Backing up OS 9

When you have a problem with a Mac that can still boot Mac OS 9 directly, as yours can, the quickest way to cut the problem down to size is to boot from a Mac OS 9 CD. This bypasses your Hard drive and the system on it. Mac OS 9 CDs are combination System/Install CDs, and allow you to run many (not all) well-behaved programs and utilities while booted from the CD.

You should seriously consider buying a Mac OS 9 CD. Make sure it is either a "Full Retail" (orange 9 on a white background) or one for your specific Mac. Ones for Macs that are not your exact machine will not contain all the software you need.

Apple has decided that once you have any proper version of Mac OS 9 installed, you can upgrade by using the large but free downloads they have made available. (A cinch if you have broadband, excruciating if you have dial-up.)

If you buy memory for that Mac, don't buy anything but 256 MB designed for that Mac. Denser ones will not work, and you may need to fill all the slots, so less dense ones can be a waste.

jtjacques,

May I suggest that you take advantage of the ease of system configuring on a mac by adding a second drive to the B&W. You can find 4 or 6 gig drives for 5 Pounds or less. Partition it and create a system backup.

You are allowed archive copies of your OS. Finding OS 9 install CDs online will be the best in the long run but since you are still testing out the mac platform, just add a second drive and copy the system folder over for now.

Keep in mind that Microsoft does not sell hardware so they had to make the OS installation process painful and time consuming. Apple learned early on that easy system backups were a must for their target market.

Actually, you can burn a bootable CD copy of your drive using the burner you added and Toast. If you change the question, you sometimes get a much easier answer.

Ji˜m

BEFORE you install OS X, you may need to upgrade your firmware (Boot ROM version in Apple System Profiler). This upgrade is performed in OS 9. Mac OS X: Available firmware updates
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86117

You should invest in a second HD - they're cheap. That way you can do periodic backups of you master HD to a Slave HD.

Cheers, Tom

Hi, Jason -

Unlike OSX, OS 9 can be copied via a Finder copy process and still retain its full functionality.

This means you can do a drag-and-drop copy of the OS 9 System Folder to another volume such as another hard drive or partition of one, and it should be bootable immediately.

You should also be able to burn the System Folder to a CD and have it remain valid for use when copied back to the hard drive. Note that this will not be bootable while it is on the CD, but is should work fine after it has been copied back to the CD.

It is a good idea to also copy the Documents folder and the Applications (Mac OS 9) folder at the same time.

After all the copying back and forth is done it may be necessary to fix one or more aliases, since the pathname in an alias that points to the original does not get changed when an alias is copied. This can include an alias to Sherlock in the Appke menu (physically located in the Apple Menu Items folder in System Folder), and perhaps one or more in the Application Support folder in System Folder.

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Is there something built into OS 9 which would allow me to burn a backup CD of the operating system that I could restore if nessacary?

OS 9 includes a program which can create disk images - Disk Copy. It is one of the standard utilities included with a normal OS 9 install.

If you have Disc Burner installed, you should be able to use it to burn data to a CD. However, I don't believe it can burn a bootable CD - you'd need to use Toast for that.

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If that can't be done, how would I backup the system if I added a second drive?

If you add a second drive, all you should need to do is drag the OS 9 System Folder from your original drive to the icon of the new one, and let go - Finder will copy it there. Ditto any other folders or files on the original drive.

You can test boot to that OS 9 as soon as Finder has finished copying it - it should be bootable immediately.

One quick and dirty way to do a whole-disk backup - just drag the icon of the original drive to the icon of the new drive, and let go. Finder will copy everything to the new drive, including anything left out on the desktop and anything left unflushed in the Trash. It will all be placed in a new folder on the new drive; the folder will be named the same as the original drive.

In that instance, before test booting to the new drive, move the System Folder out of the folder it was placed in so it is at the root level of the drive (visible in the initial window that opens when you open the drive); do the same with the Documents and the Applications (Mac OS 9) folders.

Grant:

I am the second owner of a Powermac 8500 and it didn't come with the disks. I bought a CD from eBay...a 9.2 disk...but I THINK it said it was for an iMac...but the write up said it was compatible with ALL G3's (mine is upgraded to G3). Just what do you mean by your statement that the disk wouldn't have all of the software??? I am NEW (REALLY NEW) to Macs...did I buy the wrong thing????? (Sorry for jumping into this topic)


JM

The gray or orange Mac OS 8 or 9 CDs for an iMac have everything you need to install on your iMac. But there may be some 8500 stuff missing.

The iMac does not have the same displays, or video ins and outs as your 8500. The iMac does not have the same Ethernet setup as an 8500. The iMac does not have a SCSI port. The 8500 has two serial ports and a built-in floppy. The extensions for these items may not be included, since they are not necessary on an iMac.

Apple was trying to reduce the use of these computer-specific CD's for other Macs, and other clones. Collective experience with Mac OS 8 and 9 CD's is, "there may be some stuff missing."

That is why most folks will specifically recommend you buy:
A) A "Full Retail" CD [orange 9 on a white background] that will install all the right stuff on ANY Mac, or
B) A Computer-specific CD for exactly the computer you own. [this is not an option for Mac OS 9 on the 8500 -- there are no 8500 CDs issued with Mac OS 9.] These CD's are often gray or orange.

Grant:

So...the disk that came was for an eMac! On eBay the photo showed iMac! Nonetheless, it wasn't compatible, as you warned me it wouldn't be. The seller, Allmac from Santa Clara, California, was despicable and awful. They claimed on their eBay page that they would refund the merchandise for CREDIT. No way. I wanted a full refund. I called them over 10 times. I even contacted the California Attorney General's Office and started legal proceedings against them for the runaround I got.

In the end, I got my money.

Thank you for your help. I was able to get the original disks from the original owner, by the way. It all worked out.

John