Downgrading from OS X 10.3 to OS 8/9? (using old Bondi Blue iMac for games) HELP!

[seenew]

I've found three CDs:

-iMac Software Install
-iMac Software Restore
-Mac OS9 (says to the side: Mac OS 9.1 Update CD)

This old iMac is currently running OS X 10.3, and I'd like to return it to OS 8 or 9, since it's obviously past its prime, and I've got a lot of old games for it to run.

I've recently (today) switched out the 40GB HDD I had inside it for a 20GB that was in a newer "Dalmatian" iMac, that my parents use for email. That was the only stipulation of me taking this old one off to my dorm in September. Well, the Dalmatian boots fine with its switched drive, but the BB booted once, I turned it off to try to hold C and boot off the iMac Install CD, and now it won't go past the grey OS X apple on a white background screen.

(anyone know how to fix this?)

Assuming I get it to boot again (I've unplugged it, took the install CD out, and rebooted, still stuck on that same screen), is there a way to wipe OS X off of it without the install CD? So I can basically have it blank like when it first came here in 1998?

I really want this to work, and I'm getting impatient!
Please help!

(just for fun...)
My two iMacs; on the left: circa 1998, Bondi Blue G3 iMac, 233MHz 320MB memory. on the right: circa 2006, 20" iMac Intel Core Duo, 2GHz 2GB RAM.

 

[FF_productions]

Sorry OFF-Topic, but I remember when I was in elementary school and I saw this crazy concacation, it had the words "iMac" on it. I was the first to start playing around with it, I almost tipped it over because I kept playing with the handle.

I remember there was some sort of dinosaur game included and I couldn't stop playing! I thought the graphics were incredible...

Now to look at it next to your maxed out Intel iMac is just a sight to see.

 

[Anonymous Freak]

Sorry OFF-Topic, but I remember when I was in elementary school and I saw this crazy concacation, it had the words "iMac" on it.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL!?!?!

Man, I am old... (At least, compared to the people on MacRumors.)

When I was in elementary school, we had three brand new Apple IIe's in the library. The year I graduated high school, the yearbook got two of these newfangled 'Power' Macintoshes to run PageMaker on. The iMac wasn't until after I was out of college. (And I was an über-geek in college because I had both a desktop computer AND a notebook. A homebuilt PC and a PowerBook 5300c.)

Oh, and to get back on topic, you should have no problem downgrading. I've up-and-down graded my Bondi iMac many times. (Currently it has 9.2.2 and 10.3.9 on it.) To get the best results, format the drive using the tools on the OS 9 boot disc.

Beware, though. You have gray 'system restore' discs that are almost certainly made for a different system (if they have OS 9 on it,) so they might not work right on the original iMac. (Which only came with 8.1 or 8.5, depending on when you got it.)

 

[Chone]

Sorry OFF-Topic, but I remember when I was in elementary school and I saw this crazy concacation, it had the words "iMac" on it. I was the first to start playing around with it, I almost tipped it over because I kept playing with the handle.

I remember there was some sort of dinosaur game included and I couldn't stop playing! I thought the graphics were incredible...

Now to look at it next to your maxed out Intel iMac is just a sight to see.

Yeah Nanosaur was a cool game I got an iMac with MDK but I returned the iMac because I didn't like it and ended up buying a blue bondi G3 (kept MDK installed on my beige G3 though in the meantime)

I think Nanosaur 2 is out or osmething.

 

[seenew]

OKAY! FINALLY!

OS 8.5 installed!
Only took five hours of work to get the HDD to work right with me.
Now I'm installing MDK, then I'm going to sleep!

Tomorrow's installs:

-Sim Ant
-Sim Tower
-Sim City 2000
-Sim Earth

and a lot of other stuff, if I can find all my old games.

OS 8! OH! The nostalgia!

 

[Chundles]

Can you update it to OS 8.6? That one was really good.

 

[seenew]

Can you update it to OS 8.6? That one was really good.

Does Apple still have the updates on their site?

 

[CyberPrey]

When I was in elementary school, we had three brand new Apple IIe's in the library. The year I graduated high school, the yearbook got two of these newfangled 'Power' Macintoshes

OFF TOPIC: hate to ruin it, but my senior year in high school, the Computer Science teacher was SO EXCITED... They tossed out the Radio Shack TRS-80's and put in 5 BRAND SPANKING NEW... Apple ]['s

 

[FF_productions]

Yeah, LOL, you guys are old....

 

[KingYaba]

Man I used to play escape velocity on my old iMac 333mhz. Then I bought override and I still have it on there. The only problem is it's in pieces and the harddrive is missing in action