Mac Pro 3,1 boot issues

[plojdo]

So I recently got my hands on a Mac Pro 3,1. It was missing RAM so I bought some 667MHz from Ebay.

Here's my problem; it boots, but when I select my El Cap usb install disk the mouse pointer freezes and nothing happens. I've tried three different flash drives and reset SMC and PRAM.

Also, when I press the power button there's a single clicking sound from the case. Same when I press it to power off.

 

[nigelbb]

I have never had any success with booting either of my 3,1s from a USB flash drive. I'm not even sure that it's possible. Just use an external disk. I have a couple of 500GB self-powered FireWire 400 drives that I use if I ever need to boot from an external device.

 

[Floris]

You think it could try to install over the internet if you put it on an empty ssd and just start it?

 

[IIcx]

I was never able to get my 3.1 to boot from usb as well, would always just lock up, or restart mid install. It did this on OsX installs as well as Windows boot camp installs. Was able to get around it by doing what nigelbb said, and just putting the image of OsX I was going to install on a spare internal drive. Or in the case of getting Windows on it, taking the boot camp drive out, putting it in a Windows computer, starting the Windows 10 installer up until it said it need to restart to complete the installation, and then at that point pulling the drive and putting it back in the mac to finish the install.

Think it has something to do with booting and the EFI not being compatible/friendly with the installers, but that's just a guess.

 

[plojdo]

Tried spare drive as install media. Same issue.

Thanks for the answers.

 

[orph]

how did you make the boot drive?
can you try a different version of osx?