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iMac G3: Swapped HDD for CF Card but now won't boot

parish

parish

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Apr 14, 2009
1,082
2
Wilts., UK
I've got an IDE->CF Card adaptor.

Connected it to my iMac G3 using a USB->IDE bridge.

Formatted it Apple Partition Map, HFS+ Journaled.

Used Carbon Copy Cloner to clone the HDD.

Replaced the HDD with the CF Card and started it up - but it won't boot.

A small icon of a folder with a '?' appears for about a second, then the normal Apple logo and the progress spinner appears. After a couple of minutes the Apple logo changes to a "forbidden" sign (circle with a diagonal line through it) but the spinner continues spinning. It never gets any further.

Any idea what I've missed or done wrong?

BTW, I don't have the normal Apple keyboard, I'm using a PC USB keyboard so if any of the suggestions involves a Command-Option key combination you'll need to tell me how to achieve it with a PC keyboard.
 
parish

parish

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Apr 14, 2009
1,082
2
Wilts., UK
Intell said:
Start it up in verbose mode, Windows key-V, and tell us at what line it stops at.
Click to expand...

"Still waiting for root device" I've attached a photo of the screen in case there's anything else there that is significant.

I've just thought; the adaptor has a Master/Slave jumper on it. I wonder if it's worth swapping it over? I just left it as it was out-of-the-box. I take it that Macs are like PCs in that the HDD is Master and the CD drive is slave?
 

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Intell

Intell

macrumors P6
Jan 24, 2010
18,955
509
Inside
Do try switching the jumper. Also try starting it with the optical drive disconnected from the IDE cable.
 
California

California

macrumors 68040
Aug 21, 2004
3,885
90
parish said:
I've got an IDE->CF Card adaptor.

Connected it to my iMac G3 using a USB->IDE bridge.

Formatted it Apple Partition Map, HFS+ Journaled.

Used Carbon Copy Cloner to clone the HDD.

Replaced the HDD with the CF Card and started it up - but it won't boot.

A small icon of a folder with a '?' appears for about a second, then the normal Apple logo and the progress spinner appears. After a couple of minutes the Apple logo changes to a "forbidden" sign (circle with a diagonal line through it) but the spinner continues spinning. It never gets any further.

Any idea what I've missed or done wrong?

BTW, I don't have the normal Apple keyboard, I'm using a PC USB keyboard so if any of the suggestions involves a Command-Option key combination you'll need to tell me how to achieve it with a PC keyboard.
Click to expand...

Agree with another poster: If it is connecting through a USB bridge, then it is trying to connect through the USB?

If so, this is why it won't boot. You can't boot old iMacs through USB.

I have the original discs for that iMac DV 400, I think it is OS X 10.1.2 and 9.2.2 if you need them (just found a bunch of old cds for iMac G3s.)
 
parish

parish

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Apr 14, 2009
1,082
2
Wilts., UK
California said:
Agree with another poster: If it is connecting through a USB bridge, then it is trying to connect through the USB?

If so, this is why it won't boot. You can't boot old iMacs through USB.
Click to expand...

I only used the USB bridge in order to clone the HDD to the CF card. I then replaced the HDD with the CF card and adaptor.

Intell said:
I'm thinking he put the CF into a IDE adapter and put it inside on the IDE bus and only use the USB/IDE to clone the internal HDD onto the CF.
Click to expand...

Yes, that's right.

Intell said:
You can boot slot loading iMac's via USB.
Click to expand...

Can you? Does this apply to all slot-loading iMacs or just the later ones? Mine is a Ruby 400MHz.

Intell said:
Yes, any Mac with USB 1.1 can. Only the USB 1.0 ones can't. https://support.apple.com/kb/TA25908
Click to expand...

Thanks for that link, but it appears to only apply to G4 iMacs, mine's a G3, although it is USB1.1
 
parish

parish

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Apr 14, 2009
1,082
2
Wilts., UK
Intell said:
Do try switching the jumper. Also try starting it with the optical drive disconnected from the IDE cable.
Click to expand...

OK, I tried with the jumper in both positions and removed; same result. Then I disconnected the optical drive, put the jumper back in its original position and voilà it booted.

I doubt I'll ever need the optical drive (it's only a CD, not DVD) but it would be nice to have it working. any ideas?
 
Intell

Intell

macrumors P6
Jan 24, 2010
18,955
509
Inside
parish said:
OK, I tried with the jumper in both positions and removed; same result. Then I disconnected the optical drive, put the jumper back in its original position and voilà it booted.

I doubt I'll ever need the optical drive (it's only a CD, not DVD) but it would be nice to have it working. any ideas?
Click to expand...

If you removed the circuit board from the rear of the optical drive, you should see a little switch for slave/master. Take note of what the optical drive is and put the CF adapter onto the opposite and try to boot with both connected. If it boots good. If not, put the optical drive on the apposite of what its default is and switch the CF adapter as well. Then try to boot.
 
parish

parish

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Apr 14, 2009
1,082
2
Wilts., UK
Intell said:
If you removed the circuit board from the rear of the optical drive, you should see a little switch for slave/master. Take note of what the optical drive is and put the CF adapter onto the opposite and try to boot with both connected. If it boots good. If not, put the optical drive on the apposite of what its default is and switch the CF adapter as well. Then try to boot.
Click to expand...

The HDD is jumpered Master so presumably the CD is Slave.

I've put it back together now but the CF card adaptor had the jumper labelled in an unusual way. Instead of just Master and Slave it was

1-2 - Master/Slave
2-3 - Slave/Master

The circuit board looks as though it could have a second CF slot on the back (this one only has the one) so maybe the jumper is just for the two CF cards - although why they need a jumper I don't know as you could just swap the two cards over.

Oh well, the main thing is that I've now replaced the HDD and it is noticeably quicker, not to mention totally silent.

Thanks for your help :)
 
parish

parish

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Apr 14, 2009
1,082
2
Wilts., UK
Intell said:
If you removed the circuit board from the rear of the optical drive, you should see a little switch for slave/master. Take note of what the optical drive is and put the CF adapter onto the opposite and try to boot with both connected. If it boots good. If not, put the optical drive on the apposite of what its default is and switch the CF adapter as well. Then try to boot.
Click to expand...

Finally got around to trying this. Switched the CD from Slave to Master and left the CF Card jumper in its default position.

Booted OK and the CD drive worked, in the sense that it would load a CD but couldn't recognize it in iTunes. Check System Profiler and there was no CD drive under ATA.

Swapped the jumper on the CF Card and now everything works perfectly :)

Many thanks for your help Intell :)
 
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