Can't boot OS X 10.4 Installer on an iBook G4

DamageXYZ39

Registered
Hello!
So I have this iBook and decided to put OS X on it when it is currently running Ubuntu 12.04. My problem is when I boot off of my cd it just stops spinning and gets stuck at the apple logo screen. If someone knows about this problem, please can you help me?
Thanks!

-DamageXYZ39
 
First question - what does the label say on your install CD? If it is for a specific model, does it match your iBook?

How much memory is installed on that iBook?
 
On my install cd it says OS X 10.4 Install iBook G4. Ive done research about that disk and it matches my iBook, and it has the the built in ram and a single card of 250mb.

Also I did get it to boot but when I install it... It says it must be re-installed.
 
Because you have Ubuntu on it, you need to use Disk Utility to erase the drive, format it, then install 10.4.
 
Once you start up with the CD, go to the menu and select Disk Utility.
 
What is the exact error message that you get?

Can you tell us which iBook G4 you have? There should be a label inside the battery compartment, showing processor speed, and other features of the original configuration.
Keep in mind that the last iBook G4, mid 2005 model, will not run on 10.4, but need at least 10.4.2.
 
A1062 iBook G4 (PowerBook 6,5)
1.6 GHZ
14 In Display
Original battery (Not original Ac adapter)
There is no os on it right now because the 80GB Hd got wiped.
 
That sounds like a Late 2004 iBook, but a 14-inch display would be on a 1.33 GHz. There is no iBook with a 1.6 GHz processor.

Boot to your 10.4 installer again. Open Disk Utility. Choose the hard drive, which would be the top line, showing the manufacturer's info with model number, not the line with the drive label. You will see a Partition tab. In Partitions, choose the drop down, and select 1 partition. Choose the Options button, and make sure that Apple Partition Map (APM) is selected, and then make sure that Mac OS Extended (Journaled) is the partition type, then name the partition (whatever name you like) and press the Continue button. That should absolutely be the best steps to make sure the drive is ready to install OS X. It is also very possible that if you have the original hard drive, that may be failing. It's 15 years old.
When the Disk Utility, with a new single partition, is done (should only take a few seconds, assuming the drive is still OK), then choose Shutdown from the menu. After power is off, restart to the 10.4 installer, and try to install the system again. If it fails (again), you should get some kind of error about that, even something like "some software could not be installed", or something like that. Need to know the exact message, or even that you see no message at all, and you get a kernel panic (a screen that may say you need to shutdown your computer, in multiple languages)
 
I will try that!

I also have the error message on and it quotes...

These were errors installing the software
Please try installing again.

My only option is to restart

*It usually fails around extracting Base System 1*
 
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I would try making a copy of the DVD.
A fresh DVD - even one made from your suspected DVD, may work very well.
The OTHER possibility is that the drive just doesn't read the DVD properly because the optical drive is failing. You can try blowing into the drive slot with a can-o-air, worth doing, might help, might not make a difference.
I can get around that here, because I have a 10.4 installer on an external firewire hard drive, and no need to worry about how the optical drive will work on an older Mac. That's a really handy device to have around, particularly if you have other old Macs. The old DVD drives (especially the slot-loading models) sometimes fail.
Another possibility, if you have other old Macs, is to try installing from another Mac using Target Disk Mode. Pretty simple to do. Connect two Macs with a firewire cable. Insert your installer DVD in the OTHER Mac, and boot it to Target disk mode by booting while holding the letter T. You will see a floating firewire icon on the screen on that Mac. Boot your stubborn iBook holding the Option key. You should see the installer DVD appear (which is in the other Mac), so boot to the installer, and choose your iBook G4 drive as the destination for the install. That should work.
You DO need a Firewire cable for all this to happen...:cool:
 
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