.5 and 7.6 manuals.
to Apple's site to download older software;
a list of links to
to older software from Apple for download;
Search Apple's Knowledge Base Archive . Please note that to search for information PRIOR TO 1997, you must check off the box for "content prior to 1997"
Power Macintosh: Using FPM, EDO, SDRAM, and SGRAM [memory]
article 19456 from Apple's Knowledge Base Archive
Power Macintosh: Memory Configurations
article 20434 from Apple's Knowledge Base Archive
Apple has a list of Macintosh port pinouts (cable pinouts) at this link as of 2005 titled "technical note HW19 Pinouts" in their retired TechNOtes section.
Low End Mac's Web site has a tremendous amount of information about how to use, modify, and upgrade older Macs. Their descriptions are very informative. You'll probably create your own Web links to specific sections on this site.
These are ordered from newest (to me) at the top, and roughly grouped by common topic. I cull out the dead ones as time permits; I last checked all these links was Dec 2 2002; but new links are added occasionally. Suggestions for other pointers would be appreciated. If you have a relevant Web page, please link to ME and ask me to link to YOU. I suggest you link to my Mac home page which will have links to all my major Mac pages.
Apparently in Dec 2007, the "info-mac" forum, retired in 2005, was revived! Check this Web site for the revived forum, and an archive of the previous forum. A referenced article on the TidBITS page was the retirement message and described Info-Mac as "the oldest of Macintosh services on the Internet".
Vintage Mac World has a lot of old documents about old Macs and vendors from the 80's and early 90's.
Another archive of mostly Radius documents
A private Web site devoted to the IIci is at this link.. There is a variety of info there including some repair info. Apparently last updated in 2005.
A private site full of older 68K-based Mac info is Home Page of Gamba. Subjects include Mac OS's, boot disks, Manuals, browsers, video card info, RAM and ROM IC codes, etc. Check it out!
Here's a site which, in 2006, is offering discussion and support for System 7! System 7 Today "was created in the fall of 2005 by Bradley University student Dan Palka, after he realized that there was no real good internet resource covering the topics of using Mac OS 7.6.1 in the modern computing era."
A FREE database of information about Macintosh systems. Runs on Windows or Mac. Check Mactracker at their Web site. Highly rated by a number of Mac oriented magazines. Run it on your own system, no Web access needed.
Asante has some old Mac network card support at this link.
A Powerbook fan has a Web site which describes older Powerbook features. Apparently it's "static" (not updated) since about 2003.
A fan of the PowerMac 5300 laptop has a 5300 FAQ on a company Web site. Apparently Alksoft provides freeware to the Mac community, so the site says.
A Google search for PRAM batteries led me to this page. It's a few years old (2003), by Charles D Phillips of Academ Consulting Services in Texas.
An interesting Web site for old Mac info is Vintage Mac World by Phil Beesley. It looks pretty comprehensive for Apple II, Apple II and the earliest Macs, As of this date it's currently maintained.
While looking for Mac networking info, I noticed the mac512.com Web site has a good descritption of early Mac networking, and suggestions on how old and newer Macs can network. Check it out for mixed Ethernet and AppleTalk/Phonenet operation.
Some information on Apple floppy drives is on this Web page, a private Web site. There is a link to another Web site which has a history of Apple floppy drives. Yet another link on the FIRST 3.5" drive is at this private page but it may not persist.
An unusual source of information for the oldest Macs - Apple's Web domain at mac.com - has a page on "pre-System 7 Macs" hardware and software. Check Apple Macintosh before System 7 by Eric Rasmussen written Aug 8 2005.
Mac speedups by "clock chipping" are on this page buried on mac.com's domain. Covers the very earliest Macs through G4's.
A customer who wanted HD20 software referred me to this site: Apple Macintosh before System 7 by Eric Rasmussen. It's a chronology of early Macs and OS's in the 128K 512K Plus era. Has a link to Apple docs on the subject but offers corrections supposedly based on original disks.
Apple's C development tools are available for their 68K and PowerMac products for download. Check Apple MPW tools Web page for details.
A lot of Apple/Mac manuals are in PDF format on this site Whoopis.com. No idea who is responsible for this site. They may have other site material that you might disagree with.
