Help Transfering Files from iMac OS8.6

[ral_ct]

Need some help with an old iMac:

Here the background:

iMac (circa late 1990's) with front loading CD
Modem and Network interface do not work (don't know why), spent several hours with my ISP trying to fix, they saw MAC address for my router, and other PC's connected directly to the cable modem, but not iMac when connected directly to cable modem.

I need to transfer photos from this machine to a PC before I send it to the afterlife.

Here's what I've tried:

1) USB drive - iMac needs updated driver installed for the device (I've tried a Dell USB drive, a Kingston USB drive, and a CopmUSA USB drive - none are recognized).

2) To update the drive, I searched the USB drive vendor sites and found nothing. I did run across USB_Storage1.3.5.smi.bin (I am hoping this will have the necessary drivers to recognize the USB drive) and dowloaded to my PC (remember, I have not network/modem access), burned it to a CD and tried to read the CD with the iMac - iMac did not recognize the CD and wanted to initialize it.

So here are the questions:

1) Is the key to solving this getting the file USB_Storage1.3.5.smi.bin onto the iMac so that it will recognize the USB drives?

2) If so, how do I burn this to a CD on a PC in such a way that the iMac will recognize the CD?

3) Is there an easier way (again, no modem or network access) to get transfer the files?

Thanks!

ral_ct

[alltruenews]

Here's a few ideas:
1) I'd consider getting (or fixing youreslf) the iMac's input/output card fixed. This may be as simple as reinstalling the OS. Don't forget to reinstall leaving files in place!

2) Get (or borrow) an external USP Zip drive and a 200MB Zip disc. The drive will work WITHOUT loading the silly Zip software. Actually loading the software causes issues with OS 8 and 9.

3) This may sound crazy, but the iMacs hard drive may plug right in to the PC as a second internal IDE drive. If you're going to trash the iMac anyway, the iMac hard drives are simple to remove. You may be able to find the drive's files although I've never tried this.

[sinclair_tm]

the pc will not see the mac drive, but will what to format it. they use completely different file systems. i take it than that the imac's drive does not burn? does it read other cds that you put in it? if it does, how did you burn the cd on the pc? did you make sure that the cd was finalized by the cd (means that you can never write to the cd again)? the mac should of seen it otherwise. and have you made sure that the network drivers are not turned off in the extention manager?

[ral_ct]

Thanks for the input.

It turned out that I had not finalized the CD on the PC when I burned it.

Once I finliazed it, the iMac read it, I loaded the driver, and moved everything of importance to a memory stick.

Assuming I wanted to fix/replace the network interface on th iMac, what's involved? My understanding was that the network controller is part of the motherboard.

[fryke]

Yes, it'd probably take a mo-bo replacement. And since you probably won't find many intact mo-bo's separately, it'd be easier to actually get another such iMac.