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TICKET ARCHIVE -> Installing Os9 After Osx

bookedsolidlondon - Jul 18, 2005 - 6:26 am

Hello,

I have an iMac G3 running OS 10.2.8 and am trying to install Panther. I get a warning that says I need to upgrade the firmware, which seems only possible in the Classic Environment. Problem is, I never installed the Classic Environment when I upgraded to OSX.

I have tried to install the OS9.2.1 disc which came with the iMac and at the end of the installation, I get a message that Drive Setup and Clean Up apps could not run. So I wonder how I go about getting this firmware upgraded and/or how to get the Classic Environment to work, without having to erase my whole hard disc?

Thanks very much for your help!

DeltaMac - Jul 18, 2005 - 9:16 am

The firmware update WILL NOT work unless you are actually booted to OS 9 - the Classic environment will NOT help you, as the computer is actually running OS X.
Open your Disk Utility, click on your hard drive, and check the info about the drive. You will find an info line about OS 9 Drivers. If it says 'Yes', you should be OK, and all you need is an OS 9 System Folder, and changing your startup disk to the OS 9, reboot, run the firmware updater, and that's done.
If, OTOH, you see 'OS 9 Drivers Installed- No' then you will need to: Backup your data - Erase the drive, choosing to install the OS 9 driver, reinstall everything, and go from there. I hope you don't get this far - there is no work-around for the OS 9 driver, unless you have FireWire, and an external FireWire HD with OS 9 installed, You can do the firmware update from that drive, and no need to install OS 9 on your internal drive.


Hope this helps - Come back if you need more help
- Dale

bookedsolidlondon - Jul 18, 2005 - 11:44 am

Hey thanks a lot for your reply.

Perhaps I'm just being daft but there doesn't seem to be any info at all within Disk Utility about OS9 drivers, yes or no?

What about this concept - create a new partition on my hard drive using iPartition and then install OS9.2.l from that and then boot from there and update the firmware?

Or should I stick with your solution and find another way to find out about the OS9 driver thing?

Cheers from London

DeltaMac - Jul 18, 2005 - 11:57 am

Open Disk Utility, click on your disk (not the volume) and click on the Info Button, or click on Get Info from the file menu in Disk Utility, That will show the Mac OS 9 driver info.

- Dale

bookedsolidlondon - Jul 18, 2005 - 12:06 pm

OK, I really feel like a fool but within Disk Utility, the disc (not volume) information has description, capacity, bus/type, connection id and read/write status but doesn't mention OS9 drivers and there is no get info in the file menu. So still not sure about the driver thing. Cheers

DeltaMac - Jul 18, 2005 - 12:11 pm

Sorry, I just missed that you are running an older OS X, and that type info is not in the disk Utility.
Open your Apple System Profiler, in your Utilities folder, you should see that info about your drive there, (I think)

- Dale

bookedsolidlondon - Jul 18, 2005 - 12:18 pm

no such luck! Can't seem to find that info in Apple System Profiler/Devices and volumes/clicking on the little triangle.

DeltaMac - Jul 18, 2005 - 12:24 pm

Last step - Open Disk Utility, click on the drive, then click on the Erase tab. That window should have the Mac OS 9 driver box checked (even if it is greyed out - not accessible)
- Dale

bookedsolidlondon - Jul 18, 2005 - 12:28 pm

In the Erase tab, it's not checked. In the Partition tab/options it is checked. Am I screwed?

DeltaMac - Jul 18, 2005 - 12:57 pm

I must say that I am not sure -
Lack of Mac OS 9 drivers will prevent your drive from booting with OS 9. If you can't install OS 9, or even with an install, you can't boot to OS 9, then-----

A bulletin - just in -
Boot to the Panther installer CD
Don't continue with the install, but go to the Installer Menu (at the top of the first window), and choose Disk Utility. Once THERE, again click on the drive, and choose Get Info from the File menu, and you will definitely see Mac OS 9 Drivers, Yes, or No.

THEN, if Yes, you will be OK, just try installing OS 9 again.
if No, the only way to upgrade the firmware is with an erase, choosing the OS 9 drivers for sure. You lose whatever you can't backup - there's no easy way around this.
- Dale