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iMac OS downgrade help!! (9 to 8)

F

FlashMemory

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 25, 2008
8
0
Hello everyone, i've recently acquired an iMac and have been trying to figure out how to downgrade the OS from OS 9.1 to OS 8.

The problem i'm currently stumped on is that i cannot seem to get my imac to install the os8 from the desktop (the error i get says "The helper application "DFA Server" unexpectedly quit. The installation process has be stopped.")

and if i try to install it from bootup i just get a flashing folder/questionmark.

can anyone explain to me what i need to do in order to downgrade?

p.s. i'm new to macs also so i'm not so good with them yet
 
Aren't almost all of them but the very first one OS 8.5 or later machines?

Edit: Which iMac?
 
i think its one of the earliest ones because it has such low specs. its a g3 with 233 processor and 200 megs of ram. currently running OS 9.1 but i want to downgrade to 8

also...how do you remove programs from a mac? The previous owner had Norton and i want to uninstall it aswell as Kclient.
 
That is tough one Bondi Blue iMac 233 is OS 8.1 and the other is OS 8.5 ...

And using Extensions Manager Control Panel to turn off Norton and the other one is best, before digging them out of the control panels and extensions folder.

Have to make sure disabling them leaves the System stable.
 
any idea why it keeps crashing when i try to downgrade? or what the flashing question mark folder is when i boot from cd?
 
I had to do this once a while ago and the only way I got it to work was like this:

- Boot from a CD that has the original OS8.5 system
- Use the Disk Utility in the CD to wipe clean the HD (assuming you have already copied all the files you need from it).
- Install fresh new system.

I'm no expert here, but it seems that any firmware updates done on the machine while on OS 9, will impede from downgrading.

The machine I installed it in was a Tangerine iMac 233 mghz.

HTH
 
Does the CD ROM still work? My sister and I had a purple iMac growing up and it had the CD ROM die on it several times. It was odd since it would read on normal boot at desktop most of the time but wouldn't start up from the CD ROM anymore ever!

Why the need for a downgrade bellow 8.5 (same as 9)?
 
My problem with booting from is disc is that when i try to boot from startup i get some kind of error, all i see is a flashing folder with a questionmark in it then it boots to the desktop. Also i can get the install disc to start up while on the desktop but then when i start to install i get an error that halts the install.
I have no need for any of the files on the computer so i'm trying to just get a clean new install.

I'm not sure what firmware i have, but is there a way of downgrading that also?

i'm trying to get to os 8 so i can get to osX, i've read that you have to do it a certain way on these older imacs or else they will brick.
 
I have a purple 233 iMac (I think its a 233 pretty sure) and it runs 10.1 or 10.2. Installed from booting off the install CD for OS X.
 
the circular sticker on the side says what speed the processor is.

which os did you install os X over?
 
Sun Baked said:
That is tough one Bondi Blue iMac 233 is OS 8.1 and the other is OS 8.5 ...

And using Extensions Manager Control Panel to turn off Norton and the other one is best, before digging them out of the control panels and extensions folder.

Have to make sure disabling them leaves the System stable.
Click to expand...

I remember that my iMac Rev. A came with 8.1 with some sort of Enabler.
 
Actually if you want to install OS X on this iMac you MUST upgrade the firmware on the Trayloading iMacs if you are installing OS X 10.2 or later. If you do not update the firmware before you install OS X 10.2 or higher you will kill the iMac.
This should provide more information-
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=75430
You don't need to roll back to OS 8 to update the firmware, because you can do it in OS 9.:apple:
Edit: That article says it is for Slot loading, all 233 MHz models were tray loading. I'm not sure if you need to install the update or not.
Please check to see what the current firmware is.
Edit2: I found the latest firmware for the 233 tray loading models-
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=60384
If your firmware number is lower than 1.2 than install this first. If not it will tell you if you don't need it.
 
well my system says (when i try to run the update) that i am already up-to-date and will not install the firmware.

does this mean that it should be safe to install os x?

i took this to mean that i need to backtrack; install os 8, then do the update and then i am in the clear.

or should i try to install the most recent 9.1 firmware for 233 and then try os 10?
 
Purple 233?

I don't think Apple shipped a purple iMac @ 233MHz. The only 233 that I can remember was the original Bondi Blue.

I wonder if he/she may be referring to the Grape 266/333 tray-loader models (requires 8.5.1 or later) or a later model Grape or Indigo Blue slot-loader (requires 8.6 or later).


Pop in an 8.5.x or an 8.6 disc and just perform an archive and install. Move your extensions, control panels, preferences (some) from the Previous System Folder to the new System Folder.

In some cases, you may have to reset the PRAM and/or the Open Firmware to get the CD to be read. There were some rather interesting issues when PRAM and Open Firmware went flaky on the iMac and the Blue & White Power Mac G3, including inability to boot from bootable Mac OS CDs.
 
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