eMac won’t boot OS9 from CD

[caver01]

It’s an eMac, 1GHZ, with combo drive, 40Gb HDD, 640MB RAM. .It is already running OSX 10..4.6.

But, I want to install OS9 and boot that natively—not just run Classic mode. I understand this is the last model eMac that can do it. The only problem is that I cannot get the machine to boot from the combo drive.

A few other details. . . the optical drive works fine. It can read CDs, and I was even able to use a 9.2.2 “OS9 Lives” universal install CD to copy over a System Folder, then used it to boot Classic mode. Again, this isn’t what I really want to do, but I cannot get the CD to boot.

My first try was to use my original OS9.1 CD, but this would not boot (holding down ”C”, also tried booting into OF and issued a ”boot CD” command. This resulted in a gray screen, circle with a slash.

So, I figured maybe the problem is OS9.1, Maybe I need 9.2? So I went hunting for the original CD images (I am not the original owner of this emac). Found a set of CD ISOs, burned the OS9.2.2 CD from that pack and. . . it won’t boot. Won’t recognize it as a startup disk in the OSX system settings either.

Finally, I tried the OS9 Lives - universal install CD. This won’t boot either. Time to “phone a friend”.

What am I missing? Are my burned CD-ROMs perhaps not done properly? I have a Mac Mini M1 and I used that to burn the .iso file to CD using HDIUTIL at commandline. I also burned one of the CD Images using an older Intel Mac Mini (mid 2011) running High Sierra. This one at least let me burn the .ISO using Disk Utility., but this is the first time I have tried to create a bootable CD for OS9 using a newer mac running OSX. Could it be that I don’t know how to do it properly? Or, maybe there’s some other reason it won’t boot from a CD and there’s a setting I am overlooking. Any thoughts or advice could help.

Thanks!

 

[caver01]

i just read somewhere that i can’t burn bootable cds without using something like Burn.app. maybe that’s my issue?

 

[robin-fo]

Some eMacs can‘t boot OS 9. Check your exact model.

 

[caver01]

Of course, and as I mentioned this model can.

 

[caver01]

I have been reading as many related posts that I can find on other forums too and it seems this may be a big can-o-worms. There are similar stories where someone has the same issues--unbootable CDs that still read just fine, burned with Burn, burned with finder. . . and most of these conlude with "it works for me" responses but often without perfect 1:1 systems, burning sources, and .iso image files. It often concludes with someone suggesting that many of the image files in archives may have been data copies of mounted volumes not bit copies of whole CD-ROMs, resulting in data disks with all the files, but of course, missing some crucial parts that make disks bootable, or that ensure the exact right format is being used.

So, maybe I am at a dead-end with the images I downloaded and should try another source? ISOs I am trying here these:

Mac OS 9.2.2 & X 10.2.4 (eMac G4/1.0 (ATI)) - Macintosh Repository

eMac Install and Software restore sets (691-4310, 691-4311, 691-4312, 691-4313, 691-4314, 691-4315, 691-4323) 691-4310-A,,Apple Hardware Test...

www.macintoshrepository.org

which seemed correct for my system, but perhaps they are just data ISOs that don't boot.

Anyone have a known bootable OS9 ISO for eMac 1GHZ? Eventually, I'd like to burn a working set for this system

I was going to try the version two from this archive next:

Mac OS 9.2.2 (Disk 1.0) (eMac) (CD) - Macintosh Repository

Mac OS 9.2.2 (Disk 1.0) (eMac) (CD) (Mac abandonware from 2002)

www.macintoshrepository.org

thinking maybe version 2 is more appropriate for my 1GHz model vs. earlier 800s etc.

 

[ClassicHasClass]

You need the exact Mac OS 9.2.2 CD that will boot this eMac. You're correct that it can but it will only boot that precise part (by contrast, any other Mac that can boot 9.2.2 can use the eMac CD, including the MDDs, so it's a good CD to have). The part number is 691-4323-A. It looks like your first link claims to have it.

 

[caver01]

Thanks! This helps.

 

[caver01]

i made mixed progress tonight. I tried burning another 691-4323-A CD from my modern M1 Mac Mini. This time, the burned cd would not mount in Sonoma, something I took as maybe a good sign. This CD will not boot the eMac!

I decided to try the “OS9LIVES OS9.2.2 UNSUPPORTED G4” disk image. This too would not mount in Sonoma—but surprise: it boots the eMac!

So I finally have a burned, bootable image on CD but this is not ideal since it’s the OS9LIVES for Unsupported G4. I still can‘t rule out the possibility my 691-4323-A .iso is a image. Does anyone have a known good BOOTABLE 691-4323-A .iso?

or, is my system actually not able to boot 691-4323-A after all?

 

[caver01]

This has been some fun investigation, but I think I found the answer. According to https://everymac.com/systems/apple/emac/specs/emac_1.0.html
only the “original” combo drive 1GHz model can boot OS9. Apple made a superdrive version (no os9) and finally, they released a cheaper combo drive model with smaller, 40GB HDD (no os9). Mine has a 40GB HDD, so I think that explains it. I have the second revision (M9252LL/A) so OS9LIVES is my best (only) option at this point.

