Panther install help needed

Question

Level 1

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Panther install help needed

I'm trying to install Panther on a blue & white iBook. The ibook's current OS is 10.0. I have the retail CDs (in the black box). When I insert into the cd drive, the ibook reads them and allows me to click on the install OS X icon. WHen I do so, it prompts me for a restart. I click the button and the system restarts, but doesn't begin the install process. It brings me to the desktop and opens a window where I can click on the installer and start the loop again.

What's the deal? Any suggestions as to what I'm doing wrong?

Thanks!

Bryan

Posted on Oct 6, 2011 8:16 PM

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Answer 1

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Oct 6, 2011 8:19 PM in response to bryan.taylor

Try this:

Booting From An OS X Installer Disc

1. Insert OS X Installer Disc into the optical drive.

2. Restart the computer.

3. Immediately after the chime press and hold down the "C" key.

4. Release the key when the spinning gear below the dark gray Apple logo appears.

5. Wait for installer to finish loading.

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Answer 2

bryan.taylor Author

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5 points

Oct 6, 2011 8:27 PM in response to Kappy

After step 3, a file folder icon apears that alternates a picture of the Finder icon and a Question Mark. After that, the Happy Mac Icon appears, and the desktop loads up.

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Answer 3

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Oct 6, 2011 8:31 PM in response to bryan.taylor

Well, that sounds like Mac OS, not OS X.

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Answer 4

bryan.taylor Author

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5 points

Oct 6, 2011 8:34 PM in response to Kappy

I know, but when I use About This Mac, the screen says its Max OS X build 4K78. Is that not OS 10?

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Answer 5

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Oct 6, 2011 8:43 PM in response to bryan.taylor

Yep, indeed it is. Are you sure these are retail Panther discs, and that you are using Disc One? Is the resulting system running from the hard drive? About This Mac should also give you the OS X versions, such as 10.3.x.

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Answer 6

bryan.taylor Author

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5 points

Oct 6, 2011 8:48 PM in response to Kappy

THese are Panther retail CD's (black box about the size of a CD jewel case. Big silver X on it). The disc label says 10.3m Install Disc 1. Everything loads fine. Sometimes when I double click the installer it prompts me for an administrator name and password and sometimes it doesnt. Very bizzare.

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Answer 7

bryan.taylor Author

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Oct 6, 2011 8:54 PM in response to bryan.taylor

Disc says 10.3 not 10.3m. Stupid keyboard 🙂

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Answer 8

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Oct 7, 2011 8:35 AM in response to bryan.taylor

Yet when you boot from the Panther Disc One it does not boot into an installer, right? I assume the computer does boot into something from the hard drive? An earlier version of OS X?

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Answer 9

bryan.taylor Author

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Oct 8, 2011 6:51 PM in response to Kappy

That's right. It bypasses installer and goes straight to the OS X desktop. Every. single. time.

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Answer 10

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Oct 8, 2011 6:53 PM in response to bryan.taylor

Sounds like the installer disc or the optical drive is malfunctioning. You might try: Resetting your Mac's PRAM and NVRAM.

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Answer 11

bryan.taylor Author

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Oct 11, 2011 8:41 PM in response to Kappy

That didn't seem to work.

Here's what I don't understand. The CD drive seems to be working because the installer appears on my desktop, but when the system restarts, it's almost like it skips the CD drive during boot. Is there a setting or something that I need to change to tell the system to look at the cd drive during boot?

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Answer 12

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Oct 11, 2011 8:48 PM in response to bryan.taylor

The other way is to restart the computer. After the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager appears. Select the icon for the optical disc then click on the larger right arrow button.

Or insert the disc in the drive and open Startup Disk preferences. Select the optical disc and click on the Restart button.

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Answer 13

bryan.taylor Author

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5 points

Oct 11, 2011 8:53 PM in response to Kappy

It does not like the OPTION key method. The screen shows up as you've indicated. I select the optical drive, hit the big black arrow. The machine thinks about it for a minute, and then brings me back to the selection screen.

I guess seomthing's not right with the optical drive. The discs are in printine condition.

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Answer 14

bryan.taylor Author

Level 1

5 points

Oct 11, 2011 8:57 PM in response to bryan.taylor

is it possible to copy my install discs to a usb flash drive and install that way? Also, if my machine only has 64mb of RAM, is the software smart enough to bypass installation?

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Answer 15

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Oct 12, 2011 9:35 AM in response to bryan.taylor

You can create a USB installer by cloning the disc to the USB flash drive using the Restore option of Disk Utility.

Clone using Restore Option of Disk Utility

Open Disk Utility from the Utilities folder.
Select the destination volume from the left side list.
Click on the Restore tab in the DU main window.
Check the box labeled Erase destination.
Select the destination volume from the left side list and drag it to the Destination entry field.
Select the source volume from the left side list and drag it to the Source entry field.
Double-check you got it right, then click on the Restore button.

Destination means the USB flash drive. Source means the OS X installer disc.

I seem to remember that if you don't have adequate RAM then the installation will fail. But I don't remember if it just automatically refuses to install.

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