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"Universal" OS 9 CD that works with 867mhz /1Ghz Titanium G4?
Posted by: Gorgonops on 2019-12-27 13:43:48
I've already effectively made a few coasters, so I guess it's time to beg for help. Does anyone know for certain if any of the various "Universal" OS 9.2.2 installation CDs that are floating around will actually work to install OS 9 on one of these last-model Titanium G4s? I've tried a number of disks that have reputations for being universal, and they'll all boot, but they all tell me it's an unsupported machine when I actually try to install.

It's starting to look like the only way to get the correct version of OS 9 for this machine is to get the original OS X restoration disks and do 9 as an "optional install", but I was kind of hoping I could skip that.
Posted by: Cory5412 on 2019-12-27 14:54:35
The eMac 2003 CD works for the 867/1GHz TiBook and the QS'02, as well as, of course, the eMac 2003.

I had a working one, but managed to scratch it very very badly in the process of installing 9 on an iMac G3. At some point in 2011 I downloaded it off of macgarden and, I have no recollection what, but did something to it to make it bootable, and I really really wish I could remember what that was.

I'm extremely interested in if anyone has a working booting copy of this disc they can image. I'll rehost it far and wide.
Posted by: Gorgonops on 2019-12-27 14:56:26
I tried an "eMac" CD; I don't know if it was the *right* eMac CD, but it gave me the same "nope" as everything else I tried.
Posted by: LaPorta on 2019-12-27 15:23:11
I’ve got original 10.0-10.4 boxed sets. Let me see if 10.4 has an OS 9 disc.
Posted by: Unknown_K on 2019-12-27 16:21:30
I used a legit OS 9.1 CD for my G4 Titaniums (only 500mhz early models). The universal 9.2.2 CD works on pretty much anything that boots OS 9.x.

You sure its not an Aluminum G4  867 you have?
Posted by: LaPorta on 2019-12-27 16:40:27
What year is the machine from? It appears only the 10.0 retail copy had 9 bundled as a separate disc, and that is 9.1. 
Posted by: Cory5412 on 2019-12-27 17:57:52
I had one of these new, they don't have their own dedicated 9.2.2 install CD, they relied on an in-OSX restoration application to hydrate the default OS9 load on them. They don't work with 9.1 or 9.2.1 CDs, they need either the eMac'03 CD, I'm told certain iBook CDs might work, or the "universal" CD, which to be honest, I have never touched because I'm uncomfortable with installing what would essentailly be a third party Mac OS 9 distribution on my machine.

There was an 867 12-inch AlBook. That machine doesn't boot OS9 at all, so you'd use the OS9General for its pack-in OS installation media or a generic one that shipped with or for a later OS revision: namely 10.3 or 10.4. I do have a fairly late (last-gen iBook G4) OS9 restore/install CD, but I am guessing it won't work here, because it was designed in the 10.4 era with the needs of Classic Mode exclusively in mind.
Posted by: jessenator on 2019-12-27 20:05:48
This disc has given me the most success:


If it's not up somewhere I'll put it on vTools...
Posted by: jessenator on 2019-12-27 20:54:12
k, I meant to post that before several other replies... got a bit distracted.

I also have an iBook restore CD that's worked well on non-ibook machines. It's 9.1, but like Cory was mentioning, it was part of a series which would also install OS X. the first disc has enough on it to put the Classic OS fully installed.
Posted by: MOS8_030 on 2019-12-28 07:57:09
I've already effectively made a few coasters, so I guess it's time to beg for help. Does anyone know for certain if any of the various "Universal" OS 9.2.2 installation CDs that are floating around will actually work to install OS 9 on one of these last-model Titanium G4s? I've tried a number of disks that have reputations for being universal, and they'll all boot, but they all tell me it's an unsupported machine when I actually try to install.

It's starting to look like the only way to get the correct version of OS 9 for this machine is to get the original OS X restoration disks and do 9 as an "optional install", but I was kind of hoping I could skip that.
I have an original 9.2.2 install disk for the PowerBook G4. PM me and I'll send you a copy.
Posted by: Cory5412 on 2019-12-28 10:53:18
I have an original 9.2.2 install disk for the PowerBook G4. PM me and I'll send you a copy.
I'm extremely curious about this because I had one of the machines gorgonops is talking about new in 2003 and there was no separate OS9 install CD for it. OS 9 was contained inside an OSX .pkg file.
Posted by: MOS8_030 on 2019-12-28 13:10:47
I'm extremely curious about this because I had one of the machines gorgonops is talking about new in 2003 and there was no separate OS9 install CD for it. OS 9 was contained inside an OSX .pkg file.
I can send you a copy too if you'd like. 🙂

This is an OEM 9.2.2 disk that came with some version of the TiBook.

