[allmodconz]

Hi,

I'm preparing my 1ghz G4 eMac for sale and I used Disk Utility to erase my hard drive, booted from my OS x/Panther only to find out that the system won't let me install that OS until I reinstall OS 10.2.4. But for some reason my eMac won't boot up from the OS 10.2.4 Software Install/Restore CD. I keep getting a screen that tells me I need to restart the computer (I'm trying the "restart while holding down the C-key" method). But whenever I do, it just keeps telling me I need to restart.

When I try and boot from the Panther/10.3 disc, it works fine until it tells me I can't install that OS until I reinstall the older one. So I'm caught in the middle.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance.

[Goldfinger]

Is it a Kernel panic perhaps ? A grey screen that asks you to restart in a few different languages ?

If you can boot into the installer app with the 10.3 disc you should be able to select disk utility from one of the menus. Open DU and format the hard drive again. It SHOULD install without any problems. If it doesn't then there's something really wrong. I don't see why it wouldn't work.

[steve626]

Sounds like your 10.3 install disk is really an "upgrade" CD, not the actual install disk. So you would then need a Mac OS X already installed to upgrade to 10.3. The real problem, if what I surmise is true, is your not being able to boot from the 10.2.4 CD. Do you have a different 10.2 install CD (a real fresh install one, not an upgrade install)? It sounds like yours might be damaged, or your CD drive isn't working properly.

[allmodconz]

Yes, it appears to be a kernel panic.

Yes, my 10.3 disc is an upgrade disc. My machine won't take the 10.2.4 disc.

Am I screwed?

[chris v]

A retail copy of 10.2 can be had on the web for pretty cheap. $20.00 or less, if you shop around.

[steve626]

Sounds like your 10.2.4 disc has something wrong with it. Have you re-checked that it is the original boot disk that came with this computer (sounds obvious, but sometimes folks with multiple computers try to boot from another computer's disk by mistake)? Have you tried cleaning the CD by wiping gently with a damp soft cloth? Do you have any other bootable CD's (Disk Warrior, etc.) that you can use to verify that the CD drive works? You could also take the computer to a shop to make sure it does boot from a recent version of the OS (you'll need to find a universal booting OS CD that is 10.2.4 or later, if 10.2.4 is what came with the computer). Once you have verified that the CD drive does work, then you can see if you can get the 10.2.4 CD to boot (again, I can't think of much else to do besides clean the CD) and if that still doesn't work, you will need to buy a new OS CD. You can buy 10.3, for instance, for $69 from AppleRescue | Mac Operating Systems & Technical Manuals and just add the $69 to the price you will sell your computer for.

[frankthetank966]

If its a continual grey screen you most likely have a problem with the logic board. Take it to the Genius bar.