Create a customized OS 9 troubleshooting CD

Jul 11, '02 08:54:24AM

Contributed by: Anonymous

Under Mac OS 9 and earlier system versions, it has been difficult, if not almost impossible, to create your own boot CD disc without special software like Toast. This feature would be useful if you wanted to create your own boot discs with copies of such utilities as DiskWarrior or Norton Disk Doctor on them. Now, with Mac OS X and Disk Copy (and a CD burner), you can - without Toast!

Read the rest of the article for the how-to...

To create your own bootable and "blessed" CD containing Mac OS 9.x and whatever additional utilities you'd like to include:

  1. Locate your computer's Software Install or Mac OS bootable CD and insert it into your disc drive.
  2. In Mac OS X, run Disk Copy. This application can usually be found in your /Applications/Utilities folder.
  3. Select "New Blank Image ..." from the Image menu of Disk Copy.
  4. Enter your selected "Save as" and "Volume name", and create it on the Desktop. To burn to a CD, you would need to select at least the 500MB option under the Size selection.
  5. From your Software Install/Mac OS CD, drag its System folder to the new disc image volume on the desktop which you just created. The 'disc image volume' will look like a disc drive, named with whatever you put in the "Volume Name" field.
  6. Now, install whatever utilities you would like to the disc image volume. Optional: Upgrade the OS on the disc image volume if you'd like, by running OS 9 updates and applying them to the disc image volume.
  7. After the disc image volume is prepared, drag the disc image volume (NOT the image file that ends with a .dmg!) to the trash.
  8. Back in Disk Copy, select "Burn Image ..." from the Image menu.
  9. Select the .dmg file you created earlier, click "Burn", insert a CD-R or CD-RW disc, and click the "Burn" button.
After a few minutes, you should now have a bootable OS 9 CD!

[Editor's note: Creating a bootable "troubleshooting" CD is an important part of a disaster recovery routine. I have one with DiskWarrior on it, along with key apps (ResEdit, Retrospect, BBEdit Lite, etc.) that I might have to use in the event of a total disaster.]

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