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Stuck in the no OS muck

B

binaryslyder

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 17, 2007
25
0
Howdy Folks,

So I finally got my hands on an old G4 and I'm trying to install OSX tiger, but I'm a bit stuck.

Here's the Computer specs, as far as I know:

450mghz
1GB Ram
Seagate 7200 200gb HDD (Set to 127gb)
Currently no Keyboard, only mouse

So I put in my leopard disk just for fun and the G4 begins to go through the motions of preparing for install, then stops abruptly with the error message, "OSX cannot be installed on this machine." Ok, no problem. I was just goofing off.

I have an .iso file of tiger on my macbook that I'm trying to burn, so I can get this g4 running. I've tried four different burn options and the G4 still won't recognizes it.

What am I doing wrong?

Oh:

I'm burning DVD +R's on a Macbook using Toast 9. I've tried data CD's, ISO's and DVD-Rom. Nothing seems to work.
 
if you Torrented it (which i really hope you didn't) it's probably not bootable. Get the retail copy of Tiger off eBay or something.
 
msheldrick said:
if you Torrented it (which i really hope you didn't) it's probably not bootable. Get the retail copy of Tiger off eBay or something.
Click to expand...

Heh, naw. I learned a long time ago that D/Ling an OS is a BAAAAAAD idea. A friend of mine sent it to me. I'd have to wait a week for snail mail.

: (
 
binaryslyder said:
I'm burning DVD +R's on a Macbook using Toast 9. I've tried data CD's, ISO's and DVD-Rom. Nothing seems to work.
Click to expand...

Might not be anything, but I've personally had rotten luck with Macs and DVD+R discs. You might try a DVD-R.

Sky Blue said:
Did your friend purchase a copy for you?
Click to expand...

Does it really matter? It's his business how he got it. We're not the EULA police.
 
I've got a firewire and USB external drive. You think if I installed OSX to them I could get the G4 to boot, then install OSX on the internal?
 
A friend of mine just textd me and said that he thought there used to be an option whereby you could use one mac to install an Os on another mac.

I tried searching the forums for this but couldn't find any info beyond the new Macbook Air.

Any ideas?
 
Leopard will not run on a G4 450 Processor. Below min system requirements.

EDIT: Taken from Apple's Website.
General requirements
Mac computer with an Intel, PowerPC G5, or PowerPC G4 (867MHz or faster) processor

512MB of memory
DVD drive for installation
9GB of available disk space
Some features require a compatible Internet service provider; fees may apply.
Some features require Apple's .Mac service; fees apply.
 
binaryslyder said:
I've got a firewire and USB external drive. You think if I installed OSX to them I could get the G4 to boot, then install OSX on the internal?
Click to expand...

Ok. You can, but you're going to need to erase the external drive. Make sure you've got the stuff backed up, but if it's blank or something, don't worry. So...

  1. Fire up Disk Utility from your MacBook (Leopard or not, doesn't matter).
  2. Plug in the external HD (via FireWire) and click on the top level of it. So not the (presumably) single partition named something like binaryslyder's External HD, but the bit above it where it says 111.8GB... etc.
  3. On the right hand side, you'll have a bunch of options across the top. Click 'Partition', and hit the options button. Change the 'Volume Scheme' from 'Current' to '1 Partition'. Hit the options button directly underneath and select 'Apple Partition Map', then hit OK. Name it anything you like, but Tiger is sensible just in case the installer gets funny about special characters. Press 'Apply'.
  4. Now click on the 'Restore' tab. Where it says 'Source', drag the .iso of Tiger and let go. It should appear in there. Then drag the volume of your external HD you just created (the actual partition, not the top level I mentioned earlier— Tiger or whatever you called it) to the 'Destination' part. Then hit the 'Restore' button.

Once all that's done, eject the external HD, plug it into your G4 via FireWire (it won't boot via USB, unlike Intel Macs which can do both). and boot it up holding the alt key and select the Tiger volume.
 
Once all that's done, eject the external HD, plug it into your G4 via FireWire (it won't boot via USB, unlike Intel Macs which can do both). and boot it up holding the alt key and select the Tiger volume.
Click to expand...


Many thanks. I'll give this a shot over the next two hours (i'm working at home today) and I'll let you know how it goes. Also, I have to go out and buy a USB keyboard : ).

But thanks!
 
Dimwhit said:
If you know it's a hack, sure. But unless there's obvious reason to believe it is, no sense giving someone the third degree.
Click to expand...

Thanks for coming to my defense, but don't worry about it. These guys are all really sharp and don't want to hand out free advice if I'm stealing stuff. It seemed like a fair question.

Though I think its funny that your Icon is a pirate flag.
 
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