Well, FastMac and MacTracker have let me down a little bit. Or I could blame Apple... the tag on the machine states that it is a model M5521.
All reference I have found to this model number says that they were made in Summer 2000 and shipped with 9.0.4, and have a 300, 400, 450, or 500 MHz processor with a 100Mhz bus.
However, when I look at the machine properties in open firmware mode, it lists the manufacture date as 3/20/01. A closer look at the machine's properties under OS X showed the bus at 133Mhz and the processor speed at 700Mhz. Since it is self-reporting on this, I'm taking the machine's word over Mactrackers (which I have always found to be completely reliable before this).
So, I tried using my retail 9.1 CD to buld these, and the machines still wouldn't boot off it. I don't have a 9.2 retail to use, and was loath to buy another $30 CD that doesn't fix the issue.
I dug around and I found another iMac in storage that still had 9.2.2, so I started it up and target-disk copied the system files over to the iMacs I need OS 9 on.
The iMacs seem (to operate to the extent they need to) using this method, so it's what I'm going with. I'm not very happy about doing it this way, but need to get the holes in their exhibit area filled with
something.
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Virtual1, I agree that it's time to put these iMacs out to pasture, or put them to better use as boat anchors. These iMacs are purposed as kiosks for a satellite facility of a non-profit institution. The content developed for these kiosks runs only on OS 9, the developer is long gone, and no one in power wants to spend any money on them. Yet they expect the technology to magically keep working. It's frustrating.
Still- I'm happy to have work, so I'll keep plugging away at it.