Help! Leopard Install DVD not working... BaseSystem error

Have you reset the PRAM?

Safe Boot is a special way to start up in Mac OS X 10.2 or later when troubleshooting. Safe Mode is the state Mac OS X is in after a Safe Boot.

Products Affected
Mac OS X Server 10.4, Mac OS X Server 10.3, Mac OS X Server 10.2, Mac OS X Server 10.5, Mac OS X 10.5, Mac OS X 10.2, Mac OS X 10.3, Mac OS X 10.4
Starting up into Safe Mode does three things to simplify the startup and operation of your computer:

It forces a directory check of the startup volume.
It loads only required kernel extensions (some of the items in /System/Library/Extensions).
In Mac OS X 10.3.9 or earlier, it runs only Apple-installed startup items (such items may be installed either in /Library/StartupItems or in /System/Library/StartupItems; these are different than user-selected account login items)
Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger only: It disables all fonts other than those in /System/Library/Fonts .
Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger only: It moves to the Trash all font caches normally stored in /Library/Caches/com.apple.ATS/(uid)/ , where (uid) is a user ID number such as 501.
Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger only: It disables all startup items and any login items.
Mac OS X 10.5.6 or later: A Safe Boot deletes the dynamic loader shared cache at (/var/db/dyld/). Restarting recreates this cache. A cache with issues may cause a blue screen on startup, particularly after a Software Update.
Taken together, these changes can work around issues caused by software or directory damage on the startup volume.

Some features don't work in Safe Mode
Safe Mode can be useful for troubleshooting. However, certain Mac OS X features do not work in Safe Mode. For example, you can't use DVD Player, capture video in iMovie, use audio input or output devices, or use an internal or external USB modem. The behavior of some devices such as an AirPort card may vary depending on computer and Mac OS X version.

Additional Information
See these articles:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1455?viewlocale=en_US

 

Normally, you should be able to go to Target Mode and select the volume that you would like to boot from, but since you've erased the drive that you would want to Target, you would have to target the startup disc, and it sounds like you're having problems doing that. Could be a bad disc?

 

If the error is occurring while validating the install media, then the problem is not with the hardware, but with the install disc itself.

This is a long shot, but sometimes when I have problems with install discs, I make a copy of the disc at a slower speed and try using the copy instead. Sometimes that will get me a functional install disc.

You might have to get a new copy of the install media from Apple.

 

That sounds about right. If you're getting this error when it tries to verify the install DVD (you don't want an operating system installed off a bad disc!), it's the disc.

So, trying to check the hardware, etc., is probably a wasted effort.

 

+2 ^^^ Yup, startup disc probably bad or just not able to be read. As the posters have said, try making another copy at a slower speed, and give it a go...

 

+1 ^^^ Keep us advised OP; sounds like the right thing to do, good luck...

 

Although it would seem logical that it's the disk, it is actually most likely the RAM. I've seen it a few times on various systems and fitting good RAM usually fixes the issue. The majority of the time you can swap the RAM back and it will work fine. Unfortunately this means problems on the MacBook Air as you can't replace the RAM.

I would get an external USB hard drive and install 10.5.6 onto it on another machine. Boot the MacBook Air from this drive and finish the set up process. After you've done that, use Disk Utility to clone the external drive onto the internal one.

 

Yeah, this would be my second guess too. If it's not failing during the disk verification stage, but failing afterwards, it could be bad RAM. I've had this happen to me on one occasion with bad RAM.

 

yep a reinstall on my MacBook Pro was stopping at Base System. ending up being bad RAM, was replaced and then the install worked perfectly.

 

The retail version of Leopard will work on anything current. The retail version of Tiger won't, as I recall, work on Intel machines (a special Intel build of Tiger was made available on the install discs that shipped with Intel machines).

 

Hi,

OS wise there should be no difference with the retail DVD and the copy that came with the Air. The Air DVD, however, may have additional software on it such as games, iLife, and such. Once you have updated your Air try poping in the DVD that came with it and see if there is additional software that you would like to install. I'm going off of hazy memory, but I believe you will have to boot off the Air DVD to access the extra software.

s.

 

Good to know Phil; hope everything is fine with your MBA. A bit complicated, but it sounds like you got it up and running....

 

Well i had that same problem too but it turned out that the disc was gone bad