mahrmut

Q: Is there a reason that OS9 software that ran fine on a G4 cube will not run on a single-processor single-core 1.25 MDD G4 tower?

I recently optimized a

1.25 GHz PowerPC G4 (7455/7455B)

 

for my boss to use as an OS9 machine running the software he wrote in the early 90s after his cubes quit working.

 

He tells me that this new tower "does not even acknowledge the existence of" the programs he was runngin fine on his G4 cubes. I'll have a better explanation once I see this problem in person.

 

This sounds too bad to be true, especially considering that this MDD tower was manufactured by Apple to satisfy unexpected demand for machines that could run software some people were not yet ready to abandon.

 

This is an extremely urgent problem for me. Any input would be profusely appreciated!

PowerMac, Mac OS 9.2.x

Posted on Aug 13, 2012 11:11 AM

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Q: Is there a reason that OS9 software that ran fine on a G4 cube will not run on a single-processor single-core 1.25 MDD G4 tower?

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  • by Don Archibald,Helpful

    Don Archibald Don Archibald Aug 13, 2012 11:43 AM in response to mahrmut
    Level 10 (101,435 points)
    Aug 13, 2012 11:43 AM in response to mahrmut

    Software written in the early 90's would have probably been for OS 7, perhaps very early versions of OS 8.

     

    Such software would probably have worked OK with later versions of OS 8, perhaps even with early versions of OS 9 (9.0.4 or earlier). However, much of that early software just was not compatible with the restructuring of later OS 9 versions.

     

    In particular, if such software made calls to certain extensions, in OS 9.1 and later many of what were separate extensions were combined into composite libraries. Examples of this are Shared Library Manager and Shared Library Manager PPC (both are necessary, by the way) which control some aspects of AppleTalk and Open Transport, among other things.

     

    Calls made directly to the 'old style' extensions would not be successful, since the named extensions would not be found.

  • by mahrmut,

    mahrmut mahrmut Aug 13, 2012 12:11 PM in response to Don Archibald
    Level 1 (14 points)
    Aug 13, 2012 12:11 PM in response to Don Archibald

    Thanks for responding!

     

    The G4 cubes and other machines he used this software on were also running 9.2.1.

     

    If the problem is nevertheless as you speculate, is there an easy solution you'd suggest?

     

    Thanks again,

     

    M

  • by Don Archibald,Helpful

    Don Archibald Don Archibald Aug 13, 2012 1:15 PM in response to mahrmut
    Level 10 (101,435 points)
    Aug 13, 2012 1:15 PM in response to mahrmut

    Without knowing a lot about the program in question, but accepting that it ran OK in OS 9.2.1 on the Cubes, all I can suggest is to recheck the setup on the G4 MDD.

     

    Make sure the following are turned on in Extensions Manager: Apple Guide; Security Library; Security Manager; Shared Library Manager; Shared Library Manager PPC. Add more memory to General Controls control panel (via the Get Info submenus); doubling the Preferred amount is good.

     

    Make sure the Multiprocessing folder is present in Extensions, per this Apple Kbase article -

    <a href="http://www.info.apple.com/kbnum/n25048">Article #25048 - Mac OS: Do Not Remove Multiprocessing Folder</a>

     

    You may need to also try dumping some prefs files, then restarting. Exactly which prefs files depends upon the nature of the program, i.e. which services of OS 9 it uses or accesses.

     

    And, be sure you are using OS 9 as the boot OS. With the machine booted to OS X and using OS 9 as Classic, some OS 9-only apps won't run well, or at all. This usually has to do with Classic not having direct access to the machine's hardware.

  • by mahrmut,

    mahrmut mahrmut Aug 13, 2012 1:27 PM in response to Don Archibald
    Level 1 (14 points)
    Aug 13, 2012 1:27 PM in response to Don Archibald

    Don-

     

    Thanks for this extremely substantial input. I'll take a look at these things.

     

    I must admit, however, that I have no idea how to determine which services this program uses as it concerns dumping certain preferences files.

     

    PS: no classic, only booting in 9.

     

    I did recently set up the SheepShaver emulator (I think it runs 9.0.1) for his use on a 2012 Mac mini, do you have an opinion of it and do you expect that I'll see the same problem?

     

    Thanks again!

  • by Don Archibald,

    Don Archibald Don Archibald Aug 13, 2012 2:37 PM in response to mahrmut
    Level 10 (101,435 points)
    Aug 13, 2012 2:37 PM in response to mahrmut

    I must admit, however, that I have no idea how to determine which services this program uses as it concerns dumping certain preferences files.

    What does the software do? Is it for audio, graphics, video, text processing, or ...?

  • by MlchaelLAX,

    MlchaelLAX MlchaelLAX Aug 13, 2012 5:53 PM in response to mahrmut
    Level 4 (2,256 points)
    Aug 13, 2012 5:53 PM in response to mahrmut

    mahrmut wrote:

     

    I did recently set up the SheepShaver emulator (I think it runs 9.0.1) for his use on a 2012 Mac mini, do you have an opinion of it and do you expect that I'll see the same problem?

    This was going to be my suggestion; install SheepShaver on a modern Mac.  I believe that it can run OS 9 up to and including 9.0.4.

     

    I use it successfully for many Classic Mac OS9 programs such as WordPerfect, MORE and soon I will be attempting to access some Quicken 98 files using it.

     

    Some reference links for SheepSaver are:

     

    http://www.emaculation.com/doku.php/sheepshaver_mac_os_x_setup

     

    and

     

    http://www.everymac.com/mac-answers/mac-os-9-classic-support-faq/run-macos-9-on- intel-macs.html

     

    Here is a screenshot of my 2011 Mac Mini running Lion and the Classic game Risk II in SheepShaver:

     

    Risk II.png

  • by mahrmut,

    mahrmut mahrmut Aug 13, 2012 6:25 PM in response to Don Archibald
    Level 1 (14 points)
    Aug 13, 2012 6:25 PM in response to Don Archibald

    It sorts huge text files before they are printed as books that look like large city phone books.

     

    I was dismayed to arrive here (at work) and see that merely copying over the main application into Sheepshaver is troublesome. For years, my boss has simply dragged &amp; dropped the application. When we do this, attempting to open in OS9 within Sheepshaver, the application can not be opened 'because the application that created it cannot be found. Could not find a translation extension with appropriate translators.' the system in Sheepshaver (or osx for that matter) sees it as a file rather than an application. I experimentally put the application into a folder first and then transferring it, and after opening it there were three files visible instead of the one: FINDER.DAT, MPW Shell (the application), and RESOURCE.FRK.

     

    Any ideas for how to get this over without the trouble?

  • by MlchaelLAX,

    MlchaelLAX MlchaelLAX Aug 13, 2012 7:18 PM in response to mahrmut
    Level 4 (2,256 points)
    Aug 13, 2012 7:18 PM in response to mahrmut

    Rather than double-clicking on the data file and hoping it would launch and open in the OS 9 application; instead:

     

    Launch the OS 9 application and then use the File to Open menu to find and then open the data file:

     

    Screen Shot 2012-08-13 at 7.17.35 PM.png

                             [click on image to enlarge]

     

    Files are moved to the SheepShaver environment through the Shared folder in your Users Folder.  It then appears in the Unix folder in OS 9 SheepShaver.

     

    If it is the application that is not opening correctly, is there an installation program that is required to install it?