Installing Os 9.2.2 On a G3 333 With No Previous Operating System Installed

[red toboggan]

Hi--I am trying to install OS 9.2.2 on an older iMac G3 333 with no previous operating system installed. When I try to install the OS, I get an error message that says that I need to update my firmware. I know there is a firware update available from apple.com, but everything I have read leads me to believe that I will not be able to update the firmware with the downloaded file unless I have an operating system installed--the classic chicken-and-egg problem. Do I truly need to purchase an earlier OS (8.5 was recommended) in order to update the firmware and then install OS 9.2.2?

I am really familiar with PCs, but am new to Macs, so here's a basic question: if there is a way to update the firmware without an OS installed, is there anyway I can burn the firmware update onto a CD with my PC and then load the file onto the Mac? I'm guessing not, but Macs seem to have all sorts of talents I do not know about...

Thanks for any advice!

 

[Gig']

Hi and welcome to the forum,

I'm not quite sure I understand how you intend to install 9.2.2 without having previous system 9 original disks and how come no system installed on your iMac?

my suggestion look for a os9 original cd, install it. update the firmware :http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=60384 and then check apple info http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=75288

also try the search feature of this forum you might find useful infos

 

[red toboggan]

Thanks for the advice. The computer is one we bought second-hand from a university--that's why no OS. I bought the OS software on eBay from a guy--I guess it's 9.0 with the 9.2 update--who claimed it would install on any iMac 333 without a previous operating system installed. Anyway, thanks for the link to update the firmware--I'll give your advice a go.

 

[nixgeek]

Be careful when purchasing software on eBay. Lots of people have posted on here about issues with CDs they have bought on eBay only to find out they were the CDs that came with another system or pirated CDs. Mac OS 9 is cheap enough that you can get it from most legitimate used Mac resellers. Check out Low End Mac for a list (http://www.lowendmac.com)

At this point, the best you could probably do is install an easy to use Linux (no, that's not an oxymoron ) like Yellow Dog, Fedora Core 4, or Ubuntu/Kubuntu and leave it up to the buyer to get the Apple CDs until you can purchase the right version for that system. You might also want to ask the university for the CDs that came with that iMac as they should honestly have included that with the sale of the computer.