I just installed Sierra as a virtual machine within Mavericks, using Parallels 10. I copied across the Sheepshaver and Shared folders to the main user in Sierra, and also the preferences file.

Unfortunately, this didn't allow Sheepshaver to run as before : I got the window with the floppy icon and blinking question mark.

When I opened Preferences.. from the Sheepshaver menu, I saw that it was blank, so I opened Preferences in Mavericks, and apart from using Browse.. for the Sierra locations of ROM and other necessary files, I just made sure everything was the same as in Mavericks.

After doing that, Sheepshaver ran in Sierra as normal.

You probably did not copy the actual settings file. That file is hidden in the Finder, it is named ".sheepshaver_prefs" (note the leading dot) and it is located in your Home folder.

That's a fact! I'd forgotten all about that one.

I find that for portability, it's generally good to use sheepvm bundles so that the prefs file, ROM and nvram are stored in a predictable location.

True. I did that for my 9.0.4 .sheepvm but that version is so unstable I use 8.6 exclusively, and don't really want to set it up all over again!

Incidentally, there's also a .sheepshaver_nvram which I didn't port over either .. but that doesn't seem to have prevented me running it successfully.

Odd that your 9.04 is so unstable; I've been running 9.04 in a sparsebundle in a sheepvm since sparsebundle and sheepvm support were added, and with ignore illegal enabled, I've had a pretty solid setup, except with a few apps (which work fine under 7.5.5 or 8.1 and BII).

I wonder if it's to do with the fact I have 2 Users in it (have you noticed the OS X-like login screen?), which I never used to have in 9.2.2 when I used it on an Iceberg iBook. Pretty much nearly every operation I do in 9.0.4 causes a hang, or at least, before 5 minutes have passed.

Maybe I should set it up again?

ETA: Based on what you said, I also checked "Ignore illegal instructions" for 9.0.4 but it's still unstable. My 9.0.4 .sheepvm uses the same Shared folder as the non .vm 8.6 - would that be an issue?

Further ETA: I looked inside the package of my 9.0.4 .sheepvm and the Read Me says it's based on the Chubby Bunny version, amended slightly. Does that sound right? The other baffling thing is that I have 2 Users in OS 9 but when I opened the Classic.dmg, only one of them shows under Users. Yet I can login to either in OS 9. Surely that can't be right?

It sounds like you've moved the Chubby Bunny files over to regular SheepShaver at some point; it's probably better to follow the instructions and do a clean install from scratch.

Also, I had my OS 9 install go wonky a few months back when I upgraded my SheepShaver build; the crashes and weird prefs settings wouldn't go away until I did a fully clean reinstall (new app, new prefs, new clean OS 9). I never did isolate what caused the issue.

Where would I get a clean new 9.0.4 from?

Thanks - now downloaded and when I have an hour to spare I'll set it up over again! (Presumably all the other components I have, e.g. ROM, can be used?)

Interesting site. I've bookmarked it. Much like Macintosh Garden it seems. I also downloaded a fresh copy of Word 5.1a, but I doubt there's anything wrong with my current copy: though it hangs on launch in 8.6, it runs fine in 7.5.3 and 9.0.4

Oh dear. It's so long since I did this that I've forgotten the key fact, which unfortunately is not in the manual.

I have:

created the sheepvm folder with ROM and empty prefs file
set up the Sheepshaver preferences as per the manual
Ctrl-Esc to quit Sheepshaver
Locked the .iso OS 9 image in the Downloads folder

Unfortunately, when I double clicked the new SheepVM I got the window (resized as per preferences ) with the floppy disk and blinking ?
How do I point it to the .iso image so that OS 9 can begin installing? I've read the manual 2 or 3 times and it seems to imply that Sheepshaver will find it automatically, but alas no.

(Fortunately, the 8.6 - not a VM - still launches ok, so I haven't inadvertently messed that up.)

Unless I'm missing something, the guide seems to omit three essential steps:

1. In the list of volumes in the preferences, include the locked .iso file (it's easiest if it's in the same folder with SheepShaver and the blank disk image, so you don't need to enter a full path, just the filename). It doesn't matter if it's above or below the new blank image that you've created, because SheepShaver will boot to the first bootable disk image. But it may be slightly cleaner to put the .iso file above the new disk image.

2. Check the box next to the .iso filename

2. In the Boot From field, use CD-ROM (not Any), though it may make no difference in this case.

Question: These are essential steps, aren't they? I wonder whether they're missing because the instructions date back to a time when SheepShaver detected a real CD-ROM and booted from it? If these are essential steps, then it would help to update the instructions, I think.

