Help - "Installation failed" Mac OSX could not be installed

Hey Andrew from down under. Did you ever get it worked out? Just curious since you started the thread.

swaim

Hey guys!

I've finally had success installing Leopard too. I also removed 3rd party RAM and replaced with one stick of original Apple RAM. Installation worked perfectly, afterwards I was able to put my old RAM in my MacBook again. Everything's working alright now.

Obviously Apple didn't have the time to test the Installer with 3rd party RAM, so everybody who has only 3rd party RAM has to go buy a stick of original Apple RAM to be able to install Leopard

An update:

Still no 10.5. But at least I'm back to 10.4.
I erased the hard drive and zeroed it, using the 10.4 Mac Mini install disc version of 10.4.
then ran a full install, installed 10.4 ok.

So, sucker that I am, I've tried to install 10.5 again, this time using an archive and reinstall, as appeared to help others.

Nope. Great big yellow exclamation mark. Basesystem could not be verified again...

Incidentally, does anyone know why this thread is 'answered'?
It's all very well saying 'remove 3rd party ram', I'd like an answer to 'what if your replacement ram isn't the original ram and is there for a fix, not an upgrade and 10.5 won't install'!

At the moment, I'm using the mac mini 10.4 discs to zero the hard drive again and I'll reinstall 10.4.

I'm not going back to 10.5 until someone here can give me a solution (or a suggestion!). Hope that's soon...£79.99 this cost me and I've spent two days on it and all I've got to show for it is the need to reinstall apps to 10.4

I don't see how the different 'installer could not validate...' errors I experienced can be a general RAM issue.

The RAM in my MacBook Pro was Apple RAM (Hynix RAM from my new MacBook) and I had issues with the install.

It's possible that this is a randomly occurring issue, and that some people experience a working installation coincidentally after changing their RAM.

What seems more likely is that on some machines the DVD drive has intermittent problems reading the disc (low production quality of the disc? not a DVD expert), causing issues with the install.

Message was edited by: gavinfoster

I've read a number of people are having problems with their drives & the DVD. http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1206824&tstart=210
That's a list of people posting their drives from the system profiler on the Mac. Doesn't really mean much except it is a reference list for dvd drives of people with similar problems.

Another thread you might want to check out to learn all about upgrading and about some solutions to problems -- including this one -- that have worked for some people.
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1212243&tstart=0

turns out one of my ram dimms was original.
after taking the other one out the software installed without a hitch.
reinserted it and everything's fine so far. here's the deets,

*pb g4 1.5 ghz, 80gb, 2gb ram. (1 gb original)*

g4 dvd install *- failed, "essentials package" error*
---
g4 target mode dvd in macbook *- failed, asked for GUID partition map*
---
install image burned onto dvd *- failed, install media failed diagnostic*
---
install image on external fw drive *- failed, install media failed diagnostic test*
---
dvd in external fw dvd drive *- failed, booted but then got the beachball for 2 hrs*
---
removed unoriginal 1gb ram dimm *-succeeded on first attempt*

I was able to install 10.5 after removing the Apple original memory and only using my 3rd party RAM during installation. I had to make a "Erase and install" because my upgrade attempt ended with a spinning wheel of death at the login screen (but thats another story). After installation I plugged in my original memory and the 3rd party. Works fine. Seems like it´s some general memory problem with the install that happens with some memory sticks, Apples and others.

However, when I tried to install X Code after successfully installing Leopard, the installation failed and said that my disc was bad. I´ve had a support case with Apple and they have already sent me a replacement DVD which should arrive soon.

So maybe it is a combination of sources that make this situation occur.

I writing here because I would like others to know what may work for them, but also to make Apple aware of the problem and possible solutions. I really hope that Apple monitors these discussions. I wont consider this problem solved until I have a DVD in my hand that works without errors regardless of hardware configuration. Or an accknowledgement that Apple has delivered faulty RAM and a replacement of it.

Awesome! It looks like we've pinpointed the (or "a") problem with the Leopard installation.

Everyone who is having install problems-pull your 3rd party RAM and try installing with the original RAM that came from Apple with your computer!

I was trying to defend Apple a little bit on these problems, but a conflict between the install and 3rd party RAM? That is plain unexcusable...

Is there a way we can ALL contact Apple and report these issues to them in hopes that they release a revised installer? Maybe point them to this thread?

MyrkridianRhapsody wrote:
I was trying to defend Apple a little bit on these problems, but a conflict between the install and 3rd party RAM? That is plain unexcusable...

Is there a way we can ALL contact Apple and report these issues to them in hopes that they release a revised installer? Maybe point them to this thread?

You should defend Apple on this issue & you should not report this issue to Apple but to the seller of the third party RAM. Apple publishes the specifications these makers must meet if they want to legitimately claim Mac compatibility. When any RAM module (Apple or third party) does not meet the specs, you can't expect the Mac to be reliable.

