Problems Installing OS X 10.3 on External HD

First, you have to be using a FW external drive and not USB. Second, you have to properly prepare the external hard drive. Third, AcomData's FW cases frequently have problems functioning as bootable devices.

Here's what you need to do to prep the drive in advance of installing OS X:

1. Boot from your OS X Installer Disk. After the installer loads select Disk Utility from the Installer menu (Utilities menu if using Tiger.) Be sure to use the installer disk for the version of OS X you intend to install.

2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the leftside list. Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.

3. Set the number of partitions from the dropdown menu (use 1 partition unless you wish to make more.) Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled, if supported.) Click on the Partition button and wait until the volume(s) mount on the Desktop.

4. Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the leftside list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.

5. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled, if supported.) Click on the Options button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.

6. Click on the Erase button. The format process will take 30 minutes to an hour depending upon the drive size.

Since Panther is your ultimate goal you should purchase a standard retail Panther installer diskset. There are four CDs, three for Panther and a fourth for XCode Tools. The disks have a black label with a large gray "X". The cost may range from $60-$120 depending upon source.

After prepping your drive you can then proceed to install Panther directly. Then download the combo updater needed to update to the desired version.

Given the age of this computer, I would strongly recommend you replace the internal backup battery (located on the motherboard.) if it has never been replaced.

I am also experiencing a similar problem. I just purchased a 120GB external drive from a friend. I connected it to my Mac G5 (Mac OX 10.3) and it would show it on the desktop but I couldn't add anything to it. It siad I did not have permission. The IT guy at my work told me to do the same thing, insert disc #1 of Software Restore disc and use the utility manager from the disc. I was searching for that for a long time when I finally ejected the disc and now every time I turn on my G% it has to go through the whole reboot process. Everything still comes up. but for the first 5 or 6 minutes theirs nothing but some globe on my screen and it sounds like my G% is launching into orbit. What did I do? To boot my external hard drive is not even partioned yet. Help me somebody please! I'd really appreciate it. -Rafael

Try the following:

1. Open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder.

2. After DU loads select the external drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.

3. Set the number of partitions from the dropdown menu (use 1 partition unless you wish to make more.) Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled, if supported.) Click on the Partition button and wait until the volume(s) mount on the Desktop.

4. Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.

5. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled, if supported.) Click on the Options button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.

6. Click on the Erase button. The format process will take 30 minutes to an hour depending upon the drive size.

Kappy,
Hope you don't mind me threadjacking, my question is not unrelated. I've just purchased an OWC Mercury Elite FW 250GB external HD. In time I'll be using it to back up OSX, store music, photo's, video and documents. Can you give me an idea of how many partitions I should create and what size you would recommend for each partition? Is there anything to be gained from cloning my HD as it stands.....warts and all. I haven't really started to use my PB in terms of saving music, doc's etc. What do you think?

Thanks,
Ian

How you partition the drive is entirely a matter of personal choice and convenience. I would recommend using at least one partition as a backup for your main startup drive. That partition would be at least equal in size to the main drive.

However, do not clone your startup drive to the backup drive unless it's in good shape, recently repaired and verified OK, and permissions repaired as well. Then be sure to fully erase the destination partition before cloning. Here's the basic steps:

1. Open Disk Utility from the Utilities folder.
2. Select the external drive from the left side list.
3. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
4. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
5. Click on the Erase button.
6. After the volume remounts on the Desktop select it in the left side list.
7. Click on the Restore tab in the DU main window.
8. Drag the external volume to the Destination entry field.
9. Select the startup volume from the leftside list and drag it to the Source entry field.
10. Double-check you got it right, then click on the Restore button.

Kappy,
Thanks for the hard drive partition info I appreciate it. I'll try that in a bit. I have one more question. Every time I turn on my computer it goes through the same process as if the software and restore disc was in it the drive (even though the drive is empty). It takes like 6 minutes just to get to my login screen. The first 6 minutes there is a blue globe on my screen. I tried partitioning that 120 GB drive with my install and restore disc #1 and since then my comp hasn't been the same. I'm not exactly sure what I did? It happens every time I shutdown and power my Mac or if I restart. Can you assist me one more time. On the real I'd appreciate it. -Rafael

Well, let me get some stuff straight. Is this problem on your iMac? Do you have OS X installed on the computer? Did you do the firmware update needed for your model?

The more information you can provide me the easier it will be for me to help you. This includes any hardware configuration information, installed OS version, etc.

It almost sounds like the machine is set to boot from the CD primarily, so it spends the time looking for it.

I would suggest going into System Preferences/Control Panel, open Startup Disk, select your main boot drive and press the reset button.

g/l
Dan

Kappy,

Thanks for the advice. I'll post back when I eventually 'backup'.

Ian

Finally getting around to preparing external HD i.e. erasing it. Have followed Kappy's steps up 'till No.8. When I attempt to drag external volume to Destination entry field it simply bounces back to its original position underneath the Mac HD icon?

Not sure if this means anything but when I start to drag the ext. vol. to the Dest. field the trash can icon changes to the eject button?

Any suggestions appreciated.

Ian

Hopefully, you were sold a FireWire/USB2.0 case that has the chipset
which allows you to boot the computer from the resulting external drive.

Not all FW/USB2.0 external drives or cases sold for that purpose can be
used to boot a computer; and some brands (I am not sure which) have
been documented as unable to do so. I bought a LaCie 250GB FW drive
specificially with the need to boot from it and make clones of my entire
HDD's contents as the priority.

You may get to a point of installing OSX in the computer and then using
OSX (installed on internal HD) to format / partition the external to see if
that makes any difference. If the external has the wrong chipset, it won't.

If you get to the end of the rope, so to speak, you may need to do some
further checking to see if the enclosure(s) you have are correct for this
purpose. Good luck & happy computing! 🙂

The issue of some FW hard drives/enclosures not working as boot devices has been referred to a number of times, does anyone know of a list or url that specifies which work and which do not? In my case, I have a spare hard drive and there is a bewildering number of different FW and dual FW/USB2 enclosures to choose from.

Thanks for the excellent advice Kappy....I got there in the end. Also thanks to Gulliver for excellent advice on maintenance prior to installation of 10.4 upgrade i.e. 'Decision tree & checklist'. Keep up the good work.

Ian