Powerbook 170 trouble...

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Powerbook 170 trouble...

Hi.

I have a problem with my 170. It wont read disks. All it does is ask to format any disk I insert, then it says (with every disk I try) that the disk is damaged. I tried replacing the floppy drive, but it didnt work...

On another note, I am also looking at this PB like a starving man would look at a bag of roasted peanuts. What sort of mods could I do? I have a spare one which needs a hard drive, should I try stuff out on that then move onto the working one? I'm a noob at modding.

Thank you!

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bad drives

Unless you prove the drive in another 'Book, I'd suggest the second drive you've got is also bad.

Not too much to mod, at least function-wise. Adding larger HDs and more RAM pretty much is about as far as you can go internally. You could pick up a SCSI-ethernet adapter for net connectivity.

You can always do cosmetic mods, eg: cool paint job

dan k

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you might try cleaning and ji

you might try cleaning and jiggling the cable. or the cable or the connector on thght be bad

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Poorly floppy drives :(

I dont have another PB. But I can get stuff on and off it via Appletalk, but I dont have any cable that connects Powerbook to iMac.

SCSI Ethernet adapter? Hmm... Do I need software to make that work? If I do, then I am out of luck.

When i said mod, I meant the kind you just mentioned, cosmetic work. What would I need to add some paint to it?

Another problem: A line appeered on the screen which doesnt go away even when turned on. Is it a row of dead pixels? or has the intense heat become too much for the liquid display? Maybe the liquid in my LCD is boiling up....

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That would be the LCD ribbon

That would be the LCD ribbon cable starting to wear out. I would open the case and put some scotch tape on the ribbon cable that goes through the hinges. That will add some protection.

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Uh oh. Sounds bad.Heres a

Uh oh. Sounds bad.

Heres another question, can I AppleTalk my iMac and my PowerBook using some sort of USB to Serial adaptor?

Here is some good news, the reason the spare floppy wasnt working was because that it lost the ablility to move the little metal part on the disk! My Mac could be save after all!

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re: AppleTalk my iMac and my PowerBook?

Yes, to do so you need an Appletalk-ethernet bridge attached to the PowerBook. You plug the bridge into the AT/serial port, then attach that to your ethernet network. Not fast (runs at serial speeds of course), but needs no extra drivers to work.

If your 'Book is modem-equipped, you can use a null-modem cable to connect to your imac. Again, slow (14.4kib is prob fastest your 'Book modem goes) but works. IIRC, you'll need some sort of terminal proggy at each end to actually do transfers.

dan k

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