[summertan]

I've just reformatted my mac and made a mistake of not installing OS9 first. So now I'm stuck with OS10.2.8 without any OS9 (that means Classic won't work as well). I try booting fr the OS9 start-up disk so I can install OS9 but it won't even start up. Or rather it freezes at the cd start up window. Anything I can do to get that OS9 install at this stage???

..Summer

[Brass]

Originally posted by summertan:
I've just reformatted my mac and made a mistake of not installing OS9 first. So now I'm stuck with OS10.2.8 without any OS9 (that means Classic won't work as well). I try booting fr the OS9 start-up disk so I can install OS9 but it won't even start up. Or rather it freezes at the cd start up window. Anything I can do to get that OS9 install at this stage???

..Summer

If you have a valid OS 9 System Folder anywhere, just drag it to the hard disk, and bless it, and point the Classic system prefs to it, and you're good to go.

[summertan]

The problem is I don't. I clean up the entire system n there's not a single track of OS9 in there anymore. So am I really screwed? Or as an alternative, can I get that os9 folder fr any other mac n put it on?

[Lew]

I've found that the system folder on your OS 9 CD will work just fine as a Classic environment. Just drag it to your HD and tell Classic to use it.

[summertan]

Thanks Minizuku and Brass. I did try putting the system folder into my hd. But when I open up system preferences for Classic. My hd is not even highlighted for me to select under the option "select a system folder for classic". There's no where else I can do the selection. The statement "there is no volume with a system folder that supports classic" was printed there. Is there something else I shd do to switch that on?

[Brass]

Originally posted by summertan:
Thanks Minizuku and Brass. I did try putting the system folder into my hd. But when I open up system preferences for Classic. My hd is not even highlighted for me to select under the option "select a system folder for classic". There's no where else I can do the selection. The statement "there is no volume with a system folder that supports classic" was printed there. Is there something else I shd do to switch that on?

You need to "bless" the system folder after copying it. This means make the system recognise it as a bootable OS 9 system (a blessed classic system folder will have the finder icon on the folder icon). In OS 9, simply double clicking on the relevant files within the folder would cause it to be blessed. In OS X, you can use the 'bless' command at the terminal. I can't remember the exact syntax, but type 'man bless' for the details.

Also, note that the OS 9 folder on the installer CD may not be a complete OS 9 system, and may not necessarily work as well as a full OS 9 system folder. If you can find one (eg, from another Mac HD somewhere) it may be better.

[summertan]

Brass, I tried checking out "man bless" for the syntax but it keeps telling me that "Not run as root". I type in something like that ' bless -folder9 "/Applications/System Folder" ' I can't figure out what I did wrong. I'm no unix user so trying to be very careful so I don't mess up the coding.

[Brass]

Originally posted by summertan:
Brass, I tried checking out "man bless" for the syntax but it keeps telling me that "Not run as root". I type in something like that ' bless -folder9 "/Applications/System Folder" ' I can't figure out what I did wrong. I'm no unix user so trying to be very careful so I don't mess up the coding.

Sounds like it needs to be done as the root user. To do this prefix your command with "sudo". Eg,

sudo bless -folder9 "/Applications/System Folder"

You'll be prompted for your user's password. (You need to be an admin user to use "sudo").


The sudo command will run whatever follows as the root user (whether root is enabled or not).

Of course, as with any use of root, be very careful. root gives you the power to easily stuff up your system.

[ValVashon]

I did the same thing. Got the PowerMac G3 to boot from the OS 9.0.4 CD, and attempted an install. Install froze, and the dragged a valid system in from elsewhere. Boots fine now in OS 9, but I can't switch back to X (i've tried all of the tricks). I even trashed the OS 9 folder, but just got the blinking ? mark at startup. I think I screwed up OS X (Jag) by starting an install of OS 9 (same disk- no partition). Any ideas? How will reinstalling OS X work out?

Val

[summertan]

I'm not 100% sure but I think u can just try installing OSX again. It shd work. Can somebody just double confirm.

[Brass]

Originally posted by ValVashon:
I did the same thing. Got the PowerMac G3 to boot from the OS 9.0.4 CD, and attempted an install. Install froze, and the dragged a valid system in from elsewhere. Boots fine now in OS 9, but I can't switch back to X (i've tried all of the tricks). I even trashed the OS 9 folder, but just got the blinking ? mark at startup. I think I screwed up OS X (Jag) by starting an install of OS 9 (same disk- no partition). Any ideas? How will reinstalling OS X work out?

Val

Installing OS 9 shouldn't have screwed up OS X, however if you chose to install the HD driver, that may have wrecked OS X.

In any case, you can just run the OS X installer again.

