The State of Mac OS 9 Compatibility, Upgrades, Resources, and Hacks in 2007

This has been one of the most popular columns in the history of Miscellaneous Ramblings. This article has been superceded by Low End Mac's Compleat Guide to Mac OS 9, 2008 Edition. dk

Mac's Classic OS continues to fade in compatibility and relevance with support in crucial areas - especially Web browsers and email software - becoming more and more tenuous. However, I haven't given up on it and keep Classic Mode running all the time for a handful of key applications I've never found completely satisfactory OS X substitutes for.

My wife still uses a 233 MHz G3 Series WallStreet PowerBook running OS 9.2.2 for word processing, email, surfing, and graphics work in Color It! 4. I'm glad have the good, old Classic Mac OS available as a bootable standby even on my G3 iBook and G4 upgraded Pismo PowerBook, although I go months without ever booting into it. When I do, I'm always gratified by its speed compared with Tiger (OS X 10.4.x).

If you have an older Mac that isn't supported by OS X - or some of the slower G3 machines that aren't officially supported with recent versions (like the WallStreet, which officially supports up to OS X 10.2.8) - there is still a strong case for running OS 9, and as I've found, there are also certain software applications that are only supported in OS 8/9 that may be mission critical for some users.

OS 9.2.2 is fast, responsive, and rock-stable on my old PowerBooks and iBook. I went for more than three months on the WallStreet once without rebooting. That's with 2-3 hours of daily use, and I got up to nearly "Untitled 700" in Tex Edit Plus documents before I finally had to restart to satisfy a software installer.

Whether you can get along without the ability to boot directly into the Classic OS is an important point to consider these days when planning a system upgrade, and Intel Macs don't even support Classic Mode.

Apple has posted a handy compatibility table outlining which Mac models, from the '040 Centris machines of the early 1990s through the new aluminum PowerBooks, are supported (or not) by Mac OS versions 8.x and 9.x. It's worth a look if you have questions about what OS versions your machine can handle.

For example, the chart shows that my late in the production run PowerBook 2000 will support OS 9.1 through OS 9.2.2, while my four-year old 700 MHz iBook can only boot into OS 9.2.2 (and, of course, OS X).

Two Reasons to Go OS X: Browsers and Email

Beyond the backwards-compatibility usefulness of Classic mode, the sun is setting on OS 9 as a main boot system. It's still very fast, and there are lots of excellent production programs such as word processors and image editing software that run very satisfactorily for serious work, but the biggest shortcoming of OS 9 is the lack of a really satisfactory and up to date browser, and no major email clients are still being developed for the classic OS. With Eudora 6.1 or Outlook Express 5.2 still available for Classic, the latter is not a big problem yet, but the browser issue is.

The only browser still being actively developed for OS 9 is iCab, which is my first choice when running in Classic, but it's just not in the same league as the really superb browsers available for OS X.

Mozilla 1.3 works with OS 9 as well, but it's pretty buggy. And there's Netscape 4.8, which feels positively prehistoric these days.

While it pains me to say it, when iCab isn't a viable solution, the best alternative is probably Internet Explorer 5.1, which installs by default with OS 9 (a good thing, since you can no longer obtain it from Microsoft). I find IE for Classic tends to cause stability problems and hate using it, but it does work on most sites.

Still, if there were no other compelling reason for upgrading to OS X, the browser issue would be it.

You can get along quite happily with OS 9 if you're content to work around its increasing limitations with the passage of time and use of software from the OS 9 era. However, it's becoming more and more marginalized, and OS 9 users are shut out of an awful lot of cool new stuff that OS X supports.

Updating Mac OS 9 to 9.2.2

Apple has also posted a Knowledge Base article describing the updates available for Mac OS 9, and the order in which they must be installed. You must install all prerequisite software before installing any update. For example, when updating Mac OS 9.0 to Mac OS 9.2.2 the updates must be installed in this order:

1. Mac OS 9.1 Update
2. Mac OS 9.2.1 Update
3. Mac OS 9.2.2 Update

Note that the free downloadable Mac OS 9.1 Update contains fewer updates and extras than the Mac OS 9.1 CD-ROM disc. This reduces the amount of data that must be downloaded at once.

The downloadable update contains core system software updates, Apple Remote Access (ARA) Client Server 4.0, and QuickTime 4.1.3. The Mac OS 9.1 download may only be used to update a computer that has Mac OS 9.0.x installed. It is available at Apple Software Updates.

The Mac OS 9.1 disc includes additional updates to Mac OS 9 that are not a part of the downloadable Update. Some of these additional items are available separately at Apple Software Updates or from third-party websites (non-Apple software). The disc may be used for full installation or clean installation.

You can find out more about the update in Mac OS 9.1: Downloadable update versus Mac OS 9.1 disc.

