Mac OS 8.0 to 9.2.2. From Mac OS 8.0, Open Transport is built-in to the operating system. Some 'Road Apples' such as the 5200 may not be able to run Mac OS 8 without a ROM upgrade; the Mac OS installer CD includes a utility to check whether it can be installed. The version of OT that is supplied with Mac OS 8.0 onwards is more robust than older. Classic Mac Finder is a work in progress, and because it's open source you could always join in the development effort if you feel so inspired. If this is whetting your whistle for some retro Apple fun, you might also get a kick out of running Classic Mac OS in a web browser (or Hypercard too ), and browsing through our other retro post archives.
Mainly Neat Stuff --> Vintage Networking --> Old Macintosh System Software and TCP/IP
Mac System Software Primer
This document describes what software you need to install to use TCP/IP on a Mac. The guide covers System 6 through to Mac OS 9.x. It includes specific information on configuring MacTCP. Information provided here does not apply to Mac OS X.
You may find it helpful to refer to two other guides.
Old Macintosh Networking Primer describes the components that make up an ethernet network and some TCP/IP basics.
Sharing Your Internet Connection with an Older Mac describes how you might access the internet using your existing dial-up or broadband connection.
System 6 Users
Macs running System 6 should be upgraded to 6.0.7 or 6.0.8 to get the most out of internet applications. All System 6 Macs use the MacTCP control panel and cannot use Open Transport. MacTCP does not work with systems older than System 6.
If you intend connecting a System 6 Mac via a dial-up internet conenction, take a look at my guide Internet Access with System 6. The guide also provides some useful general tips about MacTCP.
System 6 does not include drivers for any ethernet cards. Drivers for older PDS and NuBus ethernet cards from Apple (and clones) are included in the Network Software Installer 1.4.5 or 1.4.4 from the links below. This software installs hardware drivers and updates support for AppleTalk networking.
If your system software is not US English, check for suitable national language software at: http://download.info.apple.com/Apple_Support_Area/Apple_Software_Updates/MultiCountry/
System 6 drivers are available for some but not all third party ethernet cards. As a starting point to locate drivers, try the Mac Driver Museum at http://host59.ipowerweb.com/~macdrive/.
Always install drivers for your ethernet card (if you are using one) before installing the MacTCP control panel.
System 7.0 to 7.6.1
Depending on the model, Macs running System 7.x may run 'Classic Networking' (a generic description for MacTCP and AppleTalk) or Open Transport. 'Classic networking' has nothing to do with Mac OS X Classic mode.
Macs with a PCI expansion bus can only use Open Transport.
Apple dropped Open Transport (OT) support for Macs running Mac OS 7.0 before OT 1.1.1, the first reliable version of OT. Upgrade to System 7.1 if you really need Open Transport.
For System 7.0 and 7.1, you should install drivers for Apple ethernet cards (and clones) and update support for AppleTalk networking using the Network Software Installer 1.5.1 from:
If your system software is not US English, check for suitable national language software at: http://download.info.apple.com/Apple_Support_Area/Apple_Software_Updates/MultiCountry/
System 7.5 onwards includes ethernet drivers for Apple cards, Apple-compatible third party cards (eg Sonic) and other cards (eg Asante). It is recommended that you install the drivers provided by the card manufacturer as these may enable features such as a larger cache that are not present on Apple cards. As a starting point to locate drivers, try the Mac Driver Museum at http://host59.ipowerweb.com/~macdrive/.
Always install drivers for your ethernet card (if you are using one) before installing the MacTCP control panel or Open Transport 1.1.1.
Mac OS 8.0 to 9.2.2
From Mac OS 8.0, Open Transport is built-in to the operating system. Some 'Road Apples' such as the 5200 may not be able to run Mac OS 8 without a ROM upgrade; the Mac OS installer CD includes a utility to check whether it can be installed.
The version of OT that is supplied with Mac OS 8.0 onwards is more robust than older versions. However it is always worth checking to see if there is a potential upgrade for the version of Mac OS that you run (check the ReadMe with the relevant upgrade).
'Classic Networking'
'Classic Networking' refers to the software that precedes Open Transport. It comprises the MacTCP control panel (for TCP/IP) and the classic AppleTalk components. Updates for the classic AppleTalk components are provided on Apple's 'Network Software Installer' disks. MacTCP 2.0.6 is available for download separately.
Open Transport
Open Transport (OT) is the most recent and familiar networking software for pre-OS X Macs; it includes both TCP/IP and AppleTalk components. OT runs on Macs running System 7.1 or higher with a 68030 processor; for older Macs (eg LCIIs, Mac II series, first generation PowerMacs), OT is optional but it is mandatory on any Mac with a PCI bus. The OT installer requires a built-in 68030 processor and will not install on a 68000 or 68020 Mac with a third party 68030 accelerator; if you can fool the installer to run, OT itself may work.
