iMac G4 minimum OS?

[techknight]

10.2.3, this explains why it wont see my retail 10.2.0 disk.

ok that answers everything then

[firebottle]

Apple made three imac G4's with the PowerMac4,2 identifier -

imac G4 800 - M9105LL/A - NVIDIA GeForce2 MX - 15" TFT - Pre-Installed MacOS: X 10.2.3

I think just got one of these... firmware is 4.5.0f4

I tried booting a custom Mac Utilities CD with Mac OS ROM 10.2.1 on it. It loads the file but won't start the system.

Nor will it recognize any Mac OS 9 system folder as bootable in the Mac OS X startup disk control panel.

Is ROM version 9.8.1 (from a Mac Test Pro CD) the only one that will boot OS 9 on this model? Anybody out there have this?

It's unfair that it can't boot Mac OS 9, since it's the same hardware as the ones that can.

[LCGuy]

12" AlBook came out in January 2003 - Apple announced, from memory, months before that all Jan/2003 onwards Macs would only run OS X natively.

Also, you won't find any files from a MacTest Pro disc on here - those files aren't meant to be distributed to the general public, and as such, linking to them is against the rules of this forum

[kem554991]

As far as OS 9 goes, I strongly suspect that if your iMac IS OS 9 compatible, you would need a system specific restore disk. My PowerMac G4 MDD has the same problem. It won't even recognize a retail disc for either 9.1 or 9.2.2 (not sure exactly which one I have).I think almost all of the iMac G4's are OS 9 compatible in some way, shape, or form. I know for a fact that my MDD was the absolute last OS 9 compatible Mac, and it was made in 2004.

[spiceyokooko]

I know for a fact that my MDD was the absolute last OS 9 compatible Mac, and it was made in 2004.

You mean, it was the last desktop Macintosh that Apple made that could boot natively into OS 9! I have the last laptop they made that can boot natively into OS 9 and that was discontinued in September 2003, the 1Ghz G4 Titanium Powerbook.

It wasn't the last machine compatible with OS 9 as many after that can run OS 9 Classic under OS X 10.4.11 or lower.

Pedantic I know, but an important distinction.