Upgrading NuBus Power Macs

Also note that upgrading Power Macs with the NuBus motherboard architecture (6100, 7100, 8100, and related models) to OS 9.1 requires a Mac OS 9.1 Full Install CD, as Apple did not support upgrading these models from OS 9.0 to 9.1 with free updaters. For more on this see Mac OS 9.1: Start Up from CD to Install on Original Power Macintosh Computers.

Another caveat: Your Mac must have the appropriate Mac OS ROM file for the version of Mac OS that is installed. Using the wrong Mac OS ROM file can cause the computer to behave unpredictably and may even prevent it from starting up.

Apple has posted a chart showing applicable Mac OS ROM file to the applicable Mac OS version, Mac OS: Matching Mac OS ROM File To Mac OS Version.

Pre-G3 PCI Power Macs

Apple recommends: "You should use the latest version of Mac OS 9 [that your hardware supports]." Pre-G3 Macs only support up to OS 9.1. IMHO, this is no major hardship in most instances, although there are a very few applications that require OS 9.2.2.

However, there is an installer patch hack, OS 9 Helper, that allows you to install 9.2.1 or 9.2.2 on certain "Old World" Macs that Apple has dropped support for. OS 9.1 is the final version that Apple allows to install on anything previous to the Beige G3.

OS9 Forever says the performance improvements that were added in 9.2.x are clearly noticeable once you install it. In particular, the Finder is incredibly responsive, and Open Transport networking is vastly more stable. However, the four most important reasons for installing 9.2.x are:

1. Compatibility with ATI's latest drivers. ATI dropped support for OpenGL versions lower than 1.2.2. (9.1 has 1.2.1). See these notes on ATI's drivers for some more hints.
2. You can't run DVD Studio Pro 1.5 or 1.2.1 without 9.2.2. See my Pro page for more info.
3. You can't run Final Cut Pro 3 without 9.2.2. See my Pro page for more info.
4. Full compatibility with first and second generation iPods.

The hack works with all of the "PowerSurge" models, including the 7300, 7500, 8500, 8600, 9500, and 9600. The 6500 seems to work as well. They also work on the PowerBook 1400, 2400, 3400, and G3 (a.k.a. 3500 or Kanga), but not the PowerBook 5300. The NuBus Power Macs (6100, 7100, 8100 series, and the Duo 2300) have only seen a limited success, and the Power Mac 4400 and Motorola StarMax Mac clones are not supported.

Where to Buy OS 9

Speaking of OS 9, a reader question that crops up fairly frequently is where to obtain an OS 9 install CD. They are getting mighty thin on the ground these days. eBay is a possible source, but note well that System Software Restore CDs that ship with particular Macs will not work with machines other than the one they come bundled with in most cases.

Several resellers list OS 9 CDs. eBay is one other possibility. Here are some online sources. Visit the respective websites and run a search for OS 9 or OS 9.1.

BetaMacs

One outlet that still sells OS 9 CDs is BetaMacs, which offers Mac OS 9.0 software for the reasonable price of $29.99 including the 9.2.1 update.

According to BetaMacs, this OS 9 installer installs a full suite of Apple software, unlike the iMac CD that is often sold on eBay, and it works on:

• Power Mac 7200-9600 (request 9.1 CD)
• Power Mac G3
• PowerBook G3
• iBook G3
• iMac G3
• Power Mac G4
• PowerBook G4

You can download free updates from Apple's website to upgrade to 9.2.2.

OWC

Other World Computing used to stock OS 9.1 installer CDs, but they have disappeared from the OWC website, presumably no longer available.

HardCore Mac

HardCore Mac still has a pretty comprehensive selection of OS 9 (and other Mac OS back to System 7.5) CDs (or floppies for older system version), but their prices are very high. A few examples:

• Mac OS 9 - $149.99
• Mac OS 9.0.4 full installation CD, in sleeve. - $149.99
• Mac OS 9.1 Many people think a Mac OS 9.0 installation is needed before Mac OS 9.1 can be installed. This is NOT TRUE. If you need Mac OS 9.0, Mac OS 9.1 will work. - $149.99
• Mac OS 9.2.1 CD in sleeve. Full installation. Not an upgrade CD. - $159.99
• Mac OS 9.2.2 - $159.99

Note well that any version of OS 9 - including OS 9.0, 9.0.4, 9.1, 9.2, and 9.2.1 - can be upgraded to the current 9.2.2 using free updaters that can be downloaded from Apple's software support site (except for the NuBus machines mentioned above).

Power PC Macs came to the end with OS 9.2.2, bundled on their Software Restore CDs, although on the later machines not installed by default, and if you choose to install it, it only supports Classic Mode. If you install, it's a good idea to drag a fresh copy of the OS 9 System Folder to backup media , which will allow you to restore it by simply dragging it back to your hard drive, instead of the tedium of running the software restore CD or DVD.