How to run dual Operating systems?

[Allan Speers]

I should know this, but I don't.

I have a dual 1-gig G4. I long ago dumped the original OSX, never even noticed how it was supposed to work. I currently have OS 9.2.2 installed

Now I need to install Panther, but obviously this is mostly for a test, and to give me a chance to get used to it. i HAVE to keep my entire OS9 and OS9-based apps on my start drive.

I know some people use a partition, but that's hard as my drive is near full. Is it feasible to install OSX, Protools 6.2.2, and all related apps, on my SECOND ATA drive?



Either way, do I have to re-install all my apps on the partition or drive that the new OSX is on? how do i keep the WRONG apps from launching? -For instance, if I launch an old PT 5.3.1 session, how do i keep it from opening in PT 6.2.2?

[CCash]

They'll act as completely different systems, which they are. The computer doesn't know what it's supposed to be until the Operating System tells it so. So... launching an old PT 5x session won't start up OSX. You're either in 9 or 10, depending on which Statup Disk (OS) you choose. (However, while in OSX, if you try to launch a program (or file) designed for OS9, "Classic Mode" will want to start... it's like OS9 in the background... if your computer will run classic mode, newer ones don't... I think.)

I just starting looking into a test of OSX myself, and had considered installing it on my second ATA drive. This will work fine, unless this is your "audio drive" and you want to run PT6. In that case you'd just suffer the performance hit of running PT and audio off the same drive. Otherwise, it shouldn't be a problem. You can even run an OS from a firwire drive... choosing it as the startup disk.

You will only need to do new installs of software that you plan to use for OSX. OSX programs won't run in 9, so install them onto your second drive while in OSX. In theory all this will work fine, but I still have my doubts about "cross-contamination".

PS-Do yourself a favor and don't have a firewire drive mounted while you install.

[rockridge]

I have a dual 1-gig G4. I long ago dumped the original OSX, never even noticed how it was supposed to work. I currently have OS 9.2.2 installed

Now I need to install Panther, but obviously this is mostly for a test, and to give me a chance to get used to it. i HAVE to keep my entire OS9 and OS9-based apps on my start drive.

I know some people use a partition, but that's hard as my drive is near full. Is it feasible to install OSX, Protools 6.2.2, and all related apps, on my SECOND ATA drive?

If you're making money with your system the way it is, and you use it to test OSX, you will might experience down time.

Remember, OSX is a completely different beast from OS9... you will run into rocky roads no matter how you go about it... Apple would like you to ditch OS9... if at all possible.

Get yourself a external backup drive, backup everything, and start experimenting.

[fifty8th1]

As I have never had a chance to help you with anything yet...and its you helping us thus far..

Let me start by saying this first. We started with a clean drive and installed OS X Jaguar along with the latest OS 9 at the same time. Then installed ProTools 5.01 after booting to OS 9.

We are currently using PT 6.1(OSX) and PT 5.01 (OS9) together on the same drive.
Of coarse none of the recording is done here. A second drive partitioned into many sizes ... 1 to 6 gigs is used.

No problems switching between 6.1 and 5.01. Two different operating systems do not interfer with each other.
The apps are written for one or the other. One of the last posts said most of it and I agree.
No partitions are being used on this drive...I love partitions...but there just isn't any point in my view here.

Again. though... all the audio files recorded are done on the second drive on what ever size partition we choose to use.

However .... Panther .... that's another question... In the 8 years we have been on Macs we have had nearly
no computer problems....and no downtime with customers....but.. I would sure wait a while on Panther ...it does
have problems and is the result of Apple changing the way it does things.... I would stick with Jaguar for now.

We are using the G4 Dual 1 gig as your are ...

Jon
58Th Street Studio

[tamtamstudio]

Pssst....ProTools 6.2.2 is not for OSX panther on G4.. the release is seems scheduled for the end of the year..
How to survive on dual Operating systems?

[Spin Girl]

I agreee with staying with Jaguar for now, if what you're interested is checking out PT in OSX.
As far as Installing Systems, we installed OSX 2.8 (together with it's own OS 9.2.2) on one Internal Drive and OS 9.2.2 on a second Internal Drive. We never use the OS9 that comes with OSX (for classic mode). When we want OS9 (for Soft SampleCell!), we simply boot it from the OS9 drive.

I'm not saying you can't have both OS on the same drive- but we have been very successful having them on separate drives.

Good Luck!

[fifty8th1]

Ya that's right. OS 9 in classic mode won't work....but rebooting into OS9 from the System Preferences menu does.

Jon

[Allan Speers]

quote: "I agreee with staying with Jaguar for now,"


Well, I WOULD, if I had Jaguar, but the only OSX disk I have is Panther, because Digi forgot to mention, until a few days ago, that the mid-November PT release would only be qualified for G5's.


It's looking pretty good, regardless. Digi has said that it SHOULD wrok, it's just not officially qualified yet. Several users are reporting success with Panther and G4's.

The big problem right now, on ANY cpu, is the total lack of scsi support. What was Apple thinking?

[Lee Blaske]

What was Apple thinking?

I think they were thinking that FireWire is much better, and the way of the future.

Personally, I have not spent one fraction of a second missing SCSI ever since I got rid of it.

BTW, don't let people scare you too much about moving to OSX. We're past the bleeding edge days, and enormous numbers of folks are using it day in and day out (and loving it). The only reason I ever need to go back to OS9 is because Coda Finale has really been dragging its feet. Once you've had a taste of OSX, you'll loath booting OS9. It's like going back to the dark ages.

I've heard that it's best to have *no* OS9 volumes mounted at all. Apparently, even if you're not booting into OS9, if you have drives with OS9 on them, it will slow your computer's boot time. A computer with OSX only is the place to be.

The other thing I'd say is that you should wait until you've got a slight break in your schedule, take a big gulp, throw the switch to OSX and don't look back. I firmly believe that timid folks who need to dip their toe in the water and piddle around endlessly going back and forth trying to get up the courage go through a LOT more pain over the transition than bolder folks who move decisively.

If you're really frightened, just buy a new system hard drive (they're so cheap these days), take your old OS9 system drive out and set it aside for safety, and do a clean install of the latest versions of everything on the new drive.

After all, no guts, no glory.

Besides, you don't think this software is stupid, do you? If there ARE going to be any real problems, they're certainly not going to surface when you're just "testing." Murphy's Law states that real problems will only manifest themselves when it counts.

Lee Blaske