Mac OS 9 booting on: Mac mini G4 (Detailed Posts)

[IIO]

hm, and with vise installer maker it is even more complicated (i really hate building installers)

[RossDarker]

Got it! I'll start working on an updater now.

tell application "Finder"
   try
      select folder "Multiprocessing" of folder "Extensions" of folder "System Folder" of startup disk
      delete selection
      display dialog "Multiprocessing Moved to Trash" buttons {"Continue"}
   on error
      display dialog "Multiprocessing does not exist!" buttons {"Continue"}
   end try
end tell

obviously in the real I would not make it so the user has to click continue, this was just to see which function it would carry out in which situation.

I can use a bunch of these, obviously with different functions, to carry out, and even combo updates. Also, this would only work if you are started up off the system you want to update. So is there a way I can list all the disks mounted, and the user can choose which to update?

And when all files are in the right place:

tell application "Finder"
   display dialog "Successfully updated to V7!" buttons {"Restart"}
   restart
end tell

This looks like...

[DieHard]

I think you guys are way over thinking this, all we need is...

1) The Bootable ISO (Version 7) for those who have never installed Mac OS 9.2.2 on a mac mini and will wipe out the drive

- OR -

2) The Sit File for those that want to patch their favorite OS 9 configuration and then copy it to a mini; it should contain all the documentation, and CURRENT files (Extensions,drivers, and ROM) needed to modify and existing OS 9.2.2 System folder.  The user's of SIT file must at least have the basic knowledge of how to copy files around... no scripts needed

[IIO]

Also, this would only work if you are started up off the system you want to update.

thats true and that was my idea.

i have not yet found an absolute solution for that social problem.

generally, if someone has OS9 on his mini, he will know that and will just turn his computer on.

but will everyone be aware of the fact that a new CD release also contains an updater?

in modern OS´s you download the updates off the internet, either as installer app or directly online. putting an OS update on an installer CD in the fashion of OSX would be a bit overkill for this project.

something which requries to choose from 2 installation versions, full and update, by doubleclicking the one or other item is a fair compromise.

i wish i could contribute but my applescript skills are in the range of my open firmware skills.

p.s. if ou dont get the checksumming to skip by scripting, i suggest having a loop which checks if the volume is present about every 4 or 5 seconds and wait until it returns true. making the path available to finder should be the last of all processes when mountung afaik.

[IIO]

well, DH, in 2020 we want to have a DVD which automatically boots and installs OS9 for all machines, dont we.

[RossDarker]

In the SIT archive, I will put an updater app. This is for updating from any version of the Mac mini OS 9 to v7. For those who want to use the Instant DAW, you do not first run the updater, but simply edit the apple script, and change the first line, which there will be a variable called TARGET, which by default is set to "startup disk", (this makes it so the target is which ever you are booted from.) You can change TARGET variable to equal the name of any disk mounted, and then save it, then the when you run the updater, it will modify that specific disk, so it runs on the mini. How that sound?

[IIO]

why not get the path with a dialog or by drag and drop? if you need to edit it, it wont work from a write protected volume.

[RossDarker]

Here is the script so far, it works great, you guys can't run it yet because you need the disk image I have made that contains all the updater files (as the name of the disk "v7 items" is required), but here is the script. (By the way it uses a dialogue box to get what disk you want to update). It first tests if the disk you specify is read only, contains Mac OS 9, and if a disk even exists with the specified name. Also so far only does the "Sleeper" related things, Multiprocessing folder and 1 ATI extension, will work more on this tommorrow:

display dialog "Enter the name of disk you wish to update, exactly how it appears on the desktop:" default answer "" buttons {"Continue"} default button "Continue"
set TARGET_DISK to text returned of result
tell application "Finder"
   try
      select item "test file" of folder "Resources" of disk "v7 Items"
      copy selection to folder "Extensions" of folder "System Folder" of disk TARGET_DISK
      select item "test file" of folder "Extensions" of folder "System Folder" of disk TARGET_DISK
      delete selection
      display dialog "Update will perform on the disk " & TARGET_DISK & "!" buttons {"Continue"} default button "Continue"
      try
         select folder "Multiprocessing" of folder "Extensions" of folder "System Folder" of disk TARGET_DISK
         delete selection
         display dialog "Multiprocessing folder exists, replacing with new one...!" buttons {"Continue"} default button "Continue"
      on error
         display dialog "Multiprocessing does not exist, adding in new one...!" buttons {"Continue"} default button "Continue"
      end try
      select folder "Multiprocessing" of folder "Resources" of disk "v7 Items"
      copy selection to folder "Extensions" of folder "System Folder" of disk TARGET_DISK
      try
         select item "Energy Saver" of folder "Control Panels" of folder "System Folder" of disk TARGET_DISK
         delete selection
         display dialog "Energy Saver existed, deleting...!" buttons {"Continue"} default button "Continue"
      on error
         display dialog "Energy Saver does not exist, adding in Sleeper!" buttons {"Continue"} default button "Continue"
      end try
      try
         select item "Sleeper" of folder "Control Panels" of folder "System Folder" of disk TARGET_DISK
         display dialog "Sleeper already exists, does not need adding in!" buttons {"Continue"} default button "Continue"
      on error
         display dialog "Sleeper getting added..." buttons {"Continue"} default button "Continue"
         select item "Sleeper" of folder "Resources" of disk "v7 Items"
         copy selection to folder "Control Panels" of folder "System Folder" of disk TARGET_DISK
      end try
      try
         select item "Energy Settings" of folder "Control Strip Modules" of folder "System Folder" of disk TARGET_DISK
         delete selection
         display dialog "Energy Settings Strip Module exists, deleting...!" buttons {"Continue"} default button "Continue"
      on error
         display dialog "Energy Settings Strip Module does not exist, adding in Sleeper Module!" buttons {"Continue"} default button "Continue"
      end try
      try
         select item "Sleeper Strip" of folder "Control Strip Modules" of folder "System Folder" of disk TARGET_DISK
         display dialog "Sleeper Module already exists, does not need adding in!" buttons {"Continue"} default button "Continue"
      on error
         display dialog "Sleeper Module getting added..." buttons {"Continue"} default button "Continue"
         select item "Sleeper Strip" of folder "Resources" of disk "v7 Items"
         copy selection to folder "Control Strip Modules" of folder "System Folder" of disk TARGET_DISK
      end try
      try
         select item "Sleeper osax" of folder "Scripting Additions" of folder "System Folder" of disk TARGET_DISK
         display dialog "Sleeper osax, already exists, does not need adding in!" buttons {"Continue"} default button "Continue"
      on error
         display dialog "Sleeper osax, does not exist, adding it in..." buttons {"Continue"} default button "Continue"
         select item "Sleeper osax" of folder "Resources" of disk "v7 Items"
         copy selection to folder "Scripting Additions" of folder "System Folder" of disk TARGET_DISK
      end try
      try
         select item "ATI 3D Accelerator" of folder "Extensions" of folder "System Folder" of disk TARGET_DISK
         display dialog "ATI 3D Accelerator exists, updating it..." buttons {"Continue"} default button "Continue"
         delete selection
         select item "ATI 3D Accelerator" of folder "ATI" of folder "Resources" of disk "v7 Items"
         copy selection to folder "Extensions" of folder "System Folder" of disk TARGET_DISK
      on error
         display dialog "ATI 3D Accelerator does not exist, adding it in..." buttons {"Continue"} default button "Continue"
         select item "ATI 3D Accelerator" of folder "ATI" of folder "Resources" of disk "v7 Items"
         copy selection to folder "Extensions" of folder "System Folder" of disk TARGET_DISK
      end try
      display dialog "Successfully updated " & TARGET_DISK & " to V7!" buttons {"Restart"} default button "Restart"
      restart
   on error
      display dialog "The disk named " & TARGET_DISK & ", either does not have Mac OS 9 on, does not exist, or is read only!" buttons {"Cancel Update"} default button "Cancel Update"
   end try
end tell

[music skidder]

Hello all, trying to follow this. I am not a real code guy but clever! I have a Mini 1.5 and trying to install os9 for Studio Vision projects.

My Mac is available if you need for me to beta anything!

Cheers...