Realistically, OT requires a fast 68030 processor and at least 8Mb RAM. For a Mac running System 7.6.1 or earlier, upgrade to OT 1.1.2 or 1.1.1 whenever possible.
Some Macintosh models from the 5200, 5300, 6200 and 6300 families may not be able to run later versions of Open Transport. More information is available in the Open Transport 1.1.2 Read Me files
Note that the installer for OT 1.1.2 provided by Apple is an updater that requires that OT is already installed on your Mac. The recommended procedure is to install OT 1.1.1 before running the OT 1.1.2 updater.
Versions of the Mac OS after 7.6.1 incorporate a later version of OT. These versions of OT cannot be installed on older versions of Mac OS.
Initial releases of OT had lots of problems with DHCP so use OT 1.1.1 or later whenever possible. If you are forced to use an older version of OT, you should configure the TCP/IP control panel manually to include the gateway address and DNS server addresses.
When OT is installed on an older Mac that supports 'Classic Networking', a utility called 'Network Software Selector' is provided. This allows you to switch between the two networking types. If you've just installed OT and can't see the 'AppleTalk' and 'TCP/IP' control panels, run the utility.
99% of applications that were designed to run on MacTCP will happily work with Open Transport. One exception that comes to mind is White Pine's eXodus X11 server. Ah ma-zing workout | heritage game jam 2020 mac os.
Checking for OT
- If your Mac has a control panel called 'Network', you are running 'Classic Networking'.
- If your Mac has two control panels called 'AppleTalk' and 'TCP/IP', you are running OT.
- If you have a Mac that is capable of running 'Classic' and OT, look for the 'Network Software Selector' utility.
Checking the Version of OT
- Run the TCP/IP control panel.
- From the File menu, select Get info.
- If you are running a recent version of OT, it will display the version of OT and the ethernet MAC address.
Configuring TCP/IP on Open Transport
The TCP/IP control panel is relatively straightforward to configure and there are many existing guides (see Google search results). OT 1.1.1 or later should work without problems but earlier versions are best avoided.
DHCP automatic addressing may be problem with older OT versions and you may need to configure the TCP/IP control panel manually to include the gateway address and DNS server addresses. To over ride settings applied by DHCP, select User Mode from the Edit menu and set the User Mode to Advanced. You will then be able to edit fields in the TCP/IP control panel.
MacTCP
MacTCP is the only option for 68000 and 68020 Macs (SE, Plus, Classic I, LC, original Mac II etc) and for low spec 68030 Macs. MacTCP was designed to work with the Mac Plus onwards so it will not work with a Mac 128 or 512; it *may* work with a Mac 512Ke.
Many people choose to use OT on 68030 Macs and higher because it is easier to configure than MacTCP. This is certainly true if you are using a PPP dial-up connection but if you are happy to do a bit of tinkering, MacTCP is a potentially faster and less memory hungry option.
MacTCP cannot obtain an IP address from a DHCP server; the options for automatic addressing will only work if your network provides a RARP or BootP address server. Automatic addressing works with dial-up networking using MacPPP.
Configuring MacTCP 2.0.6:
To use a shared connection with MacTCP, the easiest solution is to configure a fixed IP address manually. The instructions below assume that you are using a Class C IP address with Subnet Mask 255.255.255.0.
- When you open the MacTCP control panel you will see two icons in the top pane labelled EtherTalk and Ethernet. The EtherTalk icon is used for configuring MacIP (TCP/IP over AppleTalk) which you almost certainly don't want to do.
- Select the icon labelled Ethernet. Press the More button.
- In the Obtain Address pane, select Manually.
- In the Routing Information pane, type in your network's Gateway Address (eg the IP address of your network router).
- In the IP Address pane, set the Class to C and confirm the Subnet Mask is 255.255.255.0.
- In the Domain Name Server pane, type a . (period or full stop) in the Domain field. In the IP Address field, enter the address for your ISP's DNS server. Repeat for each DNS server provided by your ISP. Select a Default server.
- Check the details and press the OK button.
- Type the IP address that you have assigned to the Mac in the IP Address field.
- Close the MacTCP control panel and restart the Macintosh.
Whenever reinstalling or reconfiguring MacTCP, delete the files MacTCP Prep and MacTCP DNR from your system folder first. Don't forget to reserve the fixed IP address so that it is not allocated to another Mac if you are using a DHCP server.
