iMac G4 minimum OS?

[Anonymous Freak]

Any iLamp can boot the retail 10.4 disc; all but the VERY last revision can boot the retail 10.3 disc. (The last revision came out just after 10.3's release, and came with 10.3.0, but it requires its own special restore disc, not the retail 10.3.)

Only the very first generation can run any version of OS 9, and it requires its own special restore disc, it will not accept ANY other OS 9.2 install disc, from any other system. (Trust me on this one, I'm still trying to track down the iMac G4 Restore Disc set with 9.2... I thought I found one on another forum, but it's for the 15" iLamp, and the 17" iLamp I have needs even a DIFFERENT restore disc, since it was released a few months later and has a slightly better graphics chip.)

 

[ClassicHasClass]

The eMac "boot any" OS 9 disc should work with those too, since the hardware is very similar.

 

[techknight]

I dont think this one is OS9 compatible. it has the Geforce 4MX and it doesnt see any OS9 CD at all in the startup option key menu. Funny though because it has the same EMC number as the OS9 compatible one. But this one clearly isnt. I assume.

 

[trag]

I dont think this one is OS9 compatible. it has the Geforce 4MX and it doesnt see any OS9 CD at all in the startup option key menu. Funny though because it has the same EMC number as the OS9 compatible one. But this one clearly isnt. I assume.

If it is a 17" 800MHz G4 iMac with a Geforce 4MX then it should boot OS9. The version which does not boot OS9 has a Geforce 2MX video chip -- it seems to have been a bit of a downgrade, while increasing the minimum OS.

 

[techknight]

this one is a 15" not a 17" I cant remember the video chip, might be a Geforce 2. I cant remember. lol. I have to pull it back out again.

 

[spiceyokooko]

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

iMac G4 700 - M8672LL/A - NVIDIA GeForce2 MX - 15" TFT - Pre-Installed MacOS: 9.2.2 & X 10.1.2

iMac G4 700 - M8535LL/A - NVIDIA GeForce2 MX - 15" TFT - Pre-Installed MacOS: 9.2.2 & X 10.1.2

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

RAM Type: PC133 SDRAM Min. RAM Speed: 10 ns

Although Apple's original specifications stated that it shipped with PC100 RAM, Apple later warned that "PC100 RAM is not to be used with iMac (Flat Panel) computers and may create performance and reliability issues".

 

[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.