PowerMac G4 finder and question mark and won't read hard drive

Discussion in 'PowerPC Macs' started by macuser1232, Aug 4, 2012.

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  1. macuser1232, Aug 4, 2012
    Last edited: Aug 4, 2012

    macuser1232 macrumors 6502a

    macuser1232

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    #1
    Hi,

    I just purchased a Mac G4 and when I start it up I get the finder logo and a blinking question mark. I am almost positive it is because the Mac can't find the system folder but I have tried putting multiple hard drive's in it and the Mac G4 can't read any of them. I tried holding the option key down to see and there was no hard drive icon visible. Also the cd drive won't work because when I stuck a Linux cd into it and held down "C" it didn't do anything.
     
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  2. Intell, Aug 4, 2012

    Intell macrumors P6

    Intell

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    #2
    Do the hard drives you're putting in have a known good, bootable Mac OS 9.x.x, 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, or 10.4 installation on them?
     
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  3. macuser1232, Aug 4, 2012

    macuser1232 thread starter macrumors 6502a

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    #3
    No. They are all clean hard drives. Well maybe not completely clean. I'm working on fully wiping them.
     
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  4. Intell, Aug 4, 2012

    Intell macrumors P6

    Intell

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    #4
    If they are blank hard drives, what is the iMac supposed to boot from? A Linux cd likely won't work to well for booting and the C at boot can be unreliable when starting up. It's best to always use Option and select the optical disc. Try using a Mac disc to start up the iMac.
     
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  5. Ariii, Aug 4, 2012

    Ariii macrumors 6502a

    Ariii

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    #5
    What model do you have? Some G3's can boot off of USB. Some have target disk mode as well.
     
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  6. macuser1232, Aug 4, 2012

    macuser1232 thread starter macrumors 6502a

    macuser1232

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    #6
    Sorry guys it is actually a G4!

    ----------
    I don't have any Mac discs. Right now I am mainly focused on getting the Mac to read the hard drive I have in it when I hold down Option. After I get the hard drive working I'll get an OS. Also, is there any specific monitor I should get for my G4?
     
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  7. Intell, Aug 4, 2012

    Intell macrumors P6

    Intell

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    #7
    A hard drive will not show up at the boot menu (option at boot) unless it has a bootable installation on it.
     
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  8. macuser1232, Aug 4, 2012

    macuser1232 thread starter macrumors 6502a

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    #8
    hm ok. so how would I get a Mac OS (for example Tiger) onto one of the hard drives I have?
     
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  9. Intell, Aug 4, 2012

    Intell macrumors P6

    Intell

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    #9
    Do you have any Macs?
     
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  10. macuser1232, Aug 4, 2012

    macuser1232 thread starter macrumors 6502a

    macuser1232

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    #10
    Yes Macbook Pro but I don't know where the Snow Leopard disk is(even though it wouldn't work for the g4) and I am actually running Mountain Lion on it.
     
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  11. Intell, Aug 4, 2012

    Intell macrumors P6

    Intell

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    #11
    You'll have to find a Panther, Tiger, or Leopard disc to get Mac OS X working on that iMac.
     
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  12. macuser1232, Aug 4, 2012

    macuser1232 thread starter macrumors 6502a

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    #12
    Sounds good. But why won't it read the Linux Tiny Core CD I put into it?
    __________________
    Last edited by Intell; Yesterday at 9:41 AM.
     
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  13. Intell, Aug 4, 2012

    Intell macrumors P6

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    #13
    Some Macs need a special boot loader that is very hard to put onto a cd.
     
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  14. macuser1232, Aug 4, 2012

    macuser1232 thread starter macrumors 6502a

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    #14
    oh ok. Ya I always knew that Linux would always work best on my old PC desktops :) . And laptops.
     
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  15. macuser1232, Aug 4, 2012

    macuser1232 thread starter macrumors 6502a

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    #15
    I noticed the cd/dvd drive has an orange light that comes on. What does that mean? I'm guessing that's why the cd won't work.
     
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  16. Intell, Aug 4, 2012

    Intell macrumors P6

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    #16
    That just means that it's checking for a disc at startup. Completely normal.
     
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  17. zen.state, Aug 5, 2012

    zen.state macrumors 68020

    zen.state

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    #17
    So you don't understand that a computer needs an OS to boot or what it means when an optical drive activity light blinks. Is this the first time you have ever used a computer?
     
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  18. macuser1232, Aug 5, 2012

    macuser1232 thread starter macrumors 6502a

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    #18
    ... I have a considerable amount of knowledge in computers. It's just that when I put a blank hard drive in this old PC desktop, it recognized it even though there was noting on it.
     
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  19. Intell, Aug 5, 2012

    Intell macrumors P6

    Intell

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    #19
    The BIOS sees the drive. Macs don't have a BIOS. Thus, their boot menu won't show it. They have OpenFirmware, which can detect the drive and show you information about it if you put in the correct command.
     
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  20. Lil Chillbil, Aug 5, 2012
    Last edited: Aug 5, 2012

    Lil Chillbil macrumors 65816

    Lil Chillbil

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    #20
    sorry
     
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  21. jbarley, Aug 5, 2012
    Last edited: Aug 5, 2012

    jbarley macrumors 68030

    jbarley

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    #21
    This qualifies as a "Troll post" pure and simple, offering absolutely no helpful advice and designed only to be inflammatory.

    Didn't your momma ever tell you "if you can't say something nice, it's best to say nothing at all?"
     
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  22. macuser1232, Aug 5, 2012

    macuser1232 thread starter macrumors 6502a

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    #22
    Ohh Ok thanks. I noticed it didn't have a BIOS!
     
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  23. DrakkenWar, Aug 6, 2012

    DrakkenWar macrumors 6502

    DrakkenWar

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    #23
    Ugh.. There is google.. And yet so many do not use it...

    http://forum.tinycorelinux.net/index.php?topic=13404.0

    TinyCore linux does not and will not work on a PPC based mac. There are some other recent threads around discussing different flavors of linux viability on PPC. If you are truly not trolling I would suggested taking a look about at those.

    Since you do not have an MAC OS disks around that will work in that particular computer, I would suggestL http://mintppc.org/. While you do have to register to get access to the iso, it is really one of the best out there if you want to give an alternative os a go. Download to your mac, burn the .iso file as a bootable image, insert into your G4, hold the "C" key, and install should be pretty easy to follow.
     
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  24. macuser1232, Aug 7, 2012

    macuser1232 thread starter macrumors 6502a

    macuser1232

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    #24
    One step ahead of you :) I literally got mintppc a couple days ago and it always freezes up when it get's to the languages page. I just bought some more ram for it and I thought maybe that would fix it but it didn't(I didn't buy the extra ram just to see if mintppc would work) Also, since Macs use EFI firmware and not BIOS I don't know how I can check how much ram I have installed.
     
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  25. MagicBoy, Aug 7, 2012

    MagicBoy macrumors 68040

    MagicBoy

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    #25
    PowerPC macs are quite different to a Wintel PC, or an Intel Mac for that matter. There's no BIOS or EFI, they use OpenFirmware.

    If you need to test the machine it's best to get hold of the Apple Hardware Test CD.
     
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