The final official release of MacTCP is 2.0.6 which is available from Apple's MacTCP software developers' kit at:
ftp://ftp.apple.com/devworld/Development_Kits/MacTCP.sit.hqx.
MacTCP 2.1 is the latest unofficial update from a New Zealand developer, Glenn Anderson. MacTCP 2.1 may be required for some ISPs (see the University of Oregon description of this problem). You will need a clean, unused copy of the MacTCP 2.0.6 control panel that you can patch to version 2.1. Station commander mac os. MacTCP 2.1 has a simpler user interface.
Some Software Recommendations
Your mileage may vary..
System 6: You must use MacTCP. If running System 6 and MacTCP 2.0.6, System 6.0.7 or higher is recommended.
68000 and 68020 Macs: You must use MacTCP. MacTCP will work fine for you using System 6 through to 7.5.5.
68030 Macs: Don't try OT unless you have at least 8Mb RAM.
Retro Combat Mac Os Catalina
LCII, Classic II: OT not recommended.
SE/30, IIx, IIcx, IIvi, IIvx: Marginal. OT works better on accelerated models.
IIci, LCIII, IIfx: Probably the oldest models on which it is diffcult to measure a difference between MacTCP and OT.
68040 and PowerMacs: Use OT unless you're feeling particularly perverse.
Dial-up Connection Software
The three most popular PPP dial-up packages for older Macs are described briefly below. A web search on any will throw up loads of configuration information.
MacPPP
My guide to Internet Access with System 6 describes how to configure MacPPP 2.0.1. This configuration will work reliably with Macs running System 6, System 7.0 and System 7.1. MacPPP is usually the best choice for Macs running MacTCP.
MacPPP with MacTCP 2.0.6 can be downloaded from http://www.jagshouse.com/software/MacPPP.sit.hqx.
FreePPP
FreePPP is based on MacPPP. It works with MacTCP and Open Transport. Apparently the company behind the product still exists but their web pages are unreadable.
Open Transport PPP (OT/PPP)
OT/PPP works with Open Transport 1.1.1 onwards (not MacTCP) and is widely considered the best PPP choice for Macs running OT. It was shipped with MacOS from Mac OS 7.6 before being integrated with the rest of the operating system. For pre-Mac OS 7.6 Macs, it can be downloaded directly from Apple:
If your system software is not US English, check for suitable national language software at: http://download.info.apple.com/Apple_Support_Area/Apple_Software_Updates/MultiCountry/
Ethernet Cards and Drivers
If you are using a card that was not made by Apple, install the specific drivers supplied by the manufacturer whenever possible. If you have an old AppleShare server (eg a System 7 or Mac OS 9 Mac with file sharing enabled) on your network, test that the card and drivers work by connecting to it using the AppleTalk protocol. Mac OS X file sharing uses AppleShare-IP (AppleTalk routed over the TCP/IP protocol) and is not a reliable test.
Whenever possible, you should test your ethernet card for AppleTalk connectivity. AppleTalk is the native network protocol for olde Macs and it should work automatically. It is much easier to debug or resolve TCP/IP problems if you know that the ethernet card and drivers work corectly by tesing AppleTalk connectivity first.
As a starting point to locate ethernet drivers, try the Mac Driver Museum at http://host59.ipowerweb.com/~macdrive/.
Useful Mac TCP/IP Tools
The standard Mac OS (pre OS X) does not include any useful tools for checking an IP connection. However there are many freeware or shareware tools that you can download (see links below) to help resolve any problems.
If you have an old AppleShare server (eg a System 7 or Mac OS 9 Mac with file sharing enabled) on your network, test that the card and drivers work by connecting to it using the AppleTalk protocol. Mac OS X file sharing uses AppleShare-IP (AppleTalk routed over the TCP/IP protocol) and is not a reliable test. This will confirm that your ethernet drivers are correctly installed.
The most useful tool for testing IP connections is Ping; testing an IP connection using a web or mail application is not an effective approach. Run the tests from the old Mac (ie the one with a questionable TCP/IP connection) and try to ping another Mac with a working TCP/IP connection. Run through the following tests in order:
- Ping a computer on your local network. The most obvious computer to try is the system which provides the local IP gateway. If you can't ping the gateway, possible reasons are that two computers on your network have the same IP address or that MacTCP/OT is incorrectly configured/installed.
- Ping a computer on your ISP's network. First try the ISP's gateway server address and then your ISP's DNS servers. Always try to ping the numeric IP address, not the target's DNS name. Unfortunately some NAT servers do not respond to Ping requests so your results may be inconclusive -- check the documentation for your ISP and your NAT server (if you use one). Repeat the test from a Mac with a confirmed internet connection; if you can't ping your ISP, assume that MacTCP/OT is incorrectly configured/installed.
