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User Tips for mac os 9

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User Tips views replies Latest activity
Rating: 5 out of 5 Rated by 3 users
Which OS do I have and where should I post?
As you may have noticed it says Classic Mac (OS9, OS8 & System 7) entering this forum.That means you are posting in the place for the Mac operating systems from 1990 to 2001.Some Macs from 2001 to 2003 also supported booting into Mac OS 9.Some starting in 2003 only supported running Mac OS 9 alongside Mac OS X in what was known as the Classic environment.In 2006, Classic disappeared as part of new Mac's built-in operating system.October 26, 2007 Mac OS X 10.5 installs only allowed those...
3,947 views 0
Rating: 0 out of 5
Mac models capable of dual-booting into 10.5 and Mac OS 9
Built-in support for Classic is gone in 10.5 and Intel Macs:http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2253Classic, is the ability to use Apple menu -> System Preferences -> Classic to run Mac OS 9 simultaneously with Mac OS X, and access Mac OS 9 applications from Mac OS X without having to go through Apple menu -> System Preferences -> Startup Disk to select Mac OS 9's System Folder. Many drivers that booting into Mac OS 9 are not supported in Classic environment. Multiple disk games...
19,419 views 0
Rating: 0 out of 5
What Mac/Mac Operating system is supported?
With all software listings, note that the following nomenclature normally means compatibility is limited to the following: 10.6 and up = 10.6 and 10.6.1. 10.6.x and up = 10.6, 10.6.1, 10.6.2 10.6 to 10.6.8 = all versions of 10.6 are supported. Mac OS = could mean just Mac OS 9, or 1 through 8 and no Mac OS X. Mac OS X = could just mean 10.0, or it could mean all PowerPC Macs running 10.0, or all versions of Mac OS X. Mac OS X PPC = means G3, G4, and G5s may support it with 10.0 through 10.5.8...
10,183 views 0
Rating: 5 out of 5 Rated by 1 users
Rosetta/PowerPC Applications and Lion and above
application lets you quickly determine if you have PowerPC (PPC) applications (click on image to enlarge):Note the triangle to the left of Software has to be pointed down for the Applications to become visible.Note the right hand side of the the Applications listing when selected says if you have PowerPC, Classic, Intel, or Universal.PowerPC & Classic indicate PowerPC only. Classic indicates it only runs on a PowerPC with Mac OS 9 running in the Classic environmentor booting into Mac OS 9.Apple Store...
23,557 views 0
Rating: 4 out of 5 Rated by 7 users
Classic, Rosetta, and 32/64 bit revisited.
in the User Tips section before. To make it more current, the following information has been updated.When we refer to Mac OS 9 below, we are referring to the operating system that was last prebundled on Macs in early 2006 (on PowerPC G5 and G4 Macs only), and was last bootable on 2003 Macs. We are not referring to Mac OS X 10.9, which came out in 2013. That's an entirely different beast.Classic is an environment within Mac OS X on PowerPC (PPC) Macs running 10.4.11 and earlier that allows most Mac OS 9...
27,801 views 0
Rating: 0 out of 5
kmosx: I can't find the Mac OS 9 installer!
the Mac OS 9 installer! For Macs that came with 8.6 or earlier, but are being upgraded to Mac OS X 10.2 or later, it is necessary to purchase Mac OS 9 through the Up to Date program PDF file (requires Adobe Acrobat reader to read and print out). Mac OS 9 is not included on the retail OS X disks*. A simple install of Mac OS X, and not an erase and install is recommended if you are going to install Mac OS X 10.3. * Mac OS X 10.0 and 10.1 retail versions included full install Mac OS 9 disks. Mac OS X 10.2...
205 views 0
Rating: 0 out of 5
kmosx: Restoring Classic with restore disks articles
In 2002, Apple started shipping restore disks with new Macs that instead of including a Mac OS 9 installer, used a restore application to install a Mac OS 9 system folder for machines to run the Classic environment in Mac OS X. In addition most Macs will not run an older operating system than they shipped with as this article states: Mac OS: Versions, builds included with PowerPC Macs (since 1998) - Apple SupportSo this means the last retail 9.2.1 disk (a white disk with orange 9 logo...
551 views 0
Rating: 2 out of 5 Rated by 1 users
How to find Mac OS 9 downloads?
