Resolved Strange issue with PowerBook G4 and install media

[LOLZpersonok]

See the resolution here.

I recently got a PowerBook G4 (PowerBook5,6, 2005 model, 1.5GHz) that I want to get running on Mac OS X 10.5.8 so I can use Webkit, but I have a really odd problem I haven't been able to resolve.

It won't boot my retail Mac OS X 10.5 disc. Initially, it wouldn't read it at all, just spitting the disc out. I thought the drive could be the issue, so I attached an external optical drive. It did the exact same thing. The disc reads fine in my other computers and is what I've used on my Power Mac G4 and G5 in the past, so I know the disc works.

I tried imaging the disc over on my Mac Mini, and burning it onto one of my own dual-layer DVDs, and the laptop actually will read the disc, but only while it's running Mac OS X. It still won't boot to it. It has Mac OS X 10.4.11 right now, and I had no trouble installing 10.4 when I got it with its original restore DVDs. All other discs read fine in the laptop, except for my Mac OS X 10.5 disc. Remember that it behaves exactly the same way when using external disc drives.

Things I've tried:

1. PMU reset
2. PRAM reset
3. NVRAM reset
4. Reset-all in Open Firmware
5. Force booting using Cmd+Option+Shift+Delete
6. Force booting using C
7. Force booting using Option
8. Force booting from within Open Firmware (I tried a number of commands and parameters)
9. Creating a bootable USB
10. Repeatedly rebooting with disc in drive

I'm going to try using Target Disk Mode between this laptop and another of my PowerBooks when my FireWire 400 cable comes, but for now, I have no idea what else I can try. Does anyone have any suggestions for me?

 

[bjar]

I recently got a PowerBook G4 (PowerBook5,6, 2005 model, 1.5GHz) that I want to get running on Mac OS X 10.5.8 so I can use Webkit, but I have a really odd problem I haven't been able to resolve.

It won't boot my retail Mac OS X 10.5 disc. Initially, it wouldn't read it at all, just spitting the disc out. I thought the drive could be the issue, so I attached an external optical drive. It did the exact same thing. The disc reads fine in my other computers and is what I've used on my Power Mac G4 and G5 in the past, so I know the disc works.

I tried imaging the disc over on my Mac Mini, and burning it onto one of my own dual-layer DVDs, and the laptop actually will read the disc, but only while it's running Mac OS X. It still won't boot to it. It has Mac OS X 10.4.11 right now, and I had no trouble installing 10.4 when I got it with its original restore DVDs. All other discs read fine in the laptop, except for my Mac OS X 10.5 disc. Remember that it behaves exactly the same way when using external disc drives.

Things I've tried:

1. PMU reset
2. PRAM reset
3. NVRAM reset
4. Reset-all in Open Firmware
5. Force booting using Cmd+Option+Shift+Delete
6. Force booting using C
7. Force booting using Option
8. Force booting from within Open Firmware (I tried a number of commands and parameters)
9. Creating a bootable USB
10. Repeatedly rebooting with disc in drive

I'm going to try using Target Disk Mode between this laptop and another of my PowerBooks when my FireWire 400 cable comes, but for now, I have no idea what else I can try. Does anyone have any suggestions for me?

Are you sure it can read dual-layer DVDs? That sounds like the issue here. Go to system profiler>disk burning and see if DVD-DL is listed as a readable format. Tiger did not use dual layer DVD so that is why that worked.

 

[Dronecatcher]

I've had 3 optical drives fail at the same time - which adds to a scenario like yours where you try the disk in other drives and none work.

 

[LOLZpersonok]

Are you sure it can read dual-layer DVDs? That sounds like the issue here. Go to system profiler>disk burning and see if DVD-DL is listed as a readable format. Tiger did not use dual layer DVD so that is why that worked.

I thought that was the problem, but as I said, my external disc drive wouldn't read the disc either. This external drive will read it in both my Mac Mini and main PC, as well as my 867MHz PowerBook G4, which is why I'm confused. The new PowerBook G4 reads the new disc that I burnt from my imaged disc but doesn't boot it, so reading dual layer DVDs should not be an issue, and apparently it isn't.
[doublepost=1567537270][/doublepost]

I've had 3 optical drives fail at the same time - which adds to a scenario like yours where you try the disk in other drives and none work.

The external drive works just fine with my discs in other machines. It's not the drive, I can assure you. That's why this issue is so bizarre.

 

[Dronecatcher]

The external drive works just fine with my discs in other machines.

Including booting from dual layer? What I've found with failing drives is that the don't pack up totally, just slowly lose functionality.

 

[Hughmac]

Dodgy RAM is my guess
I had a similar problem on one of my PowerBooks, and one of the RAM sticks was bad enough to cause all sorts of problems with booting to DVD, but passed all tests.

