Repair of late 2006 iMac w/ new ssd stalls while installing Snow Leopard

[lantern]

RESOLVED

Hi.

I get a "There was an error while installing Mac OS X..." during install. I feel like I'm sooo close to bringing this imac back to life after weeks of struggle...but it wants to fight me at the last mile.

It's a brand new ssd. Late 2006 iMac. 1GB RAM. 120GB SSD.

I set the formatting of the drive to "journaled" before the install.

When I tried to set it for MS-DOS FAT 32 it says something like "Mac OS X can't be installed on a disk with the MS-DOS (FAT 32) format" and it greys out the install button.

It attempts to install when the sdd is formatted in extended journaled but stalls with an error a few minutes into install attempt. The external drive just stops making noise.

I'm using a 10.6.3 Snow Leopard disc I had laying around from an old install I did on my other late 2006 imac i don't know how many years ago.

The internal optical drive is not functioning so I'm using an LG external disk drive which got me this far from a white screen with blinking question mark folder.

Using that install disc, I can access disk utility, et al, which is more than I could do before.

Should I not be using that version OS disc? I notice it does sometimes get stuck (beach ball) at different places when booting and working in disk utility so it could be scratched but I don't see any scratches.

Is that the wrong OS disc to use? Should I be using a version of Lion with this machine to install or could a scratched disc just be the problem?

The logic board was also replaced when I installed the brand new ssd.

Thanks for any help!

Screen shot 1: http://sk.uploads.im/d/t0dRC.jpg

Screen shot 2 (as far as I get): http://sk.uploads.im/d/meK4H.jpg

Screen shot 3 ( some menu utilities available): http://sk.uploads.im/d/zfSiE.jpg

 

[Fishrrman]

1. Boot from the install DVD
2. The installer will probably open by default.
3. DON'T run the installer yet - quit it.
4. From the menus, you should be able to choose Disk Utility. Open it.
5. Now ERASE the entire internal drive. You want HFS+ with journaling enabled and the GUID partition table (if it offers that). NUKE IT!
6. NOW quit Disk Utility and try the Mac OS installer again.

Any better?

 

[lantern]

Where would I see "HFS"?

There is no mention of hfs in any of the listed format choices.

 

[BrianBaughn]

Where would I see "HFS"?

There is no mention of hfs in any of the listed format choices.

It's just "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)".

 

[lantern]

It's just "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)".

Ok I will try that. It takes me longer to reply because very often it will hang up in the boot sequence at the apple icon screen and sometimes in disk utility. But I can occasionally get to the install part.
[doublepost=1516637665][/doublepost]

1. Boot from the install DVD
2. The installer will probably open by default.
3. DON'T run the installer yet - quit it.
4. From the menus, you should be able to choose Disk Utility. Open it.
5. Now ERASE the entire internal drive. You want HFS+ with journaling enabled and the GUID partition table (if it offers that). NUKE IT!
6. NOW quit Disk Utility and try the Mac OS installer again.

Any better?

Erased and attempting install now. Brb.
[doublepost=1516637758][/doublepost]Gave me the error again: "An error occurred while installing Mac OS X"... and the external disk drive just goes quiet.
[doublepost=1516638534][/doublepost]I just hit "erase" and not "erase free space", right?

Have to go out for a few hours. Didn't realized I had appointment. Will be back later. Thanks for all the assistance.

 

[nambuccaheadsau]

Tell us about the SSD. Your iMac only has SATA (now referred to as SATA I) with 1./5Gb/ps speed. Newer hard drives have SATA III with 6Gb/ps speeds and not all are completely compatible with SATA I. What you may be seeing is the SSD trying to outstrip the speed capacity of the iMac.

Samsung EVO 850 drives are known for this with pre 2010 Macs.

 

[lantern]

Tell us about the SSD. Your iMac only has SATA (now referred to as SATA I) with 1./5Gb/ps speed. Newer hard drives have SATA III with 6Gb/ps speeds and not all are completely compatible with SATA I. What you may be seeing is the SSD trying to outstrip the speed capacity of the iMac.

Samsung EVO 850 drives are known for this with pre 2010 Macs.

Hi! Sorry for late reply. I should be able to be more attentive to this thread today.

