Problem installing OS9 after OSX bugger up

Question

Problem installing OS9 after OSX bugger up

Hey folks.
Ive got a G4 Tower that my brother got from his work. He wanted me to stick OSX on it which i did not realising you need to install the firmware update first. So ive tried to go reinstall OS9 on the drive in order to do this...herein lies the problem:

I havent seen my genuine OS9 discs for yonks, i have no idea where they are (plus they are the discs that came with my 400MHz iMac so they might not work anyhoo) so i opted for getting a copy through...questionable means. It all works fine, ive burnt the contents to a disc and can run the installer with no problems.

I connected the tower to my iBook using target mode and wiped the hard drive remotely using Disk Utility. There was no way i could use the drive otherwise, it just came up with the OSX boot screen then eventually the no entry sign. After wiping and reformatting the drive it comes up fine in target mode. I run the installer and it puts OS9 on the target disk with no problems, the installer finishes and everything. I went back into the the installer straight afterwards to confirm it worked and it said the version i had intalled was Z2-9.0.4 or something to that effect. When i restart the tower it comes up with the flashing folder that normally comes up when there is a system folder problem. I can access all the files on the drive when in target mode, but i cant boot up from the drive even though the OS installed with no problems.

Can anyone help with this problem, i know it was unethical to use a pirated copy but where else am i going to get a copy of OS9 these days?!

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.2), eMac G4, iMac G4, iMac G3

Posted on Mar 7, 2010 2:56 PM

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Answer 1

Niel

Level 10

727,211 points

Mar 7, 2010 3:04 PM in response to Aaron Cottrell

Try using a newer OS version. The installer can't check if a system in FireWire Target Disk mode is compatible with the OS it's installing.

The drive also needs to have had Mac OS 9 drivers installed when it was formatted.

(50691)

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Answer 2

Mar 7, 2010 10:17 PM in response to Aaron Cottrell

Hi, Aaron -

It would help us be able to help you better if you would identify the specific model G4 you have. These Apple KBase articles can help yuo do that -
Article #HT3082 - Power Mac G4: How to Differentiate Between Models
Article #TA25585 - Power Mac G4: How to Differentiate Between Models (part 2)

Reason - every Mac has a minimum OS version that it can use. As Niel alludes to, it possible that OS 9.0.4 is too early a version for the model you have.

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The "Z" in the version you gave ("Z2-9.0.4") is an indicator that it is the International English version, which is consistent with the UK.

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Answer 3

Mar 8, 2010 7:09 AM in response to Don Archibald

Looking at the articles, the tower is the Digital Audio one.

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Answer 4

Mar 8, 2010 8:01 AM in response to Aaron Cottrell

Hi, Aaron -

OS 9.0.4 is not sufficient for a G4 Digital Audio model.

The G4 (DA) models came with a model-specific version of OS 9.1 (among other things, it used Finder v. 9.1.1). Other than the two original disks that came with it (Software Install and Software Restore), the only CD that can be used to install a bootable OS 9 is a retail OS 9.2.1 Install CD.

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You may be able to 'fix' the OS 9.0.4 install you've already made - download and install the OS 9.1 and OS 9.2.1 download updaters on top of it. If you do that, be sure to use the updaters for the International English version.
Article #75103 - Mac OS 9.1 - Download and Info
Article #120030 - Mac OS 9.2.1 - Download and Info

It would not hurt to also try converting the install to a Universal one, i.e. one capable of booting any Mac for which that version is valid. To do that, on the installer's page named "Install Software" (the one with the "Start" button) click the "Customize" button; in the new window, from the pulldown menu to the right of the INstall OS 8.x item select "Customized Installation"; in the next new window, select "Universal Installation" from the pulldown menu at the top. Then click the Start button.

Note - I know the OS 9.2.1 download updater has the option to do a Universal install/update; not sure about the OS 9.1 download update (I no longer have a machine capable of running that one).

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Answer 5

Mar 8, 2010 4:51 PM in response to Don Archibald

right update time:

i downloaded both of those updates (9.1/9.2.1) Went through the whole installation prcoess again starting with 9.0.4. That installed ok, straight afterwards i installed the 9.1 update. That had a small complaint about not being able to access a 'About Apple Script' file. It seemed like a non-core file so i just told it to carry on, which it did and it said the installer finished properly with no problems, and after checking in the installer app it said it had Z2-9.1 installed. Then i did the 9.2 update. Again it went smoothly, it had one hicup where it said something about a drive file not being right '-- Mac Help Guide.img' or something along those lines, again it seems like an unimportant file so i tell it to carry on. It comes up with a box saying something cannot be installed, i tell it to skip and it carries on. Eventually it finishes the installation, saying some software has not been installed, but it finishes none the less. Afterwards i go back into the installer and check to make sure it has worked and it says it has Z1-9.2.1 installed and when i went to install it again to make sure it asks if i want to remove/overwrite it or add more to it.

