Hello guys,

First, English is not the mother language of mine, so maybe some sentences or words may look weird. hopes you don't mind.

I have some document saved on a floppy disk and created on an old Mac in 1994. The file is word 4~5.X format, due to it was created on Traditional Chinese version OS when I open those document in English version OS(9.0.4), the content was garbled but it turns to readable after I change the font to Taipei, but still, some words are missing(becomes space, black squared question mark etc.)

Therefore, I took a lot of time to get a Traditional Chinese version OS 9.0.4 and trying to install by using Sheepshaver, but when I execute the installer it pops up a window says "cannot execute this software no this computer. please see the ......."
Here is the screenshot https://imgur.com/a/pe5oI

The installer ISO was from a disc that comes with iBook G3.
Can anyone please give some suggestion?


I appreciate your kind assistance!

An install CD (and thus also a disk image created from it) that came with a specific Mac model (iBook G3 in his case) cannot be used in SheepShaver. You will need a general retail install CD. A Traditional Chinese retail install CD may be difficult to find. If you have an International English install CD, you can install additional language support during a custom system installation. That should work. You may also need the font that was used when the documents were created.

Wouldn't a Chinese MacOS from the ´99 Mac Anthology do too?
I seem to recall both TA-Chinese 8.6 and 9.0. The IMGs from the Anthology only have the installer, no bootable System folder. Booting SheepShaver from another volume and installing TA-Traditional Chinese onto a blank disk image should not be that hard.

If it helps, I might put together a bootable disk image for SheepShaver with a Chinese installer on it.

Hello Ronald,

Thank you for the reply and sorry for my late response.

After googling about a retail install CD, I accidentally found a way(maybe known by everyone already-change IncompactHW) to install that installer that came with MAC and it did successfully install the TC version OS 9.0.4 on Sheepshaver.

But as you mentioned, I might need the font that was used on those documents since some of the contents are still missing after I changed the content to Taipei.
look like this https://imgur.com/a/akeEP
BTW, is it possible I can find a word version higher than 7.0 or 9.0? I've been googling but cannot found one.


I appreciate your kind assistance!

Hello 24Bit,

Thank you for the reply and sorry for my late reply.

I didn't know there is 99 Mac Anthology available before you mentioned.

I tried another way already, I booted up Sheepshaver by using another bootable ISO/installer, then install from a virtual disk (the files copy from Unix to an empty virtual disk). I don't know if this way to install is a complete install but at least it worked for me.

However, since now I am successfully installed TC OS 9 on Sheepshaver, so I don't need it now and I think now I have to find a higher version of Word first(or Chinese version Word).

Again, I really appreciate your kindness.

Viewing the source of the document in a text editor will probably reveal the name of the font or fonts used in the document.

Is your quest limited to MS-Word Chinese?
It may be easier to locate Chinese flavours of ClarisWorks, later known as AppleWorks.

Here is a pre-installed Chinese copy of ClarisWorks 4.
http://macintoshgarden.org/apps/clarisworks-40-osc-68k

Hello Ronald,

Thank you for the advice, unfortunately, except Sheepshaver I can only use Wordpad to view all of the documents; view it in OSX environment only shows garbled.
regarding your mentioned, the font that document used, I saw the fonts listed at the end of the article, but it doesn't look like was used in the document.
https://imgur.com/a/LI9wU
I put all the Chinese fonts that I found into the OS font folder, but still not working.
I guess, the floppy disk might have some damaged section after it has not been using for a long time.

Hello 24bit,

Thank you for telling me another software I can try; for some reason when I launch the software, the Sheepshaver frozen, I have to force quit it, but I can launch it in English version OS 9 without any problem except all the words on the button/label are un-readable(garbled).
https://imgur.com/a/kpK7g
I tried office 5.0/6.0.1/98/2001 and Wordperfect, only 5.0 read/save no problem, the other cannot launch Word; Wordperfect cannot open the document. (don't know how to open a document by using other applications when it has a default app already)

Thank you.

Sorry to hear about your mischief Nickyeh,
I guess I could make a clean install of a Chinese MacOS 8 or 9 to try the Chinese ClarisWorks.
Unfortunately I can´t read Chinese - simplified or not - so I won´t be of much help.
Lets hope someone else can lend a hand.
Maybe you should start a topic about your issue at Macintoshgarden too?

Claris had its own filter repository in the System folder to open MS Word and others.
Whether the Claris Filters folder is included with pre-built apps or how well filters will work for your issue, I can´t tell.