Garbage (typing) on Monitor G4 HELP

[Patth9]

Boy, I've messed something up really bad.

I'm running a G4 Mdd OS Tiger.

Today decided I would launch OS9, which is installed, but it is installed on 1/2 of a HD that also has Tiger partition. When the Mac tried to open OS9, the gong rang then there was a message that read, can not be read HD, do you want to initialize. I hadn't seen this message in many years; I clicked yes. Needless to say, in a second I knew this was not a good choice. I tried to stop what appeared to be happening, namely loosing every thing on the HD.

I have 3 HDs in this G4 one sata and 2 IDEs. These are three boot able HDs. Now when I try to start it up holding down the Option key, which allows the HD icons to appear, which they do, but all that happens is a screen full of strange typing and the word kernal appear near the bottom and other typing I don't understand. I do have a sata backup which I can switch with the sata HD.

I have NO clue what to do. And, I had just got every thing running so smoothly. HELP!

 

[eyoungren]

OK. From what I read it looks as if you started intializing the drive that had both OS9 and Tiger on it while booted in OS9.

That's pretty much then messed up your Tiger installation. I'd try booting from a Tiger install disk and then try an Archive and Install. Perhaps if you caught it before it proceeded too far you may have been able to save some of your data.

The screen you describe is called a kernel panic. You are getting a kernel panic because you are trying to boot into OS X when the OS installation has been messed up because you tried to initialize the disk in OS9. An archive and install or an erase and install is the only thing that is going to get a functional version of Tiger back on this drive.

If you cannot access the other two bootable drives (assuming that these drives are NOT partitions of the drive you just almost wiped) then it's likely that the HDD controller is now confused. You may have to mess with hard drive jumpers and try each drive one at a time until you get everything back working again.

BUT, if the other drives you mention were partitions of this particular drive, well, see if you can save what you can and then get ready to re-partition and reinstall whatever versions of the OS you had on those different partitions.

 

[Patth9]

I was afraid of that. I was going to boot from the Tiger CD, but how does one get the CD tray to come out if nothing else is working?

As I mentioned, I do have a backup sata that I could swop with the one in the G4, would that work? Then I could just wipe the other two IDEs clean and use them as storage.

I re-read your post and I believe you are telling to do what I've mention above.

Patt

 

[eyoungren]

I was afraid of that. I was going to boot from the Tiger CD, but how does one get the CD tray to come out if nothing else is working?

As I mentioned, I do have a backup sata that I could swop with the one in the G4, would that work? Then I could just wipe the other two IDEs clean and use them as storage.

I re-read your post and I believe you are telling to do what I've mention above.

Patt

You have nothing to lose in trying your backup. At the worst it won't work and you are no worse off then where you are now. I'd try it. If you can save any data from the other drive that is more current then I'd do that and then clone the backup to the messed up drive.

As for the optical drive. All optical drives have a manual eject hole built into them. Depending on what kind of G4 you have it may be more or less easy to pry the drive door down. If you can get the door down then you can see where the manual eject hole is and once you know where that is you can shove a straightened paperclip into that hole (with the Mac off). This will force the door open. Sometimes it doesn't come out all the way so you may have to pry it.

But once you get it open, put a disk in and then start the Mac. The Mac will automatically close the drive door and if you hold down option you should be able to select the disk once the Mac is done scanning the bus.

 

[Patth9]

Well, the backup HD worked. Good thing I just did a copy clone a few days ago, and the G4 isn't my MAIN computer, just my old friend where several programs live that I still need to/want to use.

I am most grateful for your help and so QUICKLY. I've been using Macs since 1995 and still I manage to jig when I should have jogged. Thank goodness there are helpers like you. If it hadn't been for the forums, I would never have lasted 19 years behind a computer.

Much gratitude,
Patt

PS Ha! while I was type this note, the other two HDs jumped up on the screen. How about that!

 

[eyoungren]

Well, the backup HD worked. Good thing I just did a copy clone a few days ago, and the G4 isn't my MAIN computer, just my old friend where several programs live that I still need to/want to use.

I am most grateful for your help and so QUICKLY. I've been using Macs since 1995 and still I manage to jig when I should have jogged. Thank goodness there are helpers like you. If it hadn't been for the forums, I would never have lasted 19 years behind a computer.

Much gratitude,
Patt

PS Ha! while I was type this note, the other two HDs jumped up on the screen. How about that!

Glad it worked out and that your backup made it possible. This is one of the reasons for backup!

Good luck and come back if you have more questions. We try to help. 😀

 

[Patth9]

Glad it worked out and that your backup made it possible. This is one of the reasons for backup!

Good luck and come back if you have more questions. We try to help. 😀

Believe it or not, but everything is still on the miss treated HD, the one that was inside the Mac, even OS9. Now I'm more puzzled than ever, but I am also counting my blessings.

One curious thing did happen, I posted recently that I have to pull the G4 main plug out each time I want to start it up. Others wrote to say they had the same problem. But, when I was trying all the different HDs on the G4 to get the Mac to come back up after I tried to kill it, I was able to restart over and over WITHOUT pulling the plug (main one). Now, that everything is back in order, I have to resume unplugging in order to start the Mac.