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  #1  
Old 05-14-2008, 01:03 PM
GroovyDude GroovyDude is offline
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Default OLD system, new setup ... HELP

Mac G4-400 AGP, running OS 9.2.2
512Mb PC133
Stock ATI 16Mb video
Stock Mac kbd & mouse
Stock IDE DVD player
Plextor IDE CD burner (will swap to burn)
60Gb system drive, 7200 rpm, 3 equal HFS+ partitions
120Gb audio drive, 7200 rpm, 8 equal HFS+ partitions
No external peripherals

Digi 001, PTLE v 5.0

I used this sytem when I first bought it, back in 2000, but it's been sitting in the closet for years. My son (17) now wants to try his hand at using it, so I'm trying to set it all up for him. I had forgotten how much had to be done to make this work.

I'm starting from scratch. I backed-up the files I wanted to keep, and zero'd both hard drives. I divided the 60Gb system drive (7200 rpm) into 3 equal HFS+ partitions, and divided the 120Gb audio drive (7200 rpm) into 8 equal HFS+ partitions. I THINK this partitioning scheme is adequate and will work, but please correct me if I'm wrong, or if there would be a better way to partition the drives. This is as far as I've gotten, so changing it would be simple.

When installing OS9 and the updates to 9.2.2, are there things which I should / shouldn't install? This computer will be used strictly for running Digi 001.

I've sent an email to DigiDesign, asking about getting any updates which may be available, using only OS9.2.2. I have no plans to update to OSX at this point.

Any and all help and advice would be greatly appreciated. It's been so long that this is pretty much like starting from scratch. I'm an old geezer with limited knowledge about this stuff, so please keep everything in layman's terms.

Thanks in advance!
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  #2  
Old 05-14-2008, 02:18 PM
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EGS EGS is offline
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Default Re: OLD system, new setup ... HELP

Try THIS and THIS and THIS . Hope that helps. Actually, OS 9.2.2 and LE 5.1 was a pretty good setup!!!
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Desktop build: PT 2020.5 / Win 11 / i9-11900K @ 5.1GHz / 64GB / 4TB NVMe PCIe 4 / Gigabyte Z590 Vision D / PreSonus 2626
Laptop: PT 2020.5 / Win 11 / i5-12500H / 16GB / 1TB NVMe / Lenovo IdeaPad 5i Pro / U-PHORIA UMC1820
Ancient/Legacy (still works!): PT 5 & 6 / OS9 & OSX / Mac G4 / DIGI 001
Click for audio/video demo
Click for resume
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  #3  
Old 05-14-2008, 02:54 PM
GroovyDude GroovyDude is offline
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Default Re: OLD system, new setup ... HELP

Thanks for your help!

I had already searched all of the info that I could find on the Digi site and in the manuals before posting, but didn't find answers to the specific questions that I asked.

Before proceeding, I just want to verify that my partition sizes are okay. They seem "generally reasonable" to me, but I'm wondering if they may be too large or not.

If the partitions are okay, then the next step is to (obviously) install the Mac OS. I only want to install what is needed to run PTLE. No need to install things which will be unused.

Once the OS is installed, Digi's information is very thorough and concise, so I should be fine with the rest.
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  #4  
Old 05-14-2008, 03:07 PM
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EGS EGS is offline
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Default Re: OLD system, new setup ... HELP

Not sure you need to partition it down so far. Why do you want to partition either drive at all? If you had large drives I could see doing that, but as I recall even OS9 is fine with 60 and 120GB drive without any partitioning.
__________________
Desktop build: PT 2020.5 / Win 11 / i9-11900K @ 5.1GHz / 64GB / 4TB NVMe PCIe 4 / Gigabyte Z590 Vision D / PreSonus 2626
Laptop: PT 2020.5 / Win 11 / i5-12500H / 16GB / 1TB NVMe / Lenovo IdeaPad 5i Pro / U-PHORIA UMC1820
Ancient/Legacy (still works!): PT 5 & 6 / OS9 & OSX / Mac G4 / DIGI 001
Click for audio/video demo
Click for resume
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  #5  
Old 05-14-2008, 06:06 PM
GroovyDude GroovyDude is offline
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Default Re: OLD system, new setup ... HELP

Partitioning is to decrease seek time and file fragmentation, plus it can minimize loss in the rare case of a crash.

