May this stump the best of you!

T

tkdragon

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A friend of mine decided to upgrade their PowerBook G4 by getting a bigger HD and maxing out the RAM and upgrading from OS 9 to OS X. Anyway, since he didn't feel up to the challenge, he passed it on to me, having done a little PowerBook maintenace before. So, I got everything installed; 1 GB RAM, 40 GB HD... Now I'm at the OS X part of this upgrade.
When I first started the OS installation and got to the "Select a Destination" nothing showed up(hoping I didn't break anything). I then just created a new partition by erasing the whole disc. The HD is now showing up (whew!). HOWEVER! It gives me this error:
"You cannot install Mac OS X on this volume. You cannot start your computer using this volume."
I tried partitioning the HD into the first 8 GB for the OS install (the trick for getting older Macs to work), still no luck. Now i'm here. Stuck.
Did I miss some weird jumper settings on the new HD?
What am I to do?
 
What format did you use when you partitioned? Try it again - Use Disk utility and format it using Mac Extended. You shouldn't need to limit to the first 8 GB
Then run Repair disk to make sure the drive is okay.

Now install on the first partition.
 
The 8 GB limit never applied to any G4 machines. Cheryl has it right you chose the wrong Mac Format. OS X required Mac OS (Extended) a.k.a. HFS+. And get rid of the partitioning. You will be glad you did in the long run.
 
On a long shot, I decided to install OS 9 and see if it would like the HD better. IT DID! Once I had OS 9 Installed, the OS X installer took a liking to the HD as well. Who knew? Thanks guys :)
 
Just a tip. I put in a 20GB hard drive in my wife's Clamshell ibook, it had the same issue. The fix was to go into Open Firmware and do these commands.

reset-nvram
reset-all


wallah! OSX liked the hard drive again, I am sure OS9 reset the NVRAM while installing the OS, so OSX has no probs any longer.
 
I have a similar problem that seems intractable.

(Cheryl, hello again. You helped me in a recent post regarding the same machine...)

The basic problem is that I cannot get the upgrade from 10.2 to 10.2.8 to work at all.

I'm working to upgrade my mom's clamshell iBook. The biggest part of that upgrade was to take out the original 3 GB HDD, install a used 10 GB HDD, and then reimport in all of her old contact data, etc.

My exact procedure was:
1) Take out the 3 GB and install the 10 GB HDD.

2) Boot the computer to see if the hardware was put back together correctly. (I actually yanked the 10 GB HDD from another iBook (dual USB), which I had upgraded. The 10 GB had 10.2.8 already on it.) (Yes, it did boot nicely with the 10 GB HDD.)

3) I then proceeded to erase everything on the 10 GB HDD in preparation for a clean install. (Why erase a perfectly functioning OS? Precisely because it wasn't perfectly functioniong. I had installed 10.1.5, then 10.2, then the various upgrades to 10.2.8 on this HDD all with the simple upgrade option. This had resulted in a rather disconcerting amount of kernel panics and related weird behavior, usually triggered by some or another network activity. I knew from previous posts that a clean install was needed, so I finally took this opportunity to, um, clean up my act (pardon the pun) and do it right. Hey, I wasn't gonna give my mom a flaky HDD/OS, now, was I?)

4) I installed 10.2 Jaguar from the CD. (I didn't bother with OS 9 because I don't think it's necessary.) 10.2 ran great.

5) I re-installed/imported, upgraded all of my mom's old apps, files, etc. Ran great.

6) I tried to upgrade to 10.2.8 via Software Update or by downloading the package. Always got an error message along these lines, "There were errors installing the software. Please try installing again." I tried both the Software Update and package method about 3x each, shutting down my machine after each one.

7) I came to this website and noticed this thread. I had no clue, Jamesrdorn, what Open Firmware was, but the word "firmware" got me thinking... I went over to Apple's Support site and found out that I probably needed to download a firmload update, v. 4.1.7, specifically . (See Apple Knowledge Base articles 86117 and 75128).