The setup manual has instructions both for using a "real" CD-ROM and for using a CD image as mentioned at the beginning of the manual:

(This guide describes a setup with installation of the Mac OS using a general retail system install CD. Alternative instructions for using a disk image file of a system install CD are added throughout this guide in italics and between brackets.)

In the latest versions of SheepShaver, instead of locking the iso, you have to select it as a CD image in preferences.

Yes that would make things easier - those steps are rather essential things to include!



Well, I followed first the instructions for setting up a virtual emulator, then as instructed followed the normal instructions. However, unless my instructions are out of date, then the steps mentioned above aren't actually there.



My version of Sheepshaver is 2.4.20140201 - is that a latest version? (Probably not, it goes back a few years). So it appears my choices are to put either a locked or unlocked version of the .iso file into the .sheepvm folder, but should I remove the extension first before I do that, then add it back?

If you downloaded the Feb 2014 build, the "Setup Manual" webloc in in the download points to our regular setup guide and the instructions in italics for using an install CD image are definitively there.


The possibility to use an unlocked image file and select it in preferences to be a CD refers to the latest test builds. First download the full Feb. 2014 download for additional files, then download the latest test build and replace the old SheepShaver application with the new one. See download link and description of the new features here: viewtopic.php?f=20&t=9747


With an old SheepShaver version use a locked .iso, with the newest version you can use an unlocked .iso.

You can easily go into the .sheepvm package from the contextual menu (right-click or control-click on the .sheepvm icon).

Still not happening.

I've added the locked Apple_MacOS_9.0.4_USA.iso (which is in my Downloads folder) in the Sheepshaver preferences, but I'm still getting the floppy disk + ? when I launch the .sheepvm.

The iso contains everything, including various read-me and PDF files, the system itself, the installer, the 9.0.4 update patch, etc - I should be pointing to that entire thing, right?

Of course you're right. I wasn't looking closely enough - I simply looked at the screen shot, which didn't show the .iso, and made a wrong assumption. Apologies!

1. Launch SheepShaver, not a .sheepvm. (You can use a .sheepvm after you get OS 9 installed.)

2. Make your life easier by putting the .iso in the same folder with SheepShaver, the disk image, and the ROM file. Then you don't have to specify the paths. (And you can take the iso out after installing - otherwise, you'll just boot from it again.) If you do this it is absolutely guaranteed to work correctly. If it doesn't work, start over from the beginning. When I tried this yesterday, it worked perfectly the first time.

The problem there is that launching Sheepshaver will fire up 8.6 (which is not a .vm and is the OS I use most often) - I don't really want to make 8.6 a .vm as it's working fine right now and I don't want to go through the whole process again (there are at least 3 disks used in it as I've run out of space in the past; starting that all again would be a gigantic hassle).

Any other way you can suggest I get around this? What about putting the iso in the .vm folder and then launching it and not the Sheepshaver app - wouldn't that get OS 9 installed?

I tried what you said in this way:

1. I moved the invisible preferences files for 8.6 to a folder named for them.
2. I moved the locked iso file to the 9.0.4 folder which I'd deleted the .sheepvm extension from.
3. I set up Sheepshaver again, this time pointing to the virtual disk in my "Sheepshaver 9.0.4" folder (strangely, Sheepshaver cut its own name out of the path so it just said "9.0.4"!), and to the locked iso.
4. Unfortunately, when I then launched Sheepshaver, it was STILL the floppy + ?

So I copied the invisible preference files for 9.0.4 to folder named for them, copied back the 8.6 files, launched Sheepshaver and (thank God) 8.6 launched fine, so I hadn't messed that up.

I can only conclude that the iso file is at fault - what other explanation is there?

First, rename the iso to something simple like Mac904.iso and use that name in the prefs.

Next, I downloaded the file from the first link in adespoton's post. It worked perfectly for me. But I used BetterZip to open the .7z file and dragged the whole folder inside it to my desktop. If you try to drag the .iso image directly (instead of the folder containing it), it may not work (just guessing about this).

If it still doesn't work - but remember, it worked me the first time I tried it - try the second link produced by the search in adespoton's post.

I actually did use the second link to start with. The first looked a bit less straightforward, but am currently downloading it. I don't have an unzip app except maybe an old copy of Stuffit Expander? Will report back...