OS 9 booting problems

[paalexan]

So, I'm using 10.3.9 on an iMac G5. I've got 9.2 installed, and only use it for a single program (PAUP*, a program used in creating phylogenetic trees showing the relationships between organisms). Today, I tried starting up PAUP* while booted in os x, and 9.2 starts up normally but freezes when it's most of the way done. Dinking around online, I find a few sites recommending I reset NVRAM; I try this, no effect. Then on apple's website I come across this document: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106835 ; it suggests I delete the "Servers" folder in 9.2's system folder. So I do that. Now 9.2 seems to start up normally, but PAUP* won't open; I either end up in 9.2 with only a "Help" menu showing up and a spinning pizza icon, or the PAUP* icon on the dock jumps up and down a few times but nothing whatsoever actually happens. So then I try opening a couple other 9.2 applications (e.g., Simple Text), and the same thing happens--bouncing icon, nothing else.

Any thoughts on what's going on?

Patrick Alexander

 

[paalexan]

FWIW, I messed with extensions, too (turning most of them off) and now I'm at the stage where:

9.2 works perfectly while logged in under *one* username;
9.2 appears to boot while logged in under other usernames but PAUP* won't run, instead trying to run it locks up 9.2.

Dammit, I thought the whole "it worked yesterday, today it doesn't work" thing was supposed to be a Windows paradigm...

 

[nixgeek]

Since the iMAc G5 can't boot directly into OS 9, you can only use Classic Mode provided by OS X to use older applications for Mac OS 9 and below. Of course, this is assuming that the application works in Classic mode, and unfortunately not all applications work under Classic mode but instead need to be running in an actual OS 9 environment. The only reason Classic mode is there is for backwards compatibility with older apps that people might still be holding on to. it's possible that the company that made the app you are trying to run has a native OS X version and I do recommend going that route if you can. Otherewise, you might have to go searching for a used Mac (possibly a earlier generation G4 Mac) that can boot up into Mac OS 9 natively.

Consider that even in Windows XP, attempting to run older apps that were meant for Windows 9x won't run properly if at all. Kind of the same scenario here. And it's worse with the Intel Macs since they don't support Classic mode at all.