Thanks for the help.

 

[ClassicHasClass]

Too bad, but worth hearing, since the usual conventional wisdom is combo drive = OS9.

 

[caver01]

Too bad, but worth hearing, since the usual conventional wisdom is combo drive = OS9.

Yes, but in spite of this, I am probably going to replace the 40 with something a lot bigger and try to setup a dual-boot situation, even if I need to use the updated image to do it. I can dedicate a partition to running OS9 native and another for OSX + Classic and have the flexibility. I doubt I will run into issues given the hardware specs are basically the same as the version 1 combo (i.e. I should be able too setup the same video drivers etc.).

 

[phunguss]

I have an eMac os9 691-3482-A 9.2.2 I can try to upload somewhere.

Just checked Macintosh Repository, one is already up there

 

[caver01]

Thanks. I am no longer troubleshooting for two reasons:

1. I was able to boot the MACOS9LIVES 9.2.2 for Unsupported G4
2. I concluded that may be my ONLY recourse now since my 1GHz "Combo" drive eMac is actually not the original 1GHz "Combo" drive.

That second point is subtle, but it seems mine is just over the line. Apple apparently made the eMac OS9 bootable up through the 1GHz, dropping support for native boot on the ones with Superdrives. They then followed with a less expensive 1GHz (had only the 40GB HDD) and combo drive, and this second run of 1GHz Combo was never built to boot OS9 natively--at least not with their included media.

So, I don't think it matters. I have tried a few different CDs now and I am confident that I have tried the one that boots the first version. Number 1 above will have to be sufficient, and I am not too worried about the workaround since the hardware is otherwise well supported (ATI video drivers, audio etc.).

I have also booted with my retail OSX Tiger install DVD. My plan now is to give the system a full cleaning. Pull the HDD and replace it with a 500GB from my boneyard (maybe even use an SSD down the road), partition it with Tiger boot disc and setup 120Gb boot partitions for Tiger, OS9, and one or more data partitions. These steps are documented elsewhere, and the only real "tricks" will be to make sure I install the OS9 disk drivers, setup OSX first and disable spotlight, then setup OS9 using the one boot disc I can get working. I don't even think I will need to mess around with OF scripts!

 

[caver01]

For anyone paying attention here, or who comes looking for a solution, I will share the next step in my eMac journey:


My problem was the catch 22:
I wanted to setup a large drive (500GB) as a dual-boot OS9/OSX, which requires the drive be initialed with OS9 drivers. The drivers can be installed using OS9 drive setup utility, or OSX Disk Utility (but only if the option appears to checkmark). Neither worked for me because:

1. Mac OS9 Lives CD (for unsupported G4) boots fine, but Disk Setup cannot partition more than 130Mb of my big drive
and
2. No OSX install that I have found shows me the "Install OS9 Drivers" checkbox option in Disk Utility.

So I was stuck unable to take full advantage of the large drive, multi-partitioned for dual boot.

After reading a LOT of threads all over it seems #2 comes up for people enough to acknowledge it. I understand the option should be there when selecting the whole drive (not a volume within) and that it must be done FIRST (i.e. "Initialize" before or as the portions are created). However, every screenshot I ever see that includes the "Install OS9 Drivers" checkbox has it on the Partition tab of Disk Utility, and after trying Panther, Tiger and Leopard disks (booting each from install discs) I have never seen the OS9 drivers option under any circumstance. Yes, even the "Use a Leopard Disc" advice failed in my case. My thinking is that it knows my system was not built by Apple as a native OS9 booting system, and that it knows I am trying to initialize my internal drive. Maybe it would work if I put my drive into a FW enclosure. That's just too much trouble given the effort to install the drive in an eMac.

Poised to try using a Terminal command akin to "diskutil partitionDisk /dev/disk0 OS9Drivers HFS+ macos9 120G. . ." to force the drivers to install from a Leopard boot disc, I decided to try one last thing before that. Turns out, the MacOS9Lives CD boots OS9 and auto-launches the Drive Setup version 1.92 (even though the 9.22 image has the newer 2.1 version). The 2.1 version of Drive Setup supposedly can see big drives. SO. . .

My solution:
Boot from the MacOS9Lives for Unsupported G4 disc. Close the auto-launched Drive Setup. Navigate to the CD and mount the .img disk image file that is used for installing OS9. Go into the mounted volume, find Utilities and open drive setup in there!

This version of Drive Setup let me properly initialize and partition my 500Gb drive. Of course, it installs the OS9 drivers and I was able to install OS9 on one of my partitions which boots fine, leaving the other partitioned volumes for OSX or whatever I want. Then, I booted from Tiger disc and installed OSX 10.4 on one of the other partitions--and I am off to the races!

Of course, I have disabled spotlight. The eMac seems to default boot OSX, but holding ALT lets me select OS9 whenever I like. Dual Boot working.

This resolved my catch-22. I hope it works for others that are mystified by the missing checkbox for "Install OS9 Drivers" and confirms you are not going crazy! Others like you are not seeing the option either. This is real and it's very frustrating, but here is a workaround.