As of the posting of this tip, the Mac OS 9 downloads on Apple's support site are not fully available.This tip of a method of obtaining the downloads was suggested by sdfox7. Special thanks to them for decodinghow to discover old downloads.Locate the support.apple.com website for the download. In the case of most of the system downloads for Mac OS 9, there is this link:http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1387andOlder Apple software downloadsIn event the link doesn't work, go to http://web.archive.org...
57,764 views 0
Rating: 0 out of 5
Classic capability by machine age
Macs of different ages have different capabilities when it comes to Classic. The dates below are when specific models were released as new Macs according to the spec pages: http://support.apple.com/specs/11/1997-7/2002 The G3 and G4 Macs released during this period (except the original G3/250 Powerbook) can use the 9.2.1 retail installer disc to install Mac OS 9. If they shipped with a version of 9, they can only use a newer retail version of 9 to install 9 for use with the Classic environment...
762 views 0
Rating: 0 out of 5
kmosx2: Restoring Mac OS 9 on a bootable Mac
here: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86209follow these directions for restoring Mac OS 9: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106294Otherwise, you will want to follow these directions. If you encounter a situation where you can't select a Mac OS 9 System Folder under Classic or Startup Disk and your machine is NOT amongst the ones that is listed here: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86209you may follow these directions. If your machine did not come with a Mac OS...
248 views 0
Rating: 0 out of 5
kmosx: Can new machines run Mac OS 9?
software that isn't dependent on Mac OS 9 hardware drivers is able to run in Mac OS X's Classic environment. If you have software dependent on non-Mac OS X native hardware drivers they won't be able to run on today's new machines: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86209If you are planning on buying a new machine, it is highly recommend you upgrade your software first to Mac OS X native versions (link describes steps to upgrade, software and hardware which is compatible...
216 views 0
Rating: 0 out of 5
kmosx: Partitioning your hard drive
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. b 0 - 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...
465 views 0
Rating: 4 out of 5 Rated by 5 users
A Basic Guide for Migrating Files from One Computer to Another
backups of all the data that are not connected to your machine will help you avoid potential issues, should they arise. In event it does not work, follow the steps below.Rosetta supports software that runs on the PowerPC G3, G4, or G5 processor that are built for Mac OS X. This excludes the items that are not universal binaries or simply will not work in Rosetta: Classic Environment, and subsequently any Mac OS 9 or earlier applications Screensavers written for the PowerPC System Preference add-ons...
50,346 views 0
Rating: 0 out of 5
kmos: Which current Macs can boot into Mac OS 9?
announced that new computer models (introduced in or after 2003) won't be able to boot into Mac OS 9 any more. On those models, Mac OS 9 can only be used as Mac OS X's ' Classic environment'. Related documents:- Macintosh: Some Computers Only Start Up in Mac OS X- Mac OS 8 and 9: Compatibility With Macintosh Computers- Install Mac OS 9 to use Classic applications- Mac OS X: How to Use Mac OS 9 Applications Do you want to provide feedback on this User Contributed Tip or contribute...
123 views 0
Rating: 5 out of 5 Rated by 2 users
Classic machines, their Mac OS X support, and Mac OS 9 support
This guide that was archived on the webarchive gives a clue on what Mac OS 9 installers shipped with what Mac. During the 2002-2003 transition, all models eventually lost the ability to boot Mac OS 9 with new releases, and that is covered later. Your serial number, which you should not post here is structured, xxABCyyyyy, where XX is the code of the city of manufacturer, A is the last digit of the year, and BC is the week of the year. Y is a unique identifier for each Mac. IJ207jdkjfk3536...
1,177 views 0
Rating: 0 out of 5
kmos: What does Mac OS X only booting in 2003 mean?
machines in 2003 will only be able to boot into Mac OS X: http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2002/sep/10macosx.htmlSo far these machines can boot only into Mac OS X. If your machine isn't listed as Mac OS X only bootable, either your machine came with a Mac OS 9 System bootable CD, or it came on a Restore CD. Check first in the Apple menu -> System Preferences -> Classic that a System Folder is present to load Classic, and then check in System Preferences under Startup Disk if that system folder...
208 views 0
Rating: 4 out of 5 Rated by 2 users
New Apple devices, and what to do about them?
obviously could not use 10.6 system specific discs for those machines. The same goes for retail releases. If you didn't have a new computer model release until April 2010, but March 29, 2010 was the release of the 10.6.3 retail, you could use the retail 10.6.3 on any of those models that weren't updated until April 2010.Note: for Macs that came with the ability to run Mac OS 9 Classic, if they shipped with 9.1 or later and the ability to run Mac OS X, the version of Mac OS 9 they shipped...
