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Hi !
Partitioning your hard drive in order to install Mac OS X and Mac OS 9 can speed your computer up. However, partitioning is something that has to be done carefully. Here is how to do that.
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Before installing both Mac OS 9.2 and Mac OS X, be sure to update your computer's firmware, if needed. In order to do that, run the "Software Update" panel under Mac OS 9.
Plus, you should check if all drivers for your periphericals and external or non-Apple hard drives are carbonized ( that means "translated" in order to work with Mac OS X ). For more information, you can browse the Apple Web Site or directly the peripherical's manufacturer site.
If you have added some video or memory cards to your computer, be careful : as usual, call the manufacturer in order to check their Mac OS X compatibility - although there shouldn't be any problem !
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Back all your data up. Partitioning the drive will erase all the data that is stored on it. You can save your files on CR-RWs or on an iTools account, for example. Don't forget to scan your backup directories with an up-to-date anti-virus software and check if everything is properly saved.
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Insert your Mac OS 9 CD. Once it has appeared on the desktop, restart the computer and hold the "C" key down until the CD is used as the startup disk - you should see an other background pattern and the CD player should make some noise...
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Open the partitioning utility. This powerful software will allow you to initialise and partition your disk.
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If you want to, you can initialise the disk a first time with the "Data to 0" checkbox checked. That way, you won't have to think about viruses, for example.
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Select the initialising options in the appropriate menu. A big dialog box with a white rectangle on the left should appear.
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Make sure that the format of the disk is "Mac OS extended".
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By using the first pop-up menu, choose "2 partitions". You should now see a little black tab in the middle on the white rectangle. The two squares symbolise the two partitions on your hard drive.
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Click on the black tab and, by holding the mouse button down, drag it down. The size of the partition appears in a little text field on the right. Release the mouse button when the sizes are right. Don't forget that Mac OS 9 doesn't need a lot of space in itself. The bigger the Mac OS X partition will be, the faster it will work !
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Make sure that everything is set up properly and click the "OK" button.
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Initialise the hard drive ( again ). You should now see two icons on the desktop, as if you had two separated hard drives in your computer.
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Run the Mac OS 9 install software and install it on the small partition
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Restart the computer while holding the mouse button down. This should eject the CD.
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Set Mac OS 9 up. Run Software Update again.
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Insert the Mac OS X CD and boot from it
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Install Mac OS X on the big partition. Check the box called "Initialise the drive", for added security.
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Restart and enjoy Mac OS X ! Run Software Update and restart after each system update until no new updates are found.
b Be careful :
The whole process ( from 1 to 16 ) should take about 2 hours, 3 with step 4 included. It's really worth taking the time to do it. Once your hard drive is properly partitioned and both OS installed, you will be able to enjoy Mac OS X for months and years without reinstalling anything !
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