Mac OS 9 doesn't recognize hard drive

Question

I have an iMac G3 from the summer of 2001, running OS X 10.4.11. I would like to run Mac OS 9 on it, but when I boot from my 9.2.1 retail CD (white with orange 9) and open the Installer, it shows a blank gray box where I should be able to select the hard disk to install to. The option to proceed is grayed out, but if I click "Options" and check to "Clean Install" I can proceed. When it tries to check the hard disk for errors, it says it can't check it. The hard drive is formatted to "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)."

Answer 1

On the other hand, if you want to use OS 9 as Classic under OS X only
(a non-bootable situation, where you can run OS 9 apps only in Classic)
you could grab a copy of OS9 System and OS9 Applications from an
installed OS 9.1 or Later running computer.
I found that my un-used iBook G4's second dvd has a nice OS 9.2.2
installer on there which runs under OSX to provide this version as a
Classic 9 in OSX. It also will work to install a full bootable system to
an external drive, that can later be used as a Boot OS 9.2.2 in an
older Mac. (No drivers are required to install it as Classic in OS X.)
You need not format the drive to run an OS9 installer if you can
get the system and its application file/folders via another route.
And if you do not need a boot OS9 system from the internal HDD.
An external drive could do that job, and OS9 can run from it, too.
There are options... If you had a later OS X version, there also is
a utility which can partition a working OSX computer's hard drive
and then you could see see about installing OS9 on a partition
where OS9 drivers could exist. This is almost not worth it, if you
can drag-drop the OS9 working system parts into an OS X Mac.
And just use Classic. There are limits in what OS9 can do as Classic
and so some users require the bootable OS9 full system for some
applications or older apps that won't work well under OS X's Classic.
Working with disc images, you could get an OS9 system saved to
a flash drive and load it into an older Mac that has no DVD drive;
and move it in without an installer, if Classic would be adequate.
The installer for a bootable OS9 system and that boot volume
requires the OS9 Driver; but a Classic system in OSX does not.
Hopefully the options may be helpful.
PS: the computer, if the one noted in your signature line, can
use much more RAM for OS X (including Classic) to run well.
In any event...
Good luck & happy computing!