[summertan]

Nothing seems to work anymore. I tried the sudo command Brass but doesn't seems to work. no error msg this time but no any other msg either. Then I tried opening up classic to do the pointing but my hd just won't lit up for me to highlight. So there's nothing I can do. In fact I may hv accidently casued some error by doing all that. (Which I really hope not). I shut down my mac fine last night but when I woke up this morning, it won't start up. Keep flashing that folder with the question mark n smily face. Now I've to try n fig. out what's wrong when I get off work later. Beside booting it up with my OSX cd, any other thing I shd try doing? Usually that flashing folder indicate that something is wrong with my OS right? How do I run in safe mode for OSX?

[Turnpike]

Safe mode is done by starting up holding shift

However, the question mark means that no valid system was found. I doubt safe mode will fix this, but it can't hurt to try.

I would start up with the OS X install CD in the tray. Start up holding 'C'. This should take you to the installer. From here, go to the menubar at top and open up "Disk Utility". Repair permissions on your HD. Repair Disk, too, while you're at it.

I don't know if that will fix it, but it is something to try.

[Appleman]

Originally posted by summertan:
I've just reformatted my mac and made a mistake of not installing OS9 first. So now I'm stuck with OS10.2.8 without any OS9 (that means Classic won't work as well). I try booting fr the OS9 start-up disk so I can install OS9 but it won't even start up. Or rather it freezes at the cd start up window. Anything I can do to get that OS9 install at this stage???

..Summer

After reading this forum, I start to think I am stupid.
If you have just installed OS X on a formatted Mac, and found out you made a mistake or you forgot something, why not just do another format, this time do not forget OS 9 drivers, then install OS 9 first and then OS X.
That takes less time then to come here to ask a question, do a search for how to bless a folder etc.

In my opinion, it's better to have your hard disk devided in 2 partitions, one small OS 9 and the other large for OS X, but that's another story, which has many threads already, just do a simple search for it.

But, if you cannot do another install, just drag a OS 9 System folder onto a new folder on your hard disk and that will be blessed. You have to be patient though, it can take some time but then suddenly this folder gets an OS 9 icon.

[Randman]

Can't ypu use software restore and just install the Classic folders, then copy over whatever from your OS 9 folder?

[Appleman]

Originally posted by Randman:
Can't ypu use software restore and just install the Classic folders, then copy over whatever from your OS 9 folder?

Yes you can do this.
But as it is a clean and just formatted drive, why would you like to do this?
Just format the drive again, and do a clean and neat install. There isn't supoose to be anythying on the drive anyway.

I really do not see the point of discussion here!

[Turnpike]

hah, I missed the part where this was freshly formatted

yeah, just reformat and do it again!


if you are a recent "switcher", there is no limited activation like in Windows... maybe this was the reason you didn't want to just reinstall?

[Appleman]

Originally posted by Turnpike:
hah, I missed the part where this was freshly formatted

yeah, just reformat and do it again!


if you are a recent "switcher", there is no limited activation like in Windows... maybe this was the reason you didn't want to just reinstall?

Well, summertan is quite new here, so yes maybe he is a switcher. Didn't know that you cannot install a thousand times with Wiindows!

[Randman]

Originally posted by Appleman:
Yes you can do this.
But as it is a clean and just formatted drive, why would you like to do this?

Just offering a working solution in case it's progressed past freshly installed, or if someone else down the road encounters a similar situation.
Besides, doing a software restore is a little quicker than a full-blown install.

[Turnpike]

Originally posted by Appleman:
Well, summertan is quite new here, so yes maybe he is a switcher. Didn't know that you cannot install a thousand times with Wiindows!

5 or 6 times, I believe... you have a 30 day period in which to activate after installing. Basically, what I've seen from friends, is that you wait as long as possible to see if the system is stable or if it will need to be reformatted and reinstalled. If it's stable, then you activate and hope you don't have to do it too many more times. If you add/change certain hardware, it will detect it is on a "different" computer and demand fresh activation... this requires a call to MS to explain what happened, and then they will reactivate your key....


the windows world of today is rather dark and mysterious to me, so I may have some of this wrong...

[summertan]

thank you everybody for your sharing yr knowledge. Yeah I'm new here, not new to Macnn, just haven't been using the forum. And I've been using OSX for a few mths, definitely not as long as I've been using OS9. SYstem limitation since I only and still hv a G3 iMac. Financial issue n can't afford anything yet, so hv to be kind n good to my old iMac buddy till I can do something abt it. Just found myself a copy of Panther, so I may just clean up the whole **** again n put that in. This is really a great forum for the mac community. So many professionals n experts in here to help! THanks again guys. (Esp. Brass)

[ValVashon]

What I ended up doing is starting an install of OS X again, and when an "option" button appeared in the process I selected the "clean install" and "save users" options. It installs a new system folder and leaves your old one intact, but transferrs users, etc. to the new one. I am starting with 10.2.3 so I have to download the updaters but this process seems to be working for me.

Val

[Brass]

Sheesh... sorry your system ended up worse than it started after this (I hope I didn't give you any bad advice . But sounds like a clean install is your best bet.