7,717 views 0
Rating: 5 out of 5 Rated by 6 users
How to eliminate slow Mac problems
I.e. from PowerPC to Intel, or Intel to PowerPC. See 10 on how to identify Macs.9. If energy saver isn't giving some peripheral problems, because the peripheral doesn't understand low power mode.10. If the possibility exists that there is marginal hardware onIntel Macs or PowerPC MacsUse: https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6413 to determine if you have PowerPC or Intel.11. If you have had 4 language screens forcing you to restart your Mac, that's significant, and indicates what is known...
132,324 views 1
Rating: 0 out of 5
kmosx3: Steps to upgrade to 10.3
that you system meets these requirements: http://www.apple.com/ca/macosx/upgrade/requirements.html2. Make sure that your hard drive has at least 3.5 GB free. 3. Make sure that your firmware is up to date: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86117Firmware updates need to be applied by booting the hard disk off Mac OS 9 and then running them from there. 4. Also if you bought a third party video card, verify that its firmware is up to date for use with Panther. http://www.xlr8yourmac.com is a good...
231 views 0
Rating: 5 out of 5 Rated by 1 users
kmos: Saving to non-HFS+disks from OS X & OS 9
that has the same name except for a ._ in front of it. This ._file will have its invisible bit set so it may appear dimmed when looking at it from a PC. When you copy these files from a PC formatted disk onto your Mac OS X disk, the 2 files are joined back together into their original form. Unfortunately, these 2 methods are quite different and are not cross-compatible. When trying to read files, both OS X and OS 9 will be looking in the wrong place for the HFS+ metadata (namely the file type and creator type...
1,391 views 0
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 Rated by 3 users
    Which OS do I have and where should I post?
    As you may have noticed it says Classic Mac (OS9, OS8 & System 7) entering this forum.That means you are posting in the place for the Mac operating systems from 1990 to 2001.Some Macs from 2001 to 2003 also supported booting into Mac OS 9.Some starting in 2003 only supported running Mac OS 9 alongside Mac OS X in what was known as the Classic environment.In 2006, Classic disappeared as part of new Mac's built-in operating system.October 26, 2007 Mac OS X 10.5 installs only allowed those...
    Latest update on the question by in Earlier Operating Systems
    3,947 views 0 replies
  • Rating: 0 out of 5
    Mac models capable of dual-booting into 10.5 and Mac OS 9
    Built-in support for Classic is gone in 10.5 and Intel Macs:http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2253Classic, is the ability to use Apple menu -> System Preferences -> Classic to run Mac OS 9 simultaneously with Mac OS X, and access Mac OS 9 applications from Mac OS X without having to go through Apple menu -> System Preferences -> Startup Disk to select Mac OS 9's System Folder. Many drivers that booting into Mac OS 9 are not supported in Classic environment. Multiple disk games...
    Latest update on the question by in Earlier Operating Systems
    19,419 views 0 replies
  • Rating: 0 out of 5
    What Mac/Mac Operating system is supported?
    With all software listings, note that the following nomenclature normally means compatibility is limited to the following: 10.6 and up = 10.6 and 10.6.1. 10.6.x and up = 10.6, 10.6.1, 10.6.2 10.6 to 10.6.8 = all versions of 10.6 are supported. Mac OS = could mean just Mac OS 9, or 1 through 8 and no Mac OS X. Mac OS X = could just mean 10.0, or it could mean all PowerPC Macs running 10.0, or all versions of Mac OS X. Mac OS X PPC = means G3, G4, and G5s may support it with 10.0 through 10.5.8...
    Latest update on the question by in Earlier Operating Systems
    10,183 views 0 replies
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 Rated by 1 users
    Rosetta/PowerPC Applications and Lion and above
    application lets you quickly determine if you have PowerPC (PPC) applications (click on image to enlarge):Note the triangle to the left of Software has to be pointed down for the Applications to become visible.Note the right hand side of the the Applications listing when selected says if you have PowerPC, Classic, Intel, or Universal.PowerPC & Classic indicate PowerPC only. Classic indicates it only runs on a PowerPC with Mac OS 9 running in the Classic environmentor booting into Mac OS 9.Apple Store...