The description of the ssd is:

SanDisk SSD PLUS 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) SDSSDA-120G-G26

I bought it off of NewEgg. You can see more specs here: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820173150

Question: If I already used this retail install disk to install Snow Leopard on a previous iMac, will it install on a second iMac or do I have to buy a new retail install disk? Maybe that's the problem?

Thanks!

 

[nambuccaheadsau]

No just go ahead and use the retail install DVD. This ain't Windows with activations etc.

Did you manage to get bthe SSD formatted as Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and GUID option under Partition?

 

[lantern]

No just go ahead and use the retail install DVD. This ain't Windows with activations etc.

Did you manage to get bthe SSD formatted as Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and GUID option under Partition?

Yes it was formatted with those two parameters but could I have an ssd incompatible for an OS install, as you suggested? Should I get a SATA I?

 

[nambuccaheadsau]

I would see if the seller swap it for a SATA II drive if you purchased at a store.

 

[lantern]

I would see if the seller swap it for a SATA II drive if you purchased at a store.

I purchased it at NewEgg. Remember?

 

[nambuccaheadsau]

Sorry no New or Old Eggs Down Under.

 

[lantern]

Before I swap the drive I will try a fire wire install. I have a fire wire cable on the way.

I have a second (working) late 2006 white imac desktop I can connect to the one I'm trying to repair. I will search for the steps but any tips on a smooth fire wire install would be helpful, if anyone has them.

I also notice the LG external disk drive is compatible with Mac OS X 10.7.5 and the Snow Leopard disc I'm trying to install from is 10.6.3. http://www.lg.com/us/burners-drives/lg-SP80NB60-external-dvd-drive

I wonder if that means the x-disk drive can't work on operating systems lower than 10.7.5 or also can't install anything lower than that too.
[doublepost=1516803798][/doublepost]

Sorry no New or Old Eggs Down Under.

Cute puppies, though. A baby dingo, perhaps?

 

[nambuccaheadsau]

No a highly pedigreed Pembroke Corgi.

Nest of luck using an external DVD to boot from. Personally nmever had any success at all with them.

 

[lantern]

No a highly pedigreed Pembroke Corgi..

Well, I beg their pardon. ;-)

 

[lantern]

Okay I booted in terminal mode with both iMacs connected by FireWire but I don't see the ssd drive of the target iMac in disk utility.

Anyone know what I need to do to get the drive to show up?

Thanks!

 

[lantern]

This is a continuation of an ongoing iMac repair that started with a black screen but has evolved to a simple OS Snow Leopard install problem. So I've made lots of progress since I started the repair but I just have this last hurdle to get over.


I created a usb stick with a .dmg snow leopard file/iso on it and used a trick booting from the external disk drive (which was failing to install snow leopard from the disc) to get into the installer where I could see the usb drive plugged in.

From there I went to disk utility to confirm if it saw the usb drive (it did) and so I proceeded to install snow leopard from the usb drive.

After the install (which seemed to go just fine and dandy) I unplugged the external disk drive and usb drive and restarted.

But on boot up it just took me to the installer again.

Seems I've made good progress but I'm stuck in an infinite loop. Not sure what I did wrong and the erase options for the ssd are greyed out now. Plus When I try to reinstall I get "You can't upgrade this version of Mac OS X....Mac OS X couldn't be installed on this disk." This might be because the installer is pointing to the usb flash drive as the target for the install and not the internal new ssd. Weird.

Also when I reboot without the disc or usb drive connected the installer appears and where it says "Select disk where you want to install Mac OS X" there's nothing in the box to select. It doesn't seem to be seeing the ssd. And yet it seems I was able to install the snow leopard .dmg on the ssd.

The good news is I can boot to the installer or disk utility without issues now any time I want.

I took pictures of where it gets stuck and what disk utility is showing me:

https://imageupload.co.uk/image/EplJ
https://imageupload.co.uk/image/EplE
https://imageupload.co.uk/image/Epl4
https://imageupload.co.uk/image/EplT
https://imageupload.co.uk/image/Epl0
https://imageupload.co.uk/image/EplR

Listed hardware: https://imageupload.co.uk/image/Epld

Any suggestions? Thanks!

