format drive from OpenFirmware?

L

LessThanJaker1

Registered
Is there a command that will do this?
i've tried searching and haven't found any info.My powerbook G4 w/ leopard will not boot up. I don't have my install disc from leopard but i have the full install disc from tiger. I'd like to format it and just install tiger. Also, when i boot into verbose i get a line that says something along the lines of,

"PMU was probably reset somehow WHOOOOA MOMMA"

It really does say whoooa momma.LOL
 
Open Firmware is not where you should be looking. Any compatible retail version of MacOS X should be able to format your hard drive.
 
well when i try to boot from my tiger cd (full retail version) i get this blue screen as shown in the attached image. Also, when i get to this screen, the mouse becomes disabled. I've also tried to attach a usb mouse just to try it out, but it also get disabled.
That's why im wondering if i can do anything from OpenFirmware, since that's the only place i can do anything from.
 

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While I wouldn't recommend going back to Tiger unless you have to, there IS a way around the Open Firmware password (which you can't circumvent by booting off another disc as the Open Firmware prevents this).

To get around the Open Firmware password involves opening the Mac in question and changing the amount of RAM. I have heard that this works when removing one stick of RAM from a machine with more than one stick of RAM in it, but I am not completely sure if this works simply by changing the total amount (either by adding or reducing) of RAM.

While this may seem like a security hole, if someone already has physical access to your machine, there is likely always going to be some means of compromising it.
 
ElDiabloConCaca said:
I don't think the original poster's problem had anything to do with an OpenFirmware password.
Click to expand...
You are correct. Open Firmware is not the OP's problem. Neither will his solution be found there.

LessThanJaker1, your Leopard disc should boot your computer. The fact it does not is a bad sign and one that has nothing to do with your hard drive or Open Firmware. As difficult as this may seem, not all problems can be diagnosed over the Internet sight unseen. I strongly suggest that you take your computer to the nearest computer technician who handles Macs.
 
I don't have the original cd, so I guess I'll try to figure something else out. Maybe I can take out the HD and format it on another mac. thanks for the replies
 
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