Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

MrTomServo · Dec 30, 2000, 06:43 PM

Okay. Here goes. I have a G4 Dual 500, gigabit ethernet, with OS X PB and OS 9 on one partition. OS 9 doubles as the Classic environment.

I had some problems earlier today with System Preferences -- it would crash when I clicked on Startup Disk to try and select my Mac OS 9 System Folder to boot from. So I used my G4's Software Install CD to boot (holding down "c" on the keyboard). Fair enough. I used the System Disk control panel on my hard disk to select my OS 9 System Folder to boot. Restart.

OS 9 starts to boot (no spinning rainbow Winchester disk, rounded screen corners) a cursor appears and disappears, and the happy Mac icon shows up. Then the computer hangs up right there. Doesn't do anything after that. There's a teensy bit of hard disk activity just as the happy Mac icon displays, but then, all's quiet.

I can boot back onto the Software Install CD to select my OS X "CoreServices" folder to boot from, and OS X boots fine, because I'm using it to write this.

Also -- System Preferences no longer crashes when I click on Startup Disk. However, when I select my OS 9 folder and reboot, the same thing happens anyway.

Also also -- I ran Disk First Aid, and it only found minor errors. Before and after running DFA, same problem.

The weirdest thing is that Classic works perfectly under OS X. I just can't boot the computer into a full-screen Mac OS 9 kind of mode.

So -- what could be holding up OS 9 from starting up? Any ideas? I tried searching for similar forum items, but if I missed an earlier thread, any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Robert

[edit: DFA note]

[This message has been edited by MrTomServo (edited 12-30-2000).]

oliver · Jan 6, 2001, 10:01 PM

I'm having the exact same problem and also couldn't find an answer in previous related posts.
Is this a variation of this ever so popular theme? Can anybody help?

Thx!

MrTomServo · Jan 6, 2001, 10:56 PM

Quick update:

I ran Norton Disk Doctor today, and it found some major disk errors (like b-tree header errors and the like) but even after fixing those problems, Mac OS 9 refuses to boot.

I'm backing up my system tonight on Zip disks, and I plan to reformat my disk and start over with the software restore CDs that came with my system. What a bummer!

Robert

oliver · Jan 6, 2001, 11:10 PM

I wonder if the OS 9 CD's "restore-in-place" will be respecting of the OS X install on the same partition (that is, if it knows to update the contents of the "Mac OS 9" folder only). I'd be surprised, though, if it were. Does anybody know for sure?

Sawtooth2000 · Jan 12, 2001, 05:07 PM

I think I know the problem.

OS X, in order to run Classic, needs to alter a few things in the OS 9 (or 9.0.4) System Folder that you are using for Classic.

I believe this will prevent booting up from that System Folder directly into OS 9.

This is why the best formatting/installing scheme is this:

majority of hard drive- OS 9.1 (as of tuesday) ONLY
about 2 GB or so of drive- first install OS 9, then update to 9.0.4, then install OS X PB, then set up Classic to use THAT OS 9.0.4 System Folder as it's Classic boot system.

This way, you always have a clean OS 9.1 to go back to.

-'tooth

dscottbuch · Jan 12, 2001, 06:34 PM

Originally posted by Sawtooth2000:

majority of hard drive- OS 9.1 (as of tuesday) ONLY
about 2 GB or so of drive- first install OS 9, then update to 9.0.4, then install OS X PB, then set up Classic to use THAT OS 9.0.4 System Folder as it's Classic boot system.

This way, you always have a clean OS 9.1 to go back to.

-'tooth

This is similar to my set up but I haven't been able to find out how to point OSX to the 9.04 folder. It keeps going to the 9.1 folder and throwing up. Any sugestions?

Thanks