Yellow Dog on Macintosh 8200/120 System

[Marc Stergionis]

At about 11:14 AM +0000 on 3/13/03, Suzanne Payne wrote:
>>and I have managed to discover the following
>>
>>16Mbytes RAM
>>2Gbyte hard disc
>>CD-OM drive
>>Floppy disc drive
>>a version of MacOS installed but I do not know how to determine what
>>revision.
>>
>>My question to this group is
>>
>>Can I replace MacOS with Yellow Dog Linux on this system?  I have some
>>2Gbyte SCSI discs which could be used if they can be installed in the
>>case. I realise that I will probably have to increase the amount of RAM.
>
>To determine the OS release, once it has loaded, go to the Apple in 
>the top left corner and come down to "About This Macintosh".  A 
>window will appear telling you the OS version, and how much physical 
>RAM you have.
>
>You will still need to have a small partition with MacOS on 
>otherwise the YDL won't boot.  You will definately need more RAM.  I 
>*think* you can put a second HD into an 8200, but you should also be 
>able to have both MacOS (something like 7.6.1, which is pretty 
>small) and YDL on the same partition.  You'll probably find using X 
>windows a nightmare and might have to settle for command line only 
>Linux.  Of course to do that you'll need a bootable MacOS disc (cd 
>or floppy), to repartition the drive and install a base MacOS.  I 
>believe the machine can use OS 7.5.3 which luckilly for you is the 
>last freely downloadable OS from Apple.

Totally! If you check Apple's Support->Specifications pages, this 
machine shipped with a 1.2G drive and takes 168-pin DIMMS. Luckily 
it's a PCI machine, which means you won't need to jump the hoops that 
I did  with my now given-away NuBus 8100 clone!

I've never seen an 8200 (it says not available in the U.S.) but 
virtually all desktops and especially minitowers can take additional 
drives. You can even add FW, USB, processor upgrade etc. with PCI 
slots if you get crazy.

The sticking point is RAM. Go to <bttp://www.datamem.com> my 
favorite. Today's prices are $19 for a 64 meg DIMM and $24.95 for a 
128 meg DIMM. Apple disavows 128s saying they work but have not been 
tested. I've had 128 DIMMS in my upgraded 8600 for three years with 
no complaints. These machines usually work better if you put pairs of 
matching DIMMs in paired slots (you have 8 slots). Get two 128s and 
be done and happy!

BTW, YDL support seems silent on the 8200, but refers you to 
<http://www.penguinppc.org> which lists the machine as Old World 
compatible.

:)

-ms
-- 
"Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly." -- 
Robert F. Kennedy
-----------------
Marc Stergionis   --   Communications/Web Specialist
Benefis Healthcare http://www.benefis.org
"Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of my employer."