An inquiry from an S-100 customer Kiel Bryant Hosier led me to his site which celebrates the 20th anneversary of the Mac with exhibits of artifacts from Mac development and use. Very interesting, check it out! He also has an exhibit of "computer art". What is that, I asked? Turns out Kiel has artistic sketches of robots "made" from very old computers, including the earliest Macs of course. Ask him for details, mention my site if you wish.
The Web site C-trl 68K is about a facility, lounge, and resource in San Francisco (CA USA) which mixes "lo-tech" 68K machine restroration with performance art and DJ music. As of 2004 they have 300 (three hundred!) Compact Macs, many of them networked for gaming; and occasional events and performances. Thanks to local recycling support, they have piles of laptops too. A staggering collection of retrotech! They recently asked me for some network cards and mentioned their site. Check them out!
Full of Mac [SE/30] site. Repair tips, links to software and resources. Site in Japan but most stuff in English.
If you want to hook up your old, non-Ethernet Apple printer to a Ethernet network, consider buying a "printer server". Those are Ethernet routers which also have a serial or parallel printer connection port - most are parallel port to support old Windows/IBM-type printers. But many Mac printers also have parallel ports. Recently (Aug 2004) a customer offered this recommendation: "I use a (LinkSys) EtherFastR 3-Port 10/100 PrintServer, Model: EPSX3. For more information check this link: http://www.linksys.com/products/product.asp?grid=34&scid=32&prid=437
Disk2FDI Web site claims to have software to read Apple II disks on a Windows/PC system. A trial version is all software, a registered version requires a simple cable adapter to the parallel port. I have no idea if this really works. Anyone who tries this, let me know.
Idiot's Guide to Mac Cases is a private site that describes how to open up Macs. Go figure, but it's a useful concept.
I came across an old Mac FAQ about Internet use and software from 1997. It supports Mac Plus, SE and Powerbook 100's. The sites referenced by it are dead, but I saved the document. Here is a link to it.
For System 6 or 7.0 users who want to use a Stylewriter II printer, check this page from Apple's old software archives for the download "GrayShare_Update_1.0.sea.bin". This is a printer driver and Chooser update. There are also later drivers for the Stylewriter II which may work, search that page for those.
Pure Mac Web site apparently has been around for several years. A well edited list of links to many Apple and Mac software downloads, with brief descriptions. Also a bit of help about downloading. No info about using PC's to download for Macs however.
Mac Driver Museum. Private site for a LOT of Mac support software for older Macs and older Mac OS's. Seems to be currently active.
XPostFacto from Other World Computing apparently allows you to run OS X on PowerMac 7300, 7500, 7600 systems among other pre-G3 Macs. Free download but $10 registration for access to on-line discussions.
Hammer Storage, who made the FWB series of SCSI drives and controllers, (jackhammer, sledgehammer, etc.) was purchased by Bell Microproducts. The Bell Web site has a section devoted to Hammer products at this link as of June 2003.
info on NewerTech accelerators A mirror for DayStar's old Web site as of Feb 2002
"neat stuff" on Apple II, III, old Macs. Advice and info. a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for Macs.
Idiot's guide to Mac Cases How to open Macs. Go figure.
There is a NewerTech Web site at newertech.com which lists
Other World Computing as their sole distributor. They
have NewerTech and other software drivers at this link
try this link as well, a customer suggested it.
Info on 400K Mac drives, networking old Macs, System 6, more!
Home for orphaned Mac driver software Extensions also I assume.
Macintosh IIci site That says it all. INformative on upgrades.
Born Again runs OS 8.1 on many 68030 Macs.
Commercial product with free trial period download.
How to Mac articles like How to speed up your LC III.
Lotsa good ideas for older Macs.
School reburb, use of LC III's
Educator's site on how he acquired, fixed and distributed LC III's for student use.
A history of SuperMac company, links to descriptions of old Radius products, including Radius.com, are gone. Anyone with a Web link to old Radius products for Macs, please inform me accordingly.
Japan-based Powerbook users organization (in English)
Univ of chicago Tech Notes, including Apple/Mac. Printer info, Mac drivers, displays, networking, MS-DOS cards, more!
this link is to Global Village's software Web site, for their Teleport series of Mac modems
"Idiot's Guide to Mac Cases", to help install drives and other items
Copyright © 2007 Herb Johnson
Herb Johnson
New Jersey, USA
here's how to email @ me or order