10.3.9 to 10.5 upgrade can't write to volume error

C

clogdoh

Registered
Hi - have recently bought 10.5 and have tried upgrading from 10.3.9 on my Dual G5 1.8GHz. I start the upgrade process, update and archive and the process gets half way (or so) through (differs each time!) and then I get a yellow warning triangle with the message, Can't write to volume, please restart and try installing again. I have tried, a clean install on my second drive and a straight upgrade on the same drive with the same results. I have also repaired the disk and permissions with the same results. In the meantime, I have done a successful clean install of 10.3 again so I can write this - but really want 10.5! Any suggestions? Thanks!
 
Does your install disc for 10.5 have a black label or a grey label?

A disc with a grey label will be one that came in the box with a new Mac. It won't install on a different model of Mac.
 
Black is good in this case. I doubt its the disk anyway as the install actually starts (it won;t let you start with the wrong disk).

Maybe an HD problem? Start up from the install cd and repair the hd and repair permission. Also how much free space do you have on the HD?
 
I have started from the install disk and repaired permissions and HD. Both disks have around 100 - 200 Gb. Should I try formatting the HD from the install disk?
 
Well that is plenty of space.

Odd that neither a straight install of 10.5 or an install of 10.3 then an upgrade to 10.5 on the second drive work either - kinda suggests it could be the disk? Perhaps you could call apple and get it replaced.

Another alternative is some sort of hardware fault, I had some bad ram that stopped an install recently, have you changed the ram or any other hardware recently?
 
I think the machine is a bit old now for Apple to care!!! I haven't touched it is several years. I might try and yank some RAM out and format the disk. What would be the best format?
 
Not applecare, I mean if the OS X 10.5 installation Disk is faulty, Apple might replace that for you. Given it fails either a 10.5 upgrade on the internal and a fresh install or upgrade on the second drive.

To test for hardware faults you can also use the Hardware Test disk you should have got with the machine.

If you do do a format then you have to use Mac OS Extended (journalled). Also if you do a wipe on the internal drive then don't bother using 10.3 and upgrading, just install 10.5 fresh, it will probably be more stable.
 
I'll give it a go. Problem with the DVD is that I bought it off the dreaded Ebay! It is an original, but obviously I don't have the original receipt....You're gonna say, told you so.... :-)
 
First start up with your cd or dvd, then once the mac is booted off the dvd/cd rom drive, quit set up, and open up disk utility, you will find it at the upper left corner of your monitor screen. run repair, till all headers are fixed on the drive that you want to install your mac os on, dont forget to also run repair on other drives on your machine. Now exit disk utility, and set up should open again. then you should be able to go through the process of set up, under custom options, you may want to select earse and install.... however if you choose that one, dont forget to back up your important files on the drive, along with bookmarks, preffrences, etc. Hope this helps.
 
Unfortunately, I've already tried that (and erased all the information on one drive doing a clean install!). Would I be advised to do a format?
 
oh boy, if you tried disk utility to run repair and then also ran permission repair, then went through set up again and at 75% or so, you got the same error, then I dont think another format would do the trick, and let the software install. About the only other solution I could give at this time, and hoping you still have your old mac os software on the drive and can boot into it, to get oline here is too check out apple support dot com, and search to see if there is any new firmware that is made for your computer, before loading the new os on it. sometimes older lapbooks, along with other desk models always needed an update to the firmware, that is specific for the machine that your doing the install on. If that still dosent work, dont kick the machine, just go back to apple .com and also check the specs of the OS to make shure your machine can handle the operatoring system...... but like how one guy pointed out, usually the os runs a script before it allows an install, or else the install fails right away in the beggining of installation, and wont let you go any farther. hope this helps.
 
At the beginning of the actual install; the installer also checks for readibility of the OS X Installer Disc in your specific drive. Did you run that all the way through the end without errors??
If so; the problem is not on the DVD itself.
 
I believe that teh DVD for Leopard is a dual-layer disc. Not sure that it will work on a DVD drive that doesn't support dual-layer DVDs.
 
Morning guys!!! Right, after another night of Apple bashing...
I left the DVD to run through the initial verification process. It was fine. So it is not the DVD or my DVD player I assume? I got to about 4 minutes left on the install...I will check to see it there is any firmware that I need to install.
 
Well, I checked on the specs of your model G5 and it doesn't have support for dual-layer discs. Searching on Google confirms that the Leopard installation DVD is in fact a dual-layer DVD.

You can try and follow the instructions in this thread to convert it to a single layer disc, but I can't verify from experience whether this works or not.

http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=25342
 
nixgeek said:
Well, I checked on the specs of your model G5 and it doesn't have support for dual-layer discs. Searching on Google confirms that the Leopard installation DVD is in fact a dual-layer DVD.

You can try and follow the instructions in this thread to convert it to a single layer disc, but I can't verify from experience whether this works or not.

http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=25342
Click to expand...

Hi Nixgeek; I was always under the impression that dual-layer DVD's could be read in all DVD-players, but that to burn one you have to have a special drive that can burn dual-layer DVD's. Most of the Installerdiscs (the Grey ones) are already dual-layer DVD's and should also be readable in a normal DVDplayer such as the Combo-drive. And also with the initial testing of the DVD "clogdoh" could read the whole DVD without problems. If it's a little more different I would like to know because this is also a learning theme for me.
The suggestion of creating a single-layer DVD from the original one as in the thread you mentioned works realy well I've tried that already one time for an iBook G4 which on insertion of the retailversion of Leopard spinned for a moment and then spit it out again without doing anything at all. But I also read somewhere in these threads that that is a specific problem for some DVDdrives Apple used in their iBook-range. (Manufactory-flaws). So correct me if I'm wrong on this, but normaly any DVDdrive should be able to read a duallayer-DVD.
 
I would assume that you can't, but I don't have any dual-layer DVDs to test with. I figure if the drive doesn't have the support in the firmware, then there's no way that it can read the disc properly. Maybe only half of it? :confused:
 
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