"bare-bones" Mac OS 9.1

[M51DPS]

This is a bit of a wierd question, and I wasn't sure whether to put it here or in the Linux forum. I would like to install Yellow Dog Linux on one of my macs (Power Mac 5500/225, 2 gigabyte hardrive, 96 megabytes of ram, Mac OS 9.1). Without getting into the specifics, I must also have the Macintosh operating system present on one of the partitions. I don't intend to use the Macintosh OS on this computer, but I need to have it there anyway. The problem is that I don't have the Macintosh Installation disks and I would like to keep it's size down to a minimum (I only have 2 gigabytes to use). Exactly what would I need to copy for a "bare-bones" Mac OS 9.1 from another computer to a partition here? I just need enough for it to boot and then switch over to Linux.

[billy_gates]

your in luck.  I installed OS 9 on one of those 128MB USB Data Sticks.  With 43MB of free space left, and able to play games.  Just copy OS 9, go through the extentions folder, apps folder, appearances is big, system in the system folder (don't delete the folder) but you can delete all of the files in the folder.  Don't delete any "folders" in the main system folders, subfolders are ok, but if you delete a folder os 9 will get pissed.  Delete everything, keyboard layouts, languages, firewire and usb drivers (if you don't have any), quicktime, go through the apple menu folder, there is a lot of stuff to trash in there, delete uneeded apps.  Trash preferences, especially IE, it gets huge fast.

Remember to empty the trash when ur done...or else it will all stay on the drive


Good Luck.

[M51DPS]

OK, but now what do I need to keep besides system stuff like the Finder and System Resources? Don't I need at least one keyboard layout and a few fonts? I don't think I need to worry about the requirements of Drive Setup or Disk First Aid, those are the only two applications that I'm keeping.

[ May 18, 2003: Message edited by: M51DPS ]

[billy_gates]

quote:Originally posted by M51DPS:
OK, but now what do I need to keep besides system stuff like the Finder and System Resources? Don't I need at least one keyboard layout and a few fonts? I don't think I need to worry about the requirements of Drive Setup or Disk First Aid, those are the only two applications that I'm keeping.

[ May 18, 2003: Message edited by: M51DPS ]

It won't let u delete the standard US layout, and fonts are very small, except one... forget the name.  There are very few things that you have to keep.  I just don't know how much of a working system you want.

[M51DPS]

Very little, just to boot then be able to run Disk First Aid and Drive Setup once. The first time I use it I also need the computer to read an ISO as well as use the mentioned utilities, but afterwards all I need to do is boot.

[ May 19, 2003: Message edited by: M51DPS ]

[billy_gates]

quote:Originally posted by M51DPS:
Very little, just to boot then be able to run Disk First Aid and Drive Setup once. The first time I use it I also need the computer to read an ISO as well as use the mentioned utilities, but afterwards all I need to do is boot.

[ May 19, 2003: Message edited by: M51DPS ]

I think you should do some experimenting. Backup a workable OS 9, then delete all of the extentions and see if it still boots.  Then see if it does what you need.  I think the general idea with 9 is that you can delete anything in the system directory that is in a Folder in the System Folder.  So  I would delete everything, then slowly put stuff back until it works.

If somehow you mess up the system to the point where it won't even start booting you can use this command in OSX

Code: [Select]

that would be if your OS 9 system folder was on a mounted drive called Backup.  The easiest way is just to drag and drop the system folder, wherever it is, into the terminal.

[ May 19, 2003: Message edited by: Billy Gates: Mac Comrade Captain ]

[M51DPS]

So far this is what I have been using. With this, the system recognizes that it's a System folder, but just gives a disk with a question mark on it when I try to boot from a CD with the burned OS (indicating that it can't find a startup disk, forcing me to use the normal OS).

BootX App (control panel, switches the computer to Linux)
? BootX Extension (counter-part of BootX app)
Apple CD/DVD Driver
Apple Monitor Plugins
ISO 9660 File Access
Apple CPU Plugins (inside a folder called Multiprocessing)
Serial (Built-in)
SerialShimLib
Shared Library Manager
Shared Library Manager PPC
SOMobjects? for Mac OS
Sound Manager
System Monitor Plugins
Text Encoding Converter
Finder
some fonts not worth naming
Two kernels
Login
Mac OS ROM
MacTCP DNR
Panels
ramdisk.image.gz (something else required to boot Linux)
System
Western Language Encodings (obviously a Text Encoding)

There also many un-named empty folders like Appearance and Application Support. I realize that I probably don't need the Shared Library or SOMobjects, but any suggestions? I'll try out different things and tell if if works.

