Kernel Panic (Maybe?)

[Hiveminds]

Today I was preparing to get rid of my bootcamp'd windows7, change the partition size, and install XP. Well, I decided instead that I would just get a fresh OS X install, and install XP through the new bootcamp.

So, I popped in my XP disc, and went through the partition manager that comes with it (I don't know how to do it through mac) deleted all my partitions and installed windows so I could operate the cd-drive, and put in my OSX install disc (perhaps I should mention I formatted it all to NTFS, thinking I could just reformat the whole thing with the OS X install like you can with windows).

So, now I have a full NTFS partition, XP works fine. I can put in my OS X cd, restart and attempt to boot from a cd either from holding down option, or c at boot. When I try to do this, it pops up the kernel panic power icon, and gives me the "restart your computer" message.

In recap my computer kernel panics on boot from cd.

Here's the question: Is this a true kernel panic, or is it due to the fact I don't have a partition available for mac to boot from? I didn't change any hardware, it was working perfectly fine prior to the -attempted- reinstall, and my XP install is working fine (minus the drivers), and after some research kernel panics tend to happen after hardware failures, in fact I had one happen a few months ago when my video card bit the dust.

Any advice is welcome.

Thank you for your advice in advance,
Mark

 

[Makosuke]

It's a "true" kernel panic, all right--there's no such thing as a false one.

The cause, however, is probably the way you formatted the drive, not a hardware problem. I'm a little surprised it panic'd instead of just refusing to install, but regardless I'm fairly certain OSX will refuse to install on a drive formatted through Windows. In fact, you can't even install Windows if you partition the drive from Disk Utility in the installer--you MUST create the partition through the Boot Camp utility after OSX is already installed (I learned this the hard way at work after pre-partitioning and clean installing OSX).

Presumably the Boot Camp installer does some magic to the partition scheme to allow OSX to boot from EFI and XP (etc) to boot with BIOS emulation. If you partition the drive through XP, there's no question that magic isn't happening. Further, XP isn't going to create a GUID partition table that OSX needs to boot, so you wouldn'tve been able to install OSX on the free partition anyway.

You're going to need to use Disk Utility from the OSX install disc to reparition the drive as a single-partition GUID volume (Disk Utility is accessible through the installer's menus, and it's pretty self-explanatory--there are also plenty of threads here explaining how to partition with it). Then, after installing OSX on that partition, do the Boot Camp dance.

Of course, wiping the drive again to get at it if the OSX installer is crashing on boot is a little tricky (sounds like maybe you're stuck booting into BIOS emulation?); maybe use the XP disc to completely wipe the drive, then see if you can get the Mac installer to boot.

If that doesn't work you might try resetting the PRAM (command-option-P-R at powerup until it chimes a couple of times) or doing an SMC reset (check Apple's KBase for the method on your particular model). It's possible you had a coincidental hardware failure at exactly the wrong moment, but probably not.

Or, maybe someone else knows what's up.

 

[Hiveminds]

Thanks for the reply,

I reset the PRAM/NVRAM(I believe that's the name) as per the apple help thing.
I also deleted all partitions from the harddrive via XP install disc, and tried to reinstall OS X, still kernel panicking.

I tried running an Apple Hardware Test, but it freezes, which leads me to believe it's a hardware problem, albeit at an extremely unlucky time.

 

[Tumbleweed666]

I also deleted all partitions from the harddrive via XP install disc, and tried to reinstall OS X, still kernel panicking.

Did you try just running Disk Utility rather than installing OSX? Or does it panic before you get as far as choosing DU?

 

[Hiveminds]

It panics before the disc can even load, it's as if it's panicking BECAUSE of the cd.

 

[Makosuke]

Ok, if it's freezing on the hardware test disc, it does sound an awful lot like a weirdly timed hardware failure.

That said, the fact that you can get XP to install and boot is awfully strange if there's a motherboard or drive problem severe enough to be crashing even the hardware test.

Assuming that's the case, that narrows it down to either the optical drive or the optical disc itself.

So: Can you still get it to boot from the XP install disc (or otherwise test that the drive is working via XP)? If so, is your OS install on the same physical disc as the hardware test? (That is, are you using the disc that came with the machine to install the OS?)

If yes, then I'd be rather inclined to think that you just have a bad install disc--see if you can see any scratches on it and maybe buff the underside a bit. If you can find another OS install disc (try a friend, or if you haven't already even pay the $30 for a Snow Leopard disc), try that and see if you can get that to boot.

One other question: Have you installed the full Boot Camp tools into XP, and are you then selecting the "Boot to Mac" option before booting into the OS install disc? If there's something weird going on in the EFI, that should fix it/set it correctly. If not, try that.

 

[Hiveminds]

Solution found, thanks for the help everyone.

Turns out my OS X disc was corrupted, and thus causing the kernel panic on load. Went down to the apple store and got Snow Leopard. Installed the new OS, and now have no problems.