Help me launch 8.6 and play with my synth!
February 13, 2008 2:22 PM Subscribe
Imac (350mz processor- front loading CD-ROM) won't launch OS 8.6 from the CD ROM!
Hello all, I recently acquired an old IMac to run a synth editor (that required 8.6) and it has been a headache ever since!
First, there wasn't enough memory - got some more; then the hard drive died - got a different one from SO's work. Now I am trying to launch and install the 8.6 ISO I downloaded and it keeps giving me a Grey screen followed by a file icon that alternates between a question mark and the old Mac face icon. I have tried starting it with "c" pressed - nothing. I did some Googling and found some alternative ideas startup ideas (pressing shift, pressing shift, option, Apple and delete) and nothing happened. One post I read recommended disconnecting the HD and trying to launch from just the CD-ROM, but I have some concerns about doing that considering it involves taking the bottom off and trying to work while it's precariously perched on its side.
I am at the end of my rope and very close to taking out what I put in, recycling it at the local FREE GEEK and seeking out a G3 tower, but I thought I would query the hive mind first to see if anything could be done.
Thanks in advance.
Hello all, I recently acquired an old IMac to run a synth editor (that required 8.6) and it has been a headache ever since!
First, there wasn't enough memory - got some more; then the hard drive died - got a different one from SO's work. Now I am trying to launch and install the 8.6 ISO I downloaded and it keeps giving me a Grey screen followed by a file icon that alternates between a question mark and the old Mac face icon. I have tried starting it with "c" pressed - nothing. I did some Googling and found some alternative ideas startup ideas (pressing shift, pressing shift, option, Apple and delete) and nothing happened. One post I read recommended disconnecting the HD and trying to launch from just the CD-ROM, but I have some concerns about doing that considering it involves taking the bottom off and trying to work while it's precariously perched on its side.
I am at the end of my rope and very close to taking out what I put in, recycling it at the local FREE GEEK and seeking out a G3 tower, but I thought I would query the hive mind first to see if anything could be done.
Thanks in advance.
Are you sure that you burned the ISO into a bootable Mac disc correctly? Making bootable Mac CDs used to require some annoying mojo.
Also, are you sure that the ISO you downloaded wasn't model-specific (only the boxed copies in those days worked with ANY Mac) or isn't just the 8.6 upgrade for people who already had another OS 8 version installed and working?
You should be able to buy a full copy of OS 8.6 for pennies on the dollar at a Mac retailer or on eBay. I wouldn't trash hardware merely because an OS disc of unknown provenance wouldn't boot it.
posted by bcwinters at 2:32 PM on February 13, 2008
Also, are you sure that the ISO you downloaded wasn't model-specific (only the boxed copies in those days worked with ANY Mac) or isn't just the 8.6 upgrade for people who already had another OS 8 version installed and working?
You should be able to buy a full copy of OS 8.6 for pennies on the dollar at a Mac retailer or on eBay. I wouldn't trash hardware merely because an OS disc of unknown provenance wouldn't boot it.
posted by bcwinters at 2:32 PM on February 13, 2008
fyi
if it worked in 8.6, it PROBABLY worked in 9, which may be easier to come by
posted by Oktober at 3:14 PM on February 13, 2008
if it worked in 8.6, it PROBABLY worked in 9, which may be easier to come by
posted by Oktober at 3:14 PM on February 13, 2008
Response by poster: That disc does not mount at all on normal start up, it just shows that file icon with the question mark/smiling mac face.
Another question: how do I now get out the disc that won't mount so I could try another? The keyboard has no eject button nor does the computer as far as I can see.
posted by Asbestos McPinto at 3:28 PM on February 13, 2008
Another question: how do I now get out the disc that won't mount so I could try another? The keyboard has no eject button nor does the computer as far as I can see.
posted by Asbestos McPinto at 3:28 PM on February 13, 2008
Another question: how do I now get out the disc that won't mount so I could try another? The keyboard has no eject button nor does the computer as far as I can see.
Hold the mouse button down as you boot the computer.
posted by j.edwards at 4:22 PM on February 13, 2008
Hold the mouse button down as you boot the computer.
posted by j.edwards at 4:22 PM on February 13, 2008
On an old slot loading iMac, there's a place all the way to one side of the slot where you can insert an unbent paperclick to press a manual eject button.
iMac (Slot Loading): How to Manually Eject a CD-ROM Disc
Those iMacs are compatible with OS 9 like Oktober mentioned (and OS 9 is definitely nicer than 8.6 imho), but you'll want to make sure your music software is compatible with OS 9, too.
posted by bcwinters at 4:34 PM on February 13, 2008
iMac (Slot Loading): How to Manually Eject a CD-ROM Disc
Those iMacs are compatible with OS 9 like Oktober mentioned (and OS 9 is definitely nicer than 8.6 imho), but you'll want to make sure your music software is compatible with OS 9, too.
posted by bcwinters at 4:34 PM on February 13, 2008
Response by poster: My music software is most definitely skewed toward 8.6. I even looked at their site and they had 8.6 and an unofficial OS X beta (which is terrible, which is why I sought out an older computer).