Somewhere in my mind, I had this thought stuck in my head that PT wants 9Gb partitions for the recorded audio files, but I didn't find any documentation which indicates that. Mac's hard drive utility only allowed up to eight partitions, so I just divided the 120Gb audio drive into 8 equal partitions, and hoped that was cool.

I always keep the partition on which I install an operating system to a "reasonable" size ... large enough to hold the operating system and programs, plus at least 20% free space.

Anyway ... I got antsy and installed the OS from CD and the OS updates which I'd saved. I'd forgotten that a couple of the updates don't allow for customization, so my question about what to (and not to) install was a moot point. I'll just go through the system and remove everything that I know I won't need for running PT ... file sharing, internet, modem, yada yada yada.

Again, thank you SO much for your time and effort. I REALLY appreciate it!
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  #6  
Old 05-14-2008, 08:50 PM
M.Brane M.Brane is offline
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Default Re: OLD system, new setup ... HELP

Personally I wouldn't use the partitioning setup you have if the Mac will be used as DAW exclusively. No real need, and if a drive fails the partitioning won't really help you any. Those drives are likely faster than the Mac's ATA bus so partitioning for speed won't gain you much if anything. If you really want to make sure the storage system is not a bottleneck (running both system, and audio drives on the same ATA bus certainly is not optimal) think about an inexpensive PCI host card.

As far as setting it up if you're 100% sure you the Mac is for PTLE only then do a basic OS install+ update, restart with the base extension set, install PTLE, set preferences according to the setup guide, and you should be good to go. Run DFA (Disk First Aid), and backup on a regular basis. If you can find an OS9 version of DiskWarrior that is an excellent utility to have on hand. Tech Tool Pro is good too. Whatever you do don't use Norton Utilities.
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  #7  
Old 05-17-2008, 11:49 AM
GroovyDude GroovyDude is offline
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Default Re: OLD system, new setup ... HELP

M. Brane, will this card do the trick?

ACARD AEC6280M
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  #8  
Old 05-18-2008, 08:52 AM
M.Brane M.Brane is offline
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Default Re: OLD system, new setup ... HELP

Yes that card will work fine. A little pricey for an ATA card (ATA drives are not being manufactured anymore), but it will work in 9. That's the gotcha with the newer SATA cards. Most won't work in 9 or aren't bootable.

I have an older SeriTek 1V2E2 card that does both, but unfortunately it's chipset prevents me from using SATAII drives. Not a huge deal since I've got plenty of internal storage/use FW for backups, but when the drives finally go I'll end up replacing the card too. Technology marches on.....

Hopefully I'll have a new setup before that happens.
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  #9  
Old 05-26-2008, 02:51 PM
GroovyDude GroovyDude is offline
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Default Re: OLD system, new setup ... HELP

I thought that card was pricey, too. It was the only one I found in about an hour of Googling. If you know of one that is less expensive, I'd definately appreciate a link to it. I really want to throw minimal cash at this system, since it's so old.

For now, would it be better if I used the second partition on the primary drive for working sessions, then transfer the sessions to the second drive for storage?

I finally got the PTLE 5.1.1 update, and then got the 32 track update, so now it's as "up to date" as possible on OS9.

Does anyone know where I might be able to get some useful, free plugins which would work with this system?

Any and all tips, tricks, and advice would be welcome and greatly appreciated.
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  #10  
Old 05-26-2008, 09:13 PM
M.Brane M.Brane is offline
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Default Re: OLD system, new setup ... HELP

Running sessions from a second drive on the stock bus is better than from another partition on the boot drive. Not from a performance standpoint as much as from the standpoint of not stressing the drive. Any modern ATA drive is much faster than the Mac's ATA bus, but the less work the drive has to do the less likely it is to fail due to heat, and or wear.

The problem with running 9 these days is the lack of support. Most newer hardware doesn't even take it into consideration. Some of these newer cards like SIIG or Macsense may work fine in 9, but they don't mention it in the lit. It's kind of a crapshoot. The only other option is a known-to-work card like the one you linked to or used stuff.

If you can find a card that will at least mount drives in 9 you can still boot from the stock bus. Not as fast, but still better than running both drives on the stock bus.
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