Can't Install OS 9 on my iMac G3

[EvieSigma]

I have an iMac G3 (700MHz Graphite) I'm working on upgrading. It had a bad install of OS X 10.0 that wouldn't boot and I was able to format the hard drive, but now I can't install OS 9 on it. I tried both a 2001 iMac OS 9.1 disk and a OS 9.2.1 generic disk I had and neither one works, and the machine doesn't even recognize my generic 9.1 disk.





The first image is an error I got with my iMac-specific 9.1 disk, the second came from my 9.2.1 disk. I didn't try my 9.0.4 disk because I figured it wouldn't even be able to install it. I don't understand what my problem is, is a disk for early 2001 iMacs somehow incompatible with a summer 2001 iMac? So frustrating...

 

[rsolberg]

My guess is that the optical drive is at fault since the installer is having issues accessing components on the discs. The drive may just need cleaning. Most cleaning CDs require audio CD playback, so you'd need a working OS on the iMac. I'd try booting the installer CDs from a FireWire optical drive (if available) or putting them in the optical drive of another Mac, putting that Mac in FireWire Target mode connected to the iMac, then powering on the iMac holding Option, choosing the install CD from the boot menu.

If the hardware were functioning correctly and the CDs are in good shape, both of those discs should work properly on that iMac.

 

[EvieSigma]

Now that you mention it, the optical drive is definitely somewhat ill...when I first got the machine it could barely even eject disks.

Would a USB external optical drive not work? Those are easier to find than FireWire.

 

[belgaonkar]

It could. But its difficulty to boot powerpc Macs from usb. Sometimes you get luck and it works, otherwise its a good investment to buy a firewire optical drive as it seems most PPC era Macs are ill with bad-drive syndrome.

 

[EvieSigma]

I know slot-load iMacs are especially notorious in that regard...I'll have to go shopping then.

 

[EvilCapitalist]

The Firewire drives I found look reasonably cheap to me:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/252752737228 - Here's one for ~$25 shipped

http://www.ebay.com/itm/322415638866 - Here's another for ~$33 shipped (I used one just like this 15 years ago back when CD burners were still somewhat expensive)

 

[bunnspecial]

It could. But its difficulty to boot powerpc Macs from usb. Sometimes you get luck and it works, otherwise its a good investment to buy a firewire optical drive as it seems most PPC era Macs are ill with bad-drive syndrome.

Late iMac G3s will usually have bootable USB devices show up in boot selector, so they are comparatively easy. Booting from USB showed up with the Sawtooth(machines that predate it will not USB boot) but generally became more difficult across the board as USB 2.0 started showing up. I suspect(although can't confirm) that Apple was content to let USB booting be easy from USB 1.1 machines because it was so slow. With USB 2.0, boot times became more realistic and I suspect Apple wanted to push people toward using their own Firewire technology. That's just a theory, though. In any case, it's usually not too much work to boot a later machine from open firmware.

To the OP-I'd be inclined to format a flash drive as HFS+/APM and drop a copy of the OS 9 Lives universal install onto it. Boot from this, initialize the drive, and then do a drag and drop install of OS 9 onto it.

If you'd prefer, the OS 9 Lives disk should get you going enough to run a cleaning disk through the optical drive, and you may be able to boot off it from there.

Unfortunately, the standard OS 9 install disk does not seem to like booting off USB.

 

[EvieSigma]

I didn't know about OS 9 Lives, I'll have to look into that.