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System Software

What System Software version should I be using on my Classic Mac? - As you may have found out, each model of Macintosh computer can run many different System Software versions (although not all at once). Many can use the same versions as other Macs, but they can't all use the same versions as others, which can cause some stress when trying to find the best version for your Classic Mac. Don't worry, under the Specifications section of this site, you will find a list of the System Software versions that your Classic Mac supports. To find the list, click on a specific computer, in the Specifications section of this site, scroll down in the window until you see a heading labeled "Software", under this there will be a list labeled "Mac OS Supported", that's the list you want.

Can you tell me some info about specific System Software versions? - I've learned a lot over the years, but you're better off checking out gYounk's Mac512 site. If you check under the "System Showcase" section of his site it has descriptions of lots of the older System Software versions. You can even download them from him.

Where can I get specific versions of System Software? - Here is a good list of places on the internet to download various System Software versions (from System 1.0 to System 7.5.5):

  1. The Mac512 Site - versions 1.0 to 7.0.1
  2. Apple Software Updates - versions 6.0.x - 7.5.5

I've heard that that there's a special Network boot disk, where can I get it? - Yes, there is a special System 7.5 disk image provided by Apple which will allow your Mac to access an LocalTalk (AppleTalk) network when booted from a floppy disk. This comes in very handy when you want to reformat/install System Software from over a network. You can download the disk image from here.

I was given or bought a card to put in my Mac, but I don't have the drivers, where can I get them? - This is a common problem now that most cards that you get for your Classic Macs are second hand, but don't worry, I've found that the Mac Driver Museum has a lot of the drivers that you might need. The Mac Driver Museum also has links to other sites with drivers if you can't find what you need there.

I have multiple System Folders on my Hard Drive, how do I pick which one to use? - It is very helpful to have multiple System Software versions in different System Folders, so I'm glad you brought this up. The software you need is System Picker which can be downloaded from ftp://ftp.apple.com/developer/Utilities/System_Picker_1.1a3.sit.hqx.

I want to customize my Mac's look and feel, but how do I do it? - Many people have wanted to do the same, and many of those people have been programmers, so there it plenty of software out there that will do the trick. A great place to find this software is GUI Central (http://www.gui-central.com/), so enjoy playing with your Mac's interface!