Mac OS ROM 5.2.1

About Qemu-system-ppc, a PPC Mac emulator for Windows, macOS and Linux that can run Mac OS 9.0 up to Mac OS X 10.5

Moderators: Cat_7, Ronald P. Regensburg

Post Reply
darthnvader
Mac Mechanic
Posts: 178
Joined: Sun Feb 07, 2016 4:40 pm

Mac OS ROM 5.2.1

Post by darthnvader »

I'm looking to boot Mac OS 9.0 in qemu, the documentation says I need Mac OS ROM 5.2.1 and that it should be on the Cube CD for OS 9.0.4, but all I find is v3.x and that doesn't work.

Can anyone explain where I can get v5.2.x?

I tried v6.1 that comes with OS 9.1, but that bombs out when I reach the desktop, before any drives are mounted.

Help please.
User avatar
Cat_7
Expert User
Posts: 6145
Joined: Fri Feb 13, 2004 8:59 am
Location: Sittard, The Netherlands

Re: Mac OS ROM 5.2.1

Post by Cat_7 »

This works:

qemu-system-ppc.exe ^
-L pc-bios ^
-M mac99 ^
-m 512 ^
-sdl ^
-boot d ^
-drive file=C:\Mac-images\9.0.Cube.iso,format=raw,media=cdrom ^
-drive file=C:\Mac-disks\9.0.img,format=raw,media=disk

Mac OS 9.0 needs some mouse wiggling/clicking to get to the desktop.

Best,
Cat_7
darthnvader
Mac Mechanic
Posts: 178
Joined: Sun Feb 07, 2016 4:40 pm

Re: Mac OS ROM 5.2.1

Post by darthnvader »

Cat_7 wrote: Sat Feb 20, 2021 12:52 pm This works:

qemu-system-ppc.exe ^
-L pc-bios ^
-M mac99 ^
-m 512 ^
-sdl ^
-boot d ^
-drive file=C:\Mac-images\9.0.Cube.iso,format=raw,media=cdrom ^
-drive file=C:\Mac-disks\9.0.img,format=raw,media=disk

Mac OS 9.0 needs some mouse wiggling/clicking to get to the desktop.

Best,
Cat_7
Thanks Cat_7, but I'm a little confused, I have OS 9.0 installed, I don't want to install 9.0.4 because there is a feature that was removed between 9.0 and 9.0.4( hibernate to disk ) and I'm trying to get that feature to work, little checkmark greyed out in the Energy Saver Control Panel>Advanced>Save memory contents to disk, or some such...
Enabling that hibernation mode will cause Mac OS 9 to write the entire memory content into a giant file (3 -4 GB?) of the HFS type 'bear' (I love these Apple's creative names). The hibernation file could be stored in the System folder, although I don't know its precise location. It could be named "Memory content" or had a localized name. Mac OS Trampoline looks for a file with the type 'bear' ignoring the actual name.
I'm just trying to figure out how it works for OS 9 on unsupported Mac's like the early iBook G4's and the G4 Mini, it's just a lot easier to figure it out in Qemu first, as that check box was only enabled before March 2000, and only on portables like the Powerbook G3 Lombard and the Original/Clamshell G3 iBook.

I can fool the Mac OS into thinking I'm running on one of these models pretty easy, as well as change the prim-info if needs be, but I need to be running OS 9.0, not 9.0.4 because Apple permanently disabled it in March 2000 and 9.0.4 shipped in April 2000.

Also, if anyone has a Original/Clamshell or Lombard, I need the prim-info from the device-tree:

Under OS X:

Code: Select all

ioreg -l | grep prim-info
Under Open Firmware:( best to use a telnet sessions )

Code: Select all

dev via-pmu
dev power-mgt
.properties
I think, if you install the PCIDDK3.0 you can use the DisplayNameRegistry tool to get that info too:

Code: Select all

Devices:device-tree:pci:mac-io:via-pmu:power-mgt
prim-info
User avatar
Cat_7
Expert User
Posts: 6145
Joined: Fri Feb 13, 2004 8:59 am
Location: Sittard, The Netherlands

Re: Mac OS ROM 5.2.1

Post by Cat_7 »

Hi,

I assume you messed around in openbios to install 9.0.0?
9.0.4 will not install unless it finds that 5.2.1 Mac OS Rom version. Perhaps it can go lower, but that is what we found to be working when Qemu just started supporting Mac OS 9.
You can find a cube installer with that rom on the garden site, its name is G4Cube904CD_Ins

Best,
Cat_7
User avatar
adespoton
Forum All-Star
Posts: 4226
Joined: Fri Nov 27, 2009 5:11 am
Location: Emaculation.com
Contact:

Re: Mac OS ROM 5.2.1

Post by adespoton »

These might help:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... =840977089
https://github.com/sentient06/MacROMan/ ... TestImages

So according to that, you're looking for Mac OS ROM 3.0 if you're doing 9.0.0, and it's found on the 9.0.0 retail CD. 9.0.4 needs 3.7 or later, with 5.5.1 being the latest that supports 9.0.4 for the cube, 5.2.1 being the first that supports 9.0.4 for the cube.
Post Reply