Cheers

Hugh

 

[LOLZpersonok]

Including booting from dual layer? What I've found with failing drives is that the don't pack up totally, just slowly lose functionality.

Yes, this drive will boot dual-layer DVDs in other machines. It works as it should in other computers, but connected to this PowerBook G4, it behaves like it's dying. It acts exactly like the internal drive.
[doublepost=1567537717][/doublepost]

Dodgy RAM is my guess
I had a similar problem on one of my PowerBooks, and one of the RAM sticks was bad enough to cause all sorts of problems with booting to DVD.

Cheers

Hugh

I did remove the module from the dead lower memory slot, I'll try swapping them. I wonder if the fact that the lower memory slot is non-functional has an effect on the problem. I'll come back after swapping modules.

 

[Hughmac]

Well, one of my PowerBooks G4 1.67s has a dead slot, but I am using a 2GB stick in the only working bay with no problems, so that may be one way forward.
Even if you only have 1GB it should be enough to boot from one working slot.

Cheers

Hugh

 

[LOLZpersonok]

Dodgy RAM is my guess
I had a similar problem on one of my PowerBooks, and one of the RAM sticks was bad enough to cause all sorts of problems with booting to DVD, but passed all tests.

Cheers

Hugh

It made no difference. If the dead lower memory slot is the problem, I have no way to be sure. I should add that I swapped the modules themselves from the top slot; I removed the module from the non-functional slot a while back.

 

[bjar]

I thought that was the problem, but as I said, my external disc drive wouldn't read the disc either. This external drive will read it in both my Mac Mini and main PC, as well as my 867MHz PowerBook G4, which is why I'm confused. The new PowerBook G4 reads the new disc that I burnt from my imaged disc but doesn't boot it, so reading dual layer DVDs should not be an issue, and apparently it isn't.
[doublepost=1567537270][/doublepost]
The external drive works just fine with my discs in other machines. It's not the drive, I can assure you. That's why this issue is so bizarre.

My apologies, I missed the part about the external drive. The other macs were able to boot off the external?

 

[LOLZpersonok]

My apologies, I missed the part about the external drive. The other macs were able to boot off the external?

No, I didn't try booting my other Macs off the external drive. I was only concerned with reading the discs at the time, but I know this drive will boot dual-layer DVDs from my other computers I've tried it on (though not with Mac OS X).

 

[bjar]

No, I didn't try booting my other Macs off the external drive. I was only concerned with reading the discs at the time, but I know this drive will boot dual-layer DVDs from my other computers I've tried it on (though not with Mac OS X).

You did the trick in OF to get the G4 to boot from USB? I have never actually tried it with an optical drive.

 

[Hughmac]

It made no difference. If the dead lower memory slot is the problem, I have no way to be sure. I should add that I swapped the modules themselves from the top slot; I removed the module from the non-functional slot a while back.

Well at least we've discounted RAM problems.

You did the trick in OF to get the G4 to boot from USB? I have never actually tried it with an optical drive.

Ah of course, you can't easily boot from USB on these machines, sorry I should have spotted that.
My external drives are all Firewire so I can boot both external DVD or hard drives.

Cheers

Hugh

 

[bjar]

Well at least we've discounted RAM problems.


Ah of course, you can't easily boot from USB on these machines, sorry I should have spotted that.
My external drives are all Firewire so I can boot both external DVD or hard drives.

Cheers

Hugh

Same here. Have never actually had to boot a usb drive so don’t even know the commands, I just know they exist. Can easily be found in the forum though.

 

[LOLZpersonok]

Well at least we've discounted RAM problems.


Ah of course, you can't easily boot from USB on these machines, sorry I should have spotted that.
My external drives are all Firewire so I can boot both external DVD or hard drives.

Cheers

Hugh

I've done it lots of times in the past, but all on G4 systems. This PowerBook G4 is an exception and I wasn't able to get it to boot to my USB drive. I also wasn't able to get my other G4s to boot to this USB drive I prepared, and I've heard how some thumb drives can have problems with booting on PowerPC Macs, so I wondered if this was the case.

 

[DearthnVader]

Hmmmm.........

As a work-a-round you may want to boot the Tiger DVD>Partition the HD with an 8GB partition and another partition for your OS>Install Tiger>Boot Tiger and insert your Leopard DVD>Make and image of your Leopard DVD and Scan it for Restore with Disk Utility>Restore your Leopard Image to the 8Gb partition.

Or just wait until you have a Firewire cable......

The benefit of a Leopard Install Partition is you can install on other Mac's too via Target Disk Mode.