[billy_gates]

quote:Originally posted by M51DPS:
So far this is what I have been using. With this, the system recognizes that it's a System folder, but just gives a disk with a question mark on it when I try to boot from a CD with the burned OS (indicating that it can't find a startup disk, forcing me to use the normal OS).

BootX App (control panel, switches the computer to Linux)
? BootX Extension (counter-part of BootX app)
Apple CD/DVD Driver
Apple Monitor Plugins
ISO 9660 File Access
Apple CPU Plugins (inside a folder called Multiprocessing)
Serial (Built-in)
SerialShimLib
Shared Library Manager
Shared Library Manager PPC
SOMobjects? for Mac OS
Sound Manager
System Monitor Plugins
Text Encoding Converter
Finder
some fonts not worth naming
Two kernels
Login
Mac OS ROM
MacTCP DNR
Panels
ramdisk.image.gz (something else required to boot Linux)
System
Western Language Encodings (obviously a Text Encoding)

There also many un-named empty folders like Appearance and Application Support. I realize that I probably don't need the Shared Library or SOMobjects, but any suggestions? I'll try out different things and tell if if works.

good luck.  It sounds like having Linux on there kind of complicated things.

[psyjax]

Dude, you are never gonna get linux on there. Not on a two gig drive.

I have used this setup before on a 7500. What I did was just buy a cheep old HD from eBay. Got a 10Gig SCUSI for like 30bucks.

Do that.

[billy_gates]

quote:Originally posted by psyjax: plain 'ol psyjax:
Dude, you are never gonna get linux on there. Not on a two gig drive.

I have used this setup before on a 7500. What I did was just buy a cheep old HD from eBay. Got a 10Gig SCUSI for like 30bucks.

Do that.

really?  You mean I can fit OS 9 into 80MB but you can't install Linux on 2000MB?  I thought Linux was supposed to be super efficient and small.

[Faust]

quote:really? You mean I can fit OS 9 into 80MB but you can't install Linux on 2000MB? I thought Linux was supposed to be super efficient and small.

I have no idea what Psyjax is talking about.  My Debian install has only just crossed 2.5 GIG and thats with me installing every single app in the dselect menu that I want.  And thats a BIG list, I think I have something like 4 wm's, 20 games and 2 office suites.  Oh and 4 web browsers (well I guess 3 because lynx doesn't count.)  Oh and about 600 meg of that is for a full copy of the Quake 2 cdrom.

[psyjax]

well, technically you can, but not YDL, not unless you wanna sift thrugh all the packages and trim it down to the bare minimum.

YDL dosn't have the most user friendly installer, and if your a newb your gonna want everything on there just to tinker.

Also, because of the wierd boot process of OldWorld Machines, as you said your gonna be eating up 80MB with the OS9 install... which BTW, I would suggest just installing from scratch and deselecting all extranius components. That will save you from sifting thrugh the whole system folder.

So, yea, you can get linux on there, but to have enugh room to setle and become efficient at it you don't. You may end up with a few hundred megabytes to work with after the swap file, and everything you need is installed.

You can do it, it's just inconvinient. That's really what I meant.

Here are the install requirements of YDL:

http://www.yellowdoglinux.com/products/faq/drive_space.shtml

 

quote:
  Personal Desktop: 1,901MB

  Workstation: 2,258MB

  Server: 855MB

  Everything (all packages): 5,031MB

Server install BTW, is only XFree86, defaulting to command line, and no WM's or desktop environments. To trim it down even smaller you need to sift thrugh packages which can take for ever as there are litteraly thousands.

So ya, just get a bigger hardrive and save yourself some trouble.

[ May 21, 2003: Message edited by: psyjax: plain 'ol psyjax ]

[M51DPS]

I've decide to use Debian (only 800MB), but one of my friends who is also getting Linux is just going to go for a new hard drive, since they shouldn't cost too much. I'm still going to get the "bare-bones" OS 9, thanks for the help, I'll tell you how it goes.

[ May 21, 2003: Message edited by: M51DPS ]

[psyjax]

quote:Originally posted by M51DPS:
I was thinking about just getting Debian (only 800MB), but have decided to just go for a new drive to make things easier. Thanks for the help anyway.

No prob    

EDIT: BTW, once you get YDL up, KDE and GNOME are going to be slugish. Don't worry, get a lightweight WM, Black Box or WindowMaker. That speeds thinks up tenfold.

[ May 21, 2003: Message edited by: psyjax: plain 'ol psyjax ]

[Pissed_Macman]

Wow this section is really dead.