Power PC, what to do...?

[casperjr]

Hello

I have got a cast off PowerBase machine, as far as I am aware it as a Power PC inside, running a Mac OS on it, OsX 7 I think.

I would like to reinstall some thing more user friendly such as Ubuntu.

The problem so far is that I cant get it to read from the CD first before the HD.

Can someone point me in the right direction

Thanks

 

[OllyM]

If it's running OS7, then it's going to be exceedingly old - will it even run Ubuntu?!

 

[gobbo]

PowerBase machines are very old. not actually built by Apple, but by Power Computing.

The one you have sounds like it'll be the following spec:
PowerPC 603e CPU @ 240Mhz
1.2Gb IDE HDD
16Mb RAM
2Mb VRAM

Strangely enough Power Computing are now a part of Fujitsu-Siemens!

 

[punky_munky]

Don't know if this will work but on my mac mini you hold down C to boot from CD.

Dunno if ubuntu will run on that spec though... is it even compatible?

 

[BillytheImpaler]

At that age it will probably have SCSI hard disks. IIRC, SCSI is hot swappable. How about unplugging the hard disk before boot and seeing if it will pick the CD up as being next in line. Then, when it sees the CD but before it loads the Linux kernel try plugging the hard disk back in.

I dunno...

 

[casperjr]

I realise its an old machine.
I am sure that it could be put to some use, I have in the past had Windows XP running on a Pentuim II 133, slow but it did run.

Will have a look inside and find out what is in there.

The os loading screen appears really quick.