 

[nambuccaheadsau]

Posted this in another thread, but look at this from ifixit.com. Scroll down to near the base of the page and contributor Dan advises to use a SATA 1.5Gb/ps drive in that model. Post begins 'Nope, Machead...'


https://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/196585/Max+hard+drive+limit+on+an+Early+2006+iMac

 

[lantern]

I just want to show you another thing. This picture: https://imageupload.co.uk/image/Ep7N

It says under link speed and negotiated link speed: 1.5 giga bits.

And the ssd is recognized.

Is it possible I just loaded snow leopard onto the usb drive improperly and now it's improperly loaded onto the ssd?

I understand incompatible drives behave slow. But that's not my problem. The problem is I can't get to the desktop.

Why wouldn't I be able to get to the desktop on reboot?

Are new compatible ssd drives still available? My searches bring up "out of stock". Do you know of one I can purchase online that would be compatible with a late 2006 iMac?

Thanks.

 

[RyanXM]

Any reason you are going with Snow Leopard? The Late 2006 can go to Lion....

 

[lantern]

Any reason you are going with Snow Leopard? The Late 2006 can go to Lion....

Do you think I should try Lion? I don't have favorite. Just want to get a working OS on this machine any way I can.

 

[RyanXM]

I would try with Lion and see if you get the same result.

 

[DeltaMac]

Looking at your pictures from Disk Utility:
You have copied the installer to your SSD.
If you boot to THAT, you can't do anything, because there's still no place to install the system.

From Disk Utility, choose the SSD (the top line showing SanDisk info), then click erase.
That will then properly prepare the SSD, and it will be blank(erased)
Eject the DVD from the drive, so you don't get confused and try to boot to the DVD.
You do have the installer on a flash drive, so restart now, holding Option. Choose the installer from the boot screen.
NOW, when you finish booting from the flash drive, you should be ready for the OS X install.
Choose the drive that you erased as the destination for the OS X install. If you did not name the drive, it should be named "Untitled", and that's OK.

 

[lantern]

Looking at your pictures from Disk Utility:
You have copied the installer to your SSD.
If you boot to THAT, you can't do anything, because there's still no place to install the system.

From Disk Utility, choose the SSD (the top line showing SanDisk info), then click erase.
That will then properly prepare the SSD, and it will be blank(erased)
Eject the DVD from the drive, so you don't get confused and try to boot to the DVD.
You do have the installer on a flash drive, so restart now, holding Option. Choose the installer from the boot screen.
NOW, when you finish booting from the flash drive, you should be ready for the OS X install.
Choose the drive that you erased as the destination for the OS X install. If you did not name the drive, it should be named "Untitled", and that's OK.

Thanks. I notice when I hit the option key on boot up, I only get the option to boot from the ssd, not the usb.

And when I try to use the installer with the usb plugged in, I only am given the option of installing onto the usb.

And when I use disk startup to choose to startup from the usb, it ignores it on boot up and boots from the ssd so I can't erase the ssd in disk utility.

However, I am able to erase the ssd when booting from the snow leopard disc using the external optical disk drive, which I've already done.

I've ordered a brand new snow leopard disc to see if that's the problem.

But in case that doesn't change things, why wouldn't the installer give me the option of installing on the ssd?

Thanks for all your help and sticking with me on this for so long.

 

[DeltaMac]

My first thought is that the USB installer is not prepared properly.
I would certainly try redoing that. If you are booted to the Snow Leopard DVD, open Disk Utility, and erase the USB stick. Make sure the partition map is GUID (you can change that under the Partition tab/Options), and erased/formatted for Mac OS Extended.
Then, click on the Restore tab, and drag your Snow Leopard installer DVD into the Source line, then drag the USB drive into the Destination line - and click the Restore button. The restore process might take anywhere from 5 to 25 minutes to finish, and should give you a proper bootable installer flash drive.

Or, if none of this helps, you may still be confused by which drive you are actually booted to. That's one reason why I tend to name drives with distinctive names, so no drive has exactly the same name, and I know that the SSD is Robin, and the USB installer is Batman, and the DVD is Mac OS X installer (or whatever THAT name would be ) Anyway, you get the picture. Different drives have different names - because I easily forget and tend to mix them up.