Old Mac CD-ROM may still be viewable with a little help

A reader, David, asks about viewing an old CD-ROM: “Back in 1995, my art director partner and I created a CD-ROM as an agency anniversary gift for our boss. … A number of years later, I tried to look at the disc again and … nothing. It hadn’t occurred to me that the programming had been done using Mac OS 9, and I had by that time moved on to OS X. Is there a way I can watch that old CD-ROM again?”

David, there’s good news and bad news. The bad news is that from 2005 to 2011, Apple transitioned from PowerPC computer processors to chips made by Intel, rendering older software inoperable without “Classic Mode.” Newer versions of OS X no longer support this mode. The good news is there are some easy solutions: You might try to buy a very cheap old Mac or simply find someone with an older Mac OS 9 compatible computer who’ll let you view the disc. (Perhaps Austin’s Goodwill Computer Museum, which has a dedicated Apple section, could help?)

If the CD-ROM was also Windows PC-compatible, you could try viewing it on a Windows machine, which is more likely to be able to view an older disc. Also, keep in mind that the disc itself may have degraded over time and become unviewable.

In this space every week, we’ll define a tech term, offer a timely tip or answer questions about technology from readers. Email ogallaga@statesman.com.