Powerbook G4, old but loved, panic message when reinstalling original OS

koolkatChristina

the only Knowledge Base doc that has your beginning phrase (without the quotes) is

Mac OS X Server: NetBoot clients cannot start up from the server (NetBoot troubleshooting)

does this sound like you? Didn't think so.

Anecdotally, do you recall ever using the Panther disks that came with? Answer might tell us something about the compatibility of said disks with your hardware.

Genius Bar nearby? Diagnoses are free. If so, take PB & disks and explain. Behind the curtain at the AppleStore is likely to have a 'Library' of install disks on a shelf. Hope you have an honest face so they believe the 'came with' story.

CCC

If the disks that came with your machine are labeled "upgrade", it usually meant that your machine came with a version of (say) 10.2.x and you got it right around the time that 10.3 was released, so Apple would leave the older OS on the machine and simply drop in free upgrade DVDs so you wouldn't have to pay for them. What that means is that you must have the previous system installed in order for the upgrade disks to work. It might be a good idea to ask the Genius to figure out exactly which OS version it came with (they should be able to with the serial number) and, if it did come with something other/earlier than the disks you have, ask Apple for replacement disks - that is if they still have those (which is doubtful). As far as I know, at this time, you can still get replacement disks for machines that came with Snow leopard, but anything earlier than that will need to be purchased online if you can find the correct machine specific disks.

You should be able to call Apple and give them your serial number - they should be able to look it up with that. I don't have a Powerbook, but on the newer laptops, the number is on the bottom, possibly inside the battery cover or somewhere like that - take a look.

Panther is quite old, so Apple would no longer have disks. If you know exactly what model you have, you can check on two things: buy Panther install disks on a site like ebay - but watch out!! They must be the original, machine-specific disks. I wouldn't trust ebay sellers on that; the other possibility would be to buy a retail OS X Snow Leopard (10.6) disk from the Apple store for $20 - just make sure your model supports running Snow Leopard and you have enough RAM.

Reading through your topic thread, the PowerBook G4 with FW800 would be circa 2003.

You can download MacTracker from their site: http://mactracker.ca for detailed info on

most every Apple product with specs and system info. To use this, you'd need to know

the build model, based on Apple sources.

PowerBook G4 Computers: How to Identify Different Models

The PowerBook G4 5.1 and 5.2 are somewhat similar; if you were to search by serial

number or find other correct identifiers on the computer, so as to match the OS X version

and original grey label DVD install-restore set (through resellers online) the correct disc

set part numbers could be located. Pesky details...

Identify Your Mac - Powerbook Medic

PowerBook G4 Technical Specs - EveryMac.com

The computer would otherwise be able to use Leopard 10.5.8 from a lesser retail version

of 10.5, and there still is a download update to 10.5.8. Other parts not on a retail DVD

would be found on other discs you could buy. The iLife, AppleWorks or earlier iWorks,

and others may still be found through online vendors, auctions, or maybe if you contact

Apple User Groups in your area, or check out moving sales, college/school rummage sale

or university clearance of old hardware, some of these may still include old retail full install

versions of OS X and Apple software that won't work on the newer Intel-based Mac.

You may have to look into online resellers to see if any have the retail label Leopard 10.5

DVD install disc. Amazon resellers may have these on occasion, but they are rare now.

There used to be a time a few years ago, when you could have contacted Apple support

and paid a reasonable fee for a white-label "replacement Leopard 10.5 DVD" that covered

the older hardware versions, they offered (also, quietly) a similar "replacement Tiger 10.4"

white label full install DVD. Both of these were a hit & miss affair to see if they had any,

if you happened to contact someone at Apple sales support or applecare who knew they

may exist and knew to also look. They were under $20 each, direct from Apple and not

available in the online store. Some independent Authorized Apple service providers used

to have a complete set of system and technical discs; some of them could burn you a copy.

But not anymore. Most people don't want to touch the older models, on the retail side.

Hopefully you can find a clean retail copy of the Leopard 10.5 DVD, there also was a source

online to download an Apple Hardware Test for certain models that used to come with one

on their original install-restore disc media, when new.

If nothing else, there are some now-discontinued MacBooks (circa 2006 to 2010) out there.

Faster, intel, and they can run Snow Leopard 10.6+ & still some older PPC applications.

Good luck & happy computing! 🙂

By correctly identifying the computer, you can avoid some of the issues;

by using a later or last supported OS X retail DVD to start the computer

from, and use its onboard disk utility, then you may make headway.

Some models shipped with 10.2 (Jaguar) others 10.3 (Panther) and

could use Tiger 10.4 retail or Leopard 10.5, from retail DVD if the

computer could support it. That means adequate RAM, enough free

space in the hard drive, and correct formatting on that drive, etc.

Anyway, if you can locate the product serial number, then enter it into

the site where it can be identified, that info may help in addition to the

Apple site link. And if you had MacTracker installed, it can tell you by

model identifier (PowerBook5.1,5.2,6.1, etc) exact OS it shipped with.

Any old disc installer from a different model (not retail or correct one)

won't work. The Disk Utility may work from the booted DVD or not.

Could be the hard disk drive in the computer is bad, too.

Well, the hour here is about 2AM local time & I'm not terribly interested

in keyboarding or reading. Sleepful hours are short enough as it is...

Hopefully you can use current links to find information; and depending

on where & how you look, the results will vary.

Good luck & happy computing! 🙂

RE: your Disk Utility error - Disk Utility reports "Underlying task reported failure" when repairing a volume - Apple Support is an archived article from 2011. There are some suggestions in it.

Google Site search in support.apple.com yielded that one, but also suggested this search that yields discussions results

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#safe=off&q=verify+disk+error+9972&revid=12332 98479

I have a Vintage Pismo, so I can relate and have been lurking since you first posted.

still following

ÇÇÇ

Aside from the install issue, the "cannot be repaired" may mean that your hard drive may be failing. Try to insert your disk #2 and see if you can run the hardware test (run it in extended mode three times in a row) as outlined here:

Using Apple Hardware Test on computers with OS X v10.7 and earlier

AHT is located on the Applications Install Disc 2 and should be included with your computer or the MacBook Air Software Reinstall Drive on a MacBook Air (Late 2010). To start AHT on these computers make sure the Applications Install Disc 2 is inserted into the built-in optical drive, external Apple Superdrive, or for the MacBook Air (Late 2010) be sure the MacBook Air Software Reinstall Drive is inserted into a USB port. Then, follow steps 1-6 outlined in the previous section of this article.

What to do if you get an error in AHT

1. Confirm that the power adapter is connected if you're using a Mac notebook.
2. Confirm that all external devices are disconnected from your computer.
3. Record any error code given so that you can give the information to a Mac Genius, Apple Authorized Service Provider, or Apple Technical Support Specialist.

Complete instructions here:

http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201257

The other troubleshooting would involve purchasing Disk Warrior or Drive Genius (both cost a fair amount) and trying to repair the drive with them since that is the next step if Disk Utility cannot repair it.