8) Firmload Update v. 4.1.7 was, predictably, an OS 9 app, so got my iBook install CDs out, installed OS 9.1, then ran the updater. Or, I tried to. It involves shutting down the computer, then holding down the command and power keys until you hear a long tone. I held down both keys simultaneously. Nothing. No sound, nothing on the screen, nothing nothing. I tried this again and I got (thanks for the hint, Jamesrdorn!) the "Welcome to Open Firmware" screen. How un-Mac like! (At least for previous to the OS X/Unix days...) It listed two options, "shut-down" and "boot-mac". Shutting down just, well, shut down the machine, but rebooting (power key only) normally only gave me the "Your machine has not updated the firmware. Please review the instructions and try again." (Something like that.) "boot-mac" only booted back into OS 9.1 with the same "not updated" message. Then I tryed resetting the nvram and all as you suggested, Jamesrdorn, but this didn't do anything. I got the same "not updated" message in OS 9.1, and was still unable to run the 10.2.8 installer in 10.2.

9) Your suggestions, please? I'm thinking about starting with an absolutely clean install, this time by running the iBook OS 9 Software Install CDs from a freshly-erased HDD. But then I would have to reinstall all the stuff I worked so hard over the last couple of days to tweak and stuff. Yuck! There's got to be a better way...

Thanks for your help.
 
Okay, I got the firmware update in OS 9.1 to work, but I still can't get the OS 10.2.8 update to install.

I remembered this morning that the only (I hope) hardware glitch when I put the clamshell back together is that the speaker is no longer functional (must have not re-inserted something correctly?). So, no wonder I never heard any start-up chimes; there wasn't a functional speaker to chime for me! So I just held down the command-power key combo for about 30 seconds (I simply guessed how long would be correct), and voila! I was informed that the firmware update had worked just fine.

Upon rebooting into OS 10.2 just now, though, I am still getting the "There were errors installing the software ... Please try installing again." slogan. Oh, brother!

Ideas, anyone??
 
[Disclaimer: I first posted this information at the end of a previous post, "May this stump the best of you!" But after not getting any response for 24 hours, and feeling a bit of urgency, I decided to post this here and see if I got a different reaction. Sorry if this breaks the site etiquette. If you're not offended, please read on...]

My basic problem is that I cannot get the upgrade from 10.2 to 10.2.8 to work at all.

I'm working to upgrade my mom's clamshell iBook. The biggest part of that upgrade was to take out the original 3 GB HDD, install a used 10 GB HDD, and then reimport in all of her old contact data, etc.

My exact procedure was:
1) Take out the 3 GB and install the 10 GB HDD.

2) Boot the computer to see if the hardware was put back together correctly. (I actually yanked the 10 GB HDD from another iBook (dual USB), which I had upgraded. The 10 GB had 10.2.8 already on it.) (Yes, it did boot nicely with the 10 GB HDD.)

3) I then proceeded to erase everything on the 10 GB HDD in preparation for a clean install. (Why erase a perfectly functioning OS? Precisely because it wasn't perfectly functioniong. I had installed 10.1.5, then 10.2, then the various upgrades to 10.2.8 on this HDD all with the simple upgrade option. This had resulted in a rather disconcerting amount of kernel panics and related weird behavior, usually triggered by some or another network activity. I knew from previous posts that a clean install was needed, so I finally took this opportunity to, um, clean up my act (pardon the pun) and do it right. Hey, I wasn't gonna give my mom a flaky HDD/OS, now, was I?)

4) I installed 10.2 Jaguar from the CD. (I didn't bother with OS 9 because I don't think it's necessary.) 10.2 ran great.

5) I re-installed/imported, upgraded all of my mom's old apps, files, etc. Ran great.

6) I tried to upgrade to 10.2.8 via Software Update or by downloading the package. Always got an error message along these lines, "There were errors installing the software. Please try installing again." I tried both the Software Update and package method about 3x each, shutting down my machine after each one.

