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TimUK

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 19, 2011
4
0
After running Onyx on my Macbook OSX 10.4 I receive a message reporting that the 'Volume needs to be repaired' and to 'Repair the startup-disc' I should boot from the Install disc and run the Disk utility. I have the discs to hand but sadly the MacBook's CD/DVD drive failed some time ago and I cannot read the necessary disc.

I tried the disk utility in the Utilities folder but, again, it asked me to do the CD/Boot operation.

Is there a downloadable disc utility that might repair the startup volume or any other means to do the job without a CD drive? Or perhaps a USB drive util if I could make the MacBook boot from that?

Tim
 
You can restore your install CDs onto a HDD or a 8gb or bigger thumb drive then boot from that by holding option on startup and choosing the correct volume. To do this you will of course need access to a working CD drive. On a mac it is very easy to restore the external drive from the CD using disk ulitliy.

Instructions

I am not sure exactly how to do it on a PC but I am sure it is possible with the right software.
 
I am not sure exactly how to do it on a PC but I am sure it is possible with the right software.

Thanks for this advice. I have an old iBook G3 with a working CD/DVD drive but need to locate a suitable disk copy utility, something SuperDuper, that will run on its OS9 so I can copy the Install CD to a USB drive.
 
Thanks for this advice. I have an old iBook G3 with a working CD/DVD drive but need to locate a suitable disk copy utility, something SuperDuper, that will run on its OS9 so I can copy the Install CD to a USB drive.

If you have another Mac with a working optical drive, it's amazingly simple.

1. Put Install Disk into iBook.
2. Boot iBook into Target Disk Mode (hold down 'T' right after you press the power button).
3. Connect the FireWire port on your MacBook to the FireWire port on your iBook using a cheap cable.
4. Turn on the MacBook, holding Option right after pressing the power button.
5. Select the Install Disk when it shows up, and your MacBook will boot from it.
6. Revel in the joy of getting your MacBook working again.
 
If you have another Mac with a working optical drive, it's amazingly simple.

1. Put Install Disk into iBook.
2. Boot iBook into Target Disk Mode (hold down 'T' right after you press the power button).
3. Connect the FireWire port on your MacBook to the FireWire port on your iBook using a cheap cable.
4. Turn on the MacBook, holding Option right after pressing the power button.
5. Select the Install Disk when it shows up, and your MacBook will boot from it.
6. Revel in the joy of getting your MacBook working again.

Thanks for this advice, and answering my other thread. I am new to Macs. My expanding box of computer wires oddly doesn't have a firewire cable but I'll track one down tomorrow. I take it that firewire nodes can be connected directly without some special 'Reversing' cable?

Tim
 
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