Excellent.
1) Control-click and download
this file. It should land on your computer with filename "binhex4.0.bin". Please save it to your Desktop. This odd and ancient little app is executable under OS 9 if the right file type and file creator code are assigned to it. (Which they will most likely
not be at this point).
2) Open Script Editor. (One version should open under OS 9 when you double-click it). Copy and past the following into the Script Editor window and then click the "Run" button:
Code:
set theNewNewFileType to ""
set theNewNewFileCrtr to ""
repeat with eachLetter in "APPL"
set thenum to ASCII number of eachLetter
set theNewNewFileType to theNewNewFileType & (ASCII character thenum) as string
end repeat
repeat with eachLetter in "BNHQ"
set thenum to ASCII number of eachLetter
set theNewNewFileCrtr to theNewNewFileCrtr & (ASCII character thenum) as string
end repeat
tell the application "Finder"
set iFile to file "binhex4.0.bin"
set file type of iFile to theNewNewFileType as string
set creator type of iFile to theNewNewFileCrtr as string
end tell
3) If it works (and I just tried it out on a MacOS 8.6 machine), it should cause the file "binhex4.0.bin" to take on an icon that looks like some kind of hand-cranked contraption, kind of like a coffee grinder. If it throws errors, please copy them down verbatim and post those errors here.
4) If it does work, double-click binhex4.0.bin to launch it; you should get a rather plain splash screen that you have to click to dismiss (do so), then just a File menu, Edit menu and Help menu. Go to the File menu, select the command "Upload --> Application", and navigate to the downloaded copy of Stuffit Expander you got from the Allume.com website (the file ending in .hqx). Click the open button. You will be invited to choose a spot to save the decoded file, and it should provide a default filename (usually the same name as the 'hqx' file minus the 'hqx' but not always).
Result
should be a functional copy of the Stuffit installer! And once you've got that installed, you can expand stuffit files and can install and use the Startup Disk Control Panel for which I posted a link a few posts above this. And with
that, you should be able to switch back into OS X. (Reboot OS 9 once after every initial restart/date-reset until you get the new PRAM battery installed).
