Where to buy Mac OS 9 disks

I have the same Mac. You need its Software Install/Restore DVD P/N 691-4679-A.

Do a Google search. Also suggest you join LEM-Swap for buying & selling Mac stuff. http://groups.google.com/group/lemswap After you join, post a WTB (want to buy).

 Cheers, Tom 😉

If you want to install OS 9 on a Mac OS X running 10.5.8, if I remember correctly, Apple dropped support for Classic Mac OS (9.2.2) on 10.5, so you can't install Mac OS 9, although you can run Mac OS 9 apps using Rosetta emulation.

But if you really want a copy of Mac OS 9 for some other computer that supports it, the retail version is what you need, and then you have to upgrade from there. So you'd need to install 9, 9.1, 9.2.1, and 9.2.2, in that order.

You can start by getting a retail copy (preferably) of Mac OS 9. One source for a non-retail copy is BetaMacs: http://stores.channeladvisor.com/BetaMacs/Mac/Software/

There's also HardCore Mac: http://store.yahoo.com/hardcoremac/, which is pricey, to say the least.

In the first sentence of his original post, Gary indicated he wants this for a G4 MDD model. Provided the particular model does not have a FW800 port, it is OS 9 bootable.

And, if that machine could use a retail OS OS 9 install CD, he would not need to start with OS 9 (9.0) as you have indicated; he could start with a retail OS 9.2.1 Install CD, then apply a single update to OS 9.2.2.

However, the G4 MDD models which are OS 9 bootable can not use any retail OS 9 Install CD - none of them are sufficient. The only source from which a bootable OS 9 can be installed on such a model is the original disk set which came with the machine when it was new - this disk set boots to OS X 10.2, but is capable of also installing a bootable OS 9.2.2 which is specific to that model.

you could ask in the Macintosh Garden forums (use google). There's a lot of MDD owners there (including me), most of us have the dual processor late 2002 models but some might have the later models, some might have original discs. You would be pushing your luck if you wanted a specific language set, ie. outside of US English or International English.

I'm in an even harder situation with a recent iMac G4 USB2 acquisition, without original discs - I have all the original discs for all the other Macs I bought from new - but this one allegedly came with OSX 10.2.7 and OS9.2.2 - not that I'm bothered if it boots it or not, I have a stack of G4's that do run it. I suspect that if the iMac did run OS9.2.2 then the USB2 wouldn't work and the AirPort Extreme would not function either. The search goes on.

You can have MacOs Classic on another partition on the same computer as Leopard, but you can't access it from the Leopard like you could in earlier versions of MacOs X. I have on my G4 one Leopard partition and one MacOS 9 partition.

If a 2003 model, it had no bootable Mac OS 9 CD, it included a classic environment presumably on the last CD which accompanied that model, perhaps 2 or 3 CD’s. Your best option for that model is to install Tiger (or an earlier Mac OS X, I assume the CD’s include 10.2.x) and Mac OS 9 environment to run within Tiger—that is how I use it on my 2004 PowerBook. I do not think to you install Mac OS 9 on another, dedicated partition, that was not possible with that generation, but running as a classic envrionment is OK and fast.

For Tiger + Mac OS 9 you should have at least 512 MB RAM, I think your model support 2 GB RAM, which would be perfect for both Tiger and Leopard. You may also have two partitions, one with Tiger + 9 the other with Leopard.

It's one of the OS9 booting MDD models that were re-introduced in July 2003, AFTER the FW800 MDD when the PowerMac G5 was released.

They're usually easily identifiavle as having a single CPU at 1.25GHz, but a dual 1.25GHz was also available as BTO.

Make no mistake, these did boot OS9, this has come up before on this or another Mac related forum.

I don't think any of the MDDs had OS9 Install CDs, OS9 was usually installed by running the Restore CD from within OS X and selecting a partial restore of just OS9.

in theory the Mac OS 9 supplied with the first gen MDD's should work but the Mac OS ROM file may require updating, mine came with ROM v9.5.1 and v9.5.2 but I read some owners have used ROM v10.2.1 which I think is the one included in the "Classic" folder you mentioned - that's the ROM file in my Classic folder on my non-OS9 booting PBG4.

Aha, interesting, did not know 9 was reintroduced so late!

Anyway, the classic environment would be, I think, the easiest and most reasonable solution.

Yes, I found the model in Mactracker, thanks for the info.

Gary, check out the last two links in the final reply of this thread, this is the answer your question:

Re: What os 9.0.4 install disc do i need to install it on a ibook clamshell