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Level 1

0 points

Has Leopard killed Powerbook G4?

I have just attempted to load Leopard onto my Powerbook G4.
I was informed that due to an unknown error it could not installed and to restart.
However my computer will not restart back to normal - it starts to load then just goes blank as if it has turned it self off.

Tried restarting from the Leopard DVD / tried restarting from original OSX start up.

Does anybody has a method to over come this issue?

Poerbook G4, Mac OS X (10.4.10)

Posted on Nov 8, 2007 4:59 AM

20 replies

eatapc

Level 1

14 points

Nov 8, 2007 6:01 PM in response to Faema1969

Faema 19, why are you hijacking this thread? CrispinMR in London clearly said that his or her PowerBook would not start up under any circumstances, even from an installer disc. You, on the other hand, are "typing from the PowerBook that lost everything." Something here does not compute.

Nov 8, 2007 6:10 PM in response to eatapc

Fair enough. I had the same problem and fixed it by removing the HD and replacing it with a virgin unit.

The internal unit was placed into an enclosure and is visible from Linux and PC boxes. The data, unfortunately is only partially visible (large portions missing or is not visible at all due to permissions problems.

So there you go. Replace the HD. Leopard destroyed your data structure.

http://tomkarpik.com/articles/massive-data-loss-bug-in-leopard/

eatapc

Level 1

14 points

Nov 8, 2007 6:48 PM in response to Faema1969

If a computer's hard drive has a "destroyed data structure" it will still start up from the installer DVD. Again you are on the wrong thread here.

My theory: If you had time time remove your PowerBook's hard drive, move it to an external enclosure, check it on Linux and PC boxes, determine that its "data structure" has "permissions problems," then post dozens of messages about it in assorted threads on the forum all in one day, then you clearly have an agenda unrelated to CrispinMR, who has a very old PowerBook with a possibly serious hardware problem.

There is a known Leopard problem involving the loss of connectivity when in the middle of a data move (not copy). We get it. Bad Apple. But that's a bug in Leopard, not in the Installer DVD, and it happens under pretty rare circumstances. (I'm a professional user, on a Mac 12 hours a day, and I never move data rather than copy it.)

In any case, someone of your experience and computer savvy obviously must have a fully bootable backup of the PowerBook drive that got fried. No experienced user would install Leopard without a full backup. Stuff happens during OS installations. That's why god made cheap backup drives. If you were an inexperienced user without a backup (like my mother), I'd feel some sympathy. (But then our mothers would never rush out and install new Operating Systems just to be on the leading edge.)

Nov 8, 2007 7:31 PM in response to eatapc

I had a perfectly operating 10.4.10 system. I installed 10.5 and my computer failed in a way identical to many others. Period.

I have been around since 9.whatever

This all happened the day after release. My registered date is the date I WAS ABLE TO GET BACK ONLINE!!!

CrispinMR Author

Level 1

0 points

Nov 9, 2007 3:36 AM in response to Faema1969

Dear All,

Thank you for all your help / ideas.
I sort professional help this morning and have given by computer to a data recovery expert.
It appears that my disc drive has failed (it is an old fujitu one and the heads are gone).
so for the princely sum of £200 for data recovery and £150 for a new disc drive I hope that my problem will be solved. Given I lasted backed up 4/5 months ago a price worth paying.
He even said that there is more than enough memory and processer capability to load Leopard again.

I have been very impressed with the Mac community to rush to each overs needs so quickly.

Don't any of you have day jobs!!!!

Thanks again

Crispin

Has Leopard killed Powerbook G4?