Jeff,
Very few new Mac models will not run OS9 'native'. It is only a problem
for the most recent hardware (the G5, the next-to-last-G4 model,
possibly the 17" LCD iMac, etc). Except for the one G4 model, all of
the machines that do not support OS9 were released in the last 11 months.
Some software, like Virtual PC (versions 1.0 - 5.x) and some older
versions of Toast will not run properly on OSX in Compatability Mode
(AKA Classic Mode, Blue Box Mode, etc.).
Dependiing on which version(s) of OSX you bought, you may or may not
have recieved OS9 CDs in the same package. MacOS 9.2.1 is better than
(has fewer bugs than) MacOS 9.2.2. Updates for minor revisions (for
example 9.2 to 9.2.1) can _still_ be found on Apple's web site, but it
may require a bit of work to find them.
If you plan to run OS9 'native', I suggest you install OS9 on a seperate
drive or volume from your OSX boot volume. A single hard disk can be
divided into several virtual drives or volumes, but this must be done
before the drive has data on it - otherwise the drive must be erased and
reformatted to break it up into multiple volumes.
Use the copy of OS9 on the OSX drive for OSX Compatability Mode. Use
the other volume & system for OS9 booting.
If you have a tower Mac, you can install a second internal hard drive,
but that is a job for someone that has done it before. I do not suggest
you try to do that yourself unless you are familliar with the issues of
IDE drive installation.
External Firewire drives are fine for storage and backup, but the
booting issues for Firewire drives are many, and I have not tried it
recently. It was impossible when I bought my first firewire drive,
which is now deceased.
You might be able to install a SCSI card (in a G3/G4 tower) yourself,
but SCSI drives are rare and expensive these days. And I am not
familliar with any possible booting issues which may exist with 3rd
party SCSI hardware. Research this thoroughly before starting on this
path.
If there is only one copy of OS9 on your computer, and it is on the same
volume with OSX, some strange things can happen. In this situation, the
compatability mode software will use the OS9 software/data, which means
any fonts installed on that system will be available in OSX (even when
compatability mode is not active), and some OS9 settings files may be
modified by OSX 'automatically' (without your permission). All of this
may depend on the version of OSX you use.
This issue (double booting) is more complex than it looks, and people
that have not done it will not realize the complexity. I have done it
on several machines (G4 towers with single disk drives and multiple
virtual volumes) with several versions of OSX. I suggest using two OS9
system folders on two seperate volumes. This level of seperation will
ensure that OSX does not muck with your system...
Hope this helps!
--Dave
