How to install Mac OS 9 on a iMac with OS X

If you, for any reason, want to install Mac OS 9, but do not have any compatible hardware to install on, then you could use a new Mac and install OS 9 in an emulator environment.

For this purpose we have chosen the SheepShaver emulation software, which can be downloaded as a binary from Macupdate.com (see http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/20615/sheepshaver). Alternatively, you could choose Basilisk II, which is an open source alternative software.

Prerequisites

Following our example, you need:

• A running Mac OS 9 computer
• Internet access
• A target Mac OS X computer
• An OS installation disc for Mac OS 9

Download SheepShaver Emulator

Download the SheepShaver (we tried version 2.3) from above link and extract the content into a new folder. In order to run the SheepShaver we need to find a suitable Mac OS ROM file, which is not very easy. When found, the Mac OS ROM file shall be copied into the SheepShaver folder. Until then, the software will not run.

Finding the Mac OS ROM file

The Mac OS ROM file is located in the System Folder in an installed Mac OS 9 or on the system installation disc. We tried different Mac OS 9 files, from already installed systems and from the system installation discs and recovery discs. We even tried Mac OS 8 versions, but none of the Mac OS ROM files were accepted. Also, the Mac OS ROM file would not be available anywhere on the internet for downloading, since Apple software license does not allow any distribution of the file.

However, there is a workaround, and it worked for us!

You can download a Mac OS ROM Update, following the instructions from the SheepShaver help, located at: http://www.open.ou.nl/hsp/Engels/SheepShaver_Help/rom_file_how_to.html.

Step 1. Download the Mac OS ROM Update 1.0.smi.bin. The file is located at Apple’s website: http://download.info.apple.com/Apple_Support_Area/Apple_Software_Updates/MultiCountry/Macintosh/System/Mac_OS_ROM/Mac_OS_ROM_Update_1.0.smi.bin

Make sure you download the file on a running Mac OS 9, since you need to mount the smi-file (self-mounting image) and doing it on Mac OS X in our case converted the files to PC-files, and extracting the Mac OS ROM failed.

Step 2. Mounting the Mac OS ROM Update image

After downloading the Update smi, double click on it to extract the Mac OS ROM Update 1.0.smi file. You can double click on the new file to mount the image, after which it will appear on the desktop as an image called Mac OS ROM Update.

Step 3. Download the TomeViewer.

TomeViewer is a software for Mac OS 9 which is used to extract files from installation packages, called Tome archive. TomeViewer can be downloaded from Tucows here: http://www.tucows.com/preview/207002. We tried version 1.3d3, which worked fine.

The TomeViewer comes as a StuffIt (.sit) file, which can be extracted by doubleclicking.

Step 4. Extracting the Mac OS ROM file

Run the TomeViewer application and open the mounted image on the desktop from the File menu. A window will be opened and the Mac OS ROM file will appear. From the Archive menu, you can choose Expand to extract the file to a location of your choice. Then copy this file to the Mac OS X computer to the SheepShaver folder.

The file that worked for us is 1,945,746 bytes.

Step 5. Setting up the virtual Mac OS 9 computer

The first step when running the SheepShaver emulator is to set up a harddrive, memory, etc. All this is well described in the Setup Documentation, so we will not cover it here.

When the emulated computer first boots, then it will not find any harddrive, but you can access the preferences on the menu. Using the dialog you can set up the harddrive and all other hardware settings. In order to close the program you need to press ctrl + escape.

Now insert the OS installation disc and start SheepShaver emulator. The emulator will boot using the OS disc and you can format the harddrive (choose extended file system) and install the operating system. In case you have a hardware specific OS installation disc you need to extract the OS files manually.

Insert a system restore disc and locate the OS image file in the configuration folder. Double click on the image file to extract the files to the desktop. Now copy the files to your newly formatted harddrive and the Mac OS 9 should be up and running.

Restart the Mac OS 9 and eject the installation disc, and you are hopefully done!