Before you start, there are a few things you need to know.

A) This section describes how to format and partition a hard drive using the Drive Setup application from a OS 9 install CD. If you are using a OS 10.3 install CD, you will need to use the Disk Utility application to do the formatting and partitioning. It's a little different than Drive Setup but it does the same thing.

B) Make sure that only your keyboard and mouse are plugged into the USB ports on your iMac. It's a good idea to use the original keyboard and mouse for this procedure as they do not require any special extensions to operate. If you don't have the original keyboard or mouse, you may not have full function of these devices until you reinstall the extensions for them later.

C) I have made a separate page where you can view the various windows for the application before you start. This is specially helpful for partitioning. You can link to this page in step 2 as well. Drive Setup is the application you will use in Setup 2 to format and partition your new hard drive.

D) When using Drive Setup, note that the terms 'Volume' and 'Partition' essentially mean the same thing.

D) Be aware that formatting your new drive with Drive Setup will take a long time, up to one hour for every ten gigabytes of hard drive space. For example, if you are installing a 40GB drive, it will take up to four hours, 60GB drive will be approx. six hours, etc. Formatting will be significantly faster if you are using Disk Utility from a OS 10.3 install CD.

1. To start, you need to open the CD-ROM tray. Because your iMac is turned off, you will have to open it manually by inserting an opened paper clip or pin into the hole in the front of the and push until the try pops open. Insert your software install CD, close the tray and start-up your iMac while holding down the 'C' key on the keyboard. This will start up the computer from the software install CD.

2. Open the software install CD icon on the desktop and look for the Utilities folder. Inside, look for the Drive Setup application and double click to launch it.

3. In the window there should be two choices under the List of Drives heading, one with the name of the software install CD and another with the name 'Untitled'. This 'Untitled' is your new hard drive (you can change the name later). Select it by clicking on it once.

4. From the Functions menu, choose Initializing Options. In the window, check the box next to Zero All Data then click the OK button.

5. Click the Initialize... button in the Drive Setup window then click the Custom Setup... button from the Initialize window.

6. The window is where you will enter your . Start at the top under the Drive heading. Choose the number of partitions you would like to make. Below, under the Volumes heading you will see a graphic representation of your partitions with names like 'Untitled 1, Untitled 2, Untitled 3' etc. Select the first partition (Untitled 1) by clicking on it once. Under the Volume Info heading you will see the name of the partition you have just selected. Below that there is a drop down menu where you choose the format. Select the Mac OS Extended format. Below that, enter the size you want that partition to be. This is measured in Megabytes (MB) so if you want your partition to be 4 Gigabytes (GB), then enter 4000 (1GB=aprox 1000M) into the Size window. Now, go back and do the same for the other partitions. Make sure that you have chosen Mac OS Extended format for each of the partitions. It is a good idea to go back and check each partition to make sure all the correct information has been entered before you click the OK button. If everything is the way you want it, click the OK button.

7. Review all the information in the window and only if everything is the way you want it, go ahead a click the Initialize button to start the process. Once you click that button, you can not go back. So make sure that everything is way you want it or it will be a long wait until you can do it again (1 hour per 10GB).

8. When the formatting is complete, you should see all of your partitions sitting on the desktop. Each will have its own hard drive icon. You can now rename them. It's a good idea to remember the order of the partitions before you rename them. This is because you need to know which one is the first partition when installing any operating system. You can put this information in the Comments box of the Finders' Get Info window for each partition.

You can now install the operating system(s). Remember, all operating systems must be on the partitions that are within the first 8GB of the hard drive. After installing the OS and restarting, you can install the rest of your data from your backup.