David Gatwood marsmail@globegate.utm.edu
marsmail@globegate.utm.edu

If you try to boot MkLinux on a PowerMac 7300 you probably will find 
that it freezes at the splash screen, after indicating "booting...".
 

Thanks to David Gatwood, and some experimenting, I discoverd a
 work around that should work for some of you.

Essentially, you need to remove the System Enabler 702 from the 
system folder before trying to re-boot and load MkLinux.

DO NOT DO this to your normal boot System folder.  I have no idea 
whether MacOs can function without this enabler (it must do something!).

But if you have an alternate disk, such as a Zip or removable 
(a fixed disk other than your normal disk may work) you can...

1) Use the system installer, to install a VERY minimal system folder on
the zip disk.  

2) Add the MkLinux files to that system folder.

3) Boot it (probably with DOCS "Delete Option Control shift", and 
select MkLinux as the boot source in the MkLinux 
Control panel.  Use the memory control panel to select no-virtual memory
and a small disk cache.

Remove the System Enabler from the system folder.

Boot again, this time click on MkLinux in the Mklinux splash screen,
or wait for timeout.  On my machine it Boots OK.

You probably cannot boot MacOS using this disk, until you put the System 
enabler back!!!!   (by booting a different disk, and mounting the 
MKLinux boot disk)
 

submitted by Mark Isfeld, msi@3com.com


NOTE:

It really isn't as grim as it sounds.  You can create a separate Mac partition, 
which has a minimal system, without the enabler.  Put all the stuff
described above on this partition, and use the Mac "startup disk"
control panel to select this partition.  It will boot into a running
version of MacOs the first time, even without the enabler.

You can then open the MkLinux control panel and set it to boot MkLinux.
Also, make sure that you have the Startup Disk control panel on this 
partition, too.  Whenever you boot this partition, it will
switch into MkLinux.  If you skip the Linux boot and allow MacOs
to boot, you can then use the startup disk control panel to reset to
your normal Mac partition, and reboot into a normal MacOs. 

Unfortunately, I get a lot of odd 
"MACH: Target 0: sensed Recovered Error" (or something like this)
messages running MkLinux.  I haven't checked: it might have something to
do with the customization of /dev/adb which is done for
the monolithic Linux, which is what I run most of the time.


Added by Marcus Mendenhall mendenmh@nashville.net 4/1/97 20:18 CDT

 

My 7300 will not boot without the system enabler.  I am using DOCS to
force booting from a ZIP.  So your mileage may vary.  You should be
able to boot from CDROM to recover your system, by dragging the system
enabler back into the system folder (don't delete it).
Mark Isfeld 4/11/97

 

 If you do not have a particular need to run on top of the Mach kernel,
PowerMac/Linux (a port of the monolithic Linux kernel by Paul Mackerras)
works quite well on the 7300. See the linux/pmac section in the FAQomatic.

Added 4/22/97 by  Stian Oksavik


Previous update on OS 8 working removed after adding below.

Another update: After some initial success OS 8 has stopped working with my
7300. However, I'm about to start experimenting with 8.0.1 (developer) and some
other stuff I've gotten from Apple to see if that changes anything. What'll
really probably do it is DR3, but until that comes we'll just have to live with
7.5.5 or sketchy performance under 8.0.

-Michael Love (pleco@ameritech.net)