10.3 upgrade problem involving XPostFacto4 -- can't log in

Question

Help!!
Someone gave me a Macintosh G3 that was upgraded to a G4, with OSX 10.1.5. I needed an upgrade to use some of the open source software out there, so someone gave me OSX 10.3. When I tried to install it, it said that 10.3 couldn't be used on my machine. Didn't say why.
I found an online bulletin board that suggested that you can't "skip a cat" which means that I'd need to upgrade to 1.2 before trying 1.3. Then a poster said that I could use XPostFacto upgrade to 1.3.
I downloaded XPF 4 and then tried to run it. The user who gave me the computer had seven partitions on it, most of which were empty. XPF gave me a list of drives on which to save 10.3, among them drive 7, which I believe was a partition. The main harddrive, called "Brian's Comp" was grayed out, with a note that said it required 10.2. The other drives were available, presumably because they had no system software on them, which was on Brian's Comp.
I tried to install 10.3 onto partition 7 using XPF 4, and a message came up saying that it couldn't upgrade it (yet) <-- parentheses aren't mine. Perhaps, the message suggested, I could restart in system 9 -- the Classic system. There are two systems on this computer, 9.1 and 10.1.5. I hit the restart button.
It restarted in system 9.1, as it suggested. However, I couldn't find the XPF icon. I couldn't find any of the files that I had put in a folder on the desktop. I couldn't find system OSX. The only option, it seemed, was to reformat the system with the original OSX disk which the person gave me.
I held down "c" as the drive was starting up and I was presented with the format screen. I chose easy install on the Brian's Comp drive. It did it's thing then asked if I wanted to restart, which I did.
Oddly, the original user's screen name came up in the firewall, I guess you'd call it, even though I'd installed OSX again. My name came up as well. Presumably, I hadn't written over the original system software as I'd thought I had.
I typed in my password and waited. A bar appeared on the bottom of the dialogue box showing the working computer, but nothing happened. It didn't hang, since the bar was still oscillating, you migh say. But I could do nothing else.
Just now I tried again and found that I'm able to access some commands even while the firewall, or whatever, is oscillating. "About this computer" "Set Date and Time" -- things like that were available to me, while the bar was scintillating. However, almost none of the commands in that "portal" would do anything. I found a utility to stop certain running programs. It had a number of running applications listed. One was "System Preferences", a window which I'd opened earlier, and about a dozen or so finder icons. I tried quitting one of them, but there were so many I didn't know if it worked or.
I tried using another startup disk which explained that I couldn't see my files because I use a pre-8.1 filing system.. (The CD I was using was running 8.0) On that CD was a disk first aid program, which said that Brian's Comp needed some slight repairs. I had it make those repairs, thinking that would help. It may have, but I'm still not able to get past that page.

Answer 1

Beige G3 users have not had very good luck with XPostFacto 4. But version 3.1 seems to work very well. It is available by scrolling to the end of the XPostFacto main "How to..." document, and looking for it in order in the revision history.
XPostFacto is designed to run initially from Mac OS 9, but it can also be run from Mac OS X. The desktop as you see it in Mac OS 9 is put away in a folder deep inside the system when Mac OS X is activated. In addition, each user of Mac OS X has his own unique desktop. Therefore, leaving Applications or Utilities such as XPostFacto on the desktop is a very bad idea. Only your personal documents should go there. The Utilities subfolder inside the Applications(Mac OS 9) folder is a great place to put XPostFacto.
Most Beige G3 users have only one physical drive, which may be divided into many partitions. Each partition is drawn on the desktop as if it were a distinct Hardware drive.
In a beige G3, a Hardware problem with the built-in IDE Controller forces the Mac OS X System-Residence partition to the first data partition on the IDE Master Drive. This partition must not cross over the Drive's 8 GB boundary, so it must be declared as somewhat smaller, usually 7.9 GB will do. Only this first partition can be used to install Mac OS X. Mac OS X can access the other partitions, it just cannot be installed on them. Mac OS 9 has no such restriction, and it can be installed on any partition.
You cannot boot to the Mac OS X 10.3 Install CD without XPostFacto to help you. The Mac OS X 10.2 CD is directly bootable on a beige G3.
The box you refer to as the "firewall" is usually called the "login window". There is a firewall, but it is somewhere else and does something different.
Depending on How you install, previous System parameters can be saved or discarded. "Archive and Install" will preserve the old parameters in place, and the old System in a Folder called "Previous System". It is big, so if you do not want it any more, you will probably need to throw it away or you will not have enough space for a proper Install.
Based on your descriptions, I think you have installed a number of different old versions of the Mac OS which have not been very helpful, and are now likely clogging up your Disk. You should try to keep focused on where you are trying to get to. This process is very complicated, and many, many, many interesting side trips will beckon to you from all directions.