# Start-up discs in OS 9/OS X **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 16, 2004, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/start-up-discs-in-os-9-os-x/229552 "2004-02-16T21:42:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FlyingDragonFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c89c15/32.png) [@FlyingDragonFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingDragonFan)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2004, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/start-up-discs-in-os-9-os-x/229552/1 "2004-02-16T21:42:28Z")
So, I installed OS X.2 on an iMac here in the office today. Everything went fine, except that I forgot to pull some info from the OS 9 control panels regarding the TCPIP info. So I set the start-up disc to the OS 9 system folder, and get the info that I needed. Now I can’t boot back into OS X. How do I do that? Thanks in advance. ---
**Author:** ![Kiwi\_Fruit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kiwi_fruit/32/12_2.png) [@Kiwi\_Fruit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiwi_Fruit)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2004, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/start-up-discs-in-os-9-os-x/229552/2 "2004-02-16T22:14:05Z")
> [@FlyingDragonFan](#): > > So, I installed OS X.2 on an iMac here in the office today. Everything went fine, except that I forgot to pull some info from the OS 9 control panels regarding the TCPIP info. So I set the start-up disc to the OS 9 system folder, and get the info that I needed. Now I can’t boot back into OS X. How do I do that? Thanks in advance. You may have found it by now, but here’s how. Go to the Control Panel, Startup Disc. Select the OS X folder from the list, and click Restart. Just like selecting OS 9 from the Startup Disc when you’re in System Preferences of OS X KF ---
**Author:** ![FlyingDragonFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c89c15/32.png) [@FlyingDragonFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingDragonFan)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2004, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/start-up-discs-in-os-9-os-x/229552/3 "2004-02-16T22:25:31Z")
That’s what I expected to be able to do, but I can’t. When I go to the control panel (which is OS 9.0, btw), the only choice is the hard drive itself, which isn’t partitioned. There’s no way to choose which system folder to use. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2004, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/start-up-discs-in-os-9-os-x/229552/4 "2004-02-16T22:36:04Z")
Did you click on the harddisk icon? Ours has a twisty there that then allows you to choose OS 9 or 10 (X). If it’s not there maybe you botched the install on the new OS? ---
**Author:** ![Kiwi\_Fruit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kiwi_fruit/32/12_2.png) [@Kiwi\_Fruit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiwi_Fruit)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2004, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/start-up-discs-in-os-9-os-x/229552/5 "2004-02-16T22:51:26Z")
> [@FlyingDragonFan](#): > > That’s what I expected to be able to do, but I can’t. When I go to the control panel (which is OS 9.0, btw), the only choice is the hard drive itself, which isn’t partitioned. There’s no way to choose which system folder to use. Check the [Apple support](http://www.info.apple.com/usen/macosx/) site, article i.d. 106667. KF ---
**Author:** ![Kiwi\_Fruit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kiwi_fruit/32/12_2.png) [@Kiwi\_Fruit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiwi_Fruit)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2004, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/start-up-discs-in-os-9-os-x/229552/6 "2004-02-16T22:56:29Z")
Oops, also just remembered this: (from Apple’s site) The Mac OS X 10.2 Classic environment requires Mac OS 9.1 or later (Mac OS 9.2.2 recommended). Any installation of Mac OS 9.0 to 9.2.1 may be updated to version 9.2.2 by using the Software Update control panel. See technical document 75288, "Mac OS 9: Available Updates I don’t think it affects the startup choices you should see, but it means that the Classic environment won’t work if you have 9.0. KF ---
**Author:** ![drewbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drewbert/32/15890_2.png) [@drewbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewbert)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2004, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/start-up-discs-in-os-9-os-x/229552/7 "2004-02-16T22:57:11Z")
Two things to try: 1. Hold down the option key while booting up to see if it gives you a choice of systems to boot 2. Check the top level of the drive for folders and documents not installed by OS X - I’ve found that having odd stuff hanging around there sometimes makes OS X not want to boot. (in other words, documents you create should go in your documents folder, applications should be in the applications folder, and not in the top level of the drive.) ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2004, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/start-up-discs-in-os-9-os-x/229552/8 "2004-02-16T23:53:07Z")
In addition to the other options above, you could just upgrade Mac OS 9 to 9.1 or newer. I seem to recall a Startup Disk Control Panel incompatibility in 9.0 that acts like you describe. Also, you could just pop in your 10.2 install disk, and when you get to the first screen (license or something), I _think_ if you check one of the menus there’s an option for setting the startup disk. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2004, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/start-up-discs-in-os-9-os-x/229552/9 "2004-02-17T22:07:57Z")
Oh for Pete’s sake. You do not need 9.2.2, 9.1, or even 9.0 to be able to switch to MacOS X as your startup system. I do it from MacOS 8.6 all the time, in fact. (I’ll admit that I’ve never made a serious attempt to get MacOS 8.1 to allow me to do it, but pretty much anything newer than that will do). You _do_ need the CarbonLib extensions in order to open the Startup Disk Control Panel, which isn’t a real Control Panel in the original sense of being a “cdev” – it’s an application that writes to OpenFirmware, and it won’t run without the CarbonLib extensions. System Update should snag CarbonLib for you in any OS newer than 9.0; (in the unlikely event you’re actually running 8.6 you need to seek it out and install it manually. ) If you do not seem to have the right copy of the Control Panel, you can probably drop into the OpenFirmware prompt by holding down Command-Option-O-F. You’ll get a prompt; type “boot” and you should come up in MacOS X. (Type “bye” and it should dump you back out in 9). You can also insert the MacOS X installation CD and reboot with the “C” key held down. It will boot the installation CD and when you do a restart (without installing anything, obviously) it should come up in MacOS X from your hard disk. If all else fails, post again and I’ll throw up a copy of the Startup Disk Control Panel on an FTP site for you to download. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2004, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/start-up-discs-in-os-9-os-x/229552/10 "2004-02-17T22:10:45Z")
I wasn’t very clear about the Open Firmware key combo. You have to hold it down while you’re booting. Holding down after you’re booted won’t do anything. Hold it down the same way you’d hold down the Shift key to start without extensions, or the “c” key to start from CDROM. Cmd-Option-O-F