It is not that unusual for a RAM module to be marginal enough that it works with an earlier version of the OS but not a later one (including the version on the installer disks), or to work most of the time but not all of the time, like when the Mac heats up, there is electrical noise in the AC power supplying the computer, & so on.

Most of the reputable third party RAM sellers offer a lifetime replacement guarantee. If a module you bought from them doesn't work with the installer or the OS once installed, return it for replacement.

I have a macbook with 2GB of apple installed memory, ie no "3rd party" memory. I was experiencing the AdditionalSpeechVoices problem, and after wasting much time, I decided I may as well try removing one of the ram modules…

I am now typing from leopard, which says to me this problem may be a ram quantity issue. For anyone with factory installed memory, removing all but one module of ram might be the fix you need.

I'm sorry but it still is inexcusable. I agree that Apple was in no way required to make Leopard compatible with older RAM modules made by 3rd party distributors. But you have to agree that this would cause many people to get upset at Apple, and cause a widespread catastrophe among users with RAM upgrades. I've been using macs since '88...I know Apple very well, and they usually don't made stupid mistakes such as this. It is quite obvious that Apple did not test Leopard and find this glitch. It is so obvious! By doing such a thing they exclude so many of their loyal customers who are still using older model computers with much needed RAM upgrades.

I can't believe anyone would defend Apple over a mistake like this. This was not intentional, that's obvious. Excluding PowerPC from using iLife '08 was intentional, and although it made some people mad, it was in the system requirements and was a good step for Apple to take to start forcing people to use their newer systems. But this is hardly close to that...this was a mistake that Apple didn't notice. That's pretty obvious. I'm pretty sure they could have incorporated compatibility with older RAM modules...something that is so vital to a system as RAM should be supported, 3rd party or not. An expansion card is one thing, RAM is another.

The main problem is that all of these people are meeting system requirements but are not able to install 10.5. According to Apple's minimum requirements, there is no mention that older RAM modules will not be compatible. That is the issue. The general Apple user will not know that Leopard will not run on his/her computer. Apple was not clear on it-obviously because they didn't know about it. If you still think I'm wrong then you are nuts.

MyrkridianRhapsody wrote:
I'm sorry but it still is inexcusable. I agree that Apple was in no way required to make Leopard compatible with older RAM modules made by 3rd party distributors. But you have to agree that this would cause many people to get upset at Apple, and cause a widespread catastrophe among users with RAM upgrades.

You don't understand. It isn't a question of how old or new the modules are but of their ability to meet or exceed specifications -- IOW, the quality of their materials & workmanship. Cheaply made modules often cut corners, especially by using marginal memory chips or supporting components (often those rejected by the manufacturers of high quality modules as out-of-spec), or by employing cheaper but inferior circuit board designs.

Like every other maker of computer motherboards, Apple designs theirs to support limited variations in RAM characteristics like speed, noise immunity, & power consumption. These variations are part of the specifications made available to anyone who wants to sell RAM modules for Macs. But it is not up to Apple to make sure the products the sellers say meet those specs actually do so.

In simple terms, the issue is one of defective parts not supplied by Apple but by (duh!) third parties. What would be nuts is to think Apple is at fault if those substandard parts cause problems, as they not infrequently do when Apple upgrades the OS.

Man, I thought having 2 hard drives in my 2GHz G5 tower was smart and I would install OS X 10.5 on the new 2nd drive. Even though I clearly selected the new drive for the 10.5 install, it has toasted my original drive and I now have no computer. Not only did 10.5 fail to install on the new drive, it somehow makes the 2nd drive in the tower unusable. I can't even see the original drive anymore to install 10.4 back on.

So, how in the heck does this 10.5 installer affect the 2nd drive I had my 10.4 on even though I never selected it for any installs. It killed it from booting and this basically stinks.

Disk Utility does not even see my main boot drive anymore. An older copy of Norton SystemWorks 3.0 does so I may try to have it get data on there before I erase it and try installing again. I backed up "most" of my real important stuff but left a few items I would like to get back.

Argh! hehehe

As you can see I am mad but staying cool at the same time. <grin>

tj

I have the same problem, with a new Imac 24'.

Change MAX OS X 10.4 to upgrade version 10.5

Somebody knows a solution?

Thanks

Trying and failing to install on a 15" PBG4 several times, with similar problems as posted here. Tried also installing using the DVD on another Mac in Target mode that installed Leopard correctly, without success.

Reading the RAM issues, I simply swapped the two memory sticks (the one on the top to the bottom and vice versa), and Leopard installed fine and much faster than in any of the other failed attempts.

It was either a PRAM problem (removing RAM resets the PRAM), or something wrong with one of the memory sticks.

Worth trying reseting PRAM if you get problems installing Leopard.

Message was edited by: Jossi