7) I researched macosx.com and found the thread, "May this stump the best of you!", which seemed to offer some clues. Contributor Jamesrdorn, specifically, suggested that the firmware in clamshell iBooks needed to be fiddled with. I had no clue what the Open Firmware James mentioned was, but the word "firmware" got me thinking... I went over to Apple's Support site and found out that I probably needed to download a firmload update (v. 4.1.7). (See Apple Knowledge Base articles 86117 and 75128).

8) Firmload Update v. 4.1.7 was, predictably, an OS 9 app, so got my iBook install CDs out, installed OS 9.1, then ran the updater. I ran into some mishaps I won't repeat here, but eventually was successful. BUT (and this is the crucial "BUT" I still can't get the OS 10.2.8 update to install!!! Oh, brother!

Ideas, anyone??
:mad:
 
Now that you are working fine in OS X, you need to get rid of those 10.2.8 install packages. Trash the download package.
Go to the Applications>Utilities folder and run Disk Utility. Click on the second icon at the left, then click on Repair permissions.

When done, go to the System Preferences and give Software update a whirl.
 
tkdragon said:
On a long shot, I decided to install OS 9 and see if it would like the HD better. IT DID! Once I had OS 9 Installed, the OS X installer took a liking to the HD as well. Who knew? Thanks guys :)
Click to expand...

I bet it was just one of those things where new hardware doesn't work on a rare occasion but with a bit of play it does. no hardware is ever a sure thing which is a bummer but simply a part of technology.
 
Cheryl said:
Now that you are working fine in OS X, you need to get rid of those 10.2.8 install packages. Trash the download package.
Go to the Applications>Utilities folder and run Disk Utility. Click on the second icon at the left, then click on Repair permissions.

When done, go to the System Preferences and give Software update a whirl.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip, but nothing changed. Ran Disk Utility. Repaired permissions on the user volume, ran Software Update, same result. The only difference seems to be that Software Update, instead of reporting an error about 15 minutes into the process, took about an hour (the progress bar was about 50% complete).

For my own information, what would permissions have to do with this? How would they have gotten corrupted or something?
 
Try downloading the appropriate combo update for 10.2.6. The combo update will load on your book offline and therefore eliminate some problems that come through wonky internet connections. I had this update running on a Rev A. clamshell with a 30 gig hd upgrade with no problem. I don't know about .8 and the clamshell, but .6 was very stable and robust, solving some speed issues with previous updates. I don't think you'll be missing anything.

From bitter experience, take out the battery before you run any update.

http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/macosxupdatecombo_10_2_6.html
 
pds said:
Try downloading the appropriate combo update for 10.2.6. The combo update will load on your book offline and therefore eliminate some problems that come through wonky internet connections. I had this update running on a Rev A. clamshell with a 30 gig hd upgrade with no problem. I don't know about .8 and the clamshell, but .6 was very stable and robust, solving some speed issues with previous updates. I don't think you'll be missing anything.

From bitter experience, take out the battery before you run any update.

http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/macosxupdatecombo_10_2_6.html
Click to expand...

Hey! Your tip worked! 10.2.6 has been successfully installed.

However, I did not have to take out my battery. For my own information, what would the battery have to do with anything?

And, does anyone know any Apple Knowledge Base articles on why the 10.2.8 Combined Update did not want to "take" to begin with?

I ran Software Update one more time (now that 10.2.6 is installed) and it indicated that Java 1.4.1, QuickTime 6.5.1, iCal 1.5.2, and finally "Mac OS X Update 10.2.8" were suggested downloads. The 10.2.8 update is not the "Combined Update" of ~100MB, but only a 40.6MB file. (Apparently it doesn't include a lot of the stuff that I already have in 10.2.6.) So that I can isolate any potential problems, I am downloading each component to the desktop and plan to install them one by one. I don't want any more annoying messages from the auto-install default of Software Update along the lines of, "None of the checked items were installed. Please try again."

Also, is there a log that OS X keeps of installation attempts that would enable me to diagnose on what step the install got hung and therefore why and what to do next or as a work-around?

Emotionally, I am caught between the thrill of learning and the frustration of not getting to where I want as fast as I want.

