Can't get Classic Environment to work (to run OS 9.2.2 which I have as a .dmg) in OSX (10.4.11) for anything

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2011, November 6 - 3:48am

MrSaturn33

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Joined: 2011 Nov 6

Can't get Classic Environment to work (to run OS 9.2.2 which I have as a .dmg) in OSX (10.4.11) for anything

I've wasted at least 4 hours of a precious Saturday afternoon so far trying to get this thing to work. I've hardly ever been more frustrated and feel like tearing the hair out of my head.

So I have a .dmg that contains the Mac OS 9.2.2 Installer and everything.

I mount it and go to Classic Enviornment, and in the little box that tells me to find a System Folder I select the mounted .dmg and select the System Folder. I get a warning that says,

Selected Volume Not Writable - Classic may not start from this volume if the Classic resources need updating.

So I press start anyway and of course, it says

Classic cannot update files in "System Folder" on "Power Mac G4 Install" because the disk is read only.

So I try simply copying all the files from the disk image to a new folder I made in Documents (I heard that it didn't matter where they were, which makes sense) and I choose System Folder from that and get this error message, within OS 9, that says

The System software on the startup disk only functions on the original media, not if copied from another drive.

I have no idea what this is about. When I say "Get Info" for the .dmg there is a drop down menu that says "You Can" with "Read and Write" selected, and I heard on this very same forum that you could check "Locked" to make sure you didn't get this very same error, of course it didn't work.

Talking more about just running the executable, I did burn the .dmg to a CD with PowerISO on my modern PC, and running that opens Classic Environment and gives me that same error about it not being on the original media. Most importantly, I've heard of some weird trick where you restart the computer and hold down C. So I put the disk in, told the computer to restart, held down C the whole time, and everything went as if the disk drive was empty and the keyboard wasn't being touched. Am I "timing" it wrong or something?

So I'm just stuck. Of course I've looked up both errors countless times and went on the support section of the website but I just can't find anything that 100% answers my problem. I just need a STRAIGHT answer on a NEW forum post.

I'm sorry, but please, PLEASE no comments linking to other forum threads, some support section, or recommending an emulator. Considering all the time I've wasted that would just feel like an insult.

Thank you,

MrSaturn33

Comments

2011, November 6 - 5:07am

bicostp

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Joined: 2009 Aug 17

The generic, minimal System Folder on the install disc was designed as a recovery environment and a way to load the installer, not as a daily-use OS. It's missing a ton of components. You need a fully functional System Folder to get Classic working.

Try downloading and extracting this one:
http://macintoshgarden.org/apps/mac-os-922-system-folder-only

2011, November 7 - 8:40am

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I did not know you could install OS 9.2.2 from a generic CD after OS X was installed.

Last time I re-installed my eMac on a new hard-drive from my generic OS X 10.3 CD, I had to carefully create the proper OS 9 compatible partition and select the OS 9 driver option.

Then the Classic environment was installed from my original eMac Software Restore CDs. It was a standard OS X pkg.

2011, November 7 - 8:57am

T-1000

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You don't need the Mac OS 9 drivers for the Classic Enviroment, only for booting Mac OS 9.

I don't think there is an included Classic installation option on the Mac OS 10.3 discs.

Which version of the eMac do you have?

2011, November 7 - 9:11am

bertyboy

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Joined: 2009 Jun 14

You don't need the Mac OS 9 drivers for the Classic Enviroment, only for booting Mac OS 9.

You're almost definitely right, but I have a nagging doubt in the back of my mind after reading posts in Apple Discussions that if the OS9 drivers are not on the disk, then it is not accessible in OS9 at all.

2011, November 7 - 9:45am

T-1000

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Yea I came to think of that after writing my last post.
There is really no reason to not choosing to install those drivers, they don't take much place at all.

However, you cannot boot a PowerPC Macintosh (with USB 2) from an USB stick if it is formated with Mac OS 9-drivers, but that is a completely different story.

2011, November 7 - 10:45am

xeter

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Joined: 2011 Jan 6

"I don't think there is an included Classic installation option on the Mac OS 10.3 discs."

I thought it was Tiger that dropped the included Classic.

T-1000 don't forget to reply to my e-mail (weekend is almost up)

2011, November 7 - 11:38am

24bit

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I installed 10.3.9 first on my Bondi blue (for a try), with OS9 drivers checked. Afterwards I booted from my OS9 CD and installed it on the same partition. That was all - Classic is working and booting OS9 as well. 10.4 may be a different story, of course.

2011, November 7 - 7:20pm

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I guess I was corrected by 24bit on the installing from a generic OS 9.2.2 CD.

