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macintologist · Dec 14, 2005, 07:25 PM

I have an G4 iMac with a busted DVD drive. Nothing works. Can't boot from it, nothing.

So I was thinking, in order to upgrade it to Tiger, why not restart it in FW mode, then connect it to my Powerbook and install Tiger onto it as if its an external HD?

However, when I booted, you know the screen where it says "looking for other volumes" or something like that? The iMac HD never comes out of grey. It's always grey.

So my question is: Is there a way to install Tiger onto an external HD without having to boot from the DVD? Or is there some other solution you know of that I would benefit from?

Watson · Dec 14, 2005, 07:54 PM

I had a broken DVD drive in my G4-iMac, luckily it was still under Apple Care (1 month left) so I took to the closest Apple Store and had it repaired for free. I ended up with a sweet new Pioneer DVR-106D, which is not only faster, but supports DVD+R/W. I suppose your Apple Care has run out by now, but if you are attached to the machine, it's a worthwhile upgrade.

I don't know of any other way to install, since you will have to do so from the G4 to get the appropriate hardware drivers, etc., and even single user mode doesn't allow for a straightforward procedure for mounting attachable (i.e. Firewire) drives.

If you had a friend with a G4 iMac similar to yours, you could use their computer to install Tiger onto the external Firewire drive, then after it has been installed, boot up from the firewire drive on your computer via the option key at startup.

jmiddel · Dec 14, 2005, 08:48 PM

What happens if you first connect iMac to PB and then boot the iMac in FW mode?

tooki · Dec 14, 2005, 09:24 PM

You don't want the installer running on anything but the iMac itself, because it may not install the necessary apps.

Instead, boot off an external DVD drive via FireWire. This could be an actual FW DVD drive, or a recent (last 2-3 years) Mac in Target Disk Mode. It'll share out the disc in the optical drive, letting it boot. Use the option key on startup to use the Startup Manager to select it.

tooki

macintologist · Dec 15, 2005, 01:49 AM

Originally Posted by tooki

You don't want the installer running on anything but the iMac itself, because it may not install the necessary apps.

Instead, boot off an external DVD drive via FireWire. This could be an actual FW DVD drive, or a recent (last 2-3 years) Mac in Target Disk Mode. It'll share out the disc in the optical drive, letting it boot. Use the option key on startup to use the Startup Manager to select it.

tooki

I think I'm just going to save up and buy that LaCie lightscribe. I've been wanting to burn covers onto CDs and DVDs, this will serve a 2nd purpose too.

analogika · Dec 15, 2005, 02:34 AM

Originally Posted by tooki

You don't want the installer running on anything but the iMac itself, because it may not install the necessary apps.

Really?

Like what?

tooki · Dec 15, 2005, 02:41 AM

Well, one example (that wouldn't be the case here) is DVD Player, which doesn't get installed on machines without DVD drives.

tooki

macintologist · Dec 15, 2005, 03:10 AM

Tooki, the iMac has an external HD attached to it via Firewire. It's 160GB and 7200rpm so pretty fast.

Should I install Tiger on that one and just boot off that HD permanently? WIll the home folder have to be moved onto that too?

pendragon · Dec 15, 2005, 09:46 AM

If Tiger is already installed on your PB and your PB can see the iMac, perhaps you can use SuperDuper or CCC to clone Tiger back to the iMac. At least that technique is how I installed Tiger on a few volumes.

P · Dec 15, 2005, 10:45 AM

Insert the Install DVD in the Powerbook and boot it in Target Disk mode. With the iMac booted as usual, you should be able to see the DVD. If you do, you can boot from it - either set that disc as the startup disk in System Preferences, or reboot holding option to select the DVD from there.

tooki · Dec 15, 2005, 12:25 PM

Yeah, um, I said that yesterday, P!

Originally Posted by macintologist

Tooki, the iMac has an external HD attached to it via Firewire. It's 160GB and 7200rpm so pretty fast.

Should I install Tiger on that one and just boot off that HD permanently? WIll the home folder have to be moved onto that too?

I'd use the internal disk. It may not be as big, but it's 7200 RPM, too, and being internal, has less CPU overhead to use.

tooki

P · Dec 15, 2005, 02:52 PM

Originally Posted by tooki

Yeah, um, I said that yesterday, P!

I know. I just made it slightly more detailed because the OP keeps asking for solutions, so I don't think /s/he got it.

P · Dec 15, 2005, 03:08 PM

dupe

macintologist · Dec 16, 2005, 02:43 AM

Originally Posted by tooki

Yeah, um, I said that yesterday, P!

I'd use the internal disk. It may not be as big, but it's 7200 RPM, too, and being internal, has less CPU overhead to use.

tooki

I don't think my internal is 7200. It's probably 5400. This is the rev A iMac, the 15" 800mhz one

angelmb · Dec 20, 2005, 02:41 AM

Originally Posted by P

Insert the Install DVD in the Powerbook and boot it in Target Disk mode. With the iMac booted as usual, you should be able to see the DVD. If you do, you can boot from it - either set that disc as the startup disk in System Preferences, or reboot holding option to select the DVD from there.

Didn't work for me with a Pismo that has a dead DVD drive. I was able to install Tiger from an external FireWire DVD drive.