What is a Compact Mac? A Compact Mac is an older Macintosh computer which has its monitor built into the CPU's case (for example, an iMac would be considered a Compact Mac, but the iMac won't be supported by this site because it is NOT a Classic Mac, i.e., it has a PowerPC processor). Some examples of Compact Macs (Classic Macs only) are the Macinosh (a.k.a. Macintosh 128k), Macintosh 512k, Macintosh 512ke, Macintosh Plus, Macintosh SE, Macintosh SE/30, Macintosh Classic (not to be confused with Classic Mac, although it is one), Macintosh Classic II, Macintosh Color Classic, and the Macintosh Color Classic II (which was only available in Asia).

What processors did the Classic Macs have? The processors are really what define a Classic Mac, and the processors that Classic Macs supported by this site have are the 68000, 68020, 68030, and, although debatable (some people don't consider Macs with these processors "Classic Macs"), the 68040, all made by Motorola. No Macintosh computers were ever released using the Motorola 68010 processor or any beyond the 68040 and 68LC040 (the 68LC040 is a 68040 without a built in FPU).

What do I do when I get a Sad Mac icon when I start up my Classic Mac? - If you have a Classic Mac that requires you to use a Boot Disk (see the Making A Boot Disk section of this webpage to learn how to make one) try using another disk. Also, write down the string of numbers and letter that is under the Sad Mac icon, this string is a hexadecimal code that can explain what the problem is (I hope to add some documents that contain the meanings of many of these strings, but I only have one of these right now). If you have a newer Classic Mac which has a Hard Disk, try using your Disk Tools disk, or another Boot Disk, to start up your Mac. There are many other ways to try to get around a Sad Mac, but this answer is only a quick fix, I need to add a troubleshooting section to this site to explain this in more depth.

I'm trying to reformat a SCSI hard drive but it doesn't show up, why? - This is probably because the drive is not an Apple hard drive, so Apple HD SC Setup doesn't recognize the hard drive. What you need to do is to patch HD SC Setup by following the directions from http://www.euronet.nl/users/ernstoud/patch.html.

My question isn't answered here, what do I do? - Check out the Troubleshooting & Repair section of this site and Contact me if it's not answered there either.

I have obtained software for my Classic Mac which gives the System Requirements, how do I know if this will work on my Mac? - If you visit the Specifications section of this site you can check out the Processor speed, if you go to the Apple Menu and check under "About This Macintosh" you should be able to find the rest of the information needed. If the Software Requirements include hard disk space, you can open your hard disk icon to see the remaining available disk space.

How do I convert and play sounds on my Mac? - For this you will usually need a Classic Mac with an '020 processors or better and QuickTime installed. I prefer to use an application called SoundApp ( The SoundApp Home Page). SoundApp not only lets you play files, but you can convert files from other formats to formats better suited to your Classic Mac's abilities. For example, you can play MP3's (mpeg encoded music files) by converting them to a different sound format first (and you don't even need a PowerPC Mac to do the converting!)

I want to make music on my Mac, do you know of any good programs? - Actually, yes I do! Super Studio Session ( Bogas Productions), which was one of the best commercial music composing applications on the Mac, has recently become freeware. Super Studio Session lets you compose music and then you can save "Record to disk" and convert the music to almost any format by using SoundApp (see above question). It is very easy to use and allow you to add many different types of instruments to play with. Super Studio Session will work on a Mac Plus and up.

I have an iTools account, can I access my iDisk from my Classic Mac? - Yes you can access it, but only from newer Classic Macs. It has only been tested under System 7.5 at this time, and you must have signed up for an iTools account using MacOS 9, check out http://www.acts.org/itoolstrick/ for a detailed explanation of how to do it.

Can I get another Operating System for my Classic Mac? - Yes, you can get many different versions of the Macintosh OS or you can get a version of Linux/UN*X/BSD that will run on your Classic Mac. You can find places to download many different versions of the MacOS from the System Software section of this site. As for versions of Linux or Unix, visit http://www.linux.org/ or http://www.netbsd.org/ to look for versions of Linux or NetBSD which have been ported to m68k processors. There are also other UNIX Like OS's such as MINIX, POSIX, etc., which have been ported to the MacOS which I will try to provide links to in the future.

I am very interested in the GUI, where can I learn more? - The Graphical User Interface of the MacOS is based upon the GUI for Lisa Office (the primary operating system for Apple Lisa computers) which was based upon the GUI developed at XEROX PARC (XEROX's Palo Alto Research Center) for the XEROX Alto (which later evolved into the XEROX Star). I love computer history and could ramble on forever on stuff like this, but I don't have that much room in this FAQ (maybe someday I'll dedicate a whole section to this subject). Well anyway, if you would like to see how the GUI progressed then you should definitely check out The Graphical User Interface Gallery which also has a timeline with screenshots from various GUIs and other interesting information. If you would like to read a really good document on how the Lisa OS was made and how it compares to the MacOS then go to Inventing The Lisa Interface.

Where can I find a compiler for my Mac? - If you don't want to spend any money for a compiler (which are usually very expensive) and you know, or are willing to learn, Pascal then I would suggest downloading THINK Pascal. Another free compiler which can be used to develop Pascal and C/C++ applications is Apple's MPW (Macintosh Programmer's Workshop). I personally use Metrowerks CodeWarrior which can be fairly expensive (around $350 U.S.), but I have an inexpensive version called "Discover Programming for Macintosh" can be purchased for around $80 U.S. (Note: the newest version of Discover Programming requires a PowerPC processor [but can still compile for 68k processors], but I have a version that can be run on a 68k processor so you will have to try to find an older version if you want to develop on a 68k Mac).

How can I automate my home using my Mac? - I've actually had this one asked quite a bit lately, I've found a great site called Macintosh Home Automation which includes links to actual homes which are accessible via the internet and links to free software. The site also includes step-by-step instructions on what hardware to get, where to get it, and how to connect it all to your Mac. Home automation does require that you buy hardware devices to plug your lights and appliances into, but if you are serious about automating your home it is well worth the price of the devices!