Problems Running an Old Game in Mac OS 9 Through SheepShaver

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Yorwick
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Problems Running an Old Game in Mac OS 9 Through SheepShaver

Post by Yorwick »

I originally posted this question in another subforum but was advised to come here. I'm a long-time Mac user, but new to Sheep Shaver so this is a learning experience for me. Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

Here are the details:

1. The game I'm trying to run is Jump Start 4th Grade Haunted Island (it's from the 1990's and there are no updated reissues of downloadable versions). I have the original disc and an iso I downloaded from Macintosh Garden.

2. My computer is an iMac running Sierra (10.12.6)

3. I'm running the SheepShaver wrapper from this page: http://www.columbia.edu/~em36/sheepshaverwrapper.html

I was advised on another subforum to try addin the iso to the volumes list in SheepShaver preferences, then quitting and starting again. I did that several times and kept getting this error message: "Background script error: Finder got an error: Can't get alias "Unix:SendToMacOS9". I get the error message the instant I save my Preferences and it keeps flashing until I force quit. Then when I manage to reboot, the ISO vanishes from Preferences.

Can anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong? Thanks in advance!
emendelson
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Re: Problems Running an Old Game in Mac OS 9 Through SheepSh

Post by emendelson »

I'm the person who put together the SheepShaver Wrapper. I haven't tested it on macOS High Sierra, and you may be encountering a problem that I won't be able to fix for a while. You might try this instead:

http://www.columbia.edu/~em36/macos9osx.html

I'll look into the SheepShaver Wrapper issue.
Yorwick
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Re: Problems Running an Old Game in Mac OS 9 Through SheepSh

Post by Yorwick »

emendelson wrote:I'm the person who put together the SheepShaver Wrapper. I haven't tested it on macOS High Sierra, and you may be encountering a problem that I won't be able to fix for a while. You might try this instead:

http://www.columbia.edu/~em36/macos9osx.html

I'll look into the SheepShaver Wrapper issue.
Thanks for responding. And for putting together the Wrapper! I am on Sierra, not High Sierra (yet). Have you tested it on Sierra?
I tried the new link and re-installed from there. I'm getting the exact same error message. There has to be some kind of secret I'm missing. Whatever I do I get the same result. Is this a Sierra problem?
emendelson
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Re: Problems Running an Old Game in Mac OS 9 Through SheepSh

Post by emendelson »

Well, it took me a while to figure this out, but you seem to be using a disk image from one of my other systems, probably the MacOS9 app, because that's the one that has the Background Script. The SheepShaver Wrapper itself doesn't include that. Somehow or other, the MacOS9 system seems to have got mixed up with the SheepShaver Wrapper, and I can't imagine how.

Anyway, if you follow the SheepShaver Wrapper instructions, and install Mac OS from an installer disk image, you'll be able to add the ISO from the Preferences.

In contrast, the MacOS9 app produces the error message you described, and I should explain on its web page that you can't add disk images from the Preferences. I'll eventually figure out a way to add disk images to the MacOS9.app, but not for a while.
Yorwick
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Re: Problems Running an Old Game in Mac OS 9 Through SheepSh

Post by Yorwick »

emendelson wrote:Well, it took me a while to figure this out, but you seem to be using a disk image from one of my other systems, probably the MacOS9 app, because that's the one that has the Background Script. The SheepShaver Wrapper itself doesn't include that. Somehow or other, the MacOS9 system seems to have got mixed up with the SheepShaver Wrapper, and I can't imagine how.

Anyway, if you follow the SheepShaver Wrapper instructions, and install Mac OS from an installer disk image, you'll be able to add the ISO from the Preferences.

In contrast, the MacOS9 app produces the error message you described, and I should explain on its web page that you can't add disk images from the Preferences. I'll eventually figure out a way to add disk images to the MacOS9.app, but not for a while.
Thanks so much for explaining. I'm sorry about the confusion. You're right, I was using the app instead of the wrapper. Now I understand why nothing I did worked. My mistake. I'll try it with the actual Wrapper now.
emendelson
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Re: Problems Running an Old Game in Mac OS 9 Through SheepSh

Post by emendelson »

