Installing OSX to external HD

[pknz]

Okay, I think I must be doing something wrong...

I am trying to install OSX 10.4 to Firewire 400 external hard drive. Each time it finished the installation, says the computer will restart in 30 seconds, restarts and then goes to a grey screen as it can't find OS X on the external HD, it then shows a folder with '?' and proceeds to start up from the internal HD...

At not point through the installation did it make me put OSX Installation DVD 2 in...

This is the 3rd time this is has now happened, from two different 10.4 installation discs...

 

[mad jew]

So if you start up while holding OPTION, does it only show you the OSX CD and your internal drive? Did you reformat the external drive first? What partition table did you use?

 

[pknz]

Now I have tried to install 10.3 via my iBook, and seem to have gotten the grey screen where it cannot start the computer up from the OS X that has been installed onto the external HD.


Mad Jew: Holding option on start up resulted in the iBook searching for several minutes ( it is currently still searching)

 

[mad jew]

Err, what? Maybe start from the beginning. Reformat the drive in Disk Utility as Mac OS Extended (Journaled) with Apple Partition Map as the partition scheme.

 

[pknz]

Ah K, I will start again

Okay its reformatted. Now booting up iMac from Mac OSX Install Disc 1

 

[pknz]

Oh and bam, it was all installing still from Disc 1 and then message says "Computer will restart in XX seconds" it then restarts and cannot start up from the external hard drive.... I will post a screen shot of the what is on the external HD in a moment.

Holding down option results in the watch cursor coming up and detecting no OS X drives...

 

[mad jew]

Weird. If you've picked the right partition map then it should be fine. It shouldn't matter, but is this a retail copy of Tiger? Also, have you tried using a different Firewire cable and port?

 

[pknz]

Yeah its the OS X install discs that came with the iMac, they have worked before, the other copy came with another iMac.

 

[mad jew]

What does it say next to Partition Scheme in Disk Utility?

Holding down option results in the watch cursor coming up and detecting no OS X drives...

So OSX isn't installed/recognised on the boot drive either?

 

[pknz]

I think it just looks on the external drive and confuses itself with "semi installed" OS X and can't really proceed as OS X works fine on the internal drive.

In the Start Up Disc preferences pane it does show the external drive as having OS X 10.4.

Will try a different cable now.

And Disc Utility shows:

 

[pknz]

This is how it ends(still on Disc 1 by the way) :Finishing Installation: Running Essentials Installer Script 19 mins remaining. Then goes through a few more scripts, 18 minutes remaining, then finishes and restarts. And external harddrive remains non-booting.

 

[topgun072003]

erase the drive...repartition and start over. That folder with the question mark means that its not finding a bootable OS. Wipe the external, repartition and start it over. I've seen that folder before...its not a good one. Try putting tiger on again, but with a completely clean slate. If THAT doesn't work then...dang.

 

[pknz]

All bar one installation, I selected OS X to erase the HD before installing OS X. And I formatted it twice through Disk Utility.

Grrrr 6 times now

 

[YS2003]

Have you made it work? I use CCC to make the bootable copy on the external drive for my Macs.

Is there a benefit installing OS X on the external drive?

 

[DidYouLoseASock]

Sorry for bringing up such an old thread but pknz had my exact same problem that I am currently having, except that I am trying to install Leopard onto a 1TB external, oh how times have changed hahaha.

I am wondering if pknz ever figured it out.

Same problem exactly...