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TICKET ARCHIVE -> Tiger Installation Nightmare

jroller - Jul 1, 2005 - 8:57 pm

ried to upgrade a G4 flat panel iMac (15" - first gen, I believe). It had 10.3.9 installed; 512 RAM. Was working fine (though DVD's weren't playing) I backed up everything we wanted to keep. Put in Tiger disk (CD). Went to disk utility and erased the HD. Back to installer. Chose install. Got message saying there were errors and to restart and try again. Did that (same as above); same result. Tried again, this time I zeroed all data. Tried again. Somewhere among all the retries the computer, while installing, simply cut off (which was odd).Restarted and continued trying as before.

Now, the computer doesn't even recognize the install disks and spits them back out (or runs them very slowly never getting past the apple screen). Have now tried Tiger CD's and DVD, Jaguar CD, OS 9 install, and iMac software restore. All acted as before. Oddly enough, the hardware test ran fine and returned all passing results. Same was true for TechTool and Disk Warrior.
Now, it is running iMac software restore. It's working. We'll see...

Just returned error message: Could not restore the restricted-segment image Reading Block 00161DA8 -36

Click OK...

The restore failed. The volume "iMac" may be unusable.

Trying again with Tiger (CD -- DVD's simply are not recognized)... it surprised me and started up... Disk utility working fine... Installing... "Please try installing again"... Ugh!..

Any ideas?

Jeremie - Jul 1, 2005 - 9:20 pm

Yes there was a problem with a lot of first generation iMacs

That error message you got means your Hard Drive is scratched (probably from overuse because you did something that required a lot of memory and since there was not enough memory it flowed over into virtual memory which is space on your hard drive and overloaded the heads causing them to scratch or damage the hard drive, leaving that sector unusuable)

But this may not be as bad a problem as it seems,

try resetting the PRAM at the chime press Command-Option-P-R until you hear another chime

Then attempt to run the Tiger or Panther installer, if it returns the same error than you may have to call Apple and ask if they can fix your hard drive for you...

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news,
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Jeremie Bell

jroller - Jul 1, 2005 - 9:30 pm

Thanks Jeremie... I won't blame the messenger. ;-)

Resetting PRAM has it booting right away from the CD. It is currently installing... Have my fingers crossed... Will let you know how it goes...

As for the scratch disk... why would TechTool show no problems with a surface scan test? Disk Warrior showed no problems either.

jroller - Jul 1, 2005 - 9:39 pm

No luck... got to about 7% of base install and screen went all blue. Argh!

Jeremie - Jul 1, 2005 - 9:45 pm

Ok do this then

Zap the Pram again

Then run the installer repetitively and after a few times it should actually work
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Jeremie Bell

jroller - Jul 1, 2005 - 9:49 pm

I'll try...but I've been doing this since about noon eastern today... no luck; again it is spitting the disk back out. I just don't get it....

Actually, I had taken off the bottom and reset the PMU when it started...

oops, it's booting... hang on....

jroller - Jul 1, 2005 - 9:58 pm

well... this is interesting... first the gray apple screen... the the apple logo gets replaced with a circle with a line through it...hmmm...

Jeremie - Jul 2, 2005 - 11:30 am

Oh oh!!

I know that symbol

Try this, do you have any lower model of installer discs?

Like anything below Panther?

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Jeremie Bell

jroller - Jul 2, 2005 - 4:30 pm

Well... I left it unplugged all night. Came back this morning and booted it right away from the Tiger install CD... everything worked perfectly... right up until near the very end of disk 4. It restarted and asked for disk two... after a couple of hours of persistence, it actually completed! Whew!

OS loads... haven't had much of a chance to play with it since then to see how it behaves (took kids to the pool). Did notice however that Airport does not see my network. And, oddly enough, the computer was sitting in quite a puddle of water???! (It's on the kitchen table currently, so maybe there was a spill? Honestly, I don't know how or where all the water came from. Took off bottom to reseat the Airport card and all was dry. Who knows?)

Have four other computers that see the network just fine... Any ideas about this one?

Jeremie - Jul 2, 2005 - 5:20 pm

perhaps your Airport Card was damaged by the water (where ever it came from

If you can, try hooking it up to Ethernet and go dto software update and see if the Tiger Patch 10.4.1 will fix your airport issue

If not it may be damaged and then you have to do the feared process of calling Apple!!

Good Luck, let me know how it turns out

P.S. Unplugging it for the night is ALWAYS a good fix (just didnt think of it, and its not mentioned in my Mac help desk book (it is but its at the end of the troubleshoot chapter) OH WELL)

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Jeremie Bell

jroller - Jul 2, 2005 - 6:59 pm

No love from the wireless connection... I am actually writing this on the iMac -- connected via ethernet. The airport card seems to work and is recognized under system profiler. In fact it appears to be able to create a network, albeit one that no other computer sees. I have access to another card, but it will be a few days before I can get to it.

jroller - Jul 2, 2005 - 7:21 pm

Now that I think about it, the wireless connection did not work before the big upgrade. I tried yesterday to move some files over and neither my laptop nor the imac could see the other, no matter on which the computer to computer network is created.

Jeremie - Jul 5, 2005 - 8:10 pm

So wat is the consensus?

You gonna replace the airport card?

Better yet though, if you ahve Applecare they should have sent you a Micromat diagnostic disc and if you have it you should boot from that and try it ourt first.
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Jeremie Bell

jroller - Jul 5, 2005 - 10:38 pm

Thanks for all you help.

I have not been back to school yet to get another card. I may go back some time this week (tomorrow is possible). I have run Apple's Hardware, Alsoft's Disk Warrior, and Micromat's Tech Tool; no problems were indicated. Who knows?