T-1000: Mine is the first general public eMac (2002-2003, 700MHz/Combi/nVidia). I'm keeping it especially because I can boot OS 9 with it. This gives me great flexibility when setting up or moving large amount of data to my 68k macs running Mac OS 7. It currently can boot OS 9.2.2/OS X 10.3.9/OpenBSD.

As for my Software Restores CD, it won't help anyone. I got the French Canadian edition, the first CD is french and contains the french version of OS 9 pkg. CD 2 and 3 are the regular english ones.

The OP used 10.4 which I never bought retail. My own experience was only with a clean install of 10.3 which I needed to do in order to create an OpenBSD partition. Sorry for confusing people.

2011, November 7 - 8:14pm

#10

24bit

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All roads lead to Rome - different Macs may require special procedures too. Maybe I just had luck.
MrSaturn33, are you absolutely sure you burned your dmg to disk, instead putting a copy on CD-R?
Please excuse my silly question, but I did just that already by mistake. If your Mac´s disk drive is good and you have a suitable OS9 CD, the Mac MUST boot from CD, if you hold "c" until it starts loading the OS. Would you care to "waste" another CD-R and try ImgBurn on a windy box or LiquidCD on OSX? If you plan to use ImgBurn, DMG must be converted to IMG first, I think.
I dont think you can use a System Folder from a read only volume for Classic in OSX, you´ll need a System installed on HDD. What Mac are you tinkering with BTW?

2011, November 7 - 8:34pm

#11

T-1000

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Joined: 2011 Sep 15

Well, make sure to keep those restore discs or make .cdr-files out of them. They will probably be very interesting the very day that early Mac OS X can be considered abandonware.

"I thought it was Tiger that dropped the included Classic."

Classic mode was dropped in Mac OS 10.5. However, it seems there is no Mac OS 9 installation package on the Mac OS 10.3 retail discs. You will have to install your Mac OS 9 from another source if you want to run Classic.

I don't know for how long Apple included an installation package for Mac OS 9 / Classic on the restore discs (perhaps all of the PPC Macintoshes although I sincerely doubt that?).

2011, November 7 - 8:41pm

#12

Protocol 7

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Apple had a Classic install DVD which might have been bundled with later systems. It had pkg installers for the Classic environment in a number of languages.

My iBook came with 10.2.1 and had classic on the first restore disc.

2011, November 7 - 8:44pm

#13

T-1000

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Well in that case, that disc would be VERY interesting if someone could get their hands on it. I will see if anyone I know of may own it.

2011, November 7 - 10:29pm

#14

Protocol 7

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I have a copy that I found on a torrent site somewhere but it's not a clean copy. And as it's over 3GB I'd rather not upload a bad rip. It would be better if someone could make a good copy.

2011, November 26 - 8:17pm

#15

Temporary Joe

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When talking to my aunt, she seemed to indicate that 4.11 dropped Classic support.

2011, November 26 - 10:22pm

#16

T-1000

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No no no, why would they do that? You can use Classic all they way up to 10.4.11. There are often very small differences between the different 10.x.x-versions. The Classic support was dropped with Leopard. However, there are some import differences between early Tiger versions (pre-Intel) and the later ones, like they cannot mount GUID partition table volumes for example. Obviously you cannot run Classic on any Intel Mac, even if it is running some version of Mac OS 10.4.

2011, November 27 - 12:11am

#17

bertyboy

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Joined: 2009 Jun 14

Apple had a Classic install DVD which might have been bundled with later systems. It had pkg installers for the Classic environment in a number of languages.

I have this too.

2012, December 1 - 3:55pm

#18

nil0bject

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Joined: 2012 Nov 14

I have a disc with the label:
"iBook G4
Additional Software &
Apple Hardware Test"
"AHT version 2.2.1
Disc version 1.0
Z691-5149A"
On the disc is instructions for installing Mac OS 9 and using the hardware test. The included installer only installs "Applications (Mac OS 9)" and a z1-9.2.2 System Folder. It's actually called "Mac OS Z-9.2.2" in the version.
I just installed this on my iBook G4, however the system folder isn't blessed. I remember borking my classic install ages ago, so I assume my install is mucking it up.
edit: silly, you can't boot os9 on a fw800 g4 or higher
Anyone want a disc image?

2012, December 1 - 2:54pm

#19

nil0bject

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@MrSaturn33
1. Open dmg with disk utility
2. Select disk image in disk utility
3. Go to the 'Images' menu and select 'Convert...'
4. Open the 'Image Format' menu and select 'read/write'
5. Save
6. Mount new read/write image
7. Open the Classic System Preference and select the system folder on the disk image
8. Start Classic and update.