Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Multiple installers on a FW HD?

A

AmanO

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 9, 2008
107
11
Mac Pro 4,1 6 core 3.46, 16 of 1333. GTX970
I have a few macs. All are PPC except a MB with a C2D.

I have an external FW400/800 Iomega HD. I have it partitioned into at least 6 parts. I want to be able to boot off of each of them and install an OS from them. I have Leopard on one already and can install from it.

When I try to restore an install image (have tried SL and Tiger) it will not let me put anything in the source? blank. Is this because the result will have the same name as the Leopard install?

Is this a pipe dream? I have a second (and 3rd) external FW400 drive. Can I restore to those and drag and drop onto the other partitions?
 
I do this with various luck but I do have a FW drive that has OS 9,10.0,10.1,10.2,10.3,10.4 and 10.5 - some don't work and require CDs sadly
 
I had all of the disks as DMGs and restored that to the Apple Partition Map formatted drive - each partition acts as its own drive - pretty simple nothing too complex here. Lion can do this as can older OS's from I believe Panther on.
 
AmanO said:
I have a few macs. All are PPC except a MB with a C2D.

I have an external FW400/800 Iomega HD. I have it partitioned into at least 6 parts. I want to be able to boot off of each of them and install an OS from them. I have Leopard on one already and can install from it.

When I try to restore an install image (have tried SL and Tiger) it will not let me put anything in the source? blank. Is this because the result will have the same name as the Leopard install?

Is this a pipe dream? I have a second (and 3rd) external FW400 drive. Can I restore to those and drag and drop onto the other partitions?
Click to expand...

Try CCC.
http://www.bombich.com/
 
Are you trying to install these OS's on your Intel and PowerPC Macs? If so thats your issue right there.

If you originally formatted that drive on your Intel machine then it would use GUID partition map or if you used a PowerPC system to format it it would have used the Apple Partition Map. Both can work on both but only as a non-boot drive.

GUID partitioned HD's will only let you do OS installs on Intel and Apple Partition Map only on PowerPC. This is a very common thing that few Mac users seem to understand.
 
AmanO said:
Thanks for the info, guys. I will check into what I did. I do not remember which system I formatted on.
Click to expand...

The moral of the story is that you cannot have one drive boot multiple Mac OS X versions on Intel and PowerPC. You need one for each architecture.
 
AmanO said:
But I can split a drive in half by whatever means and format half with an intel box and the other with PPC? Then restore images as I see fit?
Click to expand...

I have already explained this..

You cannot have a mixed partition map. How many times do I need to say the same words? You ask for help.. you get the right answer.. you still ask the same question. You have also seen on your own that it won't work.

A drive can only have one partition mapping and then it uses hfs+ to format the 1 or more partitions you have. Only the GUID and Apple Partition Map exist on Mac.

GUID = Intel bootable partition map.

Apple Partition Map = PowerPC bootable partition map.

You cannot use more than one partition mapping. Not possible.

You will never be able to boot one drive on Intel and PowerPC systems. Not if you use 1 or 2 or 3 or however many partitions. Not at all possible. Please tell me you understand this. It can't be put in a more simple way.

Read more about it to help you understand better:

GUID: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GUID_Partition_Table

APM: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Partition_Map
 
Last edited:
zen.state said:
I have already explained this..

You cannot have a mixed partition map. How many times do I need to say the same words? You ask for help.. you get the right answer.. you still ask the same question. You have also seen on your own that it won't work.

A drive can only have one partition mapping and then it uses hfs+ to format the 1 or more partitions you have. Only the GUID and Apple Partition Map exist on Mac.

GUID = Intel bootable partition map.

Apple Partition Map = PowerPC bootable partition map.

You cannot use more than one partition mapping. Not possible.

You will never be able to boot one drive on Intel and PowerPC systems. Not if you use 1 or 2 or 3 or however many partitions. Not at all possible. Please tell me you understand this. It can't be put in a more simple way.
Click to expand...

My Intel C2D iMac will boot to APM or Guid. I'm booted to a drive that is partitioned with APM now, with Leopard. I know that I can't install SL or Lion on this drive.
 
stroked said:
My Intel C2D iMac will boot to APM or Guid. I'm booted to a drive that is partitioned with APM now, with Leopard. I know that I can't install SL or Lion on this drive.
Click to expand...

Not saying you're not right but that differs from my experience and what several sources say.

From wiki:
"Intel-based Mac computers cannot boot Mac OS X from APM disks. Otherwise APM disks can be used normally. PowerPC-based systems can only boot Mac OS from APM disks, but otherwise can use GUID Partition Table disks normally"
 
zen.state said:
Not saying you're not right but that differs from my experience and what several sources say.

From wiki:
"Intel-based Mac computers cannot boot Mac OS X from APM disks. Otherwise APM disks can be used normally. PowerPC-based systems can only boot Mac OS from APM disks, but otherwise can use GUID Partition Table disks normally"
Click to expand...

All I know is what my iMac will do.
 

Attachments

  • pic.jpg
    pic.jpg
    644 KB · Views: 91
I can confirm that it is possible to boot an Intel iMac from a APM formatted disk. The procedure however is relatively complicated, and Ive only ever had success using this method on a Early 2006 Intel iMac. I couldnt get the same method to work with a 2008 iMac, so I dont know how possible this is with todays Macs. The procedure I used is pretty well describedhere, although its complicated, and again I repeat, I have had no success doing the same thing with any Mac made in 2008 or later.

My current suspicion is that this ability is limited to those Macs which shipped with the Intel Build of Tiger (whatever OS they run now), although as with all suspicions, this could be very misguided.
 
chrismacguy said:
I can confirm that it is possible to boot an Intel iMac from a APM formatted disk. The procedure however is relatively complicated, and Ive only ever had success using this method on a Early 2006 Intel iMac. I couldnt get the same method to work with a 2008 iMac, so I dont know how possible this is with todays Macs. The procedure I used is pretty well describedhere, although its complicated, and again I repeat, I have had no success doing the same thing with any Mac made in 2008 or later.

My current suspicion is that this ability is limited to those Macs which shipped with the Intel Build of Tiger (whatever OS they run now), although as with all suspicions, this could be very misguided.
Click to expand...

I have the late 2006 iMac, and it did come with Tiger. However, it is easy to boot to a APM HDD. I just hold down the option key, after I turn on my Mac.
 
I did not put 2 and 2 together about the partition maps. I should have. But you have not actually solved my problem.

I have not even got to the part of booting. I cannot RESTORE to more than one partition. I did happen to pick one of the 2? OSes that can be installed on both PPC and Intel but do not see what that has to do with it. Whether I have formatted with a PPC or Intel mac, have you stated that I cannot RESTORE the opposite ones' OSes? At this point I am not trying to install an OS or boot off one. Just restore the install files.

Since the Intel boxes can boot off of USB easily I will put a drive together with partitions of Leopard, SN and Lion. Is the GUID partition map compatible with XP-7? Can I have a drive with those and OSX installers on it?

My other mistake was implying that your info (though helpful) had solved my issue (or could) through my own comments. I apologize for that.

Unless there is something else I am missing (either in print or otherwise)

Plus now the ****er is not mounting in my MDD. I am pretty sure the FW800/400 ports are fine. I have too many macs lying around.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back