How To Install Old Mac Apps?

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beblake
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How To Install Old Mac Apps?

Post by beblake »

My system is an Intel Core Duo (E6550) running Windows XP (SP3). I have installed SheepShaver (5-5-2010) and Mac OS9 (updated to 9.0.4), with a "newworld" Mac_OS_ROM (updated to 1.6). SheepShaver seems to run well with this installation, but that's where I've bogged down.

My goal is to install and play Civilization (1), which I had on several Macs years ago (Quadra 610, PowerPC 6500, Power Mac G3 B&W, and a G3 "Wallstreet" laptop). I no longer have the installation disks for this game, but I have the files on CD, along with several other programs that I'd like to load on SheepShaver (JPEGView, WriteNow, etc.)

I am a novice with SheepShaver, and I have forgotten too much about how to work with the Mac OS. I managed to get these files into the Mac Emulator by moving them in Windows into the Trash directory in the Virtual Desktop directory of SheepShaver. Then in the emulator, I copied them from the Trash onto the desktop or directly into a folder on the "Mac." With the exception of text or pictures, everything appears in their folders as unassociated files, which are not recognized by the "Mac."

I also tried to install the Joliet extension (1.4.2) that I remember using to read/write files that I shared between my Macs and my first Windows PC. That also hasn't worked for me.

When I upgraded from Mac to Mac, I remember simply copying my Civilization (and other apps) onto the new Mac disk, and they "just ran" with no problems. I don't remember having to do an "installation" like Windows machines require. That's why I have these files on CDs, but the process with SheepShaver doesn't work the way I remember it.

I need some basic help with getting my old applications, backed up on CDs, loaded and running under SheepShaver. Can someone help an old Mac user?

beblake
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Ronald P. Regensburg
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Re: How To Install Old Mac Apps?

Post by Ronald P. Regensburg »

(Classic) Mac files that are saved outside a Mac file system will loose their specific Mac properties and will become useless. Only encoded archives (encoded in a Mac environment and decoded again in a Mac file system) will survive.

If the files are on a CD that is a normal Mac HFS CD-ROM, you should be able mount and read the CD inside SheepShaver. You must first install SheepShaver's CD-ROM drivers, by copying the file "cdenable.sys" from SheepShaver's "CD-ROM drivers" directory to Windows's "Windows\system32\drivers" directory. (This is a 32 bit driver. In a 64 bit version of Windows, the driver should be copied to the “Windows\SysWOW64\drivers” folder, but it may not work in 64-bit Windows.)

An alternative method is to make an .iso file of the CD and in the Volumes tab of SheepShaver settings add the file to the volumes list.
Silent Flamer
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Re: How To Install Old Mac Apps?

Post by Silent Flamer »

If all else fails, I can give you a disk image of Civilization 1 that I have over here.

You should not move/unpack/copy the files from the disk into Windows, as this will make the files lose their Macintosh file type/properties and become unassociated/unusable.

You can get any CD Image software (I recommend PowerISO, as it recognizes HFS) to read the CD and save it in an unmodified state into a disk image, then load from there.
When I upgraded from Mac to Mac, I remember simply copying my Civilization (and other apps) onto the new Mac disk, and they "just ran" with no problems. I don't remember having to do an "installation" like Windows machines require. That's why I have these files on CDs, but the process with SheepShaver doesn't work the way I remember it.
Because both old and new Macintoshes themselves work just fine with file systems like HFS, whereas PCs using Windows aren't as friendly.
I managed to get these files into the Mac Emulator by moving them in Windows into the Trash directory in the Virtual Desktop directory of SheepShaver.
How? Where did you find a Virtual Desktop directory?
beblake
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Re: How To Install Old Mac Apps?

Post by beblake »

Mr. Regensburg,

Thanks for your response. I thought I had searched through this forum fairly well before posting my initial question, but I re-read one of your older posts where you told someone to make sure they chose the right form of "disk" initialization (Standard or Extended). That sparked a memory from my old Mac days. I created a second SheepShaver load on my Windows disk and this time I initialized the "disk" as Extended. Presto! After that I could see more files on my old Mac CDs, and the files all showed up with their old associations.

After that, I copied the apps that I wanted, including my original version of Civilization (Civ1) and everything worked fine. I was even able to drop my Joliet extension onto the System Folder, and it installed just the way I remember.

Now for the bad news...