    Latest update on the question by in Earlier Operating Systems
    23,557 views 0 replies
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 Rated by 7 users
    Classic, Rosetta, and 32/64 bit revisited.
    in the User Tips section before. To make it more current, the following information has been updated.When we refer to Mac OS 9 below, we are referring to the operating system that was last prebundled on Macs in early 2006 (on PowerPC G5 and G4 Macs only), and was last bootable on 2003 Macs. We are not referring to Mac OS X 10.9, which came out in 2013. That's an entirely different beast.Classic is an environment within Mac OS X on PowerPC (PPC) Macs running 10.4.11 and earlier that allows most Mac OS 9...
    Latest update on the question by in Earlier Operating Systems
    27,801 views 0 replies
  • Rating: 0 out of 5
    kmosx: I can't find the Mac OS 9 installer!
    the Mac OS 9 installer! For Macs that came with 8.6 or earlier, but are being upgraded to Mac OS X 10.2 or later, it is necessary to purchase Mac OS 9 through the Up to Date program PDF file (requires Adobe Acrobat reader to read and print out). Mac OS 9 is not included on the retail OS X disks*. A simple install of Mac OS X, and not an erase and install is recommended if you are going to install Mac OS X 10.3. * Mac OS X 10.0 and 10.1 retail versions included full install Mac OS 9 disks. Mac OS X 10.2...
    Latest update on the question by in Earlier Operating Systems
    205 views 0 replies
  • Rating: 0 out of 5
    kmosx: Restoring Classic with restore disks articles
    In 2002, Apple started shipping restore disks with new Macs that instead of including a Mac OS 9 installer, used a restore application to install a Mac OS 9 system folder for machines to run the Classic environment in Mac OS X. In addition most Macs will not run an older operating system than they shipped with as this article states: Mac OS: Versions, builds included with PowerPC Macs (since 1998) - Apple SupportSo this means the last retail 9.2.1 disk (a white disk with orange 9 logo...
    Latest update on the question by in Earlier Operating Systems
    551 views 0 replies
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 Rated by 1 users
    How to find Mac OS 9 downloads?
    As of the posting of this tip, the Mac OS 9 downloads on Apple's support site are not fully available.This tip of a method of obtaining the downloads was suggested by sdfox7. Special thanks to them for decodinghow to discover old downloads.Locate the support.apple.com website for the download. In the case of most of the system downloads for Mac OS 9, there is this link:http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1387andOlder Apple software downloadsIn event the link doesn't work, go to http://web.archive.org...
    Latest update on the question by in Earlier Operating Systems
    57,764 views 0 replies
  • Rating: 0 out of 5
    Classic capability by machine age
    Macs of different ages have different capabilities when it comes to Classic. The dates below are when specific models were released as new Macs according to the spec pages: http://support.apple.com/specs/11/1997-7/2002 The G3 and G4 Macs released during this period (except the original G3/250 Powerbook) can use the 9.2.1 retail installer disc to install Mac OS 9. If they shipped with a version of 9, they can only use a newer retail version of 9 to install 9 for use with the Classic environment...
    Latest update on the question by in Earlier Operating Systems
    762 views 0 replies
  • Rating: 0 out of 5
    kmosx2: Restoring Mac OS 9 on a bootable Mac
    here: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86209follow these directions for restoring Mac OS 9: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106294Otherwise, you will want to follow these directions. If you encounter a situation where you can't select a Mac OS 9 System Folder under Classic or Startup Disk and your machine is NOT amongst the ones that is listed here: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86209you may follow these directions. If your machine did not come with a Mac OS...
    Latest update on the question by in Earlier Operating Systems
    248 views 0 replies
  • Rating: 0 out of 5
    kmosx: Can new machines run Mac OS 9?
    software that isn't dependent on Mac OS 9 hardware drivers is able to run in Mac OS X's Classic environment. If you have software dependent on non-Mac OS X native hardware drivers they won't be able to run on today's new machines: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86209If you are planning on buying a new machine, it is highly recommend you upgrade your software first to Mac OS X native versions (link describes steps to upgrade, software and hardware which is compatible...
    Latest update on the question by in Earlier Operating Systems
    216 views 0 replies
  • Rating: 0 out of 5
    kmosx: Partitioning your hard drive
    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. b 0 - 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...
    Latest update on the question by in Earlier Operating Systems
    465 views 0 replies
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 Rated by 5 users
    A Basic Guide for Migrating Files from One Computer to Another
    backups of all the data that are not connected to your machine will help you avoid potential issues, should they arise. In event it does not work, follow the steps below.Rosetta supports software that runs on the PowerPC G3, G4, or G5 processor that are built for Mac OS X. This excludes the items that are not universal binaries or simply will not work in Rosetta: Classic Environment, and subsequently any Mac OS 9 or earlier applications Screensavers written for the PowerPC System Preference add-ons...
