OS9 apps won't work in Classic

Thanx for the help. I did try copying a few whole app folders over to the "new" (for me) 'Applications (Mac OS 9)' Folder hoping that would help it to recognize them. I even tried dragging them over different System and Classic icons (as if that would be the magic trick). All I ever get is the Choose Application window, and follow that to find the old app icon is generic and grayed and nothing happens when clicked.
In researching this upgrade I learned OS 10.4.11 is the highest for Classic, and this G4 Mini is too new to be OS9 booted, but I don't think ALL of my old apps are not Classic-compatible. Vectorworks 8.5.2 is the most vital to me--it is a CAD program I have hundreds of design files on. The version selling now may not even read files from that era, making app upgrade not only expensive but not even a workable option. This CAD program does not use any network or peripheral resources that require extensions and such, and ran easily with less memory, so I see no reason it could not work in Classic mode.
Am I missing some way to tag the app file as an OS9 app?

Rebuilt the OS9 Desktop and restarted twice before I requested your help with no luck. No dongle was required for any of the apps. I don't have the original app discs. They have always copied over across hard drives and OS9 machines before.

Some old OS9 apps I had open as Preview- Photoshop 5.0 LE, PhotoDeluxe 2.0, AppleWorks 5, Final Cut Pro 2.0, GraphicConverter, Quicken Deluxe 2000 do that. Others come up as Choose Application... I am deferring attempts with stuff like scan software because I have heard they are problematic. Has anybody else been unable to get Adobe apps to run in Classic?

Some experiments;
Old SimpleText on the backup drive is shown with a generic icon, SimpleText in new Apps(OS9) folder is full graphic. Double-clicking old icon on backup (non-boot Firewire) drive opens a SimpleText window under Tiger TextEdit. Preview for text, I suppose. Renamed and copied to new Apps(OS9) folder is the same.
Old Sherlock 2 opens Tiger Preview. New Sherlock 2 opens (with an out of date warning) and does run in Classic and also reads the backup drive.

I have the OS 9.1 (retail install) discs they were running under on the G3. Am a little reluctant to stick that on the MiniMac OS 10.4 disc, since the OS 9.2.2 (confirmed intact) there is supposed to be the best OS for Classic, right? If I do, is it better to install OS 9.1 from the CD or drag the System Folder from CD over?

I did Permissions Repair and Reset Launch Services first way (no help) and 2nd way (not in Safe Boot) with no effect.

As far as Prefs for the non-working apps, those are not even on the backup disc. It is a non-bootable Firewire disc and as such would not like having a system on it. I did store Control Panels and Extensions folders on it for recovery purposes which did come in handy once or twice in the past. I have since renamed the partial old OS9 System Folder folder, and doubt it could be the cause. Just to be sure, I trashed it and am restarting . . .

My Firewire backup disc is non-bootable. It would hang startup if it had an OS when running on my G3 Pismo, so I always left off the OS. I just tried dragging the OS9 CD System Folder over there to try your suggestion, Tex. The Classic Prefs window does not recognize it as a OS9 system.

Maybe a bootable Firewire drive would be able to do what you and KS are suggesting, but I just don't have that option right now. I felt ripped off after discovering this drive would only store and not let me boot. I would feel more ripped off if a replacement would not solve the problem and I still can't get Classic to do what it claims to after buying this hardware. Before doing that, I would probably buy an OS9 bootable Mac to be sure it would run OS9 apps.

Meanwhile, Classic ain't cuttin' it for me . . .

Am seeing .DAT files and .FRK folders on the backup drive that weren't there before. Is that normal? Am guessing they were there, but invisible when using OS9?

Is there something about this lame drive or its directory (originally formatted by an OS9 machine, remember) that OSX won't see the files the same way?

Many of them do have periods (we stopped using STOP to end sentences with the telegraph on this side of the pond) actually. And other funny symbols. I removed all non-alphanumerics from Adobe Illustrator (registered trademark symbol) 7.0.1, rebuilt desktop, restarted and still no good.

I even trashed the Classic Prefs file earlier. Do I sound frustrated yet?

Open to any suggestions . . .