installing Mac os X on an I-Mac

S

Sharon

Registered
Hello,

I have made quite a mess of my I-mac and I need some real serious help!! Or maybe not!!
I have an I-book that came with 10.2 so I decided to install this os on my slot loading I-mac....That's when i got into real trouble...Now I have a screen where everything is distorted and I can't figure it out.....Has anyone run into this problem and have an idea of what I've done and how to correct it.. I was not able to install the firmware and made a poor decision to go ahead with the installation anyway....I'm thinking this might be the problem, but I really don't know.
So if anyone has the time and patience to assist me I would so appreciate it.

Thanks
Sharon
 
I have this too... Mac OS X dosen't treat old iMacs too well...
I think Mac OS X killed your Hard Drive. Throw in a cheap hard drive and you'll be fine.
What are the iMac's specs?
 
Do everything you can to run the firmware update, and if after everything you can't, then insert a bootable CD (like an OS installer or a troubleshooting utility) and try to set OS 9 as your default system.
 
i'm assuming that you're talking about an old style imac like mine. arden is right - you've got to do the firmware update. it really isn't hard - just follow the directions at apple.com support. takes about 5 mins or less as i remember. at that point you should be fine unless you've screwed up your moniter settings. in which case you will need to reset them to default from system prefs.

hopefully you still have os 9.2.2 on your drive. if you can see at all, go to system prefs and choose it as your boot system. if you're not up to 9.2.2, then use software update to get there once you are in os 9.

but that firmware update is REQUIRED to run later versions of os x. it's possible you might have to reformat with your os 9 at this point. it has to be installed from os 9 as i remember. there are quite a few older threads about the problems it can cause if not installed. search this site for posts following the time it was released for more info if you need it.
 
If you do manage to get the firmware update working, be forewarned that you will hear a loud, strange noise. This is normal, so be prepared for it so it doesn't startle you.
 
edX... if she can't start the thing then how does she do it?!
Try booting into safe mode by holding down shift right when it starts up, go to apple support and download the iMac Firmware update, boot into 9 if its still on there, and instal it. Didn't help me...
 
unix - first,os x can't kill a hard drive. whoever led you to believe that was way off base. software does not effect the physical operation of the drive. any annomallies should be corrected with a reformat, not a replacement.

second, she doesn't report she can't boot, she reports getting a distorted screen image - messed up geometry more than likely.
 
Originally posted by edX
unix - first,os x can't kill a hard drive. whoever led you to believe that was way off base. software does not effect the physical operation of the drive. any annomallies should be corrected with a reformat, not a replacement.

second, she doesn't report she can't boot, she reports getting a distorted screen image - messed up geometry more than likely.
Click to expand...



Hi,

I've got the problem solved.....It all had to do with the firmware update! I was having trouble installing it but realized I hadn't read the instructions very carefully....I really didn't think installing software could kill my hard drive!

Thanks for all your input....

Sharon
 
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