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Luigi193 · Jul 6, 2007, 03:17 PM

HELP! I just bought a first gen macbook on ebay and when I got it it came with two disks, a DL disk titled 10.5 and the normally macbook 10.4 install. I didn't want to glitch out the system running an alpha, so I popped in the 10.4. It was so weird, he must of tried installing 10.5 because all the icons on startup were different, the ? folder thing, the target disk icon ect. ANd worst of all it wouldn't read the installer! I put it in, held C and nothing. I tried holding S, shift, V, nothing. I zapped the pram. NO AVAIL! Im like ok, so i popped in the 10.5, it did start from that (interface was very snazzy btw), Having know other idea what to do, i install it. It gets to 22 minutes and says, can't find essential package. Ok, now I am mad. So I try again, same thing. I disable everything, same thing. I gave up and whipped the drive in Disk utility on the lepord disk. I then tried the 10.4 disk again...NOTHING! Then I had an idea. I Put it in target tisk mode (couldn't believe it worked) and installed it (10.4) from my old G4. It installed, i got it all set up, it opened on the G4 in target disk mode using AGP graphics (or something). I am like SWEET! I go back to the Macbook...same stupid questionmark folder. I tried everything again, i held down option, nothing. I did S,V and shift...agian nothing. Disk utitliy said my drive wasn't damaged. So i have know were else to turn. I am typing this on my account from my macbook on my G4...i realllly need some help.

P.S. I tried a second tiger disk, it also didn't work. HELP!

cgc · Jul 6, 2007, 03:54 PM

I don't think you'll get any help on the downloaded 10.5; you probably should get rid of that anyways (why install stolen beta OS?). The 10.4 installation disc should work. Did you format the MacBook prior to installing 10.4? Tiger comes with two discs, you need to install the first one which will prompt you for the second one.

Luigi193 · Jul 6, 2007, 04:35 PM

I dont want help installing the beta! I WANT TO KNOW WHY IT WONT LET ME INSTALL ANYTHING!

C.A.T.S. CEO · Jul 6, 2007, 05:14 PM

Originally Posted by Luigi193

I dont want help installing the beta! I WANT TO KNOW WHY IT WONT LET ME INSTALL ANYTHING!

And he wasn't helping you, he told you to get rid of it.

Buy a new HD? You got this off of ebay for how much? I'd say you got ripped off, if disk util says the HD is dead and nothing else works, then get a new HD. Also, throw the Leopard disk away, nobody here will like you if you keep it and install it.

JustinHorne · Jul 6, 2007, 05:27 PM

From the sounds of it, it came pre[mostly]intalled with 10.5, which he is TRYING to get rid of. However, he is having issues getting the compy to let him DOWNgrade to 10.4.

I might be reading it wrong, but I think he's trying to do exactly what you are telling him. He said he didn't want to install a buggy alpha. It sounds like the seller was the one pirating the beta, not him....

seanc · Jul 6, 2007, 06:41 PM

I agree with JustinHorne.

The OP doesn't say the hard drive is damaged, they explicitly mention that disk utility says it isn't damaged and they ARE trying to install 10.4 rather than 10.5.

OP, the reason you can't boot the install that you made onto your MacBook via Target Mode is because you installed the PPC version. The other Tiger disc you tried would also be the PPC version and so that won't work either. MacBooks and all new Apple machines use Intel processors now.

Are your set of MacBook restore disks actually for a MacBook? They don't say MacBook Pro or iBook do they? Also are they scratched? If they're not damaged and they are proper MacBook discs then it could be that the optical drive in the MacBook is failing, since you mention it having issues reading the Leopard disc. Do you have an external Firewire or USB DVD drive you can use or borrow, because that would be worth a try.

thetman · Jul 7, 2007, 01:02 AM

there is no single disc version of os x for intel macs, the only way to install os x on an intel mac is using a restore disc or a copy of one, they are 2 discs. if you have a single disc it might be the PPC version which wont install. the os x that apple sells for $129 us retail is for PPCs only "Hardware Requirements - * PowerPC G5, G4 or G3 processor" (from the website)

OreoCookie · Jul 7, 2007, 01:47 AM

Are you sure the OS X 10.4 install DVDs are genuine?
If not, you should be able to get OS X for a shipping and handling fee from Apple.

cgc · Jul 7, 2007, 10:58 AM

Have you tried formatting the drive?

AKcrab · Jul 7, 2007, 12:53 PM

Originally Posted by OreoCookie

If not, you should be able to get OS X for a shipping and handling fee from Apple.

Replacement disks are $25 each.

megasad · 08:58 PM

Originally Posted by Luigi193

P.S. I tried a second tiger disk, it also didn't work. HELP!

To me it sounds like the problem is a combination of a botched 10.5 install and that the MacBook's hard drive has somehow been formatted using the Apple Partition Map scheme, which is only meant to be used on boot drives for PPC Macs, not Intel ones.

So, start the MacBook up in Target Disk Mode again, connect it to your old G4 and then open Disk Utility in your G4's Utilities folder.

Select the MacBook's drive (not the volume labelled something like "Macintosh HD" but the one named something like "TOSHIBA MK6034GSX Media".

Choose the "Partition" tab, and then click the "Options..." button (bottom centre).

Choose "GUID Partiton Table", click OK and then click the "Partition" button (bottom right). Leave the format as "Mac OS Extended (Journalled)" and name the drive whatever you like.

Eject the MacBook from your G4.

Put the 10.4 install disc in the MacBook's drive and restart it.

It should boot from the install disc automatically and you should be able to install the OS.

If this doesn't work, please confirm that it is an actual MacBook install disc and not, for example, a iBook/PowerBook one or even a retail one. If it is one of those, it is meant for a PPC system and will not work with your Intel machine. There is also the possibility that you only have the second disc, which is iLife etc. and not the OS, but that seems unlikely.

PS - The reason that Tiger installed via your G4 and from the second Tiger disc did not work is because of the aforementioned fact that they are for PPC systems, not Intel ones. Make sure your 10.4 disc that came with the MacBook says something like "MacBook Restore" on it.

[EDIT - I somehow missed seanc's post, sorry for redundant information.]

analogika · Jul 9, 2007, 04:14 AM

10.4 for Intel cannot be installed on hard drives formatted from a G4 machine. (10.5 can.)

If the icons at startup were different, he's probably installed some sort of boot manager software.

It's very odd that it wouldn't boot from the MacBook Install Disk 1 (is it the original Apple disk, and does it say explicitly that? MacBooks CANNOT boot off store-bought OS X Install DVDs - those are PPC only.).

If the above doesn't work, I would download a Firmware Restore disk image from the Apple homepage and see if you can completely re-set the MacBook's firmware using that; then re-install from the original MacBook Install Disks, making sure to Erase and Install (or using Disk Utility from the Install Disk to format the disk).

A remote possibility is also that the guy who sold it botched the EFI firmware by incompetently installing 10.5 over some third-party boot manager and has now successfully got rid of it.