Unable to install from CD

Question

Well as the title says, I am having problems starting up my imac with the original OS 9 CD's. I had successfully installed 10.3.9 the other day only to find I could not use classic. There were issues with the system folder.
I am prepared to start from scratch and tried to start up from the original CD's to reformat but could not. I have now reformatted from the OS X as I thought it may be the OS X stopping me starting up from the OS 9 and but still nothing. The computer reads it OK but will not restart from it either pressing C, going through system prefs nor pressing the option key.
Someone has mentioned I erased the drivers when I installed the OSX by not clicking on the journaled tab...What can I do now in order for my computer to recognize the OS 9 cd.

Answer 1

If the hard disk drive was erased (or a new HDD installed and OS9 Drivers somehow not installed in it)
the option to install OS9 Drivers usually is default in OSX. -- Usually are automatically installed. If
not, the hard disk drive would need to be totally erased and the systems would need to be reinstalled.
Some users who need to apply the Firmware Update have OS9 and its drivers installed first, then
get and apply the Firmware, then install OS X. Be sure the drive format chosen is HFS+.
However, in an older computer which may not have had an OSX system in it before and did not ship
with one, the Firmware Update for the specific computer series may have not been installed, first.
IF this were not the case, and the proper Firmware was already installed beforehand, another cause of
a problem would be in how Classic is launched. If you expect dual-booting, it is necessary to let OSX
write the proper updates to the Startup Disk control in OS9 directly and before it will reboot between X/9
the OSX system has to do this. You'd use System Preferences 'Classic' to make OSX update OS9.
I haven't dual booted between a pre- X system and OS X in over a year now; having sold the last two
dual boot computers. So, I am sure some gaps exist in my statements and also in recollection.
If the computer can't start from normally supported and bootable OS9 optical discs, the drivers aren't
present. And the Firmware Update (if applied) exists outside of the hard disk drive, so a new hard disk
drive could later be installed and that update would not need be applied again... In OSX 10.3.x the
System Profiler can tell you if OS9 Drivers are present. It may also show the proper Firmware version.
And, you'd have to use OSX 10.3.x boot/installer to erase the internal hard disk drive and reformat it
the option to install drivers should be present in there, too. Then use OS9 discs to install OS9 if
you do not have the proper Firmware Update installed already, so you can get that before OSX 10.3
is installed. Otherwise the computer can fail.
edited.