Performa to MacBook, and AppleWorks Lives
OK I need to start actually posting to this site so I can publicize it, no better time than the present!
An interesting New and Vintage Mac mixed job last week. A client was migrating from an iMac G4 to a new (Unibody) MacBook. They also had an archive of ClarisWorks files on a Performa 62xx series machine that they wanted to use on the new laptop. And, they preferred to use ClarisWorks instead of Microsoft Office on the new computer if possible.
Transferring from the iMac to the MacBook was relatively easy, although the new MacBook’s lack of a FireWire port no longer makes Target Disk Mode a viable transfer option for this model (sigh…) They didn’t have a lot of data, however, so I just copied their personal files and a few applications to a USB flash drive, and from there onto the MacBook.
ClarisWorks morphed into AppleWorks before being discontinued by Apple many years ago. However copies are still available for sale online. Apple gave one last gift of life to this venerable product by updating it (in version 6) to run under Carbon in MacOS9, and thus later in MacOSX. AppleWorks 6.2.9 runs just fine in MacOSX Leopard on the new Intel Macs, and is speedier than ever! An Amazon.com seller had an original AppleWorks 6.2.9 install CD available, problem solved.
Getting the files off the Performa was more of a challenge. This Performa had a modem, floppy disk drive, and SCSI port. The newer Macs had USB, FireWire and Ethernet, but not the older ports. The easiest solution was to bring the Performa back to my office and transfer the files with my Museum gear.
The Performa started up fine, so I copied the ClarisWorks files to an external SCSI drive. Shut down the Performa, moved the drive to the next room, and reconnected it to a PowerBook Wallstreet which has SCSI and Ethernet. Power up, and the Wallstreet doesn’t see the external disk at all.
Odd. Maybe it doesn’t like the older HFS formatting (the Wallstreet uses HFS+ under MacOS9)? Unlikely, but I disconnect the drive again and connect it to a Quadra 840av, which uses HFS instead. No dice, same result. A drive is seen on the SCSI bus, but no volume (the actual data) is found. Can’t be read at all.
Hmmm. I try to reformat the drive, and it fails immediately. Apparently just carrying the old drive from room to room, or power cycling it on and off a few times after several dormant years, was enough to kill it. Such is life with old gear…
Awright. Repeat Process. Grab another SCSI disk from my stack, hookup in enclosure, connect to Performa, copy files, move drive to newer machine, and now everything is there. Copy files via Ethernet to my G4 Cube (the VMM central server), and then to my Mac Pro. All files open immediately in AppleWorks with no modifications. Painless – once they got there! I burn a CD-R with the files, and return the computer and disc to my client.
Next time I’ll tiptoe between rooms with the old SCSI drives…
ORIGINAL BLOGSPOT COMMENTS:
vamoe said…
Hi – I like the little you have up. I have an SE/30 I use daily in my kitchen with recipes.I used to have an application, sort of a mac History app, ran either in OS 9 or maybe on my newer G4 in OS X, that had all Macs (and maybe Apples also?), pictures, info, and STARTUP CHIME sounds, also chimes of death on each machine etc. Ever seen it? It may have been only OS 9 since I know I haven’t checked it lately, and I’ve upgraded most of our regularly used computers except the SE30 to OS X now, but I still have a G3 iMac on Os 9.
June 5, 2009 at 2:43 PM
Adam Rosen said…
I believe the application you’re referring to is MacTracker. A very useful app, I use it regularly: http://www.mactracker.ca
June 5, 2009 at 5:48 PM
Anonymous said…
If you do not mind my asking what does something like this cost? I do a lot of migrations (both Mac and Windows) for a few local shops and never know what to charge them. I usually hit them up for $100 to transfer all their files etc and some are telling me I work too cheap, in today’s economy however, something is better than nothing in my eyes.
December 1, 2009 at 5:58 PM
Adam Rosen said…
For file transfers and conversions billing is hourly, with a 1h minimum. There are too many variables involved – how easily can you read a disk, what kinds of files are contained, can they be batch converted or do you have to do manual Open/Save… conversions, etc. – to offer a fixed price per file or per disk.
Typically I try to give an estimate based on what clients tell me they have, then we keep in touch during the conversions. If someone has many disks/files but a limited budget, I ask them to prioritize what they need and I’ll tackle that first. More info about this process and my rates can be found on my website: http://www.oakbog.com/vintage.html
December 1, 2009 at 9:31 PM
Yuhong Bao said…
An alternative of course would be to replace the modem on the Performa with an Ethernet card.
April 10, 2010 at 8:14 PM
Yuhong Bao said…
“Apple gave one last gift of life to this venerable product by updating it (in version 6) to run under Carbon in MacOS9, and thus later in MacOSX.”
Yea, you know that AppleWorks 6 was one of the first Carbon apps? The original v6.0 version dating back to early 2000 shipped with CarbonLib 1.0.2!
April 10, 2010 at 8:21 PM
Adam Rosen said…
Interesting how one of Apple’s oldest apps, ClarisWorks, was both one of the early Carbon apps and – because of this – still a viable (if limited) piece of software in AppleWorks. That’s rare in the Mac world.
For this job putting an ethernet card in the Performa wouldn’t have helped with the file transfers. It was running System 7, which does not talk with any version of MacOSX. Transferring via FTP to an intermediate server could have worked, but removing the SCSI drive was an easier option not requiring any extra hardware.
April 11, 2010 at 7:50 PM