- Ping a computer on your ISP's network using its DNS name (eg www.my-isp.com). If this fails, MacTCP/OT is unable to resolve IP addresses from your ISP's DNS servers. Try manually configuring the DNS server addresses in MacTCP/OT.
- Ping a computer on the internet outside your ISP (eg www.sun.com). If this works, you have full connectivity to the internet.
Using Ping with an Older Mac
Macs using MacTCP or Open Transport with the default settings do not load the TCP/IP protocol on startup. TCP/IP is only loaded into memory when an application that uses TCP/IP is run. The Mac will only respond to a ping request if you have already run an application that uses TCP/IP.
If you are testing the TCP/IP connection of a Mac running MacTCP, run the ping application on that Mac.
If you are testing the TCP/IP connection of a Mac running Open Transport, you can set TCP/IP to be 'always on'. Select User Mode from the Edit menu and set the User Mode to Advanced. An Options button will be displayed on the main configuration dialog. Press the button and uncheck the option Load only when needed. Alternatively run the ping application on that Mac.
TCP/IP Utility Software
A reliable source of links to TCP/IP software can be found at http://www.macorchard.com/. The utilities below are for use with System 7 through to 9.x.
MacTCP Ping is Apple's ping tool for older Macs that works with MacTCP and Open Transport.
Network Toolbox from Black Cat Systems is great collection of tools for older Power Macs.
IPNetMonitor provides another good collection of tools that will run on a 68K Mac with System 7.5.3.
WhatRoute runs on 68K and PPC Macs and includes ping, traceroute and Telnet server utilities.
TCP/IP Application Software
A reliable source of links to TCP/IP software can be found at http://www.macorchard.com/.
the pickle's Low-End Mac FAQ (http://macfaq.org/index.shtml) has a review of browsers that work on older Macs.
A list of SSH clients for the Mac can be found at http://www.openssh.com/macos.html.
Copyright information: If you wish to use any images on these pages, please contact the author, Phil Beesley on beesley@mandrake.demon.co.uk.
So, you've decided to download an older version of Mac OS X. There are many reasons that could point you to this radical decision. To begin with, some of your apps may not be working properly (or simply crash) on newer operating systems. Also, you may have noticed your Mac's performance went down right after the last update. Finally, if you want to run a parallel copy of Mac OS X on a virtual machine, you too will need a working installation file of an older Mac OS X. Further down we'll explain where to get one and what problems you may face down the road.
A list of all Mac OS X versions
We'll be repeatedly referring to these Apple OS versions below, so it's good to know the basic macOS timeline.
Cheetah 10.0 | Puma 10.1 | Jaguar 10.2 |
Panther 10.3 | Tiger 10.4 | Leopard 10.5 |
Snow Leopard 10.6 | Lion 10.7 | Mountain Lion 10.8 |
Mavericks 10.9 | Yosemite 10.10 | El Capitan 10.11 |
Sierra 10.12 | High Sierra 10.13 | Mojave 10.14 |
Catalina 10.15 |
STEP 1. Prepare your Mac for installation
Given your Mac isn't new and is filled with data, you will probably need enough free space on your Mac. This includes not just space for the OS itself but also space for other applications and your user data. One more argument is that the free space on your disk translates into virtual memory so your apps have 'fuel' to operate on. The chart below tells you how much free space is needed.
Note, that it is recommended that you install OS on a clean drive. Next, you will need enough disk space available, for example, to create Recovery Partition. Here are some ideas to free up space on your drive:
- Uninstall large unused apps
- Empty Trash Bin and Downloads
- Locate the biggest files on your computer:
Go to Finder > All My Files > Arrange by size
Then you can move your space hoggers onto an external drive or a cloud storage.
If you aren't comfortable with cleaning the Mac manually, there are some nice automatic 'room cleaners'. Our favorite is CleanMyMac as it's most simple to use of all. It deletes system junk, old broken apps, and the rest of hidden junk on your drive.
Download CleanMyMac for OS 10.4 - 10.8 (free version)
Retro Combat Mac Os X
Download CleanMyMac for OS 10.9 (free version)
Download CleanMyMac for OS 10.10 - 10.14 (free version)
STEP 2. Get a copy of Mac OS X download
Normally, it is assumed that updating OS is a one-way road. That's why going back to a past Apple OS version is problematic. The main challenge is to download the OS installation file itself, because your Mac may already be running a newer version. If you succeed in downloading the OS installation, your next step is to create a bootable USB or DVD and then reinstall the OS on your computer.
