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DZ/015

macrumors 6502a
Mar 23, 2003
875
26
New England
The retail OS X install discs don't install OS 9. And 10.5 does not support the classic environment. If you have 10.5 installed, OS 9 can exist on another partition or disc and be booted. The only way to install OS 9 on a MDD is from the restore discs that came with the computer, or copy the system folder from another computer that has a working install of 9.2.2. I sent you a link that should help.
 

WMD

macrumors regular
Jun 12, 2013
175
7
Florida, USA
You could; I remember installing a retail System 7 on a system that needed an enabler. The trick was to drop the enabler onto the first install disk so that it'd boot, and then copy it onto the hard drive once the system was installed. It wasn't absolutely trivial but wasn't too difficult either.
So the enabler was a single file that functioned simply by being present? That's actually really cool. :D Certainly easier to work with than driver issues today. The only problem, I suppose, would be in obtaining the enabler separately back in the days before widespread Internet.
 

iamMacPerson

macrumors 68040
Jun 12, 2011
3,488
1,927
AZ/10.0.1.1
Meanwhile, you can still boot a new PC from a Windows XP CD and install it. All you need is a driver disk. Heck, most PCs will still boot into the Windows 98 installer; it probably won't recognize the hard drive, but at least it does something.

The reason they did this was because of the drivers. Apple always builds them into the OS, so they needed to release a version that would work on the MDD. With Windows, the manufacture just puts the drivers on a disc and expect the user to install them. Apple does that for you. This is the same reason why we still have forked updates. The late-2013 Retina MBPs are still forked on 10.9.1.


Anyway, back on point. You will absolutely need a set of System Restore discs from Apple for the MDD. These discs (more specifically Disc 1) house the "blessed" OS 9.2.2 installer for the MDD. The easy way makes you put OS X on the machine and then OS 9. IIRC, LEM found a way to just install OS 9. I could rummage around and find that article if you like, but I know you will need the discs. Check eBay, ask around on some forums. A set is bound to show up for a reasonable price at some point.
 

Nermal

Moderator
Staff member
Dec 7, 2002
20,595
3,934
New Zealand
Anyway, back on point. You will absolutely need a set of System Restore discs from Apple for the MDD.

One of my regrets is not maintaining an archive of all the original restore CDs that I've had over the years; you never know when you'll need them! I used to have the DVD for the last MDD (OS 9.2.2 and 10.3) but alas I no longer have it :(
 

Cox Orange

macrumors 68000
Jan 1, 2010
1,814
241
Not every Mac needs its original OS 9 retail disks.

Some older OS 9 versions work across. My iMac G3 9.1 works on my Sawtooth G4. But an updated 9.2.2 from my iMac G3 would not work on my Sawtooth.

The MDD is an exception though, as Intell said.

Also. Apple says in a support document, that for OS 9 no partition of a hard drive may be bigger than 200GB. So if you have a 350GB dirve, you first have to go into 10.4 and devide it.
10.5 does not install OS 9 drivers, if I am correct. 10.4 has this option, when going to disk utility.
 
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