kmosx2: Restoring Mac OS 9 on a bootable Mac

if your machine is listed here:

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86209

follow these directions for restoring Mac OS 9:

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106294

Otherwise, you will want to follow these directions.

If you encounter a situation where you can't select a Mac OS 9 System Folder under Classic or Startup Disk and your machine is NOT amongst the ones that is listed here:

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86209

you may follow these directions.

If your machine did not come with a Mac OS 9 System CD, skip to step 2.

1. Put in the Mac OS 9 System CD that came with your machine, and select it as the startup disk.
Then perform a Clean Install of Mac OS 9. That should get you back a bootable Mac OS 9 System Folder. Skip to step 3.

2. Follow Apple's directions for restoring Mac OS 9 from System Restore CDs:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106294

3. If you can locate then your Previous System Folder while Classic is not running and you are in Mac OS X (boot into Mac OS X by rebooting holding down the X key), you can carefully move over any:

Previous System Folder -> Control Panels to System Folder -> Control Panels Disabled

Previous System Folder -> Extensions to System Folder -> Extensions Disabled

Previous System Folder -> Preferences to System Folder -> Preferences
making sure not to replace any files, except when they are your Explorer, Netscape or other browser preferences you might have had in Mac OS 9. Quicktime Preferences can be replaced by the old ones if you had Quicktime Pro. Remote Access preferences should also be replaced if you don't recall your password on a dialup internet account. Migrate over from Previous System Folder to System Folder any other missing folder that doesn't get replaced when you do the move.

Then you should be able to boot Mac OS 9 without a problem.

Use Extensions Manager to weed out any older versions of Extensions or Control Panels when you boot into Mac OS 9 by holding down the spacebar on restart, restarting into Mac OS 9 using the Startup Disk System Preference under Mac OS X. Do not attempt to enable any old extensions until you verify you need them under the Classic environment, and preferably, you should upgrade all your peripheral support to:

Mac OS X native versions as the base extension set + the Classic extensions is the most stable under Classic you can ask for. Use other extensions only when booting into Mac OS 9, and Repair Permissions when done using Mac OS 9 applications under Classic or booting into Mac OS 9.