Wanted! iMac that will run OS 9.

[Jane Austin]

Must be in excellent condition.

Thanks.

[DontTreadOnMe]

1. Time to upgrade

Jane... OS 9 is about 200 years old... time to join the real world.

[Jane Austin]

6. I know!

The barcode generator on the FileMaker inventory and database program by which we run dogstuff.com will only run on OS 9.

The people who created the program went out of business about ten years ago, and Mr. Jane Austin has kept it running with duct tape and bailing wire all this time.

We otherwise are running 12-15 Leopards and other jungle cats a Dogstuff, but we need OS 9 to generate barcodes. :)

[imdjh]

2. Which processor?

[MilesColtrane]

3. Just about any non-Intel Mac will run OS 9.

[eppur_se_muova]

14. Not so. Many G4's, all G5's require OXS to boot.

They can run System 9.2.2 only under Classic OS.

[MilesColtrane]

16. Sorry, I was thinking of OS 9 emulation, not a native install.

[emulatorloo]

4. If you have a college nearby, see if they have a "computer surplus" store

I would look for the fastest g3 iMac I could find.

---

Another very good option is a G4 tower, say in the dual 450 range. They are dirt cheap and run OS 9 (and OS X for that matter) really well. I am typing on one now, it has both OS 9.22 and OS 10.4.11.

It may be cheaper than the iMac.

[Jane Austin]

7. I knew I was out of my depth!

For all I know that is what we have. Mr. Jane Austin has gone out to our computer wizards and I will know soon if we are screwed or not.

Fortunately, we run an automatic backup every night.

[Jane Austin]

9. Oh, and we have UT right here.

Thanks for the tip.

[boobooday]

5. I have an early G5 that I believe has OS9

excellent condition. Not Intel.

[Jane Austin]

8. I will tell Mr. Austin when he comes back.

Thanks!

[emulatorloo]

10. The G5 imac requires 10.3 or later, per this very cool website

http://www.lowendmac.com/imacs/imac-g5-aug-2004.html

Here is the main "mac profiles" page which tells you what machines need what.

http://www.lowendmac.com/profiles.htm

[Jane Austin]

11. Thanks! .............. n/t

[boobooday]

12. this is a tower,if that makes a difference . . .

not an imac.

I don't have it in use at the moment, but it runs great.

[emulatorloo]

13. I have a 2GHz G5 tower, that is a wonderful machine!

Mine came with 10.4 and is now running 10.5 like a charm. Looks like Snow Leopard won't support it, but I am ok with that.

[MilesColtrane]

17. I just got my dual 2.5GHz G5 today!

Damn, it's pretty...very space-age looking, outside and in.

It came with 10.5, and I'm considering whether I should partition the main drive so I can boot 10.4 If I need to run some old software.

[eppur_se_muova]

15. eMacs up to G4/800 MHz will also boot in OS9 ...

G4 iMacs, IIRC, all boot in OSX only.

http://www.powermax.com/parts/code/PM_CU_EM

http://www.wegenermedia.com/emac700.htm

Why eMac instead of iMac? Because there are some good eMac deals out there, and the iMac does not have any G3 models (IIRC) which boot in OS9. But double-check that the machine has a modem -- modemless eMacs are very common!

One problem with both eMacs and iMacs is that the integral monitor is HEAVY, which really boosts shipping costs. Maybe better to shop locally to avoid that -- e.g. $50 shipping on a $100-300 computer.

(I don't know why I'm assuming you need to boot in OS9, rather than running OS9 in emulation (Classic) mode under OSX. But unless you can test that your software really does run under Classic, it might be safer to stick with iMacs/eMacs.)

[Jane Austin]

18. Thanks for all your helpful answers!

We have a shiny new hard drive installed and lost only a few hours of data which we are re-entering today.

It was a mechanical break, so the new hard drive should take care of the problem - for now.

Thanks again - so very much.