Yorwick wrote:Thanks so much for explaining. I'm sorry about the confusion. You're right, I was using the app instead of the wrapper. Now I understand why nothing I did worked. My mistake. I'll try it with the actual Wrapper now.
Well, I see that the AppleScript for the MacOS9 app has some code built in for adding disk images, but I never got around to finishing that part of the code, though I intended to. I'll get around to it before long. Meanwhile, the SheepShaver Wrapper will get the job done.
Yorwick
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Re: Problems Running an Old Game in Mac OS 9 Through SheepSh

Post by Yorwick »

emendelson wrote:
Yorwick wrote:Thanks so much for explaining. I'm sorry about the confusion. You're right, I was using the app instead of the wrapper. Now I understand why nothing I did worked. My mistake. I'll try it with the actual Wrapper now.
Well, I see that the AppleScript for the MacOS9 app has some code built in for adding disk images, but I never got around to finishing that part of the code, though I intended to. I'll get around to it before long. Meanwhile, the SheepShaver Wrapper will get the job done.
I apologize again for being stupid, but I'm a bit stuck. I downloaded the Wrapper, then I followed the instructions and downloaded the ROM and the OS9 img from Redundant Robot. Everything seemed to work well until the last moment. I dropped the ROM and the OS9 installer onto Sheep Shaver Wrapper and it started to boot. In preferences, it shows everything including the installer. However, I can't find a way to actually install it. When I click on it, it gives me a folder called "System Folder". I must've missed a step somewhere, because I can't figure out how to actually install it. Sorry for all the newbie questions. Your help and patience are deeply appreciated.
emendelson
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Re: Problems Running an Old Game in Mac OS 9 Through SheepSh

Post by emendelson »

Yorwick wrote: I apologize again for being stupid, but I'm a bit stuck. I downloaded the Wrapper, then I followed the instructions and downloaded the ROM and the OS9 img from Redundant Robot. Everything seemed to work well until the last moment. I dropped the ROM and the OS9 installer onto Sheep Shaver Wrapper and it started to boot. In preferences, it shows everything including the installer. However, I can't find a way to actually install it. When I click on it, it gives me a folder called "System Folder". I must've missed a step somewhere, because I can't figure out how to actually install it. Sorry for all the newbie questions. Your help and patience are deeply appreciated.
OS9.img from Redundant Robot is (if I remember correctly) an already-installed system. I have no idea of how it might work with the SheepShaver Wrapper. It probably won't. The SheepShaver Wrapper is designed to be used with an installer CD image, exactly as it says in the instructions. You should have no trouble finding an installation CD image online, but see the installation guide accessible from the main page of this emaculation.com site for some essential information. (And make sure to turn off the option to update the disk drivers when you install.)

Please follow the instructions. Any variation from the instructions is likely to fail.
Yorwick
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Re: Problems Running an Old Game in Mac OS 9 Through SheepSh

Post by Yorwick »

emendelson wrote:
Yorwick wrote: I apologize again for being stupid, but I'm a bit stuck. I downloaded the Wrapper, then I followed the instructions and downloaded the ROM and the OS9 img from Redundant Robot. Everything seemed to work well until the last moment. I dropped the ROM and the OS9 installer onto Sheep Shaver Wrapper and it started to boot. In preferences, it shows everything including the installer. However, I can't find a way to actually install it. When I click on it, it gives me a folder called "System Folder". I must've missed a step somewhere, because I can't figure out how to actually install it. Sorry for all the newbie questions. Your help and patience are deeply appreciated.
OS9.img from Redundant Robot is (if I remember correctly) an already-installed system. I have no idea of how it might work with the SheepShaver Wrapper. It probably won't. The SheepShaver Wrapper is designed to be used with an installer CD image, exactly as it says in the instructions. You should have no trouble finding an installation CD image online, but see the installation guide accessible from the main page of this emaculation.com site for some essential information. (And make sure to turn off the option to update the disk drivers when you install.)

Please follow the instructions. Any variation from the instructions is likely to fail.
I must admit, I'm feeling stupider by the minute. I went to https://www.emaculation.com/doku.php/sh ... os_x_setup and followed all the instructions. I downloaded Mac OS 9 from here: http://www.macfixer.com/vintage-software/ and I thought I did everything exactly to the letter. To my great dismay, when I finished configuring everything and quit and relaunched Sheep Shaver, all I got was the grey floppy icon with the blinking “?”. I went through all the steps three times and no luck. I must have some sort of Sheep Shaver brain deficiency.
emendelson
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Re: Problems Running an Old Game in Mac OS 9 Through SheepSh

Post by emendelson »

SheepShaver only runs 9.0.4 and below. If you downloaded something later, it won't work. Again, this is all in the instructions.

