How to install OS 9 alongside OS X 10.4 Tiger?

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Level 1

8 points

How to install OS 9 alongside OS X 10.4 Tiger?

I am new to Macs and have purchased an old iBook G3/600 (M7701LL/A) which I know was originally capable of booting to OS 9 or OS X, however I am buying it seller refurbished with a clean install of OS X 10.4 Tiger only. I bought an OS 9 install disk. I need a step by step guide as to how to install OS 9 alongside OS X so that it can boot to either, and then, how to get it to boot to one or the other.

I found a couple of old threads archived, but the How To links people referred to no longer work. I did find one thread that said "choosing the installer's Option button and selecting Clean System Installation will allow it to add the earlier version (in this case 9) alongside the later version (in this case X)". I can try that and hopefully it works. My second question then, which I really need a step-by-step guide is, How to boot to each system? The same poster said "You will be able to choose either system to boot with by using the Startup Disk preference in either system." I don't know what that means. 😕 (btw, TY to Robbie Goodwin for those posts)

The reason I bought this system and need OS 9 is because I am needing to run a very old art processing program that can only run in OS 9.

I thank you in advance to anyone who is willing to help me out or point me in the right direction. I called a local computer repair shop and they want almost $300 to install it for me, which is twice what I paid for everything, so I'd really like to be able to handle this myself.

iBook, Mac OS X (10.4.1), G3/600

Posted on Sep 19, 2013 9:09 AM

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Answer 1

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BDAqua

Level 10

239,045 points

Sep 19, 2013 10:26 AM in response to Raenbo

Hello,

First, in Disk Utility, highlight the whole drive, click on the blue Info icon above, see if OS9 drivers are installed...

Name :	Newer Technology
Type :	Disk

Partition Map Scheme :	Apple Partition Map
Disk Identifier :	disk1
Media Name :	WDC WD50 00AAKB-00YSA0 Media
Media Type :	Generic
Connection Bus :	FireWire
Connection ID :	512384778896017
Device Tree :	fw/node@1d202e0bc0291/sbp-2@c000/@0:0
Writable :	Yes
Ejectable :	Yes
Mac OS 9 Drivers Installed :	Yes
Location :	External
Total Capacity :	465.8 GB (500,107,862,016 Bytes)
S.M.A.R.T. Status :	Not Supported
Disk Number :	1
Partition Number :	0

If not your choices are erasing the whole drive & checking Install OS9 drivers, then installing OS9 & OSX again, hopefully you have the OSX Istall Disk & both that & the OS9 Discs are the right ones.

Possibly that App would run under Classic in OS9 under OSX 10.4.11, which would only require a working OS9 System Folder on your Drive, the CD version won't work.

In OSX, open System Preferences>Startup Disk, there you'll see available boot drives, also, holding alt key at bootup should show available boot drives, OS9 will have a Control Panel for Startup Disk.

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Answer 2

Raenbo Author

Level 1

8 points

Sep 19, 2013 10:39 AM in response to BDAqua

Thank you for your response. I do not have the OS X install disk, and the OS 9 install disk I bought is a grey one (I now am reading that is what would have come with a system so it may or may not work in mine). The iBook will come in today and I will check to see if the OS 9 drivers are installed, as you explained, although if they are not, I am at a loss as to what next step to take.

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Answer 3

BDAqua

Level 10

239,045 points

Sep 19, 2013 10:44 AM in response to Raenbo

You're sort of up a creek without the OSX Install Disc & a proper OS9 Install Disc, does the seller have those Discs?

Might call Apple with the Serial# handy & see if you can get replacement original Discs cheap, no idea what version they'd be though.

Once you get it...

If you don't know the model, find the Serial# & use it on one of these sites, but don't post the Serial# here...

http://www.chipmunk.nl/klantenservice/applemodel.html

http://www.appleserialnumberinfo.com/Desktop/index.php

How to find the serial number of your Apple hardware product...

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1349

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Answer 4

Raenbo Author

Level 1

8 points

Sep 19, 2013 11:16 AM in response to BDAqua

I understand the model is iBook G3/600 (M7701LL/A). I will post again once I am able to see if the OS 9 drivers are installed. I will attempt to install OS 9 using the disk that is coming in. Am I correct in understanding that basically, if the disk is going to work, I put the disk in, press power and hit C during startup to attempt installation? Then, I would choose Clean System Installation in options?

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Answer 5

BDAqua

Level 10

239,045 points

Sep 19, 2013 11:43 AM in response to Raenbo

Am I correct in understanding that basically, if the disk is going to work, I put the disk in, press power and hit C during startup to attempt installation?

Yes.

Then, I would choose Clean System Installation in options?

I'm not sure about that clean install... make certain erase isn't mentioned.

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Answer 6

rccharles

Level 6

12,957 points

Sep 20, 2013 11:54 AM in response to BDAqua

If I remember correctly, you needed to install Mac OS 9 first then install Tiger. I think if you try to install 9 now, you will wipe out Tiger.

If you are handy with a command line, there are some commands around to create another partition on the hd. I assume you would need the 9 drivers on the hd.

Mac OS 9

Classilla is a free, open source browser for Mac OS 9

classilla.org

Restore Tiger 10.4 & Leopard 10.5 DVDs are available from Apple by calling 800-767-2775 as of January 20, 2013.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4720126?tstart=0

Max out the memory on this thing if you run X

TenFourFox -- It's a port of the latest FireFox to run on older hardware and software.

"World's most advanced web browser. Finely tuned for the Power PC."

-- works for me on 10.4. Supports 10.5

http://www.floodgap.com/software/tenfourfox/

alternative download site:

http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/37761/tenfourfox

OmniWeb uses the lastest Safari framework. The open source WebKit. Other browsers like Safari and iCab use the OS version of WebKit. The OmniWeb downloaded dmg includes it's own copy of the latest WebKit.

http://www.omnigroup.com/products/omniweb/

Safari 4.1.3 for Tiger

http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1069

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