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| Author | System 7 natively boots on the Mac mini G4! (Read 12876 times) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Bolkonskij
Administrator 2048 MB  Posts: 2070 
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Reply #45 on: December 10, 2025, 16:21
Yeah, anybody with a list of things that don't work yet? I'm thrilled by this development but kinda busy before Christmas, I hardly get to follow the posts on here and the Garden. What's the status quo? Sound? Video? Ethernet ? |
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Jatoba
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256 MB  Posts: 271 System 9 Newcomer!
Reply #46 on: December 12, 2025, 08:16
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Quote from: cballero Oh, and Jatoba booted so many Classic OSes on his mini, ha actually got sound to work on 9.2.2! Oh, no no, that was for "System Sounds": sound itself always worked on the mini (via a USB audio adapter), but what never worked, and now does, is: - Changing the volume on the Control Strip (or even otherwise in the System); - Having System Sounds play when they should, meaning "notification" sounds like ChuToy, Indigo, Sosumi, Beep etc.. While it is still not playing when a normal system alert window pops up, it is now playing for every other situation, such as when you try to click outside the range of an alert window without closing or dealing with the alert first, or clicking outside a file select prompt window, as well as all other situations an alert / system sound should play. I also didn't try to see if the internal speaker of the mini now works. I don't think it does, but I will check later today just to be sure. Quote from: Bolkonskij Yeah, anybody with a list of things that don't work yet? On Mac OS versions from before what a Mac could normally boot, until Rairii's "super" ROMs were released, the following don't work: sound, ethernet, GPU acceleration. Some other occasional misc. issues also exist, for example: - Unless you are using one of the latest versions of the System Profiler, the whole OS will hard freeze / crash when you try to open it; - Pressing Cmd + I for "Get Info" doesn't do anything in some OS versions (works fine in e.g. at least System 7.5.5), but selecting "Get Info" from the Apple menus at the top works just fine for all tested OSes; - In some versions of Mac OS, you need to move the stock "Mouse" Control Panel out of the Control Panels folder so that the system will succeed booting with all Extensions (seems to be required for System 7.5 ~ 7.5.3, but not 7.5.5, nor 7.0 ~ 7.1.2P, and I think also later OSes); - Almost every program seems to run as it should based on their respective Mac OS version compatibilities, but there is a few exceptions to that (I think the Puzzle game embedded with System 7.5.x hangs when you start a new game, requiring a Force Quit, but the one embedded with System 7.1.x, which is a bit different of a game, works perfectly). Rairii, the author of the "super" ROMs as I call them, still intends to get back to audio if nothing else, although right now he's busy trying to see if he can get System 6 to work. (!) His ultimate goal and main motivation and drive is to get Mac OS to boot also on the Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo Wii and Nintendo Wii U, which all use G3-derived CPUs. About GPU acceleration, I think it is likely just an issue with any of the OSes just lacking the appropriate GPU drivers, although that's just my speculation.
Last Edit: December 12, 2025, 09:22 by Jatoba
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Jatoba
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256 MB Posts: 271 System 9 Newcomer!
Reply #47 on: July 31, 2026, 15:43
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Hey guys, I'm bringing up this topic again very briefly across the 3 main forums to address something important, especially for Mac OS 9.2.x users on the minis: Quote from: Jatoba ====================================================(Bold emphasis added just now.) Actually, after testing Mac OS 9.2.2 extensively with this ROM, I have to report that, while everything seems to be working perfectly well like before, ONE app isn't: it's Power MachTen. This is especially relevant if you rely on Crypto Ancienne to browse HTTPS websites with TLS up to v1.3 using either the latest Classilla or MacLynx, or if you just like Power MachTen or some other particular tool or resource it offers. If that's not a dealbreaker, however, then there's no known problem. MachTen is particularly finicky anyway, so it wouldn't be surprising at all if this was truly the only app that gets affected. I can also additionally confirm the following: using a stock Mac OS ROM file version 10.2.1 with CPU Software 5.9, with "ELN"'s Mac mini G4 patches, it works perfectly well for Mac OS 9.2.2, just like with the regular 9.6.1-based ROM we get from RossDarker's CDs. This way, Power MachTen works normally as always. ---------------------------- On a different note, to ANY mini user of the 1.33 GHz models and 1.5 GHz models specifically: The patched ROM I provided in the first post uses "ELN"'s "v9" scripts, which are