I can play Civilization for a while, but every time I have done so, SheepShaver eventually halts and I am not able to do anything. The window is frozen at this state, and the only way to resolve the lock-up is Control-Alt-Delete and kill the program.

I can reboot Sheepshaver, and it tells me that the system was not shutdown correctly, but it always comes back to life. This seems like some kind of instability with SheepShaver, or some configuration attribute that I don't have quite right.

Any suggestions?

(This instance of SheepShaver has a 1GB "disk" and a 512MB MacOS RAM. I have my window size set to 1024 x 768, with a Dynamic Refresh Rate. I set my monitor colors to 256, which is the only way to get proper graphics performance with Civilization.)

Thanks,
beblake
beblake
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Re: How To Install Old Mac Apps?

Post by beblake »

Silent Flamer,

I appreciate the offer with Civilization, but you can probably see from my earlier post that I was able to get things loaded and running.

Having done a little research on the Internet trying to acquire a copy of Civ1 for the Mac, I can see that I should have held onto my original installation disks (including the box and the manual). They seem to be collector's items these days!

I don't suppose you have a game editor for Civ1? I used to have something that let me edit a saved game, changing many of the attributes of the game, but I haven't found that yet. Maybe I didn't back it up.

The directory created by unzipping the file "SheepShaver_05_05_2010" includes a directory called "Virtual Desktop." In that directory is a sub-directory called "Trash." That's where I put files initially to get them into the "Mac" program. Later I realized that I could copy files from my "PC" into my "Mac" by using the "My Computer" icon on the "Mac Desktop."

After re-initializing my "Mac" to the Extended format, I was able to see everything on my CDs correctly, and dragging the files I wanted from the "CD" on the desktop to various folders on my "Mac" worked fine. I haven't used the Trash directory since then.

However, as I noted in my reply to Mr. Regensburg, the SheepShaver program freezes up after playing Civilization for a while. I don't think it has anything to do with Civilization as it happens at different times and in different circumstances each time. I suspect an instability with SheepShaver, or some configuration attribute that I need to alter. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
beblake
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Ronald P. Regensburg
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Re: How To Install Old Mac Apps?

Post by Ronald P. Regensburg »

These emulators are not fully emulating real hardware Macs, so software may behave differently. This seems to be especially true for games.

Nevertheless, some appear to run Civilzation successfully. Search the forum (click magnifying glass above) for Civilization.

Isn't this game a 68k application rather than a PPC application? If that is so, it may run better in BasiliskII that emulates a 68k Mac. SheepShaver emulates a PPC Mac.
Silent Flamer
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Re: How To Install Old Mac Apps?

Post by Silent Flamer »

beblake wrote:Silent Flamer,

I appreciate the offer with Civilization, but you can probably see from my earlier post that I was able to get things loaded and running.

Having done a little research on the Internet trying to acquire a copy of Civ1 for the Mac, I can see that I should have held onto my original installation disks (including the box and the manual). They seem to be collector's items these days!

I don't suppose you have a game editor for Civ1? I used to have something that let me edit a saved game, changing many of the attributes of the game, but I haven't found that yet. Maybe I didn't back it up.

The directory created by unzipping the file "SheepShaver_05_05_2010" includes a directory called "Virtual Desktop." In that directory is a sub-directory called "Trash." That's where I put files initially to get them into the "Mac" program. Later I realized that I could copy files from my "PC" into my "Mac" by using the "My Computer" icon on the "Mac Desktop."

After re-initializing my "Mac" to the Extended format, I was able to see everything on my CDs correctly, and dragging the files I wanted from the "CD" on the desktop to various folders on my "Mac" worked fine. I haven't used the Trash directory since then.

However, as I noted in my reply to Mr. Regensburg, the SheepShaver program freezes up after playing Civilization for a while. I don't think it has anything to do with Civilization as it happens at different times and in different circumstances each time. I suspect an instability with SheepShaver, or some configuration attribute that I need to alter. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
beblake
Well, I just downloaded a copy of that same archive, and I see no Virtual Desktop anywhere.
Anyways, I have played it in Basilisk II, but it is also fairly unstable. My best experiences with games so far is in Mini vMac, and for over a year now I've been playing Civilization 1 with no problems in it (although you will have to tolerate some slightly mismatched terrain between in-game and the Civilopedia, B&W display and a low resolution).
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