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Level 1

8 points

Help With installing Mac OSX ?

Hey guys ...

my G4 eMac has a flashing question(?) mark.. so i tryed to reinstall mac osx and i did..

i place the install DVD in a NON-Mac DVD-RW Drive (Could this be the problem?) and i hold/press "C" and wait nothing happens.. just gose back to

the flashing question mark... but if you are going to tell me to do these..

1) Hold "OPTION" = Just a purple back ground with 2 Button "Refresh&Arrow'

2)Hold "C' = NOTHING HAPPENS

3) reset nvram = computer resets and gose back to the flashing ?

SO I have TRYED them ALL..

AND finaly i try OPEN FIRMWARE....

i try to boot the cd by typing ...

0 > boot cd:,\\tbxi Cant OPEN: cd:,\\tbxi.

and another way

0 > boot cd:9,\\:System\Library\CoreServices\BootX can't OPEN: cd:9\\:System\Library\CoreServices\BootX

Can't open device or file

and some thing else

( if you really need to know ask me..)

so from them above is there problem with the DVD-RW or something else

HELP ME PLEASE & THANK YOU

eMac-OTHER, Mac OS 8.6 or Earlier

Posted on Dec 10, 2011 3:53 AM

46 replies

BDAqua

Level 10

239,363 points

Dec 12, 2011 6:48 PM in response to kithusan

Why don't we pull the IDE cable from the Hard drive then see if the Install Disc boots with just the c key, or see what shows up holding the Option/alt key then... oh, do you have a 10.4 or 10.5 Install Disc yet?

kithusan Author

Level 1

8 points

Dec 12, 2011 8:17 PM in response to BDAqua

Ohh Ok ill try that now... And also if this dosent work i was thinking if i could boot from USB..

From the install dvd i made a .dmg file (7.88GB).

so should we try this way if any of the method dosent work ??? 😐

BDAqua

Level 10

239,363 points

Dec 12, 2011 10:40 PM in response to kithusan

A DMG is not useful unless you have a working OSX to mount it, but using Disk Utility you might restore it to a Flash Drive or HDD Partition.

Dec 13, 2011 12:37 AM in response to BDAqua

You won't be able to boot an eMac from USB, only from firewire or the internal ata bus.

You will need either the original shipping grey install CD/DVD or a retail version of 10.4 or 10.5 (assuming it meets the minimum requirements). I think the basic computer specs are on the back of the DVD flap.

kithusan Author

Level 1

8 points

Dec 13, 2011 4:08 PM in response to Elite Expert of all Knowledge

but what aboutthis article..

this is my plan.

burn the .dmg to a 8gb usb (Using PowerISO)

then try use frimware to boot off it ..???

??? Would it work???

kithusan Author

Level 1

8 points

Dec 13, 2011 4:09 PM in response to BDAqua

but what aboutthis article..

this is my plan.

burn the .dmg to a 8gb usb (Using PowerISO)

then try use frimware to boot off it ..???

??? Would it work???

BDAqua

Level 10

239,363 points

Dec 13, 2011 4:18 PM in response to kithusan

Well, if PowerISO restores the DMG as a Disc/Disk on the Flash drive, then we have a chance... the only PPC Mac I ever got to boot OSX from USB was an eMac.

kithusan Author

Level 1

8 points

Dec 13, 2011 6:36 PM in response to BDAqua

yes in PowerISO there are options to make a bootable USB

And also what do you think about the about the article.... Do you think it would work on eMac...(open firmware)

and also im not going to install mac osx 10.6.4.. I going to try fix errors with it

BDAqua

Level 10

239,363 points

Dec 13, 2011 6:52 PM in response to kithusan

The article should be the way it goes

Since PowerISO is a Windows App, I don't think the Crate Bootable USB Dive will make a Mac Bootable drive, we just want to some just restore that file, like burn would do, but to USB istead of CD/DVD.

Dec 14, 2011 1:20 AM in response to BDAqua

There's a small chance that will work. But where will you be? You will boot an install image, but might not have anywhere to install to. If it is the case that the jumper settings on the DVD and HDD are conflicting, then I don't expect that you will have access to the internal drive to install to.

Might I suggest that you try to resolve the conflict with the drives, then boot from a 10.4 or 10.5 CD/DVD install, then check if the internal drive is usable (might be that it is dead). This will at least give you a more usable computer.

Do you have access to another, working Mac?

With regards to PowerISO, I've not used it so can't indicate its usability in this situation. However, from a purely Mac perspective, you can use Disk Utility to restore a disk image to a drive, and then (assuming the image is of the right kind), boot from the disk. I've done this procedure to make a bootable Firewire drive with install images of 10.4/10.5/10.6/10.7. Essentially, you make a disk image (dmg) of a retail installer DVD, and then use Disk Utilitiy's restore function to 'restore' the image to a disk partition. Something like dd on Linux. It works quite well.

kithusan Author

Level 1

8 points

Dec 14, 2011 1:22 AM in response to BDAqua

Ok so im gona try this way.

But if this dosent work then What about this programe (HERE)

transmac... an question about the same thing im trying to do

Dec 14, 2011 1:30 AM in response to kithusan

K, so you will NEED an image of 10.4 or 10.5 retail installer in a dmg to work with. I'm guessing you don't have access to another Mac? It might be tricky to get a dmg of 10.4 or 10.5 without a Mac, but I'll leave it to you.

Assuming that you get a working image on a USB, and you boot from it, what then?