Thanks, everyone.
 
Here's a quick update:

I got 10.2.6 installed successfully. (Thanks for the tip, psd!)

Where did I get this info from? It looks like a number of people were following the "May this stump the best of you!" post after all, and after a couple of workarounds that did not pan out, psd's tip to try 10.2.6, rather than a straight jump from 10.2 to 10.2.8 worked rather nicely. (Painlessly, in fact.) For full details, interested readers will want to track the comments in that post.

Thanks to everybody for tuning in and helping out. I hope that others are helped, too.
 
Numbers1820 said:
Here's a quick update:

I got 10.2.6 installed successfully. (Thanks for the tip, psd!)

Where did I get this info from? It looks like a number of people were following the "May this stump the best of you!" post after all, and after a couple of workarounds that did not pan out, psd's tip to try 10.2.6, rather than a straight jump from 10.2 to 10.2.8 worked rather nicely. (Painlessly, in fact.) For full details, interested readers will want to track the comments in that post.

Thanks to everybody for tuning in and helping out. I hope that others are helped, too.
Click to expand...


The 10.2.8 Combo will jump you up straight to 10.2.8. Just after then updates, Run Software Update to the security updates after 10.2.8. Then, right after that, open Applications->Utilities and highlight your startup drive and run Repair Permissions. After that is done, you should be good to go.

note: If you let your Mac sleep at at night, it is best you run the cron jobs that are suppose to run at night. Run the freeware MacJanitor about one a week. It will help keep your system running smoothly.
 
When ever I have hardware issues, I alway first zap the PRAM, then use the CUDA button. (Thre is a PRAM key combination that I'm guessing is equivelent to Jamesrdorn's command suggested above.)

Is removing the battery on a laptop sort of equivelent to using the CUDA button on a tower?
 
I just like to remove the battery because I am convinced that one of the 2.x updates (3 or 4, I don't remember) sent my battery life south big-time. I went from 2 hours on an old clamshell to 10 minutes. Gia and some others on the board had problems too IIRC.

So since then I always pull the battery when running system updates.
 
Satcomer said:
The 10.2.8 Combo will jump you up straight to 10.2.8. Just after then updates, Run Software Update to the security updates after 10.2.8. Then, right after that, open Applications->Utilities and highlight your startup drive and run Repair Permissions. After that is done, you should be good to go.

note: If you let your Mac sleep at at night, it is best you run the cron jobs that are suppose to run at night. Run the freeware MacJanitor about one a week. It will help keep your system running smoothly.
Click to expand...

Update: I got all four updates (Java, iCal, QuickTime and 10.2.8 (not combo)) to install correctly. I followed my plan of downloading the packages and installing them one by one, the 10.2.8 update last. Each time it worked like a charm. So now I'm happy and sitting pretty!

Satcomer, I'm not sure where you're coming from. As I think has been clearly communicated in this thread, I tried to do what you seem to suggest, jump straight from 10.2 to 10.2.8 via the 10.2.8 combo update. THIS DID NOT WORK. Repeatedly. The only thing that seemed to work was psd's advice to try 10.2.6 first. Also, Jamesrdorn's advice to check to see if my firmware was up to date certainly didn't seem to hurt. I appreciate the time and care you spent in your post, but your advice doesn't (or didn't) seem to apply to my situation.

I just hope that other owners of Rev. A clamshell iBooks can gain from my experiences. Thanks to everyone for listening and responding.
 
Numbers,
Running permissions corrects the owner rights, which gives you the user permission to install, etc. The strange thing is that when you do a major install, the system takes over permissions which does not allow you to open programs or install more.

Your problem may have been a combination of several things and pinpointing them would be almost impossible. Some procedures work for some machines, and some not. In any case, glad you have everything working smoothly. :)
 
Cheryl,

You're probably right about determining exactly what was wrong.

So in a major install, the "machine" takes over permissions? How would that look like in a Get Info window? In your opinion, is the machine taking over a good idea (to prevent hapless users from mucking around too much), or a bad idea (excessive paranoia)?
 
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