OS X installation woes :(

[matstuff]

Hi,

I was trying to upgrade my old(er) iMac (G4, 15") to Tiger using the installation CD I got with my new PowerBook. This initially worked fine: I opted for a clean install, and repartitioned the hard disk (which did have two partitions) to a single partition (~40gb) - obviously wiping everything off it in the process. After the installation I went to install the iLife software from my Panther CD (also from the PowerBook), but kept on getting the Macintosh HD volume (i.e. the only installable disk) coming up as "Unable to install to this volume".

A bit confused, I reinstalled Tiger, this time repartitioning the disk to two partitions (although different sizes from originally - one of them was <8gb before), again, wiping everything from the disk. Installation worked fine, still couldn't install iLife stuff.

A bit annoyed I tried to reinstall Panther, but on boot up got an error message saying "Cannot Install Bundled Software". I tried repartitioning the disc again, this time to a 7.8gb partition and a 33gb one. However, this still did nothing.

Back to plan A, install Tiger. Only now, the Tiger installation CD has decided that it's only an upgrade CD and says that it cannot find a version of OS X 10.3. This I do not understand. I partitioned the hard disc each time I installed Tiger before, thus wiping it of all data, including any previous OS installations, but it didn't complain. Now I'm left with an iMac in limbo.

A couple of googles implies that the "Cannot install bundled software" is because the disc is machine-type specific. Fair enough. I am baffled, however, as to why Tiger won't install without a previous version of OS X. Was the partitioning fake, i.e. did it not actually wipe the contents of the disc? Very confused :s.

I even have OS9 on CD, but for some reason it won't boot from CD. So I got ANOTHER copy of OS 9/10.1 (an iMac resource, or similar, disc) from work to try that, and that boots into what appears to be classic, but all I get is an empty menu bar. FOR THE LOVE OF ***.

This machine was bought from a music shop, following lots of trials and tribulations (was meant to be an eMac, but they messed up, so upgraded the order). Unfortunately, they neglected to give us original installation discs; hence using the ones that came with my PowerBook.

Any help would be hugely gratefully received! I'm almost wishing it was a Windows box!

Many thanks in advance,

Mat

 

[fryke]

Search before posting. This exact topic was handled last week.

 

[matstuff]

Hi,

I'm really REALLY sorry to have to post this again, but I cannot find the relevant topic to help me, despite a good hour of googling (that was before my first post here) and subsequently about the same amount of time searching through this forum.

My original post is at: http://www.macosx.com/forums/showthread.php?t=233133

Fryke, please believe me when I say that I have tried to search for the solution; I'm not posting this for fun, or to annoy anyone - no-one is more frustrated than me at not being able to find the answer! If anyone knows the link to the thread that you are referring to then I would be really grateful.

Thanks in advance,

Mat

 

[RacerX]

(From other thread) I'm almost wishing it was a Windows box!

The fastest way to make sure you don't get help is making statements like that.


If your PowerBook came with both Panther and Tiger... then the Tiger install disk is an upgrade version... hence the warning about no previous version installed.

As for using installation media from another system (which you are still using)... that violates your license. And I can't (won't) provide information on how to get around a license restriction.

Panther (the full install) isn't that expensive these days... and for that matter, neither is Tiger. You could buy another copy for this system.



And just FYI... trying to do what you are doing with Mac OS X with Windows XP is also a violation of the license, but of course you would need to register with Microsoft to install XP (and they like people installing multiple versions of Windows even less than Apple does).

 

[matstuff]

Thanks for this.

This liscence allows you to install and use one copy of the Apple Software on a single Apple-labeled computer at a time

The installation of Panther that I am using is not in use on any other system, so I disagree that I am violating the liscence agreement.

then the Tiger install disk is an upgrade version... hence the warning about no previous version installed

I am not convinced by this. Patitioning a drive will delete all the data from it, including previous OS installations. I twice installed Tiger (violating the liscence, apologies) having partitioned the hard drive first, so that the installation disk couldn't have seen a previous OS.

If there's anyone that contributed to the post that Fryke was talking about and could give me the link, that'd be great.

Thanks for all your help,

Mat

PS wrt it being a Windows box, that was a "joke"

 

[lilbandit]

You can't install a os x onto a desktop system using the discs that came with your laptop. You'll have to stump up the cash. What's the problem with that? I had a friend bending my ear last night in the pub asking me to get him Microsoft Office (about €400 in Ireland) and Autocad (worth about €5000). Get this, he wants the Office software for himself and Autocad for the company where he works! They then want to install the software on 15-20 computers.