Installing OS X on laptop without CD Drive [Archive]

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htsai

Mar 9, 2004, 02:15 PM

OutThere

Mar 9, 2004, 04:30 PM

If you have firewire, then you can get a firewire cd drive (beg? borrow? steal?) and plug it in. Then put in the cd for OS X, and follow the instructions.

MacsRgr8

Mar 9, 2004, 04:41 PM

If you have a 2nd Mac with FireWire port around, you can boot the iBook in Target Disk mode (boot with "T" pressed), and connect it via FireWire to the other Mac.
The iBook HD will be mounted as a FireWire disk on the other Mac, and using that Mac you can install Mac OS X on the mounted iBook disk.

BTW, Just curious: which laptop do you have exactly? (can't remember iBook 333 <maybe I'm getting rusty though :( >)

SpaceMagic

Mar 10, 2004, 02:31 AM

The iBook 333 hasn't got FireWire. This is a toughy - I don't think you can install over a network because the Mac OS X CD in the computer you will be installing from won't be able to "see" the other hard drive PLUS at some point the iBook would have to restart, loosing the connection to the other Mac.

An idea, you could get a USB cd-rom drive, they are really cheap on eBay and they'll do the job - no need for FireWire.

Or, alternatively, why not go on eBay or another site and look for a replacement drive for your iBook? One company does a CD-RW for that iBook (forgotton its name, very famous upgrades etc).

Dreadnought

Mar 10, 2004, 12:28 PM

In the old days you could do this through a network via AppleTalk. I am talking here os 7.5.3 the last time I did this and that was with a G3 B&W and upgrading an old LC to 7.5.3. So, don't know if you can do this with os X.

elmimmo

Mar 10, 2004, 12:41 PM

I am pretty much at the same issue. I have a Bondy Blue iMac, with no Firewire and no working CD unit. How the heck do I reinstall the system (be it 9 or X).

Now it has 9 on it and the "boot" control panel (translating fro Spanish, I do not know the equivalence in English Mac OS 9) grays out any external USB optical drive I connect. It does, though give the option to net boot, but I never had a clue about how to set up a quick and dirty server that could act as a net boot system.

The other Macs we have are running 9.2.2, 10.2.8 and 10.3.2. Any hint would be extremely welcome.

_bnkr612

Mar 10, 2004, 12:54 PM

[QUOTE=elmimmo]I am pretty much at the same issue. I have a Bondy Blue iMac, with no Firewire and no working CD unit. How the heck do I reinstall the system (be it 9 or X).

You can fix this problem by upgrading/replacing your whole computer for a fairly decent price, ever check some refurbished or late model imacs? You're better off getting a newer one w/ firewire and a working CD unit.

Look into refurbs and discounts on the web...

cheers|bnkr

wordmunger

Mar 10, 2004, 01:03 PM

This is the cheapest USB CD drive (http://store.yahoo.com/surpluscomputers/sy8xexusb20c.html) I could find. For $49, it might be worth a try -- but it'd be very SLOW!

blue&whiteman

Mar 10, 2004, 01:09 PM

be sure that drive is mac bootable. if its not then you will not be able to install osx.

blackfox

Mar 10, 2004, 01:18 PM

I also have a similar problem too w/ my pismo (with broken DVD-ROM)...I do have an external FW drive, but I was under the impression that external drives do not work for the process (at some point I would think the drive would fail to show up...) is it possible to burn a disk image w/ toast or disk burner and do it that way...my ignorance is showing...(cue someone smarter)
(BTW it will be an upgrade from Jag to Panther, so I am waiting for 10.3.3 to be released...I have a little time)
*edit* oh, and panther comes on DVDs right, so my external FW CD-RW mentioned above is useless...******.

Doraemon

Mar 10, 2004, 01:21 PM

Uhm...there's no iBook 333 Mhz.

300, 366 or 466 MHz.

http://www.theapplemuseum.com/index.php?id=tam&page=portable&subpage=ibook

So which one is it then?

wordmunger

Mar 10, 2004, 01:30 PM

I
*edit* oh, and panther comes on DVDs right, so my external FW CD-RW mentioned above is useless...******.

No, it comes on CDs. Otherwise I wouldn't have been able to install it on my iBook (fortunately with a *working* CD-ROM drive!)

blackfox

Mar 10, 2004, 01:52 PM

No, it comes on CDs. Otherwise I wouldn't have been able to install it on my iBook (fortunately with a *working* CD-ROM drive!)
Cheers...

ebuddy889

Mar 23, 2004, 02:56 AM

I have an iBook G3 333 mhz, but the CD Rom Drive is not working. It is currently running OS 9.2, but I would like to install OS X Panther on it. Is there a way to do it using networking or firewire? Anything? Thank you for your help!
I have an imac G3 333mhz and I know for a fact that you cannot boot from any external drive. Whether it is USB or firewire. I imagine it's the same with the ibook. You should just replace the internal cd drive, they are cheap and easy to install.
The network option will not work either because you need to boot with the installer cd first and thats not possible over the network.

I'd buy a G5 if I were rich.....

elmimmo

Mar 23, 2004, 06:46 AM

You should just replace the internal cd drive, they are cheap and easy to install.Cheap? An authorized Apple service support asked for about $350 for a damn CD drive specifically intended for that computer. Do you know any online place with more reasonable prices?You can fix this problem by upgrading/replacing your whole computer for a fairly decent priceI wish people was a bit more conscious on the awful ammount of garbage we greedily throw every day. It is not because of the price to get a new one that I am not upgrading, it is because it is way powerful enough for its intended use, so I see no reason (except for the issue we are dealing in this thread) for trashing this computer.

iPC

Mar 23, 2004, 02:59 PM

Cheap? An authorized Apple service support asked for about $350 for a damn CD drive specifically intended for that computer. Do you know any online place with more reasonable prices?I wish people was a bit more conscious on the awful ammount of garbage we greedily throw every day. It is not because of the price to get a new one that I am not upgrading, it is because it is way powerful enough for its intended use, so I see no reason (except for the issue we are dealing in this thread) for trashing this computer.
Powerfull enough or not, it is dying. I would troll ebay for parts... or even a machine with a dead mobo but a good optical drive. Check your local paper, etc. There is not point in putting a new drive into a machine that old.

Refrub (from Apple with a warranty) prices:

iBook G3 starting at $699
eMac G4 starting at $539

appleboy

Mar 23, 2004, 04:32 PM

ok to install it on a computer without a cd drive you need a computer with just a clean install of osx nothing else on it network it to you ibook and drag all the osx folders over to your ibook via a network then use os 9.22 to start osx when osx starts it will hang hold the x key down then it will boot

elmimmo

Mar 25, 2004, 07:28 PM

Powerfull enough or not, it is dying. [...]There is not point in putting a new drive into a machine that old.Thank you for insisting on convincing me to get a new computer to do the same things I currently want to do and do with the one I have. It is NOT dying, everything works like a champ except for the optical drive. And last time I checked optical drive != computer. And be a bit more caring to your environment, please.

redAPPLE

Mar 30, 2004, 02:55 PM