error installing OS 9

Hello! Check your computer in this list to see what the earliest version your computer shipped with. 9.1 is the earliest OS the G4PB will boot with. Tom

OS Builds

Hi, Ben -

There are two possibile models for a PowerBook G4 867MHz machine; the Apple designations for these are -

• PowerBook (1GHz/867MHz) - this machine can boot to OS 9, but only the model-specific version of OS 9.2.2 that originally came with it. It can also use that version as Classic. This can be installed only from the original combination installer disks (which boot to OSX) that came with the machine.

• PowerBook (12-inch) - this machine can not boot to OS 9, any version; but it can use OS 9 as Classic. Classic can be installed only from the original disks that came with that machine (again, a combination installer disk set which boots to OSX).

Neither machine can use any stand-alone OS 9 Install CD.

Reference - Article #25114 - Mac OS 8, 9: Compatibility With Macs

If you do not have the original set of disks that came with your machine, you will need to acquire such a set. Apple's Customer support can sometimes provide them -
http://www.apple.com/contact/phone_contacts.html

First make sure that the cd doesn't say OS9 update cd. A update or upgrade CD will do you no good.

Option 1:

You can try dragging the system 9, system folder off the cd and on to your mac osx hard drive. Then try opening a program inside the system folder:apple menu like calculator or scrapbook. This may launch OS9. If you get an error then it will not work.

Option 2:

Copy the system folder (just the system folder) off of an old OS9 machine to your mac osx hard drive. Before you do this you may want to run software update on this system. I have an old (but tweaked) version of OS9 that I use.

Option 3:

If you have a external firewire or USB hard drive you can install Mac OS9 to this drive. After installing make sure to do the updates from software update. After you have done this drag the system folder to your Mac OSX hard drive and open a program like calculator as explained in Option 1 above.

Good Luck.

Ben Mcdermott...

The Macintosh rule of thumb is that a Mac cannot operate on a Mac OS less than, from what it shipped with.

According to Don, "Neither machine can use any stand-alone OS 9 Install CD." mean no version of 9 can be booted. It is a Mac OS 10 machine that can run only Classic, that is an emulation mode of Mac OS 9 from within Mac OS 10.

...Ron

Hi, Ben -

So in other words, the CD i just purchased from apple rescue that has 9.0.4 on it is worthless to me?

Correct.

The installer on a CD like that will run only when the machine is booted to OS 9. Since you do not have OS 9 on the machine, and since it can not boot to that old a version of OS 9 even if it is an OS 9-bootable model, there is no way to run the installer.

***

Some users have been able to use a System Folder copied from an OS 9 Install CD, but only as Classic - a System Folder copied from an OS 9 Install CD is non-standard, and, unlike an installed OS 9, is never bootable after being copied from the CD.

In addition, the System Folder on an OS 9 Install CD has very, very few extensions and control panels; as a result, when such a System Folder is copied for use as Classic, many services and features are not available.

More to the point - in order for OS 9 to be used as Classic, it must be version 9.1 or later; OSX will not accept any older version for use as Classic. OS 9.2.x performs better as Classic.

And, since the installers for all download OS 9 updaters will run only when the machine is booted to OS9, and even the OS 9-bootable model can not boot to OS 9.0.4 under any circumstances, there would be no way to update that copied System Folder to a version usable as Classic.

***

Another point, one not yet mentioned - it is unlikely that either of those games would run well, if at all, in Classic. Classic (which is OS 9 used as a program while the machine is booted to OS 9) differs from OS 9 (used as a boot OS) in many ways.

One important difference with regard to the better games such as Diablo and Starcraft is that OSX retains control of the hardware when Classic is used. This means that OS 9 games (such as those) which require direct access to the machine's hardware, particularly the graphics hardware, can not have that access when run in Classic - they have it only when run in OS 9.

So, yes, unless you have another, older machine available which can use the CD from AppleRescue, it is worthless for your needs.

If it is worthless, what would you recommend I do? Ask applerescue for an exchange to a higher version that I can actually use?

Unless AppleRescue has access to original disks for your specific model, there is nothing they could exchange it for which would allow you to run the games mentioned directly in OS 9.

<hr>

Copying a working OS 9.1 or later install from another Mac might work for your purposes as Classic; but it would not be bootable even if it were OS 9.2.2 and your machine were an OS 9-bootable machine.

The reason - OS 9 installs are tailored to the specific hardware of the machine it is installed upon, unless extra effort is taken at the time of the install to create a customized, universal (boot any Mac) install of the OS. This universal install can be done only when using a full-install CD, not when using download updaters; and does not get around the minimum OS-version requirement for a specific machine, nor get around the need for a model-specific version of the OS.

<hr>

Re the games mentioned -

If by Diablo you mean Diablo II, there is a download available from Blizzard's download site to enable Diablo II to be run natively in OSX.
Go to this page - http://www.blizzard.com/support/?id=mdt0387p
and scroll down to "Macintosh OS X Native installer"

If you mean Diablo (the original), there is no OSX patch for it.

There is also a download on Blizzard's site to allow Starcraft to be installed directly in OSX -
http://www.blizzard.com/support/?id=msc0411p

Hi, Ben -

You're quite welcome.

Correcting a typo (missed the timeout for that) -

the part
(which is OS 9 used as a program while the machine is booted to OS 9)

should have read
(which is OS 9 used as a program while the machine is booted to OSX)