[Mac Guru]

I have a Grape iMac of the 333MHz breed that just received a new 20GB HD after it's old one died.

Problem is, I gave it 10.3 by installing the HD in my firewire case and using a different computer to install the OS. (The CD Drive on the iMac is VERY iffy, and only reads one out of every three CD's.)

So I got Panther installed, but the iMac sat on the Apple screen with the gyro graphic going and going and going...

Upon a reboot, it no longer recognizes the HD as a boot drive. (Folder with ? / Mac Face)

I DO NOT want to install OS 9 on this thing, as I don't really own any more 9 SW and don't want to hunt any down.

Anyone have ANY idea about how to get this beast running?

Thanks!
Mac Guru

[scottiB]

IIRC, the tray-loading iMacs need to have the system installed on the first 8GB. You'll need to partition the drive.

[Mac Guru]

But if that's ALL that's on the HD, wouldn't it be on the first 8GB?

A friend just told me that the Non-Firewire G3's won't load Panther.

I'm guessing I'll just have to live with 9 on the iMac... (My wife uses it, so it's not me that has to use it, she doesn't care, as long as she can get her email)

Mac Guru

[scottiB]

I'm not sure if installation is that neat.

Installing OS X 10.2 on an iMac 333 with a 10GB drive wouldn't work for me. I needed a two partitions.

Also, your iMac's firmware may need upgrading (though I don't know, offhand, what the rev is).

I have Panther installed on an iMac/266, and it ran fine until the video crapped out. It had its original 6GB drive.

[Mac Guru]

Ok, here's the fun part...

There is now NOTHING on the iMac's HD...

Now, it won't boot off the OS 9 CD, and instead, gives me the ? Folder, then eventually it boots me into Open Firmware.

This is VERY messed up.

Mac Guru

[tooki]

No no no. It's not that Panther needs to be within the first 8GB of a disk of any size. OS X, on those models, needs to be installed on a partition that is completely contained within the first 8GB (including the partition map et al, which is why it's better to format to 7.8GB).

tooki

[Mr.Clicky]

Tooki is correct; I had the same model (and colour!) and X needed to be installed *within* the first 8 GB partition. It will then boot without a hitch.

Originally posted by tooki:
No no no. It's not that Panther needs to be within the first 8GB of a disk of any size. OS X, on those models, needs to be installed on a partition that is completely contained within the first 8GB (including the partition map et al, which is why it's better to format to 7.8GB).

tooki

[MacNStein]

Dude, it's because you initialized the drive through a FW bridge, the iMac's IDE controller doesn't know how to deal with it. Place the drive in a machine and reinitialize and install 10.3 THEN put the drive in the iMac. Then you may have to boot from a 9.1 or 9.2 CD and set the startup disk. Things should be good then.

BTW, it has nothing to do with being on an 8GB partition, that was just a limitation of the first Bondi 233MHz iMacs.

EDIT: of course, though, an OSX installation has to be within the first 8GB of *ANY* HD, so maybe I misunderstood what was said earlier... but you can have a partition larger than 8GB with your iMac... in fact, it can be up to 128GB in size.

[finboy]

Originally posted by MacNStein:


EDIT: of course, though, an OSX installation has to be within the first 8GB of *ANY* HD, so maybe I misunderstood what was said earlier... but you can have a partition larger than 8GB with your iMac... in fact, it can be up to 128GB in size.

OK, so if I put a 40MB HD in my Strawberry then I can do two 20MB partitions and it will work with X? Or not?

Thx for all of the responses here, too, since my upgrade is imminent.

Man, having 9 and X on the same partition (my new ibook) really sux. My Pismo, with two partitions, works much better.

[Mac Guru]

All fixed... after much of a headache, I formatted in OS X from my iBook, and partitioned the first part into 6GB and installed X onto that.

Worked like a charm.

Thanks for all you guys' help!
Mac Guru