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Full-Auto · Jul 9, 2008, 12:26 PM

Sorry for the noob question, but I'm relatