iMac Classic question.

[Levina]

I have a second generation iMac. After two years of use I installed a little application from MetroWorks and the debugger that came with it messed up the file directory: the iMac could still boot, but I couldn't access the hard drive anymore. Nothing I tried worked, and so it sat on a shelf for, what, 9 years or so.

Now I have bought a docking station, removed the HDD and I have removed the MetroWorks application and the debugger (and copied the content of the HDD of course!). So now I am going to build the HDD back in, hoping it will function normally again.

However, it's been a long time since Classic, and I wonder if it'll work like this. I've run Disk Utility and it says the drive is fine. But, I still have the original install CD's. With OS 8.6. So I renamed the iMac's System folder ('Systems Folder (old)') and copied the Systems Folder from the install cd to the iMac's HDD.
The question is, will this work? Will the iMac boot up with this pristine System Folder? I mean, it's not exactly 'installed' as such...

I'd be grateful for some help.

By the way, I wasn't sure where to post this exactly, but chose this forum, as it does concern an iMac. A bit old, but still...

 

[OllyW]

By the way, I wasn't sure where to post this exactly, but chose this forum, as it does concern an iMac. A bit old, but still...

I've moved it to the PowerPC Mac forum where you should get a better response.

 

[iThinkergoiMac]

It may work. You might end up having to boot from the CDs and reinstall the OS, though.

 

[Levina]

Well, that's just it, the cd-rom drive (tray loading) has stopped working as well. So I'm in a loop here: I can't get to the HDD and thus need to boot from the install cd, but the cd-rom drive doesn't work because the HDD is messed up.
I should have sued MetroWorks at the time...

Of course, no harm done if it doesn't work, it's just I'd hate to have to disassemble the thing yet again!

(And thank you, Olly for moving the thread to the proper forum.)

 

[iThinkergoiMac]

You should be able to partially reassemble the Mac to the point where you can get it to boot, and then shut it back down and finish assembly if it works. Why does the CD drive not work because the HDD is messed up? That doesn't make much sense to me...

If you have access to another Mac than can boot the install disc, perhaps you could put the HDD on an IDE to USB converter (though IIRC, the installer doesn't support installing to a USB drive) or put the drive inside if it's a tower with an empty bay and install that way.

 

[Levina]

Well, the cd-rom drive stopped working after the HDD got messed up so I just always assumed it was caused by the HDD. But maybe the cd-rom drive is not controlled at all by the HDD. I have no idea really...

The docking station I mentioned in my OP is an IDE to USB converter. As to booting with the Install cd with another Mac, I don't quite understand how that would work?
Also, wouldn't I need a Mac running on that exact same OS? I mean, I do have another iMac from that time period, but it came with OS 9 and I'm pretty sure it won't boot with an OS 8.6 Install cd. But say it would, then how do I proceed?

And thanks a bunch for thinking with iThinkergoiMac (very clever handle btw!). It's much appreciated.

 

[iThinkergoiMac]

Well, the cd-rom drive stopped working after the HDD got messed up so I just always assumed it was caused by the HDD. But maybe the cd-rom drive is not controlled at all by the HDD. I have no idea really...

The OS runs off it, but on a hardware level the HDD doesn't control anything except itself. Your optical drive may be busted, but that would be coincidence.

The docking station I mentioned in my OP is an IDE to USB converter. As to booting with the Install cd with another Mac, I don't quite understand how that would work?

It wouldn't because Classic OS does not support installing to a USB drive (the installer will see an internal IDE drive connected via USB as a USB drive). I know I mentioned it as a possibility, but I've since remembered that it's definitely not possible.

Also, wouldn't I need a Mac running on that exact same OS? I mean, I do have another iMac from that time period, but it came with OS 9 and I'm pretty sure it won't boot with an OS 8.6 Install cd. But say it would, then how do I proceed?

Depends on the Mac. If it came with OS 8.6 or earlier installed at the time of first purchase, then it will boot any classic OS from the original OS onward, regardless of what is installed on the internal drive. It won't let you install 8.6 directly over 9.2, though, without erasing that drive first. But it won't prevent you from booting the disc.

Is your other Mac (if it's capable of booting 8.6) easy to disassemble? If so, you could try putting the iMac HDD inside it, installing the OS, and then placing that HDD back in the iMac. I don't know how it would work out with drivers, though. I don't know enough about the Classic Installer to know if it installs all the drivers the OS needs (like OS X does) or if it only installs certain drivers based on the hardware it sees. I'm guessing the latter is more likely, but I don't know for sure.