External and network HDs: level of compatibility with old Macs?

[old john]

As well as a more recent iMac (iSight), we have an old G3 (DV+) that has been on all day nearly every day (and often only asleep overnight) for 8.5 years. It runs OS 9.2.2 and is still very usable for emails and MS Office apps.

However, the G3's internal and external backup HDs have each shown a wobble; they seem OK again now, but we no longer trust this set-up and need a new external or network HD to ensure we don't lose important docs etc.

We realize that the software to configure a new HD and any free apps that come with it will only work on the OS X machine, but having set up the HD from OS X, will the OS 9 machine be able to read and write files to it?

We plan to retire the G3 and get a new iMac with the next model revision. (We'd have done so last time, but the small upgrade and increased prices in the UK put us off .) With this (our next) iMac and our existing iSight iMac, we'd like to have a network HD, so would a network (ethernet) HD would be any different in terms of OS 9 compatibility from an ordinary HD with a Firewire 400 port?

Thanks in advance for any light you can throw on these questions.

 

[Fishrrman]

RE: External and network HDs

I'd go with firewire 400 instead of "network", because firewire is bootable - not sure about networked storage.

I believe when you initialize or partition a drive with Disk Utility, there is an option to "install OS 9 drivers". Choose that, and the drive should be mountable under old OS 9 as well as OS X.

- John

 

[old john]

Thanks John. It's a good tip to think about bootability. I hadn't thought of that.

As you say that you're not sure about the bootability of network storage and you seem a little unsure about the option to "install OS 9 drivers", I hope your reply may provoke someone else into confirming what your points.