Help Restoring 1999 iMac

Hey guys... this is my issue:

I have a 1999 iMac that was given to me by one of my old Bosses. The OS was originally 9.something, I can't remember exactly which, but It is now fried. I do have the original drive and have downloaded a copy of OS 9.0.4, but I can't seem to get the Mac to book into the CD to install the OS.

I have a standard usb PC keyboard and USB mouse plugged in, I burned the OS CD image onto a standard CD-R, loaded it into the drive and booted while holding down "C" on the keyboard. The screen holds grey for a while, the disc spins up, then spins down, the screen flashes bright and then goes dark and flashes the folder with the question mark.

What are the reasons it might refuse to boot into the CD? will it not read a CD-R? Do I need a Mac Keyboard or something? Please help!

Thanks,
~Joe~

Sounds like the disk was not imaged properly. It may have the OS on it but it was not set up properly to boot up the system. It may also be a faulty CD drive.

You may want to get another copy of the OS to test this out.

IT should read a CDR and you will need a mac compatible keyboard for the older machines.