Mac OS 9 Lives
Mac OS 9 Discussion => Mac OS 9, Hacks & Upgrades => Topic started by: UnexpectedBomb on July 02, 2026, 01:04:07 PM
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Hi All,
Stumbling upon his forum post a few weeks ago, I was inspired by the progress of "x7x" in solving some of the Mini's OS 9 audio issues: https://tinkerdifferent.com/threads/mac-mini-g4-sound-on-os-9-2.5173/
Using his foundational work, I did some vibe coding of my own and developed a Control Strip Module that does the following:
- automatically enables audio on boot
- provides a mute/unmute function
- auto-detects when headphones are plugged/unplugged in the 3.5mm audio jack
- displays corresponding graphics to indicate mute/speaker/headphones
During development of that CSM, however, I was annoyed by the now-infamous "1-in-5 boot mouse cursor freeze" and decided to tackle that next. It was discovered that the freeze was due a VBL-interrupt issue; I have developed a small app that sits in Startup Items that, upon reaching the desktop, will UNFREEZE the cursor, effectively neutralizing the problem.
I would like your help in testing both of these solutions further, particularly the latter to ensure that my VBL-interrupt theory with the mouse-freeze is accurate. You can review technical notes and download both solutions here:
Audio CSM - https://github.com/UnexpectedBomb/G4-Mac-Mini-Audio
Mouse freeze fix - https://github.com/UnexpectedBomb/G4-Mac-Mini-VBL-Fix
BIG thanks to Elliot Nunn for sending me in the right direction on the VBL-interrupt. When testing this, please keep track of whether you are booting into a native or non-native resolution; if a native resolution causes this freeze even a single time, that would mean I need to re-evaluate my theory.
Additional OS 9 G4 Mini projects that are currently underway:
- A true audio driver that does everything the CSM does, plus enables variable audio levels (via the slider) and fixes keyboard volume controls (such as on the A1048 keyboard)
- Drivers to enable true USB 2.0 speeds both on the Mini directly and also from PCI cards on G3/G4 towers
- Drivers to enable eSATA compatibility when using PCI cards such as the LaCie 130823
- Drivers to enable the Mini's internal Bluetooth module as well as related USB Bluetooth dongles
All feedback is welcome so I can continue to improve these solutions. Thanks in advance.
-UB