A Green Jade Upgrade: RAM Upgrades, Custom ROMs, and running Mac OS 8 on an SE/30

I recently posted about restoring an SE/30 – but the story didn’t end there. Since then, I’ve made some additional modifications including more RAM (more than double the Apple-supported amount), a custom Rominator II 32-bit clean ROM, and an installation of an unsupported Mac OS 8. Along the way I uncovered some interesting SE/30 nuances about RAM installations and custom ROMs that I’d like to share. Additionally, I have the steps required to install Mac OS 8 on unsupported 030s like the SE/30. Read on!

Restoring a legend: The SE/30

In the world of 68k Macs, there’s one model in particular that consistently tops the list. In fact, many people go so far as to say the SE/30 is the best computer that Apple will ever make. The SE/30 was the fastest and most powerful of the original compact black & white Macs; it was essentially a server in a tiny case.

I’ve wanted to get my hands on one of these for a while, and at long last I finally came across one! This article will go through some interesting tidbits on the machine, and my experiences in bringing one back to life.