Author Topic: Can someone help get Mac OS 9 to run on 1ghz eMac?  (Read 3355 times)

Offline Angelgreat

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Can someone help get Mac OS 9 to run on 1ghz eMac?
« on: October 01, 2021, 06:41:00 AM »
Hello, I noticed that the 800mhz version of the eMac and the 1ghz version on the eMac were identical in specs but with different cpu speeds. While the 800mhz has native os9 support,  the 1ghz does not. I see there's other that tried to install os9 and the 1ghz version but failed. Even the eMac version of os9 for unsupported Macs is for the 1.25ghz and doesn't work on the 1ghz. Can someone please make a eMac 1ghz version of the OS9 for unsupported Macs iso please?

Offline darthnVader

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Re: Can someone help get Mac OS 9 to run on 1ghz eMac?
« Reply #1 on: October 06, 2021, 12:29:55 PM »
Did you try the CD for unsupported G4's?

It looks like the 1Ghz eMac with the Combo drive supports native boot of OS 9, whereas the 1Ghz eMac with the Superdrive only supports Classic Mode.

Generally speaking, the only thing Apple changed was removing 'RISC' and 'RISC2' from the 'compatible' property of the device-tree replacing it with 'RISC3', thus preventing the Superdrive eMac from seeing the Mac OS ROM as a bootable :tbxi.

Oddly Everymac lists the 1Ghz eMac as having USB 1.1 and an optional AE Wifi card. That would be the only Mac I know of with USB 1.1 and AE, and leaves me to wonder if I bought a Combo drive version with AE, would it work under OS 9?

The info on Everymac could be wrong, maybe the Superdrive eMac 1GHz really has USB 2.0?

Or you could not order the AE card with the Combo drive version?

Wouldn't it be cool if the 1 Ghz Combo drive OEM OS 9 Install CD had the 'holy grail' OS 9 drivers for AirPort Extreme.

Offline cathrynmataga

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Re: Can someone help get Mac OS 9 to run on 1ghz eMac?
« Reply #2 on: April 23, 2023, 11:59:33 AM »
Hello person from 2 years ago. I have exact this same machine with the SuperDrive. I think I've figured browsing this forum that it won't boot OS9 without fuss. I think I'm going to see if I can dual boot Leopard and Tiger on it, and try to get the classic mode running on Tiger. (Mostly for retro games.)  I do have original CDs for this Mac but looks like they are all Leopard.