 

[Project Alice]

Including booting from dual layer? What I've found with failing drives is that the don't pack up totally, just slowly lose functionality.

This.

Out of all the optical drives I've seen fail only a couple stop working completely. Just a couple weeks ago I pulled a superdrive out of my G5 because it wouldn't burn CD-Rs anymore. Does everything else just fine. I even burned a couple DVDs on it.

 

[LOLZpersonok]

Hmmmm.........

As a work-a-round you may want to boot the Tiger DVD>Partition the HD with an 8GB partition and another partition for your OS>Install Tiger>Boot Tiger and insert your Leopard DVD>Make and image of your Leopard DVD and Scan it for Restore with Disk Utility>Restore your Leopard Image to the 8Gb partition.

Or just wait until you have a Firewire cable......

The benefit of a Leopard Install Partition is you can install on other Mac's too via Target Disk Mode.

I like this idea, I'm going to have a go at it when I get home. I'll get back to you with how successful I've been (or haven't been).
[doublepost=1567698331][/doublepost]

This.

Out of all the optical drives I've seen fail only a couple stop working completely. Just a couple weeks ago I pulled a superdrive out of my G5 because it wouldn't burn CD-Rs anymore. Does everything else just fine. I even burned a couple DVDs on it.

I have a computer that I once used as an early to mid-2000s gaming PC, and the drive had no trouble reading CDs and DVDs, but games would never authenticate. As I discovered, certain parts of the disc are used for authentication and the drive was slightly flaky, so I plugged in my external optical drive, and all of a sudden, the games would authenticate.

 

[retta283]

Target disk mode would be a good way to do it. That would rule out any drive issues.

 

[LOLZpersonok]

Hmmmm.........

As a work-a-round you may want to boot the Tiger DVD>Partition the HD with an 8GB partition and another partition for your OS>Install Tiger>Boot Tiger and insert your Leopard DVD>Make and image of your Leopard DVD and Scan it for Restore with Disk Utility>Restore your Leopard Image to the 8Gb partition.

Or just wait until you have a Firewire cable......

The benefit of a Leopard Install Partition is you can install on other Mac's too via Target Disk Mode.

I couldn't get that to work either.

 

[LOLZpersonok]

I got my FireWire cable today. My other PowerBook G4 was having trouble reading the discs but it had no trouble with my external disc drive. Booting it into Target Disk Mode didn't allow the PowerBook G4 I've been fooling with to see the disc in the other laptop's external drive, so I set up my Power Mac G5, which has no issues with my main OS X 10.5 disc. I booted it into Target Disk Mode, connected it to my PowerBook through FireWire, and held Option while booting the PowerBook. Low and behold, the installer disc was seen, and I'm finally able to proceed with the OS X 10.5 installation on this PowerBook.

This took me over a week to finally get going.

 

[Hughmac]

Great news. Sometimes you have to fight these machines for ages to get them to do as they're told

Cheers

Hugh

 

[netsrot39]

Well, one of my PowerBooks G4 1.67s has a dead slot, but I am using a 2GB stick in the only working bay with no problems, so that may be one way forward.
Even if you only have 1GB it should be enough to boot from one working slot.

Cheers

Hugh

This is good to know. Some time ago my early 2005 was randomly kernel panicking every hour or so and I suspected that the RAM itself or the slot is slowly dying. I stopped using the machine for 2 weeks because I couldn't really get stuff done due to the annoying kernel panics. I didn't ran ASD back then because I hadn't any recordable discs lying around to burn the image. The issue eventually disappeared entirely but it's really interesting how these old machines behave at times ...

In regard to your post I wonder if the system can really make use of the whole 2 GB stick? I always thought one slot is limited to 1 GB. It would be good to know because I'm kind of worried that this might happen to my early 2005 as well. I also checked the serial number online and back in the day it would have been eligible for replacement due to known RAM issues in the early 2005 lineup.

 

[Hughmac]

This is good to know. Some time ago my early 2005 was randomly kernel panicking every hour or so and I suspected that the RAM itself or the slot is slowly dying. I stopped using the machine for 2 weeks because I couldn't really get stuff done due to the annoying kernel panics. I didn't ran ASD back then because I hadn't any recordable discs lying around to burn the image. The issue eventually disappeared entirely but it's really interesting how these old machines behave at times ...

In regard to your post I wonder if the system can really make use of the whole 2 GB stick? I always thought one slot is limited to 1 GB. It would be good to know because I'm kind of worried that this might happen to my early 2005 as well. I also checked the serial number online and back in the day it would have been eligible for replacement due to known RAM issues in the early 2005 lineup.

I think it was in relation to the late 2005 PowerBooks, and yes, all the 2GB is being addressed.

Cheers

Hugh