In article <85eb9b084e24a@uwe>, "samwalker7" <u44337@uwe> wrote:
> I recently switched from the Mac OS 10.3X, which was working, to the OS 9.5 > (start-up disc, I guess?) and now nothing works. It boots to an icon looking > like a 3.5 floopy disc, with a question mark blinking inside it. I can hear a > clicking sound and after a few minutes, the computer shuts down. I have tried > all the shortcuts that I can find and still nothing as far as getting it to > complete the boot. I'm open to all suggestions. Thanks in advance! > Sam > iBook, M6497, made in 2001. color is white. I believe this is a G3? I am not > that familiar with ibooks and I don't have any discs that originally came > with the unit.
After reading your exchanges with nospam I think you have stumbled into one of the classic 'dual-boot' traps. I have seen this many times and experienced it myself with my TiBook 550. Despite what Apple advertised, there is no better way to corrupt your operating system, both the 10 as well as the 9 versions, than to switch boot systems. Part of the problem is that 9's Desktop file routines don't deal at all well with the plethora of OS 10 files (literally 10 times as many). Eventually, something in both systems (don't know exactly what) gets corrupted and the only solution is to re-install from the original disks or your backup (you do have one, right? ;) ). Of course, it could be something else, but I'd give 90% odds that this is the problem.
If you're going to buy install disks off eBay, the full versions (will boot any Mac which supports the OS version) are black and the hardware-specific ones are gray.
One more thing, I don't mean to be picky, but the custom on Usenet is to bottom post, not top post. You'll get more help and be taken more seriously if you bottom post.