Trouble with OS 9 Helper

I'm trying to use OS 9 helper to install 9.2.1(and then hopefully 9.2.2) on my 9600.

I downloaded the 9.2.1 and 9.2.2 SMIs and placed them on the desktop as per the instructions.

I then ran OS 9 helper(off the CD to which I'd burned it) and first installed the Firewire update and restarted.

I followed up by using OS 9 helper to attempt to install 9.2.1. The installer starts fine. It updates the HDD drivers, but as soon as it starts installing files I get an error that the files can not be installed with the system folder on the current drive. I only have one HDD in the system, and have cleared out all the "old system folders" on it-the only system folder is the current 9.1 folder.

Any ideas about what could be going on?

By the way-while I'm at it-the CD-ROM drive opens and works fine, but the drawer is very sluggish and makes an awful screech when opening. Is there anything I can do to remedy this? I'm guessing it might need a general cleaning and possibly fresh grease, but I don't want to get into it and damage anything with the scarcity of these SCSI CD-ROM drives.

Thanks for the advice on the CD-ROM. I'm guessing 3-in-1 oil would be okay.

I'm also wondering just what exactly OS 9 helper does. If it simply bypasses the installer checks, I could always pull the hard drive and use another computer to install 9.2.2(I have two G4s handy with SCSI cards).

If, however, it installs extensions needed to make it run on these computers, I suppose that I do need to actually get OS 9 helper working.

I may try the pulling the hard drive route. In the worst case, I'll just have to do a clean install of OS 9.

Just for the heck of it, I did a "drag and drop" install by putting the hard drive in my GigE G4(for those of you on the PPC forum, this is the one that has every version of OS X from Public Beta to 10.5) and copying the known good 9.2.2 system folder from it to the 9600 HDD.

After reinstalling the drive in the 9600, I had to boot off a CD to rebless the system folder. I thought it was going to work, but got about halfway into booting to 9.2.2 and got a bomb error telling me that the OS was not compatible with the system I'm using.

So, it does appear as though there's more to OS 9 helper than simply bypassing the installer checks.

I've been fiddling with OS 9 helper all evening, and am about ready to give up on it.

The error I was getting stated that OS 9.2.1 could not be installed over the system folder on the current volume.

I had the bright idea to split the hard drive into two partitions, install OS 9/9.1 on one, and then install 9.2.1 onto the second partition.

Unfortunately, that didn't work, as the 9.2.1 updater that OS 9 helper requires that you use will only install on a volume with an existing folder. So, it looks sort of like I'm stuck.

MacTech68 said:

I'm wondering if you are mixing OS localizations between the installed 9.1 and the updater you are using.

Check the OS9 system and the updaters you are using for a language prefix on the version number. For example:

No prefix is 'US-English'

"Z-" is "International English"

"B-" is 'British English'

You'll need the correct updater for the 9.1 localization you are running.

Click to expand...

I think you may have hit on the problem.

My original install was the US English version. I don't even think it gives me a language choice)

I tried to download the updates from Apple's website, but kept ending up at dead links so downloaded them from a site in the UK. The updates are the International version I think.

I think I have an international OS 9 disk, or otherwise I need to go digging at Apple's site again and try to find the US updates.

MacTech68 was very generous in providing me with copies of the US 9.2.1 and 9.2.2 updates, which seem to have disappeared from Apple's website(I can find the download pages, but the download links themselves are dead).

In any case, I'm currently installing 9.2.1. I will report back when the entire process is complete.

I'm happy to report that I'm typing this message in Classilla 9.3.3 running in OS 9.2.2 on my 9600.

The upgrade was definitely worthwhile. The whole system feels a lot more responsive and useable.

Now I just need to resist the temptation to blow $120 at OWC to max out the RAM on it . Realistically, I'll probably order a half dozen to split between this computer and my 8600(if I end up installing Leopard on the 8600, it might actually be the one to max out).

I still need to get a USB card or combo USB/Firewire card, and go hunting for drivers to make my 10/100 ethernet card work as I feel like it's currently a bottleneck in my internet browsing(not that I plan to do any internet browsing).

The 9.2.2 upgrade was definitely worthwhile, though. The whole system feels a lot more responsive and useable, although I think that the RAM is limiting it somewhat. If it weren't for the noise, I'd throw in an Ultra SCSI card and some 10K or 15K hard drives. The system is fairly quiet as is, so I don't think I want to do that.

I'm also going to do some number crunching in Mathematic afterwhile to see how it compares to the 8600, which has a single 200mhz processor. I'm not sure if the version of Mathematica that I have that will run on this system is MP aware or not, but if it is the 9600 should be significantly faster.

