Thread
G4 Mini going to OSX after linux
So I'm wanting to go back to OSX from linux on my G4 Mini but it refuses to accept boot media. I'm attempting to use a 10.4 CD (verified, should work) but despite using the "C" key, it still goes to my linux bootloader. I also cannot get into open firmware or zap the PRAM... I'm using the same keyboard that worked getting the thing to boot from my debian CD when I originally wiped OSX for linux, so I know it should work. Any ideas?
Some progress.... Booted back into linux and ran my favorite command "shred /dev/hda" so now the hard drive is completely blank. Boots to a grey screen with a blinking question mark now. Still won't boot off all these OSX cds though.
Does holding down option/alt at boot give you the Apple boot disk selector screen? If so, does the OS X CD show up there?
I'll try that when I get home. Getting to the grey screen with the blinking "?" though should get me going but maybe my install media is actually messed... I'll be trying a DVD version tonight. It sat there trying to read the CD for 5 minutes before I turned it off.
I've concluded the cd drive is broken. Gonna see if I can format a usb drive to boot the osx installer.
PowerPC doesn't boot from USB. Firewire only son.
Yep I see that now. Sweet. I've always wanted a paperweight.
You have no other firewire mac's to boot from?
I once restored an OS X disk to another mac's drive and told the target mac to boot from that. Can you say über fast install?
I once restored an OS X disk to another mac's drive and told the target mac to boot from that. Can you say über fast install?
I've got firewire in my B&W G3 but it doesn't run OSX.
Well the mini takes a laptop optical drive so in theory you could use some random ibook/powerbook drive if you want.
Plenty of G4s will boot from USB, although none of the Power Macs will IIRC. It's worth a shot on the mini.
Everything I've read says they wont. Only the intel ones. I'll just snag a firewire cable this weekend and try disk mode on my G3 if I can get THAT to boot OSX......
I got one of my friends to tell me how he did it with his G4 iBook. He had to boot into Open Firmware and run a command to do it, but it (USB DVD-ROM) worked.
I'll have to try getting into OF.. didn't seem to work when I tried.
I know this is a little old and disregard if you already have it working, but I did this to load leopard onto my emac
take the hdd out and put it in another apple (or external whatever)
then make an image of your dvd with disk utility
Then using disk utility (iirc you have to do this from the boot cd) erase that hdd and make two partitions, make the first one the one you want your install directory to be and the next the one your dvd (atleast big enough for the install disc)
Then back to the diskutility on your computer restore the dvd to the partition you made for it after waiting a bit you should have it on their now throw it back in the mini and install from that to the first partition. I spose some things at the top could be done in a different order, but you get the idea.
take the hdd out and put it in another apple (or external whatever)
then make an image of your dvd with disk utility
Then using disk utility (iirc you have to do this from the boot cd) erase that hdd and make two partitions, make the first one the one you want your install directory to be and the next the one your dvd (atleast big enough for the install disc)
Then back to the diskutility on your computer restore the dvd to the partition you made for it after waiting a bit you should have it on their now throw it back in the mini and install from that to the first partition. I spose some things at the top could be done in a different order, but you get the idea.
As to G4s and USB booting, my G4/500DP happily boots from a USB drive. I've booted Leopard and OS 9 off various USB drives.
I was under the impression that Intel Macs could not boot from USB, but PPC Macs could (at least of the proper vintage). I have booted G3 iMacs from Zip drives (with an ISO filesystem of all things) to install NetBSD.
And another quibble: never wipe a hard drive until you know you have bootable media.
And another quibble: never wipe a hard drive until you know you have bootable media.
I was once able to use my Sawtooth as a glorified external Firewire CD drive by shuffling the IDE cables about so the CD was on the first bus. Then connect by Firewire to other Mac with no optical drive, and start Sawtooth while holding T.
/me wonders if you were booting with media that had an earlier release than the mini accepts
Did you try doing it with the mini's original install? or if the mini came with 10.3, have you tried a 10.4 disc?
I am figuring it loaded from Leopard because it was later than the install that originally came with the disc.
What system is the mini (specs) and what OS X Version did you try to load that you were having issues with?
Did you try doing it with the mini's original install? or if the mini came with 10.3, have you tried a 10.4 disc?
I am figuring it loaded from Leopard because it was later than the install that originally came with the disc.
What system is the mini (specs) and what OS X Version did you try to load that you were having issues with?
According to my research, the G4 Mini requires 10.4. At this point I'm not sure if I'll bother with that or just get linux back on there. Seems that whichever method I choose I'll have to rip the case apart and pull the HD. I tried hooking the system up to my G3 using firewire but all that accomplished was making the G3 lag out and do nothing. Probably doesn't help that I can't seem to get the Mini in disk mode or anything else. I'm using a logitech keyboard which seemed to work before when I needed to get into OF, but not since I did the original linux install.
PowerPCs do boot from USB. I have used an external DVD Drive and they all have booted perfectlty.
While you're trying out stuff, you could also give the hacked AmigOS 4.0 install CD that works on the G4 Mac Mini a go. See how well it works. I got it off your server so you should have it in the backup you did.
Hah, no idea I had anything like that. Yeah I've actually got the original drive with all the files here at my place so I could put it in one of my local servers to check it out. I was thinking OSX for a couple specific reasons, one of which was iPhone development.
There's some issues with it due to hardware incompatibilities (I think it's based off the SAM440ep install disc), but it'd be fun to at least get some form of AmigaOS4 running on a Mac
Here's a snippet from the readme:
Here's a snippet from the readme:
PowerPCs will boot from USB:
http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20060301112336384
http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20061017084322177
You can also use another Mac in Firewire target mode.
http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20060301112336384
http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20061017084322177
You can also use another Mac in Firewire target mode.
That second link looks promising if the guy got his G4 to USB boot. Problem is I can't run that app since I don't have any OSX machines. I might try raw writing the dvd image of the 10.4 install onto a USB drive using one of my linux file servers and trying to boot off that.... Maybe by this weekend I'll try it.
Your cd drive's entry in the of device tree has just been messed up. To zap the PRAM in this situation on a ppc mini, unplug it from the wall socket. Then, holding the power button on the back of the mini, plug it back into the wall socket, then release the button. It should restart. If it doesn't, just hit the button again.. You can now use the c-key or option key steps.
It actually turns out that my boot media is all junk. I decided to pop the Debian Linux boot cd I used two years ago and it went right into the boot menu. I've got new media coming down the wire right now, as another working boot CD I found simply kernel panics during boot. I may even have to pull a miracle out my posterior and somehow get the bootable info from the broken CD over to my non-booting DVD...
Burn at the slowest speed possible to make media which will be most usable. Some cheap media or low powered drives (such as laptop drives, like in a mini) aren't good at high speeds.
I second this. Especially with Ubuntu, I've only had luck when burning at the lowest speed (even the next to lowest speed if I don't feel like waiting that long).