PowerBook was the name for Apple’s first family of notebook computers, perhaps the best name ever given to a line of laptops.

68040-based Macs can use the HFS+ file system that comes with Mac OS 8.1, but they cannot boot from an HFS+ disk or use one for virtual memory.

• Happy Birthday, PowerBook!, PowerBook Zone, 2001.10.22. A look back on the PowerBook’s 10th anniversary.
• Apple Computer considers the PB 140-145b, 160-180c, and Duo 210-270c obsolete as of 2001.07.16 in the United States and 2001.07.23 in Canada. Service parts and documentation are no longer available from Apple.
• Picking a Low-End Colour PowerBook, Adam Robert Guha, Apple Archive, 11/10/00. If you want color and portability, but don’t need PowerPC speed, here are your options.
• PowerBook 100 Series Retrospective, Charles W Moore, Road Warrior, Mac Opinion, 10/31/00. Nine years of PowerBooks – this is where they got their start.
• Retrospective: The PowerBook 500 Series, Charles W Moore, Road Warrior, Mac Opinion, 9/13/00. The first PowerBook that was a viable alternative to a desktop Mac.
• PowerBook Processor Upgrade SuperGuide, PBCentral, 8/7/00.
• Wide Selection of PowerBook Drive Upgrades, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 8/3. Lots of options available, even for older PowerBooks that use SCSI hard drives.
• Games for ‘030s, Brian Rumsey, Low End Mac Gaming, 5/26/00. A look at games that run nicely on the old 68030-based Macs.
• PowerBook History, Adam Robert Guha, Apple Archive, 5/12/00. A history of portable Macs from 1989 through 1996.
• Recovering a Stolen PowerBook, The ‘Book Page. One user’s experience.
• RAM Disks and Why You Should Trash Your Hard Drive, Charles W Moore, Applelinks, 11/29/99. “I used to run my PowerBook 5300 off a RAM disk most of the time in blissful silence….”
• Why Your PowerBook Won’t Go to Sleep, Info Alley
• PowerBook Duo/2400 List
• Installing Mac OS 8.5 on the PowerBook 500 Series, MacNN
• ResetPwrMgr, freeware. Resets the power manager on PowerBooks, which sometimes gets messed up. Forces restart, so quit all apps before using.
• Best Sites for Classic Macs
• Parts and supplies from The PowerBook Guy
• Email lists: PowerBooks, Classic Macs Digest, Vintage Macs
• Pseud040 lets 68030-based Macs run 68040 programs – I’ve even heard of Mac OS 8.1 Running on a Mac IIsi!
• Software Compatible with 68000 CPU
• Review: Power-Sonic Battery Works in Mac Portable
• Care and Feeding of Your PowerBook Battery
• RAM Charger from Jump Development ($40) lets you get the most out of your RAM – especially helpful on Macs with 8 MB or less. By launching applications using the minimum amount of memory they need, RAM Charger lets you run more programs. It also works well with RAM Doubler. You can even download a demo.
• Dead backlight? Visit JKL Components for replacement lamps.