It's labeled Powerbook G4 ver 1.2.

It's OS9 only and it worked (booted, installed) on many different G4 Macs. (I labeled it "Any" at some point.)

The disk has a creation date of 3/27/2002 and a modification date of 4/19/2002.

(It probably worked on the G3's as well, but we cycled those out pretty quickly for G4's.)

I have another OEM 9.2 disk labeled PowerMac G4 ver. 1.0 that worked on most systems. (Labeled "Most".) Created 6/22/2001.

I've got pretty much every version of OS9.x.x install disks for various models.

I was doing installs and IT support at Motorola "back in the day" and either got the original install disks or burned copies.
Posted by: Cory5412 on 2019-12-28 14:48:55
I've just PMed you @MOS8_030!

I'd love to get a copy of that disc, both to see if it works and just because it seems like a good disc to have.

The other thing that occurs to me might work in the meantime is the ASIP6.3.3 restore media for the Edu-only QS'02 ASIP server configuration. That should work on the TiBook, although you'd have to deal with stripping out the ASIP server bits if you weren't planning on running a server on your PowerBook.
Posted by: Gorgonops on 2019-12-28 20:25:11
I can send you a copy too if you'd like. 🙂

This is an OEM 9.2.2 disk that came with some version of the TiBook.
I have a bad feeling I might have tried that disk. I initially misidentified my machine as a 667 instead of an 867mhz (it downclocks the CPU on the System Profiler if you run it from a booted OS 9 CD) and on the 'Garden under the OS/restore disks section for the 667/800mhz model there was a OS 9 installation disk image. I got it and burned it and, unfortunately, it definitely doesn't work on the 867-1ghz. That April 2002 modification date jibes with the release date of the 667/800. 🙁

Posted by: MOS8_030 on 2019-12-28 20:41:25
I have a bad feeling I might have tried that disk. I initially misidentified my machine as a 667 instead of an 867mhz (it downclocks the CPU on the System Profiler if you run it from a booted OS 9 CD) and on the 'Garden under the OS/restore disks section for the 667/800mhz model there was a OS 9 installation disk image. I got it and burned it and, unfortunately, it definitely doesn't work on the 867-1ghz. That April 2002 modification date jibes with the release date of the 667/800. 🙁
But it should work with a TiBook, which is what you mentioned in your first post.

If you're talking about the last aluminum G4 PowerBooks then I don't know, probably not.

I sent you a PM.
Posted by: Gorgonops on 2019-12-28 20:47:03
But it should work with a TiBook, which is what you mentioned in your first post.
I do have a TiBook, but the last revision 867-1Ghz model has a different system ID from the 667-800 and the installer detects it. The hardware differences between the two are pretty minimal but the later one does have a different video card. (Radeon 9000 vs. 7500.) If that's the disk you have it's not going to work.
Posted by: MOS8_030 on 2019-12-28 20:59:10
I do have a TiBook, but the last revision 867-1Ghz model has a different system ID from the 667-800 and the installer detects it. The hardware differences between the two are pretty minimal but the later one does have a different video card. (Radeon 9000 vs. 7500.) If that's the disk you have it's not going to work.
Well give that one a shot and let me know. I'll dig around and see if I can come up with anything later, but I doubt it.
Posted by: Gorgonops on 2019-12-28 21:11:15
Well give that one a shot and let me know. I'll dig around and see if I can come up with anything later, but I doubt it.
If it doesn't work I might proceed with plan B, which is seeing if I can install it in a QEMU session on a Linux machine and use Target Disk Mode to copy it onto the Titanium. I'm 99.44% sure the OS itself will be fine if it's dragged over from a working install, it's just the frustrating artificial installation block that's breaking it.
Posted by: Gorgonops on 2019-12-29 11:33:06
Well give that one a shot and let me know. I'll dig around and see if I can come up with anything later, but I doubt it.
So, I compared your disk to the one I had, and all the file sizes and datestamps are identical. So, yeah, it appears to be the same disk as "PBG4_OS9.toast_.sit here. If anyone *does* have luck installing on 867-1Ghz with this disk I'd certainly be interested in hearing about it.
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