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Powermac g4 os9 woes

Dangol

Dangol

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 29, 2020
12
1
Greetings again, I'm attempting to install os9 on my powermac g4 gigabit. It seems like every version I try it freezes on the desktop, if the install makes it that far. Sometimes it'll load the clock and freeze, sometimes the harddrive icons comes on with airport setup and then freezes. I've tried every universal 9.2.2 I could find.

I went ahead and installed tiger just to have something on the system, and tiger runs with no issues.

Any advice would be appreciated and I thank you in advanced.
 
Dangol said:
Greetings again, I'm attempting to install os9 on my powermac g4 gigabit. It seems like every version I try it freezes on the desktop, if the install makes it that far. Sometimes it'll load the clock and freeze, sometimes the harddrive icons comes on with airport setup and then freezes. I've tried every universal 9.2.2 I could find.

I went ahead and installed tiger just to have something on the system, and tiger runs with no issues.

Any advice would be appreciated and I thank you in advanced.
Click to expand...
What happens if you install 9.0 instead of 9.2.2.1? You can always update if 9.0 works.
 
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DearthnVader said:
What video card do you have?

What happens when the system freezes if you hit COMMAND+OPT+Esc?
Click to expand...
its the default rage 128 pro with a 32mb radeon in a pci slot. Also, nothing happens unfortunately when pressing command+option+esc.



eyoungren said:
What happens if you install 9.0 instead of 9.2.2.1? You can always update if 9.0 works.
Click to expand...
I found this little archive http://obsolete.macfixer.com/vintage-software/ and so far the 9.2.1 img works well!

I resetted the pram and nvram before hand, no issues so far. Not sure if it was the image files, the discs themselves or the resetting of the pram and nvram.
 
Dangol said:
its the default rage 128 pro with a 32mb radeon in a pci slot. Also, nothing happens unfortunately when pressing command+option+esc.
Click to expand...
The reason I ask is because some ATI drivers on OS 9 may cause this type of desktop lockup under OS 9. I think it was the ATI Video Player which is really and application not a driver, but it lives in the Extensions folder.

Holding the spacebar at startup will bring up the Extension Manager and you can enable/disable extensions until you find the offending Extension that maybe causing the lockup.
 
eyoungren said:
Hmmm…okay, thanks.

I wasn't paying that much attention when actually using OS8/9 from 1999 to 2004.
Click to expand...
no problem.. again, if the G4 you have supported OS 9.0.2 when you got it, then it won't support OS 9 as it lacks the drivers in that version. OS 8.6 won't either. For instance, I have G3 Pismo 500 now G4 550 Pismo.. it came with 9.0.2 which means OS 9.0 WON'T RUN.
 
Dangol said:
with a 32mb radeon in a pci slot
Click to expand...
Try taking this out and see if it will work. Alternatively try booting extensions off(hold shift). Some Radeon cards can do weird things in 9.2.2 if the correct extension isn't there.

The symptoms you describe are identical to a problem I first encountered on Digital Audio G4 that I'd put a Radeon 9000 in(actually not my computer-the person it belonged to wanted a card with DVI) and I had to hunt down drivers for it.

Along those same lines, I know you mentioned trying every install you could find-did you try the OS 9 Lives 9.2.2 Universal? Alternatively, and this may take some digging but I think it's on the Garden, the 9.2.2 disk that shipped with the MDD G4 should support this card.

Macbookprodude said:
no problem.. again, if the G4 you have supported OS 9.0.2 when you got it, then it won't support OS 9 as it lacks the drivers in that version. OS 8.6 won't either. For instance, I have G3 Pismo 500 now G4 550 Pismo.. it came with 9.0.2 which means OS 9.0 WON'T RUN.
Click to expand...
Given the similarity between the GigE and Sawtooth, I'd not be surprised if the Sawtooth specific build of 8.6 worked. Purely speculating but the only thing I'd potentially see not working would be ethernet. Otherwise the GigE is essentially the same computer...

I'd try it if I could easily get to my G4 collection now. I have a dual 500 GigE with every version of OS X installed, and I could have some fun adding 8.6 to the mix if it would work.
 
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bunnspecial said:
Try taking this out and see if it will work. Alternatively try booting extensions off(hold shift). Some Radeon cards can do weird things in 9.2.2 if the correct extension isn't there.

The symptoms you describe are identical to a problem I first encountered on Digital Audio G4 that I'd put a Radeon 9000 in(actually not my computer-the person it belonged to wanted a card with DVI) and I had to hunt down drivers for it.

Along those same lines, I know you mentioned trying every install you could find-did you try the OS 9 Lives 9.2.2 Universal? Alternatively, and this may take some digging but I think it's on the Garden, the 9.2.2 disk that shipped with the MDD G4 should support this card.
Click to expand...
if this is indeed whats happening then you can also do the force quit key sequence and force quit the extension thats holding things up and continue to the desktop :)

LightBulbFun said:
not sure where exactly to post this but since the machine im using in the picture is the 9600 figured id throw it here

but those who have a Radeon 9200 Mac edition know the pain of, installing it and forgetting to install the drivers which will cause the machine will lock up just before the desktop loads

and while you can boot without extensions enable and the system boots up all the way, the driver installer needs extensions enabled! so its a little bit of a catch 22 situation

well if you boot up normally and then do a force quit when it locks up it will actually let you kill the offending extension and let the system finish loading :)

View attachment 925510
I found this out on my own a good while ago out of desperation :) but I realised when playing with my 9600 just now that I dont think I ever posted about it!

so yeah figured id post about it as its a handy way to get out of an otherwise annoying catch 22ish situation :)
Click to expand...


bunnspecial said:
Given the similarity between the GigE and Sawtooth, I'd not be surprised if the Sawtooth specific build of 8.6 worked. Purely speculating but the only thing I'd potentially see not working would be ethernet. Otherwise the GigE is essentially the same computer...

I'd try it if I could easily get to my G4 collection now. I have a dual 500 GigE with every version of OS X installed, and I could have some fun adding 8.6 to the mix if it would work.
Click to expand...

Amethyst1 said:
@LightBulbFun got the Sawtooth build of 8.6 to boot on an MDD. I got it to boot on an original PowerBook G4 Titanium.
Click to expand...

indeed you would need to use my Patched Mac OS ROM file but otherwise it should work OOB :)
 
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