upgrading a iMac g3 333mhz...

Okay, I will definately go with the free download, but I currently have OS 8.6. Can I go right to 9.2.2?

I went to Devices/Volume under system profiler. It says there is a cd-rom but that the driver version is not available. And even though there is a disk in the slotdrive it says there is no mounted media inserted. It also says the serial number of the cd-rom is not available. Is this just a driver issue? A lot of other programs are missing files as well.

Borror

No sorry; free OS upgrades are only as follows:

• From 8.0 or higher up to 8.6
  
• From 9.0 or higher up to 9.2.2
  
• From 10.0 (Ceetah) or higher up to 10.1.5 (Puma)
  
• From 10.2 or higher up to 10.2.8 (Jaguar)
  
• From 10.3 or higher up to 10.3.9 (Panther)
  
• From 10.4 or higher up to 10.4.3... (...right now but I'm sure 10.4.4 will be released early next week during MWSF) (Tiger)

Your machine was originally supplied with 8.6 and will officially support up to 10.3.9.

I assume the drive makes all the right kind of noises(?). My brain is now struggling to remember about CD-ROM drivers (there are completely transparent to an OS X user so since I switched to OSX 3 years ago I haven't touched them.)

Open up Apple Menu > Control Panel > Extensions and ensure you have the 'Full Set' or 'Basic Set' enabled as oppsed to 'No Extensions' (There should be individual check boxes for drivers, make sure the appropriate looking Apple CD Driver etc are checked.)

I'm going to suggest you re-post the question in the Mac OS 8.6 Forum as users there will be much more familiar with the exact phrases/drivers etc.

Good luck and if you need more help with the hardware side/going to OSX...

mrtotes

thanks for all your help mrtotes. I think that I am on my way to getting this thing fixed.

Cheers!

Borror

thanks for all your help mrtotes. I think that I am on my way to getting this thing fixed.

Cheers!

Borror

OS 9 and OS X can reside on the same drive quite happily. I'd just make two partitions.

Should i make 3 total partions, one for OS 9 at 2.9 gigs, and one for OSX...

This will not work if you want to boot from OS X and OS 9. If you want to boot OS X it must be in the first partition and that partition must be less than 8 GBs. It is also true that it you want to boot from OS 9 it must be in the first partition and that partition must be less than 8 GB. So... if you want to boot from either OS X or OS 9, they must both be installed in the first partition and that partition must be less than 8 GB.

Vilem...

"I know that there is an 8 gig partition limit, or 7.9 rather."

Actually math wise it is in the long form in raw bytes that is based on 1024 vs 1000. In the PC world an ATA-3 controller cuts off at 8.4GB of the long form in raw bytes.

Anyhow I have yet to get an install of Mac OS 10 on a HD configured any greater than 7.8GB, on my Tray Load iMac. Mac OS 9 is also unpredictable if I was to attempt a complete a Mac OS 9 on a wide open drive after a fresh format. It too seems affected by the ATA controller limits.

...Ron

Dear Geekyboy, no 10.4 doesn't get around it. Essentially it is related back to the fact that the trayloaders were never designed to run OSX, and as such do not have big drive support on their biosis that is bootable. (similar in many ways to the limitations found in windows 95). So although thay will recognise large drives (upto 128mb), trayloaders cannot boot from anything larger than 7.8gb.
sorry
Andrew Platt