Dual boot iMac G3

[sayhellotomacintosh]

I have an iMac G3 (it’s the original Bondi Blue, confirmed with serial number) that is currently running Mac OS 9.0.4. It has a 4 GB hard drive. .25 GB (around 250 MB) is currently filled, leaving 3.75 GB free.

I would like to partition the drive as to run Mac OS X 10.1 Puma on one partition and leave OS 9 on the other partition.

I’m not new to partitions and I know that I’ll need to erase the drive to partition it. I have two questions:
-Is it a good idea in general to partition a drive this old? I have working install discs and I know the operating systems will both fit, but I was a little unsure as to whether it was a good idea.

-Is there any way I can copy OS 9 and all the folders and data already there and then just put it into one of the partitions to run it without having to reinstall OS 9?

Thanks so much for your time!

 

[bunnspecial]

There's no reason why you CAN'T. If you boot off an OS X install disk, you can use Disk Utility to do this from this disk. Be sure that you select HFS+ Journaled and APM. Also, be sure "install OS 9 drivers" is checked.

With that said, OS X and OS 9 can co-exist on the same partition. I will sometimes do them on separate partitions so that I can use boot picker to switch between them, but there's no overwhelming reason why you have to(and the Bondi doesn't have a readily-accessible boot picker).

Also, is there any particular reason why you want 10.1? I hate to say it, but this is kind of-in my book-pretty much in the category of useless versions of OS X. Most programs that need OS X need 10.2, and often 10.3 or 10.4(10.4 opens up the most options). A Bondi will run 10.4 okay-not great-but okay(and better than 10.3) with the help of Xpostfacto.

 

[sayhellotomacintosh]

Okay thanks so much. I do know about the partitioning-from-disc thing and that was my first idea.

Could you refresh my memory on the same partition thing? It sounds vaguely familiar but I don't know anything about it.

Not really a particular reason, I was a little wary that 10.2 would run slower than a slug in molasses and don't want 10.3 or anything earlier (I've never had a Mac that had 10.2 or earlier as its main OS and have a huge fascination with 10.2 and earlier and its interface). I don't know if I need any OS X-only apps, but just might try 10.2 instead.

Thanks again for the advice!

 

[bunnspecial]

You really don't have to do anything exotic-just run the installer and it will install in the same partition as OS 9.

To switch between the two, use "start up disk" in system preferences under OS X, or the same control panel in OS 9. Pick the OS, reboot the computer, and it will boot in to it.

Most of my 10.2 experience is on beige G3s, which is the newest version they will officially run(and most are similarly specced to the Bondi G3). I don't have a ton of 10.1 experience, but I have a computer that has everything from developer preview to 10.5 installed on it. On the same hardware, 10.2 is both more stable and faster than 10.1. 10.4, though is better than both!

 

[DeltaMac]

IIRC - if you have both Mac OS 9 and OS X on the same partition, you can use boot keys during a restart. Hold 9 to boot to OS 9, and hold the X to boot to (there it is...) OS X.

@bunnspecial - do you know of any method to get around the 8 GB limit on the boot partition for those 1 gen iMacs?

 

[bunnspecial]

IIRC - if you have both Mac OS 9 and OS X on the same partition, you can use boot keys during a restart. Hold 9 to boot to OS 9, and hold the X to boot to (there it is...) OS X.

@bunnspecial - do you know of any method to get around the 8 GB limit on the boot partition for those 1 gen iMacs?

I hesitated to mention the X thing as I'm not sure whether or not it works on tray load iMacs(which are a bit of a different beast from slot loaders). I don't THINK it works on these computers, but can't check it now(my only easily accessible working Bondi is at work, at I don't think I have OS X on it-something I can easily fix given the time).

Also, I didn't THINK that Bondis had the 8gb limit-that's mostly an OWR Mac thing, although like the Lombard and even the B&W G3(to some extent) the Bondis do kind of have one foot in the old world and one foot in the new world.

In any case, on towers you can get around the 8gb limit by using a bootable ATA card. On PowerBooks, the easiest way is by using a CF card in one of the PCMCIA/Cardbus slots. If the limit is there on Bondis, I don't THINK there's any way to get around it-that sounds like something @Intell or @LightBulbFun would know.

 

[Project Alice]

You do not need two partitions for OS 9 and OS X. They can be on a single partition. This is true for all Macs that run OS X and are OS 9 capable too.

 

[sayhellotomacintosh]

Thanks so much y'all, it's installing right now. I'll try the 9/X key thing but I have a feeling it's not going to work...the one I have is pretty cantankerous about booting and shutting down already so I doubt it'll respond properly to the keys.

 

[z970]

You do not need two partitions for OS 9 and OS X. They can be on a single partition. This is true for all Macs that run OS X and are OS 9 capable too.

Not to mention Classic capable (All PPCs).

Every one of my Classic installs has always been on the same partition as OS X. Works great.