Invalid Key Length

Hi, Laurie -

An "Invalid key length" message indicates one of several kinds of damage to the disk directory. Here's one description of the nature of that specific problem -
Alsoft - Invalid Key Length error

Unfortunately, Disk First Aid has better diagnostics than it does repair capabilities, and can't fix that problem. There are two ways to address it -

• Get a stronger disl utility, such as Alsoft's DiskWarrior or Micromat's TechTool Pro.

For this specific issue I'd recommend Alsoft's DiskWarrior. Best would be to locate a copy of it in version 2.1.1, which boots to OS 9. The current version of DiskWarrior is 3.x, which boots to OSX - your machine may have no problem with that, especially if its firmware is up to date.

• The other way to fix it is to re-initialize the hard drive, selecting the zero-all-data option in the process. Note that this will erase the entire drive, so it would be necessary to back up any data you do not want to lose before doinng it.
Using Drive Setup

Hi, Laurie -

You can check the firmware version for your G4 in Apple System Profiler, which should be in the Apple menu.

Select ASP, and after a few seconds it should open to its System Profile page. Scroll down to the last section, named Production Information. You may need to click the small bluish reveal triangle to the left of that item to display all of its info.

The firmware version is sort of encoded in that section, on the line labelled "Boot ROM version". For example, on my G4/500 the info on that line states "$0004.18f5", which indicates the firmware version for that machine is 4.1.8 - which is correct, since I have not yet updated it to the latest for it, 4.2.8 (I also do not yet have OSX on that machine).

If your G4 is an AGP Graphics, Gigabit Ethernet, or Digital Audio model, the latest firmware for it is v. 4.2.8. If it is a PCI Graphics model, there is no firmware update for it (none is needed).

The specific model is also shown in ASP - in the section Hardware Overview, on the line labelled Model Name. In that same section is shown the processor speed.

If needed, you can download the G4 4.2.8 firmware update from this Apple KBase article -
Article #120068 - G4 Firmware Update 4.2.8

It, and other firmware updaters, can also be obtained from this comprehensive Apple KBase article -
Article #86117 - Firmware Updates

One of the nice things about firmware updates is that if you run the firmware update and your machine does not need it, the installer for the update will so notify you and refuse to run further.

Note - if your G4 has had any RAM added to it after it was shipped by Apple, it would be a good idea to download and run DIMM First Aid before doing the firmware update. The update tightens down on the requirement that RAM meet original specs; some 3rd-party RAM was sold a few years back which was slightly sub-spec, and it is not unusual for such RAM to be locked out during startup. DIMM First Aid can perform some basic tests, but more importantly can repair the coding on many sub-spec modules.

Hi, Laurie -

I will just try to locate Disk Warrior 2.1.1. That way I won't need to update the firmware. Do you agree?

Yes - that would be best.

The model name just says: Power Mac G4.

That would indicate it is a Gigabit Ethernet model, which does use the 4.2.8 Firmware update I linked to.

...I have been unable to get internet access since this problem occurred. Could this be due to the key length problem?

Possibly. If one of the files used for connecting to the net, whether a browser file or an OS file, is affected by the directory damage, that could prevent internet access.

You can download the firmware update using another machine, then transfer it to your Mac via a Zip disk (if Zip drives are available) or by burning it to a CD. This can even be done using a PC.

Note - if you use a PC or a Mac running OSX to obtain the download, do not decompress or otherwise try to open the download until it has been copied to your Mac's hard drive. Copy the original download (the filename for that will end in ".smi.bin") to the zip disk or CD. If using a PC to download it and burn it to a CD, burn the CD using the ISO9660 format.

Also, could the hard drive damage have occurred because of the audio track download (from a website) which was the last thing i did?

Extremely doubtful. Directory damage usually just happens - there is almost never any specific action that can be pointed to as being the cause for the damage.

It may well be that the damage was pre-existing, but had no noticeable affect until the OS expanded a file into the damaged area. One such possibility is the Internet Preferences file - Internet Explorer in particular keeps writing to that file (many times per session), and so that file changes frequently enough that it may have encroached into the damage area.

Hi, Laurie -

Can't I run a lower version 2.1 or 3.0 directly on my PowerMac G4 ver.9.2.2? Do I have enough RAM to run this lower version?

Yes. Version 2.1.1 should run with the RAM you have. An earlier version 3.x may run - it would need to be one using OSX 10.3 or earlier.

The problem with the latest version of DiskWarrior is that it the disk boots to OSX 10.4.x. That version of OSX calls for 256MB of RAM as a minimum requirement; experience has shown that 512MB is a more realistic minimum for Tiger. Earlier versions of OSX do much better with 256MB RAM.

DiskWarrior v. 3.x disks, like the current one, come with DiskWarrior 2.1.1 on it in addition to the more current version. The 2.1.1 version runs in OS 9, but is unusable when you boot to the CD.

However, it can be used on a Mac like yours provided you have a Zip drive or equivalent. Here's how - once you get the CD, put it in the drive; don't boot to it. Copy the folder for DiskWarrior v. 2.1.1 from the CD to the Zip disk. Then boot the Mac to an OS 9 Install CD (OS 9.2.1 would be best) and run DiskWarrior from the Zip disk. A zip100 disk is ample for this purpose.

Hi, Laurie -

However, i only have Install disk v.9.1. I am now running on v.9.2.2.
Is that OK?

That should be fine. I usually boot to OS 9.1 on one of my hard drives (I have two internal hard drives and three external firewire ones, all bootable). I often run DiskWarrior 2.1.1 while booted to that hard drive (I run DW off of its CD without booting to the CD), in order to do work on other drives. DW 2.1.1 works fine in OS 9.1.

Hi, Laurie -

You're quite welcome - glad DiskWarrior was able to fix it up.

Many users make a habit of running DiskWarrior on a regular basis, as part of routine maintenance - weekly, monthly, whatever interval seems to suit one's use of the computer. Doing so allows DW to catch and repair things before they become critical.