I know it's working, because I downloaded the SheepShaver Wrapper, followed my own instructions to the letter, and installed 9.0.4 earlier this evening.
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Re: Problems Running an Old Game in Mac OS 9 Through SheepSh

Post by adespoton »

Those instructions are for vanilla SheepShaver -- that's the app whose subforums you were originally in when asking your question.

The wrapper automates setting up SheepShaver by doing some of the steps for you, so that instead of following that page of instructions, you just drop a ROM and an installer image on the app, and it does the rest for you.

I actually use a modified version of emendelson's wrapper and just toss a new version of SheepShaver inside it whenever new versions come out. But what I do sort of defeats the purpose of the wrapper, as I have to do my modifications by hand.

Based on your use case, I'm guessing that you'll eventually move to just using SheepShaver on its own. The wrapper is good for if you have multiple Macs and want to keep the emulator on a USB stick to use on all of them, or if you have problems with the configuration of vanilla SheepShaver. Or if you just like having everything in one file, like me :)
Yorwick
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Re: Problems Running an Old Game in Mac OS 9 Through SheepSh

Post by Yorwick »

adespoton wrote:Those instructions are for vanilla SheepShaver -- that's the app whose subforums you were originally in when asking your question.

The wrapper automates setting up SheepShaver by doing some of the steps for you, so that instead of following that page of instructions, you just drop a ROM and an installer image on the app, and it does the rest for you.

I actually use a modified version of emendelson's wrapper and just toss a new version of SheepShaver inside it whenever new versions come out. But what I do sort of defeats the purpose of the wrapper, as I have to do my modifications by hand.

Based on your use case, I'm guessing that you'll eventually move to just using SheepShaver on its own. The wrapper is good for if you have multiple Macs and want to keep the emulator on a USB stick to use on all of them, or if you have problems with the configuration of vanilla SheepShaver. Or if you just like having everything in one file, like me :)
Thanks for clarifying that. I tried dropping the ROM and installer in and it still failed. I'm sure it's my fault and not Sheep Shaver's at all. Probably I just haven't found a good installer yet. I don't know if these are okay: http://www.macfixer.com/vintage-software/ I used the OS 9.0 one as emendelson advises.

I'll keep trying, but it really doesn't seem to like me. :-(
emendelson
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Re: Problems Running an Old Game in Mac OS 9 Through SheepSh

Post by emendelson »

Yorwick wrote:
Thanks for clarifying that. I tried dropping the ROM and installer in and it still failed. I'm sure it's my fault and not Sheep Shaver's at all. Probably I just haven't found a good installer yet. I don't know if these are okay: http://www.macfixer.com/vintage-software/ I used the OS 9.0 one as emendelson advises.

I'll keep trying, but it really doesn't seem to like me. :-(
Use the ROM from Redundant Robot. Try an installer from Macintosh Garden (must be a generic installer, not one associated with any specific machine).
Yorwick
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Re: Problems Running an Old Game in Mac OS 9 Through SheepSh

Post by Yorwick »

emendelson wrote:
Yorwick wrote:
Thanks for clarifying that. I tried dropping the ROM and installer in and it still failed. I'm sure it's my fault and not Sheep Shaver's at all. Probably I just haven't found a good installer yet. I don't know if these are okay: http://www.macfixer.com/vintage-software/ I used the OS 9.0 one as emendelson advises.

I'll keep trying, but it really doesn't seem to like me. :-(
Use the ROM from Redundant Robot. Try an installer from Macintosh Garden (must be a generic installer, not one associated with any specific machine).
A huge thank you to emendelson and adespoton! I re-did everything again with an installer from Macintosh Garden, a ROM from Redundant Robot and a copy of the game from Macintosh Garden and it works brilliantly at last! I can't tell you how grateful I am to both of you for your patience and your thorough explanations. I've learned a lot in this process and am thrilled that I was able to see it through successfully. There was no way I could have managed without your guidance. Thanks again! :-) :-) :-)
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