Got myself a 17" 800 MHz iMac G4, the last one that can boot OS 9, and managed to munge up the OS 9 install that was on there. It was obviously a "Classic-only" install, missing a *LOT*, but it would boot. After trying to add bits back (such as the "Mouse" Control Panel!) it won't boot, not even enough to boot the Extensions Manager...

Of course, this model is too new for a retail OS 9 disc, and my PMG4-Digital Audio restore disc won't boot it, either. I've looked on eBay and Craigslist, and haven't been able to find any that are obviously it.

I even called AppleCare, and got one person that said they could send me replacement discs for $7 (IIRC) a disc (so like $30 for the set,) but needed the serial number. I didn't have it with me, and two call-backs since with the SN, and I can't get someone who knows anything about that! The latest person I talked to did ask why I was looking for it, and I said outright to run old 'Classic' software on it that won't run through OS X (hey, I *DO* want to run some old games on it.) Her suggestion? An emulator, like SheepShaver! HAH! Straight from AppleCare!

Anyway, anyone have a restore disc set for this model?

Well, I have acquired disc images, which all seem good, and I have extracted the restore disk image parts from them, which, using OS X Disk Utility I have converted to a single large disk image. This image passes checksums just fine; but it won't restore properly. I have tried restoring it to a FireWire hard drive, and it gets to the very end, then complains of a checksum error (even though all the individual parts before doing that restore pass checksum.)

Yet if I do a file compare of the mounted restore image to the restored disk, it all matches.

I can boot the disk with my B&W G3 just fine, but trying to boot either OS 9.2.2 or 10.1.4 crashes on my iMac G4. (9.2.2 has the screen go black when the progress bar hits about the 1/4 mark - which is the same symptom I see from nearly every attempt to boot OS 9 unless I get EXACTLY the right boot set. 10.1.4 boots through the startup screen, then shows a "scrambled" screen in about a 100x100 pixel square in the upper-right corner, with just blue background image the rest of the screen.

I've tried swapping RAM multiple times, but I don't think that's it - I can boot 10.2, 10.3, 10.4, and 10.5 just fine, as well as my one working copy of 9.2.2.

Anyone have a confirmed-good iMac G4 800 MHz that they would be willing to throw a restore image on, confirm it works, maybe run OS updates on, then re-image for me?

Update, I discovered that the disc images were for the 15-inch first-generation iMac G4, which, while in the same basic generation, is slightly older, and it appears that its restore discs won't work on the 17" model.

Found the "OS 9 NetBoot" image, and that works, although it is stripped down.