Minimal System Install - how to determine which Mac?

#1 Tue, 20 Jan 2009 - 23:25

Hello, I've got a System 7.0 start up disk that someone installed a minimal system on. How can I determine which Mac was chosen? Every Mac I put it in says the usual message and won't start up.

#2 Tue, 20 Jan 2009 - 23:33

Hello, I've got a System 7.0 start up disk that someone installed a minimal system on. How can I determine which Mac was chosen? Every Mac I put it in says the usual message and won't start up.

What size disk? If an 1440k one can rule out Mac Plus, II and early SE.

#3 Tue, 20 Jan 2009 - 23:36

What size disk? If an 1440k one can rule out Mac Plus, II and early SE.

Yes, it is a high-density disk. The disk itself is from a set of disks I acquired. I have a suspicion that the model was a Quadra, because I also got a Quadra 650 Disk tools disk. So if I can put two and two together, I can assume that this unknown minimal system disk is for a Quadra 650. However, I wonder if there's something more definitive.

#4 Wed, 21 Jan 2009 - 01:06

However, I wonder if there's something more definitive.

What is special about it? Most Mac OS installers can create minimal installs for target machines.

#5 Wed, 21 Jan 2009 - 02:21

What Macs are you trying to run it on? Quadras need 7.0.1, IIRC they will not run straight 7.0. I'd say there's a chance that 7.0 may simply be too old for the Macs that you're trying it with.

#6 Wed, 21 Jan 2009 - 03:24

Are there any "System Enabler XXX" files in the System Folder? If there are that should start giving you a clue. Eg 001 is for IIvx/IIvi.

#7 Wed, 21 Jan 2009 - 20:06

From what I recall, it was System 7.1 which introduced the concept of enablers. Since this disk is 7.0, there's no enabler needed.

Anyway, there must be a Mac machine ID in the System file somewhere that is compared to the ID of the current Mac and if they don't match, then you get the "Minimal system, please run the installer" error at start up. I just wish I knew the location of this ID, and a list of corresponding Mac model names.

What Macs are you trying to run it on?

I tried it on an LC, a Classic, and a Quadra 605.

#8 Wed, 21 Jan 2009 - 20:16

From what I recall, it was System 7.1 which introduced the concept of enablers. Since this disk is 7.0, there's no enabler needed.

Then that limits the options

Code:

System 7 Compatibility
----------------------


Macintosh           7.1.2   7 Pro    7.1    7.0.1    7.0 
---------           -----   -----   -----   -----   -----
Plus                  !       !       OK      OK      OK
SE                    !       OK      OK      OK      OK
SE/30                 !       OK      OK      OK      OK
Classic               !       OK      OK      OK      OK
Classic II            !       OK      OK      OK      !
Color Classic         !       OK      OK      !       !


Portable              !       OK      OK      OK      OK


II                    !       OK      OK      OK      OK
IIx                   !       OK      OK      OK      OK
IIcx                  !       OK      OK      OK      OK
IIci                  !       OK      OK      OK      OK
IIfx                  !       OK      OK      OK      OK
IIsi                  !       OK      OK      OK      OK

LC                    !       OK      OK      OK      OK
LC II                 !       OK      OK      OK      OK

Quadra 700            *       OK      OK      OK      !
Quadra 900,950        *       OK      OK      OK      !
PowerBook 100         !       OK      OK      OK      !
PowerBook 140,        !       OK      OK      OK      !
145,145B,170

Source:

http://pagesperso-orange.fr/jerome.vernet/histmacos/src/system%20compatibility%20chart.TXT