How do I open OS 9 documents with OS 10.4.11

Question

I need to know how to open documents created with OS 9 using 10.4.11
My hard drive has been replaced and I no longer have OS 9 on my system, plus, I don't have an old OS 9 install disc. I've got a ton of important documents I thought I'd open and try to convert to something that could be shared using Pages. But, no such luck.
I'm fairly sure these documents were created using OS 9. The icons show a diagonal pencil with an upper case A in the top left half, a bar graph in the lower right half of a page with the upper right corner turned down. (I'm sure you're probably familiar with the icon, if you're old enough to remember the 90's)
I just got Open Office for Word but haven't installed it yet. Does Open Office (or someone else) have a download that will let me open old Apple docs?
Is there a simple solution to my problem? HELP - I don't have hard copies!!

Answer 1

About the only way you can open documents created in applications
under OS 9.x would be to have access to the applications, and likely
have those running under an OS 9 system or through OS X 10.x as
a Classic system while not independently bootable from OS X.
Since you do not necessarily need to have an OS 9.2.2 full installer
or restore installation to get an OS 9.2.2 system (and apps folder)
into your PPC G5 computer, you do need a way to load it into the
computer. This can be drag and drop; since it will not be starting
the computer. A copy of another similar computer's OS 9.2.2
system folder and the OS9 applications folder should be the easy
street to getting something into your G5.
(Unless you have the original restore/install disc set for that G5,
however, or something almost identical in vintage and version;
actually running an installer to put an OS 9.2.2 system in there
would be most unlikely.)
A copy on to an external HDD (firewire) could be used as a
Classic volume, it could be used by the OS X system to
open some older documents. But I suspect you'd need to
have Apple Works 6.2 or so, for the document to be read.
That application was included for use in both OS 9.2.2
and OS X 10.x There may be a chance you could open
an AppleWorks document in OS X (with AW) by checking
the document's preference (get info) panel to see if it says
open as classic, and has a checkbox; or not.
There is alot going on in a computer and to not have the
original software installed or only part of it, makes some
simple things difficult. My iMac G4 1.25GHz 17" machine
has an OS 9 system folder and apps folder; I don't use it,
but since it takes up almost no room on the 80GB HDD,
to remove it makes virtually no sense; as nothing is gained.
My iMac G4 has AppleWorks (in OS X) and also, it can see
and open AW documents -- some AW documents, depending
on how they were created, in AppleWorks w/o OS 9. But this
is no necessarily a standard thing; it may not work at all in
your computer. Classic (an OS 9.2 system folder) is a require-
ment for pre-X applications to open, and a suitable application
has to be there to run. The OS 9.2 system need not boot the Mac.
There may be some other workaround; short of utilizing a second
Mac with either a Classic - OS 9.2.2 system intact, or a more
traditional dual-boot OS 9.2.2 and OS 10.x computer; and then
save the file in a different manner, or export it via FireWire, CD
or ? to the other Macintosh. Sometimes, a text document can
be copy/pasted into an email or saved as a pdf and sent to
another computer, and used that way. However, not being able
to open the document without a translator, it may be a problem.
If you can find an application that can see, open and translate
an OS 9 created document in some application such as A.W.
then you may be able to use the contents.
(If you have AppleWorks in your G5 now, see if you can choose
to have AW open this doc file; out of curiosity. It may translate.
I've forgotten alot about these kinds of things, and no longer use
OS 9.2.2 since I sold my last dual booting computers years ago.)
Good luck in this matter!