[DM-MUG] retrieving files from a Performa 636CD

[Chris Tyrrell]

Hi Kat.

One possibility is to extract the drive from the Performa, drop it in  
an external drive enclosure with USB connectivity, then connect the  
USB drive to the iMac. From there, you can email docs to yourself and  
retrieve the mail on the ThinkPad, or copy them to a flash drive  
which you'd then use to transfer them to the ThinkPad.

The thought of removing the drive from the Performa might sound  
scary, but it's really quite easy, though I don't recall what form  
factor that machine is (some are easier than others). Hard drive  
enclosures are available at computer stores. For instance, Best Buy  
has this one for $50.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8774301&st=hard+drive 
+enclosure&lp=2&type=product&cp=1&id=1204332553274

Later on, put a new, larger, drive in the enclosure and use it with  
the ThinkPad for backups.

Cheers,
Chris



On Aug 7, 2008, at 9:19 AM, starcat at letterboxes.org wrote:

> Hello from a new member.
>
> I have a Performa 636CD, got it in '94 or '95 and used it through 2001
> when I upgraded to a used iMac.  I still have and occasionally use the
> iMac and also recently inherited a ThinkPad (I know, I know,  
> evil... but
> free).  There are a number of files (mostly Word) on the Performa  
> that I
> would like to transfer to one of the other computers, but I'm at a
> complete loss as to how to do this.  The CD drive on the Performa is
> read-only.  Neither the iMac nor the laptop has a floppy drive.  My  
> only
> internet access right now is through an air card on the PC (I live in
> the middle of nowhere with no other connection options except dial  
> up).
> I do have a dial-up modem for the Performa but no dial-up access.
>
> I am far from a computer expert.  I'm fairly adept at doing what I  
> need
> to do, but in terms of anything beyond the basics I'm useless.  I  
> don't
> even know whether the files would even be readable at this point -  
> some
> of them are 13 years old - but even having unformatted text from these
> files would be meaningful.
>
> Purchasing hundreds of dollars worth of stuff to accomplish this  
> really
> isn't an option right now, so the cheaper the solution, the better.
>
> Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
>
> kat
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