beyond excellent. But it should be made known and emphasized that the v9 ROM has issues with the built-in ATI Radeon 9250 GPU inside the "silent upgrade" minis (1.33 GHz and 1.5 GHz, "PowerMac10,2") exclusively. You can find a lot more info on that here, including solutions and working setups. But because of this, while the "v8" version works on ALL 4 minis, "v9" is only really suited for the original 1.25 GHz and 1.42 GHz models ("PowerMac10,1"). Grab a copy of v8 from here if that applies to you and you don't have it yet. And check that topic I just linked to for more info if you plan to use your 1.33/1.5 GHz minis on one of many non-CRTs. Because of this, I have tweaked "ELN"'s "v9" script to do everything it always did, except the patching that injects/relates to ATI drivers. This way, the "v8" modified ATI Extensions on the Mac OS side are used instead. The script is here ("macminiv8.py"). Also in that page, for convenience, is every relevant Mac mini G4 ROM so far: - Stock 10.2.1 CPU 5.9 with "v8" patches (using the Python script I mentioned); Recommended for Mac OS 9.2.x on Mac mini G4 1.33 GHz / 1.5 GHz models - Stock 10.2.1 CPU 5.9 with v9 patches; Recommended for Mac OS 9.2.x on Mac mini G4 1.25 GHz / 1.42 GHz models - Rairii's modified 10.2.1 CPU 5.9 with "v8" patches (using the Python script I mentioned); Recommended for Mac OS older than 9.2.x on Mac mini G4 1.33 GHz / 1.5 GHz models - Rairii's modified 10.2.1 CPU 5.9 with v9 patches; Recommended for Mac OS older than 9.2.x on Mac mini G4 1.25 GHz / 1.42 GHz models - Stock 9.6.1 with v8 patches; Not really recommended anymore, but is the one otherwise shipped with RossDarker's v8 CD - Stock 9.6.1 with v9 patches; Not really recommended anymore, but is the one otherwise shipped with RossDarker's v9 CD Until I switched to a "v8" ROM (be it stock 10.2.1, Rairii's 10.2.1 or the old stock 9.6.1), I would have e.g. an OpenGL error when starting Quake III Arena's demo. But with a "v8" ROM + v8 ATI Extensions, it all works smoothly. Before, I was on a v9 ROM, which was working only because I was relying on v8 modified extensions (else there are even more issues), but even then it could not dodge this OpenGL problem. To solve ALL problems, I just use stock 10.2.1 "v8" ROM alongside an install from RossDarker's v8 CD. And, if using certain non-CRT monitors on top of that, I follow some extra steps discussed in this thread I linked to earlier. Again, all this GPU stuff is not a concern if you are a 1.25 GHz or 1.42 GHz mini user, and both v8 and v9 work equally well as far as has been reported over the years. ---------------------------- Keep on enjoying the minis!
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cballero
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1024 MB Posts: 1201 System 7, today and forever
Reply #48 on: July 31, 2026, 16:34
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Thanks as always, Jatoba!  I have resigned (just for now anyway) to max out Tiger with MCE on my G4 mini as there are some killer PPC web browsers and other apps like Vine VNC server for it while I still get to fully enjoy running my key Classic OS 9 apps within the Classic Environment. Idk, somehow it just feels right, oh, and since Mac OS X Tiger handles network and internet so nicely, I'm simply torn going full OS 9 on it. But it's so awesome that a G4 mini can go back in time like this! It's insanely good and I'm totally loving seeing all of these minis being set free like this, so definitely keep up this amazing collab effort 1000%! 
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wove
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1024 MB Posts: 1370
Reply #49 on: July 31, 2026, 23:36
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I use my Mac mini in much the same. MacOS X Tiger runs very well and Classic on Tiger allows running most Classic Mac applications easily.I and boot directly in to Mac OS 9.2.2 but overall running run classic Mac applications in Tiger feels smoother and easier than running OS 9.2.2 by itself. The Mac G4 mini is a really a very nice system to use. With both Tiger and OS 9 it can be used both as a classic Mac system Tiger both of which are productive systems in their own right.
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cballero
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1024 MB Posts: 1201 System 7, today and forever
Reply #50 on: August 02, 2026, 05:35
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@wove: exactly! I think it was a bittersweet transition seeing Mac OS 9 reaching that last mile together with OS X and both OSes simply work so effortlessly together. I am truly amazed at how far back even 68k software can go on these Macs! All of the fantastic software folks have created and saved so far to keep both Mac ecosystems alive, both through new development as well as software preservation efforts is genuinely astounding, and much needed as we use our daily Mac drivers!
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JT, you're awesome, man! Please image that specific system folder so it can be replicated easily by others and that key secret sauce is not lost! 
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