466 DA G4 flashing question mark on OS 9 boot

[dpny]

I'm fixing up a 466 DA G4 for a friend and running into an issue booting in OS 9, which is something he needs to do.

The machine boots into 10.4.11 with no problem, from both the internal drive and a portable Firewire drive. However, when trying to boot from the 9.2.2 installed on the drive, I get the flashing question mark floppy icon. When I try to boot from my 9.1 install disc I get a few seconds of flashing floppy, followed by the boot screen, followed by a crash with an "unimplemented trap" error.

Googling around it looks like the machine may have the wrong Mac OS ROM in its OS 9 System Folder. I didn't do the install, but when I look in the System Folder from 10.4.11, I see a Mac OS Rom file with version 10.2.1, MAC OS CPU Software 5.8. From what I can find, I need MAC OS Rom 6.7.1. There was a thread on the Apple Support Forums which said the retail 9.2 installer should work, but I don't have that installer.

So, questions:

1) Have I diagnosed the problem correctly?;

2) If I have, what's the best place to buy either the retail 9.2 installer or the original installer which came with this make and model of G4?;

3) If I haven't properly diagnosed the problem, does anyone have an idea what it could be?

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

When you say you're booting "from the 9.2.2 installed on the drive," do you mean the internal HDD the FireWire External HDD.

If the latter, was it a 9.2.2 install for a QS2002?

I'm not eve sure if you can boot OS9 on a DA from a FireWire Drive? :?:

 

[dpny]

Sorry: Boots 10.4.11 from internal drive and Firewire HD. Booting 9.2.2 from internal drive results in flashing question mark. Booting 9.1 install CD from internal CD/DVD results in flashing question mark, boot screen, uninterrupted trap error.

I don't know what was used for the original install.

 

[ClassicHasClass]

9.1 should work, unless you have other non-standard hardware. Is it the 9.1 that came with the system, or retail?

The flashing ? probably indicates the folder got unblessed somehow. I don't think it's the Mac OS ROM. Is this Classic's system folder? Can Classic boot from that?

 

[dpny]

I don't remember where I got the 9.1 install from. It's not the one which came with the machine. It installs on my Pismo, but that's not a G4.

It will boot into Classic, but won't boot into OS 9 proper.

 

[waynestewart]

I'm wondering if your hard drive has an OS 9 driver. Without one Classic will work but you can't boot OS 9.

The OSX Disk utility will tell you whether or not you have an OS 9 driver

 

[dpny]

Thanks: didn't think about that. Will check.

 

[dpny]

Checked: the drive has OS 9 drivers, but won't boot into the 9.2.2 installed on it.

 

[dpny]

In case anyone else runs into this problem, the retail version of 9.2 was the solution. The machine now boots successfully into 9.2.2.