beachycove:
Giving up so soon? I have installed a CF Card in a 5300ce and a 1400c with the addonics CF-ATA adapter and after 6 months of use on each, no problems.
Now, I know these aren't the infamously fussy 2400c, which itself, is almost as fussy as the PowerBook Wallstreet, but perhaps you should check out my install guide for the 5300 here:
http://www.thisoldmac.ca/wordpress/2008/09/13/late-night-powerbook-5300ce-flash-hard-drive/
Note the following:
You should install the Mac OS before you install the adapter with card into your 2400c, not try to install the Mac OS when it is in your computer. How did I install to the CF Card? I used a 1400c with a CD ROM drive and just installed MAC OS 8.6 from the CD to the CF Card that was sitting in the PC Card slot courtesy of a CF-PC Card adapter. Of course, the CF Card mounts on the desktop and allows you to install things to it, or copy files onto it.
BUT, I used Drive Setup in OS 8.6 that was running on my 1400c to format the CF Card to "Standard". So, I formatted, and then installed MAC OS 8.6 (generic installer) to the CF Card that was housed in the 1400c's PC Card slot via a CF-PC Card adapter. After it successfully installed, I then transplanted the CF card into the 5300ce (in this case).
But, it did not boot, so I switched the slot where the CF card was plugged in (my addonics adapter has two slots... dual). Bingo, on the next start up try it worked, and has ever since.
So, here is what I suspect:
1. Your card is not working properly because you can't install the Mac OS to it when in your 2400c (OS needs to be preinstalled like the method I detailed above)
2. You are using a dual slot CF Card adapter and your CF Card is in the wrong position
3. What the hell is Silverlining? Format your card with Apple's Drive Setup only.
Could be a combo of 1 and 2 meaning you need to change the CF Card's resting position from 1 slot to the other AND it is simply not a good idea to try and install the OS to it whilst in your computer. Use PC Card adapters for all your CF Cards and install to it that way by it being in x machine's PC Card slot and mounted on the desktop.
Also note that formatting these drives with older OSes like 7 or below, and then trying to install newer OSes like 9 could cause some problems to. I have found that for the most success, format drives and work with systems that are the same as or similar to the systems you are going to install. So, if you want OS 9 on the 2400c, format the drive and install OS 9 to it in an OS 9 environment (a PowerBook Wallstreet is handy for this).
I think if you follow my advice you will be successful... I am also about to attempt a CF Card install into a 2400c...
A third possibility:
There is really something flakey about your CF adapter, and, on that note:
Use the addonics adapter, they stand by their product and state it will work with pretty much any PowerBook.
I hope you don't give up, really... and use at least a Sandisk Extreme III card, it is an excellent card that allows for fast sequential read and writes, which basically means it is a very fast, dynamic card that is perfectly suited to a computer environment. Most other cards are garbage.
Giving up so soon? I have installed a CF Card in a 5300ce and a 1400c with the addonics CF-ATA adapter and after 6 months of use on each, no problems.
Now, I know these aren't the infamously fussy 2400c, which itself, is almost as fussy as the PowerBook Wallstreet, but perhaps you should check out my install guide for the 5300 here:
http://www.thisoldmac.ca/wordpress/2008/09/13/late-night-powerbook-5300ce-flash-hard-drive/
Note the following:
You should install the Mac OS before you install the adapter with card into your 2400c, not try to install the Mac OS when it is in your computer. How did I install to the CF Card? I used a 1400c with a CD ROM drive and just installed MAC OS 8.6 from the CD to the CF Card that was sitting in the PC Card slot courtesy of a CF-PC Card adapter. Of course, the CF Card mounts on the desktop and allows you to install things to it, or copy files onto it.
BUT, I used Drive Setup in OS 8.6 that was running on my 1400c to format the CF Card to "Standard". So, I formatted, and then installed MAC OS 8.6 (generic installer) to the CF Card that was housed in the 1400c's PC Card slot via a CF-PC Card adapter. After it successfully installed, I then transplanted the CF card into the 5300ce (in this case).
But, it did not boot, so I switched the slot where the CF card was plugged in (my addonics adapter has two slots... dual). Bingo, on the next start up try it worked, and has ever since.
So, here is what I suspect:
1. Your card is not working properly because you can't install the Mac OS to it when in your 2400c (OS needs to be preinstalled like the method I detailed above)
2. You are using a dual slot CF Card adapter and your CF Card is in the wrong position
3. What the hell is Silverlining? Format your card with Apple's Drive Setup only.
Could be a combo of 1 and 2 meaning you need to change the CF Card's resting position from 1 slot to the other AND it is simply not a good idea to try and install the OS to it whilst in your computer. Use PC Card adapters for all your CF Cards and install to it that way by it being in x machine's PC Card slot and mounted on the desktop.
Also note that formatting these drives with older OSes like 7 or below, and then trying to install newer OSes like 9 could cause some problems to. I have found that for the most success, format drives and work with systems that are the same as or similar to the systems you are going to install. So, if you want OS 9 on the 2400c, format the drive and install OS 9 to it in an OS 9 environment (a PowerBook Wallstreet is handy for this).
I think if you follow my advice you will be successful... I am also about to attempt a CF Card install into a 2400c...
A third possibility:
There is really something flakey about your CF adapter, and, on that note:
Use the addonics adapter, they stand by their product and state it will work with pretty much any PowerBook.
I hope you don't give up, really... and use at least a Sandisk Extreme III card, it is an excellent card that allows for fast sequential read and writes, which basically means it is a very fast, dynamic card that is perfectly suited to a computer environment. Most other cards are garbage.