From this surely one would assertain that 9.2.1 has been installed on the machine. I went into the machine's system folder afterwards, looked up all the important files such as System, and it says that it is version Z1-9.2.1. HOWEVER when i go to restart the machine it comes up with the flashing question mark again. I dont get it! From accessing the machine through TD mode it says that it has 9.2.1 installed, if thats the case why isnt it loading the system folder properly?!

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Answer 6

Mar 8, 2010 10:43 PM in response to Aaron Cottrell

Hi, Aaron -

OS 9 installs are by default tailored to match the hardware of the machine doing the install. This means that a normal OS 9 install becomes a model-specific one, one which is rarely capable of booting a different model. That is why I suggested doing a Universal install of at least the OS 9.2.1 update.

You might try re-installing the OS 9.2.1 update, but selecting to make it a Universal install. I'm not sure if that will work sufficiently if the prior installs had not already been Universal - on the other hand, the OS 9.2.1 update is a rather large one, so doing that alone may work, without having to go back and do a Universal starting with OS 9.0.4.

FWIW, all retail OS 9 Install CDs and most OEM (original machine disks) Software Install CDs for OS 9 can do a Universal install.

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Answer 7

Mar 9, 2010 1:25 PM in response to Don Archibald

right, ive wiped the drive again and gone through the whole process again starting with 9.0.4. On that installer i chose a universal install, it went through fine. The 9.1 install didnt have an option for that, i installed it anyway. The i did 9.2.1, that had an option for universal install which again i did. Again aside form the hicup i mentioned earlier it worked fine. It still doesnt work though. I tried booting classic on my iBook using the system folder on the G4 and it boots with no problems. Apart from complaining about QT not being up to date. So this clearly shows that there is a bootable system folder on the disk. The problem is the tower just wont acknowledge that system folder and boot from it!

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Answer 8

Mar 9, 2010 1:47 PM in response to Aaron Cottrell

Hi, Aaron -

The G4 may be hung on looking for something that's not there.

First, take it out of TDM config if it's still connected in that.

Then boot the G4 and reset (zap) the PRAM.
Article #HT1379 - How to Reset PRAM and NVRAM

After the thrid set of startup chimes, release those keys and press just the Option key, keep it held down. This should bring up Startup Manager.
Article #HT1310 - Startup Manager: How to Select a Startup Volume

If the OS 9 install on the HD is displayed in Startup Manager, click its icon and then click the straight (righthand) arrow. If the machine boots to this okay, then go to the Startup Disk contol panel and set OS 9 on the HD as the boot OS/volume.

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Answer 9

Mar 9, 2010 2:27 PM in response to Don Archibald

ok, reset both PRAM and NVRAM. Started up with Startup Manager butit shows no disk images, just the refresh arrow and right pointing arrow.

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Answer 10

Mar 9, 2010 10:43 PM in response to Aaron Cottrell

Hi, Aaron -

At this point I can't think of a reason why the machine would not be able to use that install.

You've invested quite a bit of time in trying to get a bootable OS 9 onto it. If I understand correctly, you need the OS 9 install only temporarily, in order to be able to update the machine's firmware, and will not need to have a bootable OS 9 after you install OSX.

If that is the case, I'd suggest you try borrowing a bootable OS 9 install CD, one valid for that machine. This can be one of two disks -

• a Software Install CD that originally shipped with that model. Perhaps your brother could borrow one from work?

• a retail OS 9.2.1 Install CD. Perhaps you could borrow one of those from a friend, or from someone at an Apple User Group - there's usually one in most large cities or universities.
http://www.apple.com/usergroups/

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Answer 11

Mar 11, 2010 6:31 AM in response to Don Archibald

SUCCESS!!!!
By sheer luck i think, i went to the Mac help desk at my uni and spoke to them. They said they had a collection of old software discs in a store room so we went and had a look. Luckily they had a pack of Power Mac G4 Software Restore and OS X install discs available which i borrowed. It now works perfectly and i can boot up in OS X (10.1 but still!) AND 9.2.2! Candy and Sodas for all!

Thanks for all your help, uve taught me a few things about Macs that i didnt actually know about!

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Answer 12

Mar 11, 2010 12:06 PM in response to Aaron Cottrell

Hi, Aaron -

Great - glad you were able to find a suitable CD and get a working OS 9 installed.

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