The symptoms you describe would fit with someone having set the firmware not to allow booting from a CD. If you bought all these computers from the same place that would make sense.
You'll have to remove a RAM stick and reboot to allow resetting the firmware password and changing the security options.
Do you have the original system restore discs for these computers?
It's likely that you have a straight OS 9.0 or 9.1 CD which might not work because your computer probably requires something higher like OS 9.1.x or 9.2.x.
Puma (OS X 10.1) shipped with a Mac OS 9.2.1 CD which is helpful if you can find a copy of that.
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You'll have to remove a RAM stick and reboot to allow resetting the firmware password and changing the security options.
Look for Open FIrmware on Apple's support site.
It's likely that you have a straight OS 9.0 or 9.1 CD which might not work because your computer probably requires something higher like OS 9.1.x or 9.2.x.
Puma (OS X 10.1) shipped with a Mac OS 9.2.1 CD which is helpful if you can find a copy of that.
maybe i could help...
u say installing tiger on indigo ? apple perfer 10.3 for it
maybe u could now never reboot under 9, dunno...
look for doc at apple web site. under 10.3 it was possible i think, but not under 10.4.
anyway, try install 10.3 before 9, maybe...
am i wrong ?
(sorry for my poor english, frenchy here !)
cheers !