[andersbk]

Hi guys,
I'm selling my iBook, and before I was going to send it away,
I wanted to format the drive and install os x all over again,
to be able to hand over a clean machine to the buyer.

Well I started the installation - and I wanted to format the HD befor re-installing os x.

I go to disk tools and choose erase disk.
a dialog box pops up and asks:
- write all zeros to disk?
- write random data to disk 8 times?

As I'm selling the iBook I think, yeah. that sounds good, then my data will be safely removed.

I get a warning dialog box saying the formatting will take time.
But sure I've got time. bring it on. So I say yes, and start formatting.

So after about 12 hours i come back to the iBook before going to bed.
And the formatting is just halfway done.. I think wow, that took long,
but go to bed, thinking it'll be finished next morning.

But it didn't! It has stopped at about 2/3 and the "rainbow-colored wheel" is spinning.
It has been spinning for TWO DAYS now!
And it says over: Creating partition-maps (translated from Norwegian). for TWO DAYS?

If I try to quit, of course I get a warning saying if I quit, the disk may become useless.


What am i supposed to do? Just wait? Anyone know?

[Marcus Karlsson]

The disk may become useless if you abort the process. But you might be able to reformat the disk afterwards.

Hårddisken lär bli oanvändbar om du avbryter processen. Men du borde kunna formatera om hårddisken på nytt efteråt.

[andersbk]

Do you think it'll ever finish? or is my only option to abort?

[Marcus Karlsson]

I'm not sure but it seams strange that the process hasn't finished yet.

Jag är inte säker men det är märkligt att processen inte har blivit klar än.

[andersbk]

I guess Apple won't cover this if i abort and the disk ends up useless?
The machine is over 3 years old now..

[Marcus Karlsson]

A disk is a disk. I don't think that the disk will become useless because of an abort. Disk Utility will find the disk but you have to reformat it. I'm sure it will not be a problem. I have done that a couple of times and a disk has never became useless.

En hårddisk är en hårddisk. Jag tror inte att hårddisken kommer att bli oanvändbar efter ett avbrytande. Skivverktyg kommer att hitta hårddisken men den kommer att behöva formateras om. Jag är säker på att det inte kommer att bli något problem. Jag har gjort det ett par gånger och hårddisken har aldrig blivit oanvändbar.

[turtle777]

Aborting should not PHYSICALLY damage the HD.

-t

[andersbk]

Okei. so i should just abort, and then try to reformat?

And not choose "write random data to disk" ?

[andersbk]

Disk Utility won't quit. the machine doesn't respond to anything.

reboot?

[SkaGoat]

yep, hold the power button, don't write random data 8 times this time, that's what took so long, writing 0s takes a long time too.

[The Placid Casual]

I can imagine that over writing 8 times could take as long as 3 days...

I would be tempted to leave it for a day or so more, if it is still not done, hard reboot the machine. I *very* much doub't any serious harm would come to it, well, no more than another format would fix.

[andersbk]

well, I aborted it yesterday by doing a "hard reboot"

Then I reformatted and it seems to be allright now.

I still think 3 days is a little much for a 30GB disk, but whatever..


Now i've got another problem.
When I sent the machine in for the logicboard replacement programme last year, they installed OS 10.3 on the computer bescause the new logic board didn't support 10.2.
But I didn't get any 10.3 install cd's. And now i thought i could use the install cd's for my iMac G5, but it says no - "You cannot install bundled software on this computer"!

So I'm f****d

what do I do?
I don't want to buy a new OS 10.3 install disk, when Tiger is coming out in a week!

Did the error come because the disks were for an iMac?
I've tried the installdisks for my dads Mac mini too - same error..
Do You think it'll work with install disks for a new iBook G4? A friend of mine just bought one.. ?

[turtle777]

I'd talk to Apple Customer Service and tell them about your problem. Don't mention that you want to sell it, just tell them your HD went belly up and needed reformating, and now you are SOL without 10.3 CDs. Maybe, they'll just give them out for free now that Tiger is around the corner.

-t

[SSharon]

If that doesn't work and Apple doesn't send you disks you can try putting the ibook into target disk mode on another Mac and installing the OS from the Mini. So the OS will reboot and maybe it will let you since it will think its just an external drive and not another Mac.