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Can't get iMac G3 to boot from USB

thenix

thenix

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 27, 2023
12
1
Hello. I have an iMac G3 I just got that is on OSX,l but I want it on OS9. The CD drive doesn't seem to be reading discs. My idea was to install OS 9.2 onto a USB flash drive. I have been able to boot into OSX and install OS9 to a flash drive using an external disk drive and classic mode. However with that USB that now has OS9 installed to it, it does not show up when booting and holding alt. Only the hard drive shows up. I was wondering if anyone knows why it won't boot from that flash drive or if there other options for getting OS9 on my computer. I was hoping once I can boot off the flash drive I could install on the hard drive. Thanks.
 
OS 9 does not need to be booted just to install -- the system is not quite that sophisticated.
Here is what you may try to get the OS 9 system to work:
You will need to make sure that the OS 9 drivers are installed on the internal drive, so it will boot from OS 9.
You will need to format that hard drive to add the OS 9 drivers.
Copy the OS 9 System Folder to the hard drive.
"Bless" the OS 9 system: drag the Finder out of the System Folder, then drag Finder back into that same System Folder.
Restart. The OS 9 system should now be available for booting.
 
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DeltaMac said:
OS 9 does not need to be booted just to install -- the system is not quite that sophisticated.
Here is what you may try to get the OS 9 system to work:
You will need to make sure that the OS 9 drivers are installed on the internal drive, so it will boot from OS 9.
You will need to format that hard drive to add the OS 9 drivers.
Copy the OS 9 System Folder to the hard drive.
"Bless" the OS 9 system: drag the Finder out of the System Folder, then drag Finder back into that same System Folder.
Restart. The OS 9 system should now be available for booting.
Click to expand...
I thought about doing something like this. When I'm in OS X and am using the OS 9 installer (through classic mode) I can pick the main hard drive as the installation target. I'm just afraid of wiping the hard drive without knowing it's going to work because then it gets harder to fix if it doesn't work. This sounds even lower level and something I might try after I try a few other things first. Also I'm somewhat of a mac newbie so I don't know if "blessing" the system is a joke or for real, or both lol.
 
Blessing, in this case, sets the OS 9 system so it is bootable. (yes, that is the correct term)
(I don't think there is any religious significance with this :) )
The "move the Finder file out of the System Folder, then drag it back into that same System Folder.", which sounds like a bit of voodoo, but it works (makes the System Folder bootable)
If you do this (copy a Mac OS 9 System Folder, then bless it) with an OS X system bootable partition, then it makes the same partition bootable with either OS X, or Mac OS 9.
 
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MAKE SURE the iMac has the OS 9 drivers on the partition you plan to install to. If not...OS 9 will hang on booting and will NEVER complete.
 
Is this a tray loading or slot loading G3 iMac? Only the slot loading can boot from a USB drive, they're the first Mac that can natively boot from a USB drive.
 
Intell said:
Is this a tray loading or slot loading G3 iMac? Only the slot loading can boot from a USB drive, they're the first Mac that can natively boot from a USB drive.
Click to expand...
It's a slot loading iMac
 
DeltaMac said:
OS 9 does not need to be booted just to install -- the system is not quite that sophisticated.
Here is what you may try to get the OS 9 system to work:
You will need to make sure that the OS 9 drivers are installed on the internal drive, so it will boot from OS 9.
You will need to format that hard drive to add the OS 9 drivers.
Copy the OS 9 System Folder to the hard drive.
"Bless" the OS 9 system: drag the Finder out of the System Folder, then drag Finder back into that same System Folder.
Restart. The OS 9 system should now be available for booting.
Click to expand...
OK so let me ask. How can I format a hard drive with OS 9 drivers? In the old version of mac OS X I have on the hard drive I can do that, but on a newer Mac I don't have that option. But I want to format the hard drive with the old version on it and it won't format itself. So how can I format it with OS 9 drivers? Thank you.
 
Amethyst1 said:
You either need to boot from a Mac OS 9 or Mac OS X install medium and re-partition the hard drive with OS 9 drivers from there, losing everything that is on it, or add the OS 9 drivers ex post.
Click to expand...
I only have computers with High Sierra on it and when I try to partition I don't have an option for OS 9 Drivers? Is that correct or am I just not seeing the option? Or do I need to add the drivers ex post?
 
macOS High Sierra isn't going to expose options for OS 9 disk drivers; it's far too new-- it might not even allow APM table formatting.

Your best bet to achieve this is (again) to boot from install medium, preferrably on the Mac that you want to install to, and the installation medium will come with a proper Disk Utility that you can use to format the drive from there.

As far as OS 9 goes, I have personally not had success with booting it from a USB drive. You may want to burn a CD for that or obtain real media.
 
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Doq said:
macOS High Sierra isn't going to expose options for OS 9 disk drivers; it's far too new-- it might not even allow APM table formatting.

Your best bet to achieve this is (again) to boot from install medium, preferrably on the Mac that you want to install to, and the installation medium will come with a proper Disk Utility that you can use to format the drive from there.

As far as OS 9 goes, I have personally not had success with booting it from a USB drive. You may want to burn a CD for that or obtain real media.
Click to expand...
The problem is that I can't boot to the mac, the hard drive doesn't have an OS on it.
 
quick quesiton to anyone that may know, what was the last OS X version that allowed formatting with OS 9 drivers?
 
thenix said:
The problem is that I can't boot to the mac, the hard drive doesn't have an OS on it.
Click to expand...
That's why I (and Amethyst above) suggested booting from an install CD/DVD/USB, so that you can install an OS to it. You can for sure boot the OS X installer from a USB. No personal success with OS 9, but you can always burn a CD for that.
 
Doq said:
That's why I (and Amethyst above) suggested booting from an install CD/DVD/USB, so that you can install an OS to it. You can for sure boot the OS X installer from a USB. No personal success with OS 9, but you can always burn a CD for that.
Click to expand...
I'm just getting what you are saying now, however my situation has changed a lot so I'm going to make a new thread. (Unless etiquette says I should just continue it on here)
 
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