guides for using the classic environment on a G4? - Macintosh Garden

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2013, September 19 - 1:58pm

#1

torp

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Joined: 2013 Sep 19

guides for using the classic environment on a G4?

I got into macs after they went Intel - I have no idea how the Classic OS worked, or where to look.
But, I recently acquired a PowerBook G4 1.5 Ghz A1106, mostly working (no battery, but I don't care, i have an Intel Macbook for real work).

I installed Tiger on it because I read it's the last version that supports the classic environment, and now I'm lost Thought it was included in Tiger, but it's not.

Can anyone point me to the appropriate guides towards installing the Classic environment and then getting, say, Might and Magic III-IV-V to work from the floppy images? The only guide linked from the Macintosh Garden menu talks about emulation, I'd rather try the integrated Classic thing first, since I have the appropriate hardware.

Note that I'm new to classic macs but my day job is programming up to and including custom Linux kernels, so feel free to get technical.

Thanks!

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2013, September 19 - 3:08pm

#2

MikeTomTom's picture

MikeTomTom

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I installed Tiger on it because I read it's the last version that supports the classic environment, and now I'm lost Smile Thought it was included in Tiger, but it's not.

There might be a difference between a retail install & one specific to your computer. See post #9 in this discussion. It may (or may not) be of use...

2013, September 19 - 3:23pm

#3

torp

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Brr, of course i have a retail disc - the laptop originally came with 10.3 not 10.4. And of course I never got any original 10.3 discs with the laptop.
If i somehow find images of discs from the slightly newer PowerBook that came with 10.4, you think I could install the classic support from there?

2013, September 19 - 4:35pm

#4

torp

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Ok just to state what seems obvious but wasn't to me:
*** Tiger already has the Classic Mode emulator included ***
No need to look for any application or installer.
What is needed though, is basically a copy of OS 9. The system folder at least.
Copying one off an OS 9 install CD though won't work, that one is missing stuff.
What's needed is a copy of the system folder from an *already installed* OS X.
There used to be such an archive here on mac garden, but all the links for it i found are dead.
Found one on our friends the p****e bay, of course it downloads at 2.0 kb/s so I'll only be able to test it tomorrow.
I might write a guide when I'm finished and get MM3 running

2013, September 19 - 6:44pm

(Reply to #4) #5

macjames

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Joined: 2013 Apr 14

I had success installing the classic install pkg that came with my mac mini on other machines that can't boot OS9 in native form. I did this recently on an iBook G4 12". Journaling is not an issue, don't stress on it. Let me make a test on something older than my iBook just to guarantee that you can use my installer without issues
Edit - or follow bertyboy's advice in the meantime.

2013, September 19 - 5:20pm

#6

supernova777's picture

supernova777

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u need to actually install os9 onto a disk. but u also need to have journaling disabled on the drive that you have 10.4 installed onto.. 10.4 + os9 can exist on the same drive..

a) check to see if ur disk is hfs (without journalling)
b) install os9
c) install tiger

that would work..
u can try to install os9 overtop of your existing ijnstall and see if it works first.. if it doesnt ud have to go reformat i think.. correct me if im wrong anyone?

2013, September 19 - 5:23pm

#7

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supernova777

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u might have success in copying the system folder from the os9general.dmg image of os9.2.2
just search os9general.dmg

2013, September 19 - 5:39pm

(Reply to #6) #8

torp

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Joined: 2013 Sep 19

Already tried that, got the 'system can't be written to' error that is mentioned in an older thread here.
I just want the classic emulation under Tiger, not to boot in Classic (which my powerbook is too new for). Do I still need to format as HFS without journaling?

2013, September 19 - 5:46pm

#9

IIGS_User's picture

IIGS_User

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If it's too new for

b) install os9

This step can't be performed, so there must be other ways to get it.

2013, September 19 - 6:26pm

#10

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bertyboy

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Joined: 2009 Jun 14

Supernova777's suggestion re: OS9General.dmg is right on the mark.
Log in as an administrator - so you can write to the root level of the hard disk.
Lock and mount the OS9General.dmg
Drag the System folder from the mounted disk image to the root level of your hard disk.
You don't need OS9 drivers installed on the disk for Classic.
You don't need HFS Journaling disabled for Classic.
Open the Classic System Preference and let it scan the hard disk to find the OS9 System Folder

If you get errors, post back with details. You shouldn't be getting errors.
This is a full, bootable OS9.2.2, more than you need for Classic, but I us it on all my Classic environments, I find I have much better success with some applications / games over the standard OS9 Classic system folder.

2013, September 21 - 9:20am

#11

torp

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Joined: 2013 Sep 19

Actually the System Folder from OS9General.dmg linked on this site is the one that gave me that error. Like in this older thread.
However, the "System Folder.sit" from our friends the TPB worked just fine, so I'll be seeding it for the foreseeable future.

Now part 2 of the fun:
I download World of Xeen and first, The Unarchiver simply hangs unpacking the .sit.
No problem, I download a Classic version of Stuffit and that one unpacks the archive just fine. Also proof that my Classic Mode now works.
But inside I find an .ait cd image and another cd emulator, that runs on OS 9. And of course does not work in Classic Mode on OS X.
That's about where I stopped now for lack of time, I'll be continuing later.

2013, September 22 - 10:43am

#12

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supernova777

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Joined: 2013 Mar 18

i just got 9.2 on my mdd by doing tthis:

connected a new drive..
insert tiger cds to boot from
formatted the drive into 3 partitions
installed tiger onto part1
booted into tiger
transfered os9general.dmg to my desktop on the tiger partition
usijng diskutility i restored this os9general.dmg image to the 2nd partition and called it os9
system preferences changed boot drive to the os9 partition
rebooted into os9

i just realized now writing this that i probably could have skipped the time it took to install tiger
and just used disk utility from the installer environment to restore the image if i had os9general.dmg burned to disk or somehow on the drive already.. but i was starting with a new drive;)

2013, September 22 - 10:44am

#13

themacmeister's picture

themacmeister

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Joined: 2009 Oct 26

The TPB?

The-The?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_The

2013, September 24 - 12:56pm

#14

supernova777's picture

supernova777

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http://books.google.ca/books?id=wdtjgTMbi4kC&pg=PA001&lpg=PA260

might be some more info for you here inside this book written in 2000!