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[indibil]

Hi, I need your help. I have an iBook G4 1.33GHz (early-2004, 133MHz bus).

I have prepared an SSD with two partitions, formatted from OS9, in the first OS 9.2.2, with the MAc OS ROM mod for iBook and the ATI Drivers for 9200. In the second partition I have Sorbet Leopard.

With the SSD installed in the internal IDE port, I can boot from Sorbet, but when I select in the boot menu (ALT) to boot from OS9, only the floppy symbol appears and it does not boot. But if I move that same SSD in a Firewire box, I can boot from OS9 without any problem.

If I clone the SSD to a HDD, same OS9.2.2, it allows me to boot from the internal IDE port without problems.

What is happening?

[DrNo7]

Hi Indibil,

Quick question: is your SSD bigger than 128GB and one of the partition near or beyond the 128GB mark ?

[peeperpc]

What are the models of the SSD and the adapter? I know the iBook only has IDE connections. So you have to either use an IDE SSD or a SATA SSD with an adapter.

Some drives are not OS 9 compatible but when connected through some adapter (a Firewire box, in your case) it becomes bootable, probably some problematic feature is overridden by the adapter.

For example, in http://macos9lives.com/smforum/index.php?topic=5447.0, Samsung 850 EVO is listed as not OS 9 compatible but it works after connecting through an mSATA adapter (http://macos9lives.com/smforum/index.php?topic=5447.msg40400#msg40400).

[Jubadub]

Just to add to the list of things to consider, I'd recommend also just kicking out that OS X install, and try booting Mac OS 9 with nothing, but it being around. Reformat drive with Mac OS Drive Setup first.

OS X has gotten in my way of booting things a number of times before. (OS X is just a waste of internal drive space anyway, for me.)

[indibil]

Thanks for your answers.

The adapter is the same one I have used in several Mini G4s where I can boot with OS9 and OSX. The disk is formatted and partitioned with OS9. In the FW box I have used it with the PATA_mSATA adapter. The adapter is this one:

https://es.aliexpress.com/item/1005005795256657.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.3.369eAeylAeylVQ&algo_pvid=79249e5a-a8da-4ba7-a716-3d14b2d86842&algo_exp_id=79249e5a-a8da-4ba7-a716-3d14b2d86842-1&pdp_npi=4%40dis%21EUR%217.89%217.89%21%21%2158.32%2158.32%21%4021039a5b17388200619875637e1a0c%2112000034380710662%21sea%21ES%21715615995%21X&curPageLogUid=p6b7e40TUyNl&utparam-url=scene%3Asearch%7Cquery_from%3A

The first boot I tried directly with OS9, and only the floppy appears on the screen. If I remove the SDD and mount it in the FW box, then OS9 boots. And as I said, that same SSD, I clone it to an HDD, and then OS9 works on the internal port.

Very strange, and it saddens me because I want my G4 computers to have OS9, otherwise I don't collect them anymore.

[ssp3]

Have you tried:
* cmd-opt-P-R between the boots
* booting with extensions OFF
* different SSD drive?

Another idea - try erasing first 100MB or so on the drive starting with block 0, so that the drive is clean (unformatted) when you initialize it in OS9 and don't let the OSX touch it.

[Jubadub]

@indibil

You mention you used the same adapter to boot the minis, but those are different machines. Also, did you use the EXACT same SSD model with those minis as you are on your iBook?

[indibil]

Have you tried:
* cmd-opt-P-R between the boots
* booting with extensions OFF
* different SSD drive?

Another idea - try erasing first 100MB or so on the drive starting with block 0, so that the drive is clean (unformatted) when you initialize it in OS9 and don't let the OSX touch it.

* cmd-opt-P-R between the boots - Many times, none of them worked
* booting with extensions OFF - It does not start, pressing shift is useless, it does not recognize the Mac OS ROM, the floppy appears searching for a boot disk.
* different SSD drive? - Right now I only have these lite-on, I don't have another model to try.

@indibil

You mention you used the same adapter to boot the minis, but those are different machines. Also, did you use the EXACT same SSD model with those minis as you are on your iBook?

I'm not using the same SSD as in the Minis, but I used the same adapter and an identical Lite-on SSD in a Pismo a few weeks ago and it runs OS9 without any problems, but of course, there's only OS9 there, so I'm going to try to format it as ssp3 told me.

[ssp3]

Lite-on SSD

You have to try different brand SSD drive.
I had problems with LiteOn 128GB SSD booting my G4 DA and(!) Intel MacBook Pro 2009 a few years back. I switched to Plextor back then.
I had zero problems with various Samsungs so far - 840, 850, 860, EVO, OEM versions etc.

[indibil]

I have done some tests, I have done a clean format in OS9, on a MDD, first 100mb partition without formatting, and then 2 HFS+ partitions. I have only installed OS9.2.2 with the Mac OS ROM from iBook and the ATI drivers. There is nothing on the Sorbet partition.

Same result. But now no HD with OS9 boots from firewire either. I think the problem is with the Mac OS ROM file. The MDD ROM file does not boot on the iBook either. Is there any universal Mac OS ROM that can work? I always unzip it in OS9.

[indibil]

Following the instructions on how to replace the Mac OS ROM to the letter, I have unzipped it in the root, renamed it and then copied it to the System Folder. This way, I can boot from FW, but not internally with the SSD. It is probably an incompatibility of the Lite-On. Tomorrow I will try to do it with an internal 2.5 HDD and see if it boots.

[indibil]

It's very strange. This morning I tried it, and without changing anything, it wouldn't boot from the internal SSD or from the HDD FW.

I decided to disconnect the internal SSD cable, and then it did boot from the FW. I must say that I'm testing the computer without the battery, so it resets the firmware every time I disconnect it.

Next, I turned it off, connected the internal SSD cable, and booted from the FW. This time instead of creating the OS9 from another computer, I did it on the iBook itself from the FW partition, I added the Mac OS ROM from the iBook, and this time it booted from the internal SSD!!! I've turned it off, unplugged it, and booted it without problems several times. Only on some starts it seems to get stuck in a loop loading the desktop icons and I can't do anything else but unplug it. But most of the time it works.

I have installed Sorbet Leopard and so far everything works, but the internal OS9 is always selected as the boot disk, I never open the boot menu. I only boot with ALT when I need to change. I have had it unplugged for 2 hours and so far it is still working. I will leave it unplugged for more hours and see if it continues working.