Installing OS X on an iBook with odd circumstances...

June 1, 2006 11:52 AM

OS X Install problem: I have a PowerPC iBook with only a CD Drive. I have a MacIntel. I have Tiger on MacIntel DVDs. I have Tiger on PowerPC DVDs. My laptop OS is bunged. I need to unbung it.

So I have Tiger on the laptop and last night was doing the software update when something went kooky. Now, when I boot it, it goes thru the boot process and then hangs with just the magnifying glass for Spotlight appearing and a never ending beachball.

I booted holding T to turn it into a target disc so I could connect it via firewire to the desktop machine. However, the laptop won't take the Tiger that's on the MacIntel discs and when I try to run my PowerPC discs to install from them, the MacIntel won't allow it, saying that it's not compatible (with the Macintel) and my only option is quit.

So, my question is:

1. How do I figure out what happened with the software update and fix it (is there a safe mode or something to root out the prob?) or
2. How do I reinstall given the above scenario?

Thanks.

posted by Manhasset to Computers & Internet (9 answers total)

use target mode and run the Disk utility program(Applications/Utilitoes) on the mounted target drive. You can't do much with the OS, but it'll at least help if the directories on the drive are bad.
posted by Gungho at 11:56 AM on June 1, 2006

Utilitoes... Ha!
posted by Gungho at 11:56 AM on June 1, 2006

Response by poster: Gungho, thanks.

However, when I run disk utility it shows me the drive and when I click "verify drive" it says, "Verify and Repair disk “drivename”
Repairing disk failed with error Could not unmount disk."

However, I can browse the drive fine when double clicking it from the desktop--it appears all my files are there and in order.
posted by Manhasset at 12:02 PM on June 1, 2006

You could try to drag and drop a good system to the bad drive. rename the existing bad system folders to something like bad system, bad library, then copy the system and library folders from the good system. Only problem is the good system was built for the intel Mac, and may be missing things needed for the powerPC G4.
posted by Gungho at 12:06 PM on June 1, 2006

Response by poster: Yeah, the MacIntel isn't mine, either so not too comfortable with that.
posted by Manhasset at 12:10 PM on June 1, 2006

Response by poster: GungHo, thanks for your help!

I unmounted the drive from the MacIntel and then remounted it and then was able to run Repair Disk and now all is kosher. Thanks, wouldn't have thought of using DU without your suggestion!
posted by Manhasset at 12:27 PM on June 1, 2006

We're all in this together.
posted by Gungho at 1:48 PM on June 1, 2006

I know you've been solved, but I just wanted to throw this out there: I think you could put the PowerPC DVD in the MacBook, reboot the MacBook in target disk mode, connect Firewire to the PowerPC machine, and boot the PowerPC machine from the DVD that way, possibly requiring selecting the appropriate volume with the option key at startup.
posted by trevyn at 1:53 PM on June 1, 2006

I was about to suggest exactly what Trevyn suggested.
posted by armoured-ant at 2:20 PM on June 1, 2006