How to download older Mac OS X versions via the App Store
If you once had purchased an old version of Mac OS X from the App Store, open it and go to the Purchased tab. There you'll find all the installers you can download. However, it doesn't always work that way. The purchased section lists only those operating systems that you had downloaded in the past. But here is the path to check it:
- Click the App Store icon.
- Click Purchases in the top menu.
- Scroll down to find the preferred OS X version.
- Click Download.
This method allows you to download Mavericks and Yosemite by logging with your Apple ID — only if you previously downloaded them from the Mac App Store.
Without App Store: Download Mac OS version as Apple Developer
If you are signed with an Apple Developer account, you can get access to products that are no longer listed on the App Store. If you desperately need a lower OS X version build, consider creating a new Developer account among other options. The membership cost is $99/year and provides a bunch of perks unavailable to ordinary users.
Nevertheless, keep in mind that if you visit developer.apple.com/downloads, you can only find 10.3-10.6 OS X operating systems there. Newer versions are not available because starting Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.7, the App Store has become the only source of updating Apple OS versions.
Purchase an older version of Mac operating system
You can purchase a boxed or email version of past Mac OS X directly from Apple. Both will cost you around $20. For the reason of being rather antiquated, Snow Leopard and earlier Apple versions can only be installed from DVD.
Buy a boxed edition of Snow Leopard 10.6
Get an email copy of Lion 10.7
Get an email copy of Mountain Lion 10.8
The email edition comes with a special download code you can use for the Mac App Store. Note, that to install the Lion or Mountain Lion, your Mac needs to be running Snow Leopard so you can install the newer OS on top of it.
How to get macOS El Capitan download
If you are wondering if you can run El Capitan on an older Mac, rejoice as it's possible too. But before your Mac can run El Capitan it has to be updated to OS X 10.6.8. So, here are main steps you should take:
1. Install Snow Leopard from install DVD.
2. Update to 10.6.8 using Software Update.
3. Download El Capitan here.
'I can't download an old version of Mac OS X'
If you have a newer Mac, there is no physical option to install Mac OS versions older than your current Mac model. For instance, if your MacBook was released in 2014, don't expect it to run any OS released prior of that time, because older Apple OS versions simply do not include hardware drivers for your Mac.
Retro Combat Mac Os Download
But as it often happens, workarounds are possible. There is still a chance to download the installation file if you have an access to a Mac (or virtual machine) running that operating system. For example, to get an installer for Lion, you may ask a friend who has Lion-operated Mac or, once again, set up a virtual machine running Lion. Then you will need to prepare an external drive to download the installation file using OS X Utilities.
Sonic aquarius force mac os. After you've completed the download, the installer should launch automatically, but you can click Cancel and copy the file you need. Below is the detailed instruction how to do it.
STEP 3. Install older OS X onto an external drive
The following method allows you to download Mac OS X Lion, Mountain Lion, and Mavericks.
- Start your Mac holding down Command + R.
- Prepare a clean external drive (at least 10 GB of storage).
- Within OS X Utilities, choose Reinstall OS X.
- Select external drive as a source.
- Enter your Apple ID.
Now the OS should start downloading automatically onto the external drive. After the download is complete, your Mac will prompt you to do a restart, but at this point, you should completely shut it down. Now that the installation file is 'captured' onto your external drive, you can reinstall the OS, this time running the file on your Mac.
- Boot your Mac from your standard drive.
- Connect the external drive.
- Go to external drive > OS X Install Data.
Locate InstallESD.dmg disk image file — this is the file you need to reinstall Lion OS X. The same steps are valid for Mountain Lion and Mavericks.
How to downgrade a Mac running later macOS versions
If your Mac runs macOS Sierra 10.12 or macOS High Sierra 10.13, it is possible to revert it to the previous system if you are not satisfied with the experience. You can do it either with Time Machine or by creating a bootable USB or external drive.
Instruction to downgrade from macOS Sierra
Instruction to downgrade from macOS High Sierra
Instruction to downgrade from macOS Mojave
Instruction to downgrade from macOS Catalina
Before you do it, the best advice is to back your Mac up so your most important files stay intact. In addition to that, it makes sense to clean up your Mac from old system junk files and application leftovers. The easiest way to do it is to run CleanMyMac X on your machine (download it for free here).
Visit your local Apple Store to download older OS X version
If none of the options to get older OS X worked, pay a visit to nearest local Apple Store. They should have image installations going back to OS Leopard and earlier. You can also ask their assistance to create a bootable USB drive with the installation file. So here you are. We hope this article has helped you to download an old version of Mac OS X. Below are a few more links you may find interesting.