Power mac g4 MDD doesn't recognize any CD when booting with C depressed

Hi, Tony, and welcome to Apple Discussions. The news isn't good. Like countless other buyers of used Macs, you've been victimized by an Ebay seller who unconscionably failed to include the discs that were originally shipped with your computer, and instead provided a pirated copy of OS X 10.4.8 — which you have no right to use, and can't reinstall. So when you say that if you ordered the discs you should have been given at no cost with the computer, you'd then have to "purchase 10.4.8 again", the "again" is a misconception on your part: you haven't already bought it at all. Any software that comes to you on a used computer without the original discs from which it was installed is pirated software, and it has a fair market value of zero.

The OS 9.2.1 disc that the seller "generously" threw in with the Mac is of no use at all to you. The Dual 867MHz MDD G4 can't boot into OS 9.2.1, as it would have to do for you to install anything using the disc. The answer you got from Apple is right: only the disc set that was originally shipped with that G4 model can install a bootable OS 9.2.2 on it.

For a functional installation of OS 9.2.2 that will work as Classic, but will not be bootable, copy the installed OS 9.2.2 System Folder from another Mac of similar vintage.

Hi, Tony. There were many different PowerMac G4 models, and each of them had its own model-specific set of installer discs. You probably have the wrong set. Perhaps someone else who has the same G4 model you do will post in with the part numbers for the proper disc set, and you can compare them with the discs you have to see whether any of yours are the right ones.

I may have failed in my last post to make this clear: it's only essential to have the right disk set for your G4 model if you need to install a bootable OS 9.2.2. If you aren't interested in booting into OS 9, and only need it for use as Classic in OS X, you can simply copy a System Folder from another Mac onto your own — it need not be put there by an OS 9 installer disc. You own a retail OS 9 installer CD, so you're entitled to a working installation of OS 9, even if it doesn't come from that CD.

Tony: There is not and never has been a retail OS 9.2.2 CD — the last retail OS 9 installer was v. 9.2.1, and it can't start your Mac. That's the one you said you had, up above. It's of no use to you.

I've explained that there were several different model-specific PowerMac G4 installer disc sets, and you apparently have the wrong set for your G4 model.* That disc set is, similarly, of no use to you.

To gain the use of Classic mode under OS X 10.4.8, you need to COPY the System Folder from another Mac whose current installation of OS 9.2.2 functions as Classic. The alternative is to spend $180 for a duplicate of the original set of discs that should have come to you with your computer. One of those discs would be able to install OS 9.2.2 for Classic on your computer. NO other installer disc can do so.

I am scared that if the machine doesn't recognize any of these CD sets, and I erase everything that I might end up with a machine and no operating system.

You are right to be scared — that's exactly what would happen. If you'd like to run OS X 10.4.8 and Classic, obtain a copy of the System Folder from another Mac, as I've described above, and buy a retail Tiger installer DVD to legitimize your use of Tiger and give you reinstallation and troubleshooting options that you lack now. It will cost substantially less than the $180 Apple quoted you for the original disc set for your machine.

* To confirm that your disc set is wrong and the problem isn't merely that your optical drive doesn't work, start up in OS X, then insert each of the discs in your G4 installer set, to see whether the computer can read them when it isn't trying to boot to them. When you try to boot to an installer disc, the Mac checks it for an appropriate operating system. If one is found, the computer starts up from it; if none is found, the disc is ejected and the computer looks elsewhere for a usable OS. This doesn't mean the disc can't be read — it only means the disc contains no suitable OS for the computer. If your discs can be read when the computer is already up and running, they definitely aren't any good to you, because the computer can't use whatever OS version they contain.

Tony,

The set of 6 restore CD's certainly sound like they're from the right era. The part numbers are very close to those for my MDD, which was on sale at the same time as your dual 867MHz. I have varying numbers from 691-3545-A to 691-3548-A, 691-3600-A (for restore CD 4). The two OSX install CD's come with 691-3956-A and 691-4081-A. All my CD part no's are prefixed with Z, for International English.

Unfortunately the MDD's (at the time of your dual 867MHz MDD and my dual 1GHz MDD came with 4 restore CD's and two OSX install CD's. To get OS9 installed, it would need to be the right restore CD for the Mac.

Unless you're up for a bit of trickery. At no cost. All you need to be able to do is use the three Unix commands "cp", "ls" and "cd".

With the Mac booted up into OSX, open up a Terminal session, make the window bigger if you want. Insert the first PMG4 restore cd.

In Terminal:
Go to the /Volumes directory (cd /Volumes).
List the directories found there (ls -la)
Two will be the internal disks (20G and 60G if I remember). One will be for the Restore cd (probably called "Restore CD" or something.
go into the "Restore CD" directory. (cd Restore*) Note, if you try 'cd Restore CD', it will error, you would need double-quotes round a directory name with spaces in it, ie. cd "Restore CD".
List the directory contents (ls -la)
In there is a '.images' directory, which contains disk images, including one of OS9. You can't see this folder in the Finder.
Go into the .images directory (cd .images)
List the directory contents (ls -la)
There should be an OS9General.dmg disk image.
You will need to copy this to a directory that you can read (cp OS9* ~/).
It's a 300MB+ file, being copied from cd, so it may take 4-5 minutes.

Now in the Finder:
Go to your home directory.
There should be an OS9General.dmg disk image there. You can mount this.
It should have (fingers crossed) a usable OS9 System Folder (and OS9 Applications Folder) that you can use. Copy it to your startup disk. You may have to play around with the System/Finder to get the folder blessed. Then see if you can select it in the OSX Startup Disk system pref. Try a reboot if you feel brave.
I would go through all the other Restore CD's, just like above, looking for useful stuff you can install.

All this means nothing of course, if there are no OS9 drivers installed on the startup disk. But with two disks installed (and other Macs to hand) you should be able to reformat one of the disks (from within OSX) installing OS9 drivers.
Perhaps someone knows of a way to get OS9 drivers installed without having to reformat. I'm sure it can be done, but I have no experience of doing it.

Note, you're still left without an OS9 startup cd, but if all goes well, you're back in OS9. And there would be nothing to stop you putting an OS9 System Folder on each disk.

Let us know what you decide / do.