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I bought a MacBook a while ago and with it came an OS 9 cd, and having lost the cd for the main computer (a G4 tower) i threw the cd into the drive... i couldn't open the OS 9 install program because it required me to open the classic program to do so (im trying to install that classic program and the reason i need to reinstall this is because my mom accidentaly reinstalled all system software and wiped the hard drive clean, we got some information salvaged, but not much...) so i open up the "Startup Disc" in system preferences, as the pdf on the cd tells me, and i select the OS 9 CD. It restarts and as it does it comes up with a grey background with a folder in the middle flashing between a questionmark and the mac logo - how could i get it back to the operating system that was working fine, it was like 10.something.... how can i get the cd out of the rom and how can i simply restart without the cd? any special key i need to hold down? any assistance would be helpfull!

i've read some other threads and supposedly this flashing folder means the hard drive is useless now... that would really suck! sometimes i think technology hates me... help!

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by mitch9654

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Quick diagnosis and what likely happened

A flashing folder with a question mark means the Mac couldn’t find a bootable System Folder — it does not automatically prove the hard drive is dead. Try to get back into the working Mac OS X volume first (see Startup Manager / eject tricks below). (support.apple.com)

Why the OS 9 disc from the MacBook may not work on the G4

Restore CDs that ship with a specific Mac are often model‑specific and will not boot different hardware; a retail Mac OS 9 installer is different from a machine restore disc. That explains why selecting the CD as the startup disk produced the flashing‑folder instead of booting the installer. LowEndMac and historic restore‑CD writeups show many Power Mac restore discs include a hidden OS9 image and are targeted to the original model. (lowendmac.com)

Practical compatibility notes (Classic vs. native OS 9)

Some G4 models can still boot Mac OS 9 natively; many later G4s only run OS 9 apps inside the Classic environment under OS X. Classic requires a valid Mac OS 9 System Folder present on an HFS+ volume; if you need to actually boot OS 9 (rather than run Classic) verify your model’s support first. Also, volumes formatted as Mac OS Extended (Journaled) use HFS+ journaling; Classic/OS9 expectations make non‑journaled HFS+ or appropriate formatting the safer choice for an OS 9 System Folder. (macmaps.com)

Concrete next steps (ordered, low‑risk)

  • Eject the CD safely: in OS X use Finder or the Eject key; if the disc is stuck try holding the mouse/trackpad button while powering on (this forces an eject on many Macs). Then use Startup Manager (hold Option/Alt at boot) to confirm and pick the internal macOS volume. (support.apple.com)
  • If the CD won’t appear in Startup Manager it’s not a bootable disc for that machine — do not keep trying to boot from it. Obtain a retail Mac OS 9 installer or use a known OS 9 System Folder image for your exact model (some restore discs hide the OS9 image, as LowEndMac documents). (lowendmac.com)
  • If the goal is Classic only, install/copy an OS 9 System Folder onto a separate HFS+ (non‑journaled) partition accessible to OS X; then Classic will be able to use it. If Disk Utility flags disk errors, repair or clone the drive before any reinstall attempt. (developer.apple.com)

Notes on suggestions already posted: ’s hardware‑eject and Open Firmware ideas are advanced — useful if the disc is physically stuck or you need firmware changes, but start with the safe software/eject and Startup Manager steps above. If needed, report the exact G4 model (from About This Mac) and whether Disk Utility sees the internal drive; that determines whether to pursue repair, a retail OS 9 CD, or using an emulator like SheepShaver for legacy apps.

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Member Avatar for BB2007

k, i booted the comp up this morning while holding 'A' (dont know anything about computers so i was going to hold random buttons) and it booted up fine and all but now how do i install Mac OS 9? The G4 is a 10.3.9 and we don't have classic on it anymore (the install cd tries to open classic to install classic)... i've tried the reboot with the cd in the drive and holding 'c' but that didn't work (it didn't do anything - i've tried restart and shutdown...) then i tried going to startup disc and making it the cd and the above happened... any help would be highly appreciated!

Member Avatar for mitch9654

you could try booting with a paper clip in the programmers hole,
info on this here: ,

and do something like this:
http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20060301112336384,

except with using boot-device as cd:,\\:tbxi hd:,\\:tbxi instead.

Like put in setenv cd:,\\:tbxi. If that doesnt work, go back to old settings by holding down appleicon+alt+P+R (or something like that)

mitch

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