Q: Trying to get OS 9 and OS 10 to play with each other
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Jan 3, 2015 5:28 PMby BDAqua,HelpfulWhilst #2 can be done, #3 is your best option, they are cheap...
https://www.powermax.com/productcategory/used-macs-g4-tower
Cheaper or even free elsewhere.
OSX will never be as useful as OS9 & it's Apps were, outside of Internet & watching TV on your computer!
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Jan 3, 2015 6:17 PMby MichelPM,HelpfulIf your dad still likes OS 9, I would search for and purchase a vintage G4 Mirror Drive door model with both the top end 1.42 Ghz CPU and FIreWire 800 on board.
Forget a new or newer Intel Mac since it seems your dad is still comfortable with the OS versions he has been using.
WIth the G4 Mirror Drive door model, you can install 4 hard drives and have an OS on each.
I did this with My G4 MDD.
I had 4 128 GB drives installed with OS 9.2.2 installed on one drive, OS X 10.4.11 (with OS 9.2.2 installled in Classic mode) on another and OS X 10.5.8 on another and using the 4 drive as purely as an additonal storage drive.
My backup drives were all large capacity ( 256 GB - 2 TB), external FIreWire 800 drives.
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Jan 3, 2015 7:07 PMby KiltedTim,I'd say it's time for him to find newer software to do his creative work and transition over to a Mac that actually runs a supported OS. Sooner or later, he's going to find himself in a position where he may not even be able to read the data he's worked so hard to create.
I still have 8 tracks and even reel to reel tapes in my collection, but I've worked hard to get them converted or replaced with media that will actually be usable once my old tape decks die.
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Jan 3, 2015 7:25 PMby BDAqua,Did you get this backwards?
Certainly debatable as to who exactly got it wrong.
You think OS 9 was more useful than any version of OS X?
1.4.11 is pretty good, 10.5.8 didn't introduce much, 10.6.8 is kind of OK since I can still run PPC Apps, 10.7.x was a bust, 10.8.x is usable since I did paid upgrades to the tune of a few grand, but still can't accomplish what I did in any earlier OS, 10.9 is laughable, 10.10 is unusable with my poor vision.
PS. I've had to reboot OSX far more times than OS8/9, OS7.5.5 has ben running 24/7 at work since the last move on a Quadra/630.
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Jan 3, 2015 7:48 PMby Glen Doggett,One issue with getting a later model G4 like an MDD is that you will also need the original OS media for that particular machine to install OS 9 on it, there were no bootable OS 9 CD/DVD media that can boot on an MDD to install OS 9. Although you might be able to copy the OS 9 System Folder from the hard drive in the existing old machine to a newer vintage machine, I am not sure if it would also be bootable on a newer vintage machine, although it might support Classic just fine.
The MDD G4 bundle of OS optical media that came with my machine requires you to install OS X and run an OS X restore utility .app to restore the OS 9 bootable system folder and Classic environment. So, if you can find one of those machines for cheap, without the original restore OS discs it will be totally useless to you with your existing OS 9 media, because you won't be able to boot an older version OS 9 CD to install it on the newer G4 machine. Also, only the FW 400 MDD were bootable into OS 9. While most OS 9 software will work fine under Classic mode in OS X, some older software may actually require booting into OS 9 to run, the FW800 MDDs can not boot OS 9.
Discussion of emulation software that allows Apple OS to run on unsupported hardware may be against the terms of use of this forum, but one option is to become a sheep farmer and harvest their wool, essentially becoming a shaver of sheep, or a Sheep Shaver. Google that.
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Jan 3, 2015 8:49 PMby MichelPM,Glen Doggett said.
One issue with getting a later model G4 like an MDD is that you will also need the original OS media for that particular machine to install OS 9 on it, there were no bootable OS 9 CD/DVD media that can boot on an MDD to install OS 9. Although you might be able to copy the OS 9 System Folder from the hard drive in the existing old machine to a newer vintage machine, I am not sure if it would also be bootable on a newer vintage machine, although it might support Classic just fine.
I am not sure how I got OS 9 on my MDD. It's been too long. I might have copied OS 9 system and folders to an external hard drive and ran OS 9 from the external drive. I, also, ran OS 9 from Classic mode on my MDD, as well, as long as I didn't need to print or use my large format SCSI scanner as running OS 9 in Classic mode prevented me from using any externally connected hardware.
Having OS 9 on an external hard drive allowed me to run a full OS 9 system with complete access to all of my externally connected printer, scanner and some of my older audio/video peripherals.
