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Installing Classic

D

DarthVader

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 10, 2004
5
0
I'm losing sleep AND hair trying to figue out how to install Classic. I'm running OS 10.3.3 on a G3 laptop. I can't boot off of my OS 9 CD (which I believe is 9.0, not 9.1 or 9.2), however, before installing OS X, I beleieve I could!

Whenever I try installing OS 9 without booting from it, OS X complains that I do not have a valid OS 9 system folder or something along those lines.

Can someone help?

Please?

:confused:
 
I'm probably not the best one to answer this, but I know what it is like to pull your hair out trying to find an answer and waiting for a response...

I think you have to use the "restore software" CD that came with your computer... and it will allow you to reinstall Classic. Panther doesn't include a Classic installation, but restoring from your Jaguar CDs should do the trick. But, you won't be able to boot from OS9, you will just be able to run Classic.

If I'm wrong, someone please correct me...
 
DarthVader said:
I'm losing sleep AND hair trying to figue out how to install Classic. I'm running OS 10.3.3 on a G3 laptop. I can't boot off of my OS 9 CD (which I believe is 9.0, not 9.1 or 9.2), however, before installing OS X, I beleieve I could!

Whenever I try installing OS 9 without booting from it, OS X complains that I do not have a valid OS 9 system folder or something along those lines.

Can someone help?

Please?

:confused:
Click to expand...
I believe that your PowerBook shipped with MacOS 9, or was it MacOS 8.x? What happened to your original OS? If you have a copy of a complete distribution of MacOS X 10.0, then you should have a MacOS 9.1 CD in the box. A complete distribution of MacOS X 10.1 had a MacOS 9.2.1 CD in the box.
 
Here's how to do it.

I had to do this just yesterday and found a solution in this blog entry. If you don't have TinkerTool installed, use the Terminal, like this:

1. Insert your restore CD/DVD
2. Open Terminal
3. Type open "/Volumes/[NAME OF YOUR DVD HERE]/.images"

This will show the directory as a finder window. Open the disk image mentioned and copy the system and applications directory to your hard disk.
 
Okay, well, I only have OS 10.2 and 103, not 10 or 10.1 (on CD). But, I tried the terminal window dealio, and typed:

open "/Volumes/Mac OS 9/.images"

However, I was told:

open [401] No such file: /Volumes/Mac OS 9/.images

I tried TinkerTool, but even following the settings, I can not find a folder called .images. And... any idea why I can not boot from my OS 9 CD (not computer specific) when I used to be able to? Driver/firmware issue??

So now what?? Thanks!
 
I think that 10.2 and 10.3 are the mac os x versions that do not need mac os 9 to install (correct me if I am wrong about 10.2)

You can boot from your mac os 9 cd, install it, and then boot from your Mac os 10 cd and install it.

You can also just copy a system folder to your hd to run classic.

-ajmbc
 
DarthVader, sorry, I didn't read your post carefully enough. My post referred to a OS X restore CD, not an OS 9 CD. As has been mentioned, it should be enough to copy the system folder to your HDD to be able to use OS 9. If you OS 9 CD doesn't work, did you try the OS 9.22 that came with Mac OS X?
 
Crenz: OS 9.2.2 doesn't come with OS X (at least the versions DarthVader has), it only comes with new Macs.

DarthVader, as a few people have suggested, try copying the system folder from the OS 9 CD. If this works, then try upgrading to OS 9.2.2 (the updaters can be found here), and see if that works as both a bootable volume and for use as Classic.
 
Hmm. This is frustrating. I HAVE copied the system folder from the OS 9 CD to the root directory of OS X. In other words, I open up my boot drive, and drop the OS 9 System Folder in there. That doesn't seem to help. When I open The Classic Preferences, in says:

"No Classic system folder. There is no volume that supports starting Classic. Please install Mac OS 9.1 or later to run Classic."

Under the selection for Selecting a system folder to start Classic, The options are grayed out, and thus, I can't even tell it which to use. Next to the Start button, which is also gray, it says "There is no volume with a system folder that supports starting Classic."

Basically, I can't start up from the OS 9 CD which I USED to be able to start up from, and I can't run it from OS X because it complains I don't have a valid OS 9 syetm folder or something along those lines. Does it matter that my OS 9 CD appears to be 9.0? Anyone else have any ideas? I ran out of them a few days ago.... it CAN'T be THIS hard!!
 
