Can't get iMac G3 to boot OS 9 from hard drive

[thenix]

My situation has changed so I'm starting a new thread. (unless that's bad etiquette) I have an iMac G3 that has OS X installed on it but I want to run OS 9. The CD drive is not really working. (I got it too boot from an OS 9 CD once but can't get it to boot from cd again) I have tried to format an SD card and installed OS 9 on it, then used an SD to IDE card to replace the hard drive. When booting the computer didn't see an OS. I thought maybe the SD to IDE doesn't work so I found a 120GB hard drive and connected it via USB so that I could partition it in half, format it, and install OS 9 (doing this all in OS X on the G3) I then swapped the new hard drive in and booted but the iMac doesn't see an OS. I was wondering what's going wrong or what I should try next. Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Doq]

I don't think this warranted a new thread seeing as it's the same machine that's the subject but we'll roll with it. Anyway, there's a lot to unpack here, so let me see if I understand this correctly before throwing out any potential solutions. You have:

• an iMac G3 (M5521, sourced from thread before)
  • that has OS X installed
  • it has a bum combo drive
  • and you want to run OS 9

and you have tried:

• SD to IDE adapter
• CD boot
• a real hard drive

with no results.

Okay. Have you tried the tip in the thread before to bless the OS 9 installation (copy Finder out of the System Folder and then copy it back in)? Your iMac won't recognise a bootable system without doing this.

Check the Startup Disk preference panel in OS X. If it finds your OS 9 installation, then at least it's there and bootable, and you should be able to select and restart into it. If it doesn't, try blessing the System Folder again.

While not a true indicator of bootability, also try looking in the Classic preference panel to see if it finds your System Folder. If it doesn't, then there's something really wrong with your install and probably should start over.

If that doesn't work, check to see if your hard drive (the whole disk, not just a volume) is formatted with the Apple Partition Map. If it's something else (GUID Partition Table, or Master Boot Record) then your iMac won't even attempt to boot from it.

If after all of this you're still having problems, there is probably a deeper issue and probably outside the scope of at least anything I'd be able to give you.

I'm not too familiar with the M5521, so I'm not sure if its Open Firmware has the boot picker or not. It probably does, seeing as I'm (potentially misguidedly) aware of the boot picker existing on some Blue & White Power Macs, but I don't wanna look like I have my foot in my mouth.
I would still check anyway-- hold down Option when powering the iMac on and if it still tries to normal boot then the boot picker is probably absent. If it does exist and finds your OS 9 system, then it's a matter of switching the Startup Folder in the control panels of either OS 9 or OS X.

 

[thenix]

I don't think this warranted a new thread seeing as it's the same machine that's the subject but we'll roll with it. Anyway, there's a lot to unpack here, so let me see if I understand this correctly before throwing out any potential solutions. You have:

• an iMac G3 (M5521, sourced from thread before)
  • that has OS X installed
  • it has a bum combo drive
  • and you want to run OS 9

and you have tried:

• SD to IDE adapter
• CD boot
• a real hard drive

with no results.

Okay. Have you tried the tip in the thread before to bless the OS 9 installation (copy Finder out of the System Folder and then copy it back in)? Your iMac won't recognise a bootable system without doing this.

Check the Startup Disk preference panel in OS X. If it finds your OS 9 installation, then at least it's there and bootable, and you should be able to select and restart into it. If it doesn't, try blessing the System Folder again.

While not a true indicator of bootability, also try looking in the Classic preference panel to see if it finds your System Folder. If it doesn't, then there's something really wrong with your install and probably should start over.

If that doesn't work, check to see if your hard drive (the whole disk, not just a volume) is formatted with the Apple Partition Map. If it's something else (GUID Partition Table, or Master Boot Record) then your iMac won't even attempt to boot from it.

If after all of this you're still having problems, there is probably a deeper issue and probably outside the scope of at least anything I'd be able to give you.

I'm not too familiar with the M5521, so I'm not sure if its Open Firmware has the boot picker or not. It probably does, seeing as I'm (potentially misguidedly) aware of the boot picker existing on some Blue & White Power Macs, but I don't wanna look like I have my foot in my mouth.
I would still check anyway-- hold down Option when powering the iMac on and if it still tries to normal boot then the boot picker is probably absent. If it does exist and finds your OS 9 system, then it's a matter of switching the Startup Folder in the control panels of either OS 9 or OS X.

First thing in the morning I'm going to try blessing the OS 9 installation on the SD card. I think I forgot to do this because it still seems like a weird thing to me. With my HDD it's making weird clicking noises now from in the computer, I think either it might be dying. Thank you for the continued help troubleshooting.

 

[thenix]

I don't think this warranted a new thread seeing as it's the same machine that's the subject but we'll roll with it. Anyway, there's a lot to unpack here, so let me see if I understand this correctly before throwing out any potential solutions. You have:

• an iMac G3 (M5521, sourced from thread before)
  • that has OS X installed
  • it has a bum combo drive
  • and you want to run OS 9

and you have tried:

• SD to IDE adapter
• CD boot
• a real hard drive

with no results.

Okay. Have you tried the tip in the thread before to bless the OS 9 installation (copy Finder out of the System Folder and then copy it back in)? Your iMac won't recognise a bootable system without doing this.

Check the Startup Disk preference panel in OS X. If it finds your OS 9 installation, then at least it's there and bootable, and you should be able to select and restart into it. If it doesn't, try blessing the System Folder again.

While not a true indicator of bootability, also try looking in the Classic preference panel to see if it finds your System Folder. If it doesn't, then there's something really wrong with your install and probably should start over.

If that doesn't work, check to see if your hard drive (the whole disk, not just a volume) is formatted with the Apple Partition Map. If it's something else (GUID Partition Table, or Master Boot Record) then your iMac won't even attempt to boot from it.

If after all of this you're still having problems, there is probably a deeper issue and probably outside the scope of at least anything I'd be able to give you.

I'm not too familiar with the M5521, so I'm not sure if its Open Firmware has the boot picker or not. It probably does, seeing as I'm (potentially misguidedly) aware of the boot picker existing on some Blue & White Power Macs, but I don't wanna look like I have my foot in my mouth.
I would still check anyway-- hold down Option when powering the iMac on and if it still tries to normal boot then the boot picker is probably absent. If it does exist and finds your OS 9 system, then it's a matter of switching the Startup Folder in the control panels of either OS 9 or OS X.

I think the problem is resolved. I didn't know what the Startup Disk Preference Panel was and when I found it finally it found OS x and OS 9 on the main hard drive. I was able to pick OS 9 to boot into and it did. I still have OS X on the hard drive so I can duel boot. All I needed to do was know that existed. After spending 2 days taking this thing apart and putting it back together again over and over I feel kind of foolish, but I've learned. Thank you for your help.