    Latest update on the question by in Earlier Operating Systems
    50,346 views 0 replies
  • Rating: 0 out of 5
    kmos: Which current Macs can boot into Mac OS 9?
    announced that new computer models (introduced in or after 2003) won't be able to boot into Mac OS 9 any more. On those models, Mac OS 9 can only be used as Mac OS X's ' Classic environment'. Related documents:- Macintosh: Some Computers Only Start Up in Mac OS X- Mac OS 8 and 9: Compatibility With Macintosh Computers- Install Mac OS 9 to use Classic applications- Mac OS X: How to Use Mac OS 9 Applications Do you want to provide feedback on this User Contributed Tip or contribute...
    Latest update on the question by in Earlier Operating Systems
    123 views 0 replies
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 Rated by 2 users
    Classic machines, their Mac OS X support, and Mac OS 9 support
    This guide that was archived on the webarchive gives a clue on what Mac OS 9 installers shipped with what Mac. During the 2002-2003 transition, all models eventually lost the ability to boot Mac OS 9 with new releases, and that is covered later. Your serial number, which you should not post here is structured, xxABCyyyyy, where XX is the code of the city of manufacturer, A is the last digit of the year, and BC is the week of the year. Y is a unique identifier for each Mac. IJ207jdkjfk3536...
    Latest update on the question by in Earlier Operating Systems
    1,177 views 0 replies
  • Rating: 0 out of 5
    kmos: What does Mac OS X only booting in 2003 mean?
    machines in 2003 will only be able to boot into Mac OS X: http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2002/sep/10macosx.htmlSo far these machines can boot only into Mac OS X. If your machine isn't listed as Mac OS X only bootable, either your machine came with a Mac OS 9 System bootable CD, or it came on a Restore CD. Check first in the Apple menu -> System Preferences -> Classic that a System Folder is present to load Classic, and then check in System Preferences under Startup Disk if that system folder...
    Latest update on the question by in macOS Big Sur
    208 views 0 replies
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 Rated by 2 users
    New Apple devices, and what to do about them?
    obviously could not use 10.6 system specific discs for those machines. The same goes for retail releases. If you didn't have a new computer model release until April 2010, but March 29, 2010 was the release of the 10.6.3 retail, you could use the retail 10.6.3 on any of those models that weren't updated until April 2010.Note: for Macs that came with the ability to run Mac OS 9 Classic, if they shipped with 9.1 or later and the ability to run Mac OS X, the version of Mac OS 9 they shipped...
    Latest update on the question by in Earlier Operating Systems
    7,717 views 0 replies
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 Rated by 6 users
    How to eliminate slow Mac problems
    I.e. from PowerPC to Intel, or Intel to PowerPC. See 10 on how to identify Macs.9. If energy saver isn't giving some peripheral problems, because the peripheral doesn't understand low power mode.10. If the possibility exists that there is marginal hardware onIntel Macs or PowerPC MacsUse: https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6413 to determine if you have PowerPC or Intel.11. If you have had 4 language screens forcing you to restart your Mac, that's significant, and indicates what is known...
    Latest update on the question by in Earlier Operating Systems
    132,324 views 1 reply
  • Rating: 0 out of 5
    kmosx3: Steps to upgrade to 10.3
    that you system meets these requirements: http://www.apple.com/ca/macosx/upgrade/requirements.html2. Make sure that your hard drive has at least 3.5 GB free. 3. Make sure that your firmware is up to date: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86117Firmware updates need to be applied by booting the hard disk off Mac OS 9 and then running them from there. 4. Also if you bought a third party video card, verify that its firmware is up to date for use with Panther. http://www.xlr8yourmac.com is a good...
    Latest update on the question by in Earlier Operating Systems
    231 views 0 replies
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 Rated by 1 users
    kmos: Saving to non-HFS+disks from OS X & OS 9
    that has the same name except for a ._ in front of it. This ._file will have its invisible bit set so it may appear dimmed when looking at it from a PC. When you copy these files from a PC formatted disk onto your Mac OS X disk, the 2 files are joined back together into their original form. Unfortunately, these 2 methods are quite different and are not cross-compatible. When trying to read files, both OS X and OS 9 will be looking in the wrong place for the HFS+ metadata (namely the file type and creator type...
    Latest update on the question by in Earlier Operating Systems
    1,391 views 0 replies