And, some screen shots since-as the current buzzword goes-pics or it didn't happen!

I'm hoping maybe someone can give me a hand with the 10/100 ethernet card.

The card shows up in System Profiler but is unidentified. It is active, as per the green lights on the back of it all the time, and amber lights when a "live" cable is plugged in.

The card is an AsanteFAST 10/100 09-00169-01 Rev. C.

I found what I thought were the drivers for the card on the Asante website, although what I downloaded specified that they were the Rev. B drivers. In any case, I ran it and rebooted but the card is still not recognized correctly. I'm not getting an internet connection through it with the same cable that works fine in the built-in 10-baseT port.

http://www.asante.com/support/legacy/adapters/asantefast.asp

I downloaded and ran Mac Installer 4.0, which as best as I can tell should work for this card. I also tried 3.0.1. Neither of these allowed the card to be recognized correctly or to work after a restart.

Any ideas?

MacTech68 said:

Also, be sure to check in the TCP/IP control panel for a "Connect Via" 'PCI Ethernet Card', 'PCI Slot x' or something similar, and select it. You'd need to do the same for the Appletalk control panel too, if you want AppleTalk over the PCI card.

Click to expand...

This did the trick-thank you! I'm currently typing this with the internet connected via the network card.

Interestingly enough, system profiler still doesn't recognize it as anything other than just a generic ethernet card. I don't really care, though, since it's working.

MacTech68 said:

Hooray. Now you can pimp it out with more RAM, CD Burner, Zip Drive, USB & Firewire, L2 Cache or a CPU Upgrade.

For USB, if you don't intend to run OSX 10.3.2 or later, make sure you get a USB 1.1 card with an 'OptiFirelink" Chipset. USB 2 cards seem to have problems unless there is already onboard USB ports, which there aren't of course.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestions on the USB card. My "pimped out" G3 desktop actually has a USB 2.0 card, although since it's an OS 9 only computer(and I plan on keeping it that way) they only function at 1.1 speeds. It was in the computer when I was given it, so I'll see what it is and maybe try it in this computer. I have a "standard suite" of software I install on OS 9 all on a flash drive, and it's a pain to have to track everything down again and download it or burn disks since I don't have USB right now. From what I've seen, FW cards seem to be pretty much plug and play, so that shouldn't be a big deal.

I actually have a pair of Sonnet upgrade cards coming from another forum member here-one is a G3, and the other a G4. I kind of hate to give up the MP card in the G4, so I was thinking about putting the G4 in the 8600 and the G3 in my 7350(which I still haven't booted).

I'd toss some 10K or 15K drives if it weren't for the fact that I don't want to turn a relatively quiet computer into something I can't stand to be in the room with. My G3 Minitower Server has the optional UW SCSI card with 3 10K drives, and I think it could wake the dead.

I have plenty of internal SCSI Zip drives, so I just need to find a bezel.

A SCSI CD Burner should be fun to find . Perhaps I could look for an IDE card and put both a(relatively) high capacity IDE drive in it for storage plus a CD-burner. I have a huge stack of IDE cards(I pull them out of surplus-bound computers at work whenever I see them) but haven't hit on the right one to work even in a NWR Mac. Perhaps I could even go SATA.

Forum member Intell put Leopard on his 8600. I'd really like to do the same(although I need to conquer my G4-upgraded B&W first). It should have a better video card than the Rage 128 I have in it now. I have a Radeon 9200, but I'd really like to find another as it's in my B&W project(although that may soon get swapped out for a flashed PCI nVidia 5200). It's a shame that the 5200 won't work in OWR Macs, as it's one of the few PCI cards that will give core image support. Mine has spent some time in my Xserve G5, although that computer currently is running headless and has no video card installed. If I do install Leopard on the 8600, I may bit the bullet and put in the NOS 80 pin 15K 73gb drive that was hiding in the bottom of the G3 server I bought a couple of weeks ago . Of course, it would need USB and Firewire also, as well as a bunch of RAM.

OWC sells 128gb sticks that are correct for these systems for $10 each. If it weren't for the stupidity of putting so much money into a nearly 20 year old computer, I'd order 20 sticks to max both the 9600 and 8600. Of course, I also know that finding at least one bad RAM slot has a significant probability on these. I'll probably order 4 for the 8600 to bring it up to the 512 needed for Leopard. If I then ordered another 2 or 4 for the 9600-plus the currently installed RAM and the good stuff I'd pull out of the 8600, I'd end up with a pretty respectable amount of RAM in both.