MisterMe said:
I believe that your PowerBook shipped with MacOS 9, or was it MacOS 8.x? What happened to your original OS? If you have a copy of a complete distribution of MacOS X 10.0, then you should have a MacOS 9.1 CD in the box. A complete distribution of MacOS X 10.1 had a MacOS 9.2.1 CD in the box.
Click to expand...

I don't know what the powerbook shipped with... but at some point, I bought the OS 9.0 CD, the OS X 10.2, and OS X 10.3. I don't have the original software that came with the computer. Are you telling me that 10.1 has OS 9 WITH it, but none of them AFTER that did??
 
DarthVader said:
Hmm. This is frustrating. I HAVE copied the system folder from the OS 9 CD to the root directory of OS X. In other words, I open up my boot drive, and drop the OS 9 System Folder in there. That doesn't seem to help. When I open The Classic Preferences, in says:

"No Classic system folder. There is no volume that supports starting Classic. Please install Mac OS 9.1 or later to run Classic."

Under the selection for Selecting a system folder to start Classic, The options are grayed out, and thus, I can't even tell it which to use. Next to the Start button, which is also gray, it says "There is no volume with a system folder that supports starting Classic."

Basically, I can't start up from the OS 9 CD which I USED to be able to start up from, and I can't run it from OS X because it complains I don't have a valid OS 9 syetm folder or something along those lines. Does it matter that my OS 9 CD appears to be 9.0? Anyone else have any ideas? I ran out of them a few days ago.... it CAN'T be THIS hard!!
Click to expand...

The Classic System Preferences won't let you use it because it is OS 9.0, not 9.1 or newer. You'll need to apply the updates. I'm not sure if you need to boot into Mac OS 9 to do so. If you do, try selecting OS 9 in the Startup Disk System Preferences and see if that works.

BTW, to find out exactly what version of OS 9 it is, get info on /System Folder/System, and see what it says under version.
 
DarthVader said:
Hmm. This is frustrating. I HAVE copied the system folder from the OS 9 CD to the root directory of OS X. In other words, I open up my boot drive, and drop the OS 9 System Folder in there. That doesn't seem to help. When I open The Classic Preferences, in says:

"No Classic system folder. There is no volume that supports starting Classic. Please install Mac OS 9.1 or later to run Classic."

Under the selection for Selecting a system folder to start Classic, The options are grayed out, and thus, I can't even tell it which to use. Next to the Start button, which is also gray, it says "There is no volume with a system folder that supports starting Classic."

Basically, I can't start up from the OS 9 CD which I USED to be able to start up from, and I can't run it from OS X because it complains I don't have a valid OS 9 syetm folder or something along those lines. Does it matter that my OS 9 CD appears to be 9.0? Anyone else have any ideas? I ran out of them a few days ago.... it CAN'T be THIS hard!!
Click to expand...
When you wiped your hard disk to install MacOS X, you also wiped your MacOS 9 drivers. Without those, you cannot boot from MacOS 9. You are going to have to get a distribution copy of MacOS 9.1 or MacOS 9.2. Boot from the MacOS 9 CD, be sure to install the MacOS9 drivers, and then install the OS. However, if you already have a copy of the OS on your computer, then you should be able to boot that copy. Next time, leave pirated software alone.
 
Darth Vader:
Your system folder is maybe not 'blessed'.

Go to system preferences- click on Startup disk
Click on the mac os 9 system folder in there.
Go to show all- then back to startup disk
click back on your mac os x volume.
(From an apple info document)

MisterMe:

It is obvious that Darth vader did not pirate software- there might be a problem with his disk or his computer may not be able to boot from mac os 9. Don't be so quick to flame people- think before you post.

aj
 
DarthVader said:
I don't know what the powerbook shipped with... but at some point, I bought the OS 9.0 CD, the OS X 10.2, and OS X 10.3. I don't have the original software that came with the computer. Are you telling me that 10.1 has OS 9 WITH it, but none of them AFTER that did??
Click to expand...
I am telling you that MacOS X 10.1 shipped with a complete installation of MacOS 9.2.1. The most recent version of MacOS 9 is MacOS 9.2.2, a minor compatibility update for MacOS 9.2.1. Apple has not bundled MacOS 9 with any shrinkwrapped version of MacOS X since MacOS X 10.1. Apple does, however, include Classic (MacOS 9.2.2) with every new Mac that it ships.
 
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