posted by Asbestos McPinto at 6:51 PM on February 13, 2008
posted by Asbestos McPinto at 6:51 PM on February 13, 2008
just to ask the obvious, but you didn't just burn the ISO file to the disc, right?
mouse button while booting will eject. also, holding down Option while it boots should give you a chooser screen - if your CD doesn't show up, the CD is bad/not burned correctly/your ISO is bad. given that you're getting the happy Mac, it's probably that the ISO is corrupt or not burned in just the right manner. (usually, you only see the happy Mac if it's making an attempt to boot off of the startup disc you provided.)
i'd suggest getting a real 8.6 retail disc from somewhere and not using an ISO - if you have a real retail disc, you know it'll work on that computer. system restore discs from different machines may not. ISOs are frequently misnamed and/or flaky. check low end mac for pricing/possible dealers, though eBay or your local mac user group might be able to do better. (note that you need 8.6 - 8.5 can be upgraded to 8.6 for free but your machine may not boot 8.5.)
posted by mrg at 8:59 PM on February 13, 2008
mouse button while booting will eject. also, holding down Option while it boots should give you a chooser screen - if your CD doesn't show up, the CD is bad/not burned correctly/your ISO is bad. given that you're getting the happy Mac, it's probably that the ISO is corrupt or not burned in just the right manner. (usually, you only see the happy Mac if it's making an attempt to boot off of the startup disc you provided.)
i'd suggest getting a real 8.6 retail disc from somewhere and not using an ISO - if you have a real retail disc, you know it'll work on that computer. system restore discs from different machines may not. ISOs are frequently misnamed and/or flaky. check low end mac for pricing/possible dealers, though eBay or your local mac user group might be able to do better. (note that you need 8.6 - 8.5 can be upgraded to 8.6 for free but your machine may not boot 8.5.)
posted by mrg at 8:59 PM on February 13, 2008
Are you sure the CD-drive works properly? I had to replace a few in old imac g3s. It's a pain in the ass. put in any cd and see if it mounts. If not it is probably the drive. Unfortunately if you want to boot from cd, you are going to have to replace the drive. I think.
Maybe the flat ribbon cable needs to be reseated. Open that baby up and massage the cables.
posted by chillmost at 2:24 AM on February 14, 2008
Maybe the flat ribbon cable needs to be reseated. Open that baby up and massage the cables.
posted by chillmost at 2:24 AM on February 14, 2008
Imac (350mz processor- front loading CD-ROM) is ambiguous- there were at least two models that match that description, one in a color called "blueberry" and the other in "indigo". You might check the area near the ports for a sticker with the product number, and use that as an identifier.
The reason that this matters is, the blueberry one (M7469LL/A) shipped with Mac OS 8.6 while the indigo one (M7667LL/A) shipped with 9.0.4. As a rule, Macs cannot boot an OS older than the one they shipped with- the drivers for the hardware simply aren't there. Therefore, if what you have is an indigo iMac, you're simply not going to boot off of an 8.6 disc no matter what.
I'm going to assume from the way you talk about it that you had 8.6 running on the little guy previously, and that therefore it is the earlier model. It's likely (based on May 1999 release date for Mac OS 8.6, and an October 1999 release date for that model) that the version of 8.6 which shipped on the blueberry one was modified. Apple has a long record of doing this, and it was very common in the pre-Mac OS X days to have something that was distinguishable from the retail OS only by the System Enabler version, whereas now with Mac OS X the build number is what varies. If the ISO you acquired is the retail version of 8.6 as opposed to the disc that came with the machine, it may simply not work, either.
posted by unsound at 7:39 AM on February 14, 2008
The reason that this matters is, the blueberry one (M7469LL/A) shipped with Mac OS 8.6 while the indigo one (M7667LL/A) shipped with 9.0.4. As a rule, Macs cannot boot an OS older than the one they shipped with- the drivers for the hardware simply aren't there. Therefore, if what you have is an indigo iMac, you're simply not going to boot off of an 8.6 disc no matter what.
I'm going to assume from the way you talk about it that you had 8.6 running on the little guy previously, and that therefore it is the earlier model. It's likely (based on May 1999 release date for Mac OS 8.6, and an October 1999 release date for that model) that the version of 8.6 which shipped on the blueberry one was modified. Apple has a long record of doing this, and it was very common in the pre-Mac OS X days to have something that was distinguishable from the retail OS only by the System Enabler version, whereas now with Mac OS X the build number is what varies. If the ISO you acquired is the retail version of 8.6 as opposed to the disc that came with the machine, it may simply not work, either.
posted by unsound at 7:39 AM on February 14, 2008
Response by poster: Unsound, it is the Blueberry version and until the HD was replaced, it was running 8.6.
posted by Asbestos McPinto at 8:20 AM on February 14, 2008
posted by Asbestos McPinto at 8:20 AM on February 14, 2008
I think that I'm right about you needing the 8.6 disc that came with the machine rather than the generic retail one.
posted by unsound at 11:42 AM on February 14, 2008
posted by unsound at 11:42 AM on February 14, 2008
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Brocktoon at 2:29 PM on February 13, 2008