That iBook G4 is a first generation with a PowerPC 7455 processor, so you're in luck with this one - it's exactly the same model I managed to make OS 9 work with in that thread. Grab the installation disc image from here (compiled by the people over at MacOS9Lives) and burn it to CD:
https://www.thinkclassic.org/viewtopic.php?id=347
And grab the "
Macintosh ROM 10.2.1r1 iBook" extension package from here and toss it onto a Mac (HFS+) formatted USB drive:
https://www.thinkclassic.org/viewtopic.php?pid=4504#p4504
Boot the iBook G4 using the installation CD and follow the instructions that appear on the screen after it finishes starting up. Use Drive Setup to partition and erase the internal hard drive (this needs to be done so the OS 9 hard disk driver is written to the iBook HD), then use Apple Software Restore to install OS 9 onto the iBook's hard drive.
I've compiled a guide with screenshots here if it helps.
Once the installation finishes,
don't restart just yet. Instead, insert the USB stick and copy the Mac OS ROM and extensions in the Macintosh ROM 10.2.1r1 iBook extensions package to the System Folder on the iBook HD. If it needs to overwrite any existing files, say Yes.
Once those files are in place, reboot the iBook and start from the newly installed OS 9 system on the internal hard drive. You're done!
These extensions are experimental and do have some known issues, such as:
- Video somewhat works. You can change colour settings, resolution and brightness, however there is no hardware 2D or 3D acceleration. Games or software dependent on OpenGL will instead use the much slower software renderer or not run at all.
- If the computer enters sleep mode it will be unable to wake, requiring you to hold down the power button and hard reboot the machine. An extension included in the package called "Insomnia" prevents automatic sleep for this reason.
- AirPort Extreme wireless networking does not work.
- USB 2.0 ports work fine, but run at USB 1.1 speeds - the maximum speed supported by Mac OS 9.
- Data CDs and DVDs read fine, but the DVD Player doesn't launch.
- The CPU may run warmer than usual in some instances. If this occurs, enable "Allow Processor Cycling" and "Reduce Processor Speed" in the Energy Saver control panel. The performance is still more than adequate for Mac OS 9 software.
However the machine does mostly work and I have used an iBook G4 with these extensions to run several older games like Zoo Tycoon, Age Of Empires II Gold, SimCity 2000, SimTower and NASCAR Racing without any performance issues. Applications like iTunes and Microsoft Office 2001 work fine.
Cheers,
~ iMic.