[IIO]

i see you are driving it even further and make it a generic file merger util, thats great

[RossDarker]

New SIT archive, contains updater app, I made in apple script. You should put this in the Mac mini download folder Diehard. This updates ANY disk you specify. The disk you update needs to have Mac OS 9 on, in any configuration. This app makes it run on a Mac mini, and has all the latest stuff (v7), whilst keeping the rest of the System Folder and the hard disk of the existing disk.

little demo of me updating from a v5 install to v7...
https://youtu.be/BHqGZATBLBk

Attached is the SIT.

[IIO]

[widdly]

My Mac mini 1.25 arrived last night and is running OS9 like a champ.  Thanks everyone for their hard work.   

[DieHard]

New SIT archive, contains updater app, I made in apple script. You should put this in the Mac mini download folder Diehard. This updates ANY disk you specify. The disk you update needs to have Mac OS 9 on, in any configuration. This app makes it run on a Mac mini, and has all the latest stuff (v7), whilst keeping the rest of the System Folder and the hard disk of the existing disk.

little demo of me updating from a v5 install to v7...
https://youtu.be/BHqGZATBLBk

Attached is the SIT.

Diehard sips his coffee... then reads this... then realizes that some sacrifice so much to make life easy for others (or at least for those who own a mac mini)... thank you Ross, from the bottom of my cold, black heart

[music skidder]

Yup, up and running with v7! 👍

Effortless!,,

Next was to dual boot with tiger. What a mess! Have to use option key to recognize 9 build...

Should have stayed with 9solo.

Don’t know it Keyspan serial adaptor will work for Opcode Studio 4. Getting glitchy with USB in the v7.

Maybe a USB audio interface will fix sound control?

[macStuff]

well Done RossDarker 

[ELN]

Expect me to be a bit quiet for a while. I haven't had much luck troubleshooting the minor problems with the mini, so I'd rather leave these to others.

[IIO]

did some more test including one unintended error and found something funny.

i have applied the updater script to my personal OS9 folder from my main mac again, but this time on the mini itself.

in my personal OS9 folder things like quicktime and ATI are not at their default path; i removed them out of their folder.

the updater script seems to ignore the missing path at /extensions/ATI/ and just didnt copy the minified ATI files.

so, after rebooting into the new system, as exspected, the monitor went black right after the extensions finished loading.

but now to what is questionable.

to fix the wrong ATI drivers i booted into the vanilla mini OS, added the minified drivers to the new system folder, and booted into the new system.

now the monitor works in the new system - but the 2D accelleration is gone.

okay, maybe another user error i thought, and bootet back to the vanilla mini OS.

after the desktop showed up, the mouse now blinks and updates its position only every 2 seconds. finder windows take ages to draw and are almost inaccessible. when moving the mouse over a menubar menu, inside the opened menu the mouse speed is back to normal, out again over the desktop, and it runs in 0.5 "FPS" mode again.

only after another reboot the vanilla OS is now back again to normal operation.

regarding the new OS i have no idea what is wrong there which prevents proper 2d accelleration...

...


then i was playing a bit with the startup disk issue on a dual boot mini.

if you have 2 volumes on the internal HD and both have a Mac OS 9 folder, you can not boot from the second one via controlpanel, you must always use the boot manager, just as with an OSX/OS9 dual boot install.

the weird thing is, when you only have one system folder on the (technically) second partition (and no system on the first partition), THIS is found...

[RossDarker]

110, if you are using the UNFINISHED and incomplete script from post #627 your description makes sense, do NOT use that, use the one from #630 as that 100% works, and is finished. If you are using the one from #630, all I can say is that you are wrong and that the updater DOES work. The amount of times I tested it, made sure that it copies everything over to make it v7. If it TOLD you to restart, then it will have definately copied EVERYTHING required, including ATI extensions. If it said at any point your disk does not contain Mac OS 9, then that means it did not work.  If it TELLS you to restart, then go and click the restart button. If it does not, then don't restart manually. It just does work there is no reason why it does not work. Again, if you are running the APPLICATION from the DISK IMAGE from post #630, it 100% works.

[IIO]

i used the right one.

it turned out that you can make the installation fail when you try to hit that little triangle shaped button to see "more" in the "copying files" dialog window.

i am always pushing the limits, even where it does make any sense.