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Jan 3, 2015 9:33 PMby Jeff,Assuming that you're technologically-inclined, Option #4 to install a replacement motherboard might be the least expensive and straightforward solution. You could check used computer retailers or recyclers in your area (if any), that might have a selection of G4s and/or parts for sale. With an online purchase, the minimal shipping weight of a motherboard makes it an affordable means of extending the service life of that Quicksilver. Be sure that the merchant provides some type of warranty on the board.
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Jan 4, 2015 12:25 AMby MichelPM,Yeah,
I see, definitely, where you are going with this.
10.7-10.9 headed in a different direction than OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard was going and where future OS X versions should have went, IMO.
I avoided both 10.7 and 10.8, but, ironically, I found quite a few new useful features for me to give OS X 10.9 a fair shake. Although, I waited until OS X 10.9.2 to finally risk installing this on my IMac.
I like Mavericks, but wished/upset Apple had abandoned continually issuing new OS X upgrades for Mavericks.
I agree with your assessment and comments about OS X 10.10 Yosemite, though. Visually, a strain, as well as a host of other more significant functionality ( or lack thereof) issues to the point that I couldn't stand it/take it any longer and deleted it off of my Mac as quickly as possible.
IMO, still an OS that is still a work-in-progress and, again IMHO, needs quite a few more dot updates to get it to a more user friendly and useable OS.
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Jan 4, 2015 12:41 AMby MichelPM,If you look for a FIreWire 800 G4 MDD PowerMac, you should be able to boot and run OS 9 off a FW800 external hard drive.
I am, also, relatively, sure that you can install a retail OS 9 CD directly to an external drive, also.
The MDD should boot from that drive, because there will be no hardware code limitations that happen when trying to install an OS to a Mac's internal hard drive that is lower than what is allowed to be installed directly onto the Mac's internal drive.
These limitations disappear when booting and running an OS version from an external drive.
I have a 2009 IMac that can't run anything lower than OS X 10.6.1 Snow Leopard directly from my iMac's internal hard drive.
I am able to boot and run a lower OS X version ( OS X 10.5.8 Leopard) by booting and running this from my external FW800 hard drive with NO issues.
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Jan 4, 2015 1:13 AMby K Shaffer,While it is possible to use an OS X system and Pacifist to extract older installer archives
from discarded or unused product install media, and get a bootable OS 9.2.2 system from
the second disk from a last model iBook G4 to boot an older vintage G4, some of the
important extensions or other parts from the chosen donor may not work with another Mac.
At least some of the vintage Mac OS system parts can be added or removed to see if they
will add or improve function in several instances, without use of an installer to move them.
Certain last G4 Tower software required their original OS X system to be installed first in
order to use the OS 9.2 system, as the installers were on OS X media. A relative had
some troubles with understanding that problem, when those machines were new, and
long distance email and discussion (including a few online mac user forums) were of a
help to convince them to install OS X first, even in cases where the computer could still
boot OS 9 (once installed via OS X.) Managing extensions and control panels becomes
a different level of effort when trying to use a version of OS9.2.2 intended as Classic, as
a bootable volume in supported hardware. Since OS X would still be managing those
aspects of control via OS X system preferences, when installed that way.
One of the better Macs for both OS 9.2.2 and OS 10.4.11 was the iMac G4 800MHz
with dual-boot capabilities, so you had two ways to use pre OS X systems. Direct,
or via Classic. Some applications preferred direct in OS 9.2.2, & worked much faster.
But it is possible to use a system included in a discard or otherwise software packet for
experimental purposes and to see how it may work. Surprisingly, it can. I was able to
set up an iBook G3 (dual USB) to Panther 10.3.9 by use of eMac G4 discs someone was
going to toss. Of course, the Tiger 10.4.11 likely is the best vintage OS X, in correct Macs.
The fun in all of that was being able to tweak the software, and not necessarily using a
command line or writing code to do it. In Mac OS prior to 8.6, several parts could be
simply dragged into a workable position. Kinda like messing with those Lego® blocks.
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Jan 4, 2015 9:11 AMby kahjot,I'd suggest following the Low End Mac Swap list for a few weeks to see what turns up. Other than that, eBay may be your best bet:
Current G4 listings:
MDDs:
Note that this second one has a newly replaced power supply. Two other listings for MDDs mention symptoms indicative of a failing power supply.
You can sometimes find Mac OS system discs for specific machines for sale on eBay, but finding them could take a while. An inquiry to the LEM Swap List might be more effective.
