Mac OS X: Cannot Use Mac OS 9 Software Update Control Panel in Classic

The Classic environment of some Mac OS X versions (10.0 to 10.0.4 and 10.2 or later) does not allow use of the Mac OS 9 Software Update control panel, and the Software Update pane of System Preferences does not update Mac OS 9 system software.
Symptom

Mac OS X 10.0 to 10.0.4 and 10.2 and later:

If you try to use the Software Update control panel within the Classic environment, an alert box appears with this message:

Mac OS X 10.1 to 10.1.5:

The Software Update control panel opens within the Classic environment. It reports that your software is up to date, but that is not necessarily accurate.


Solution

Restart the computer from Mac OS 9 to use the Software Update control panel. After updating your software, switch the startup System Folder back to Mac OS X. For more information about changing the startup operating system, see article 106667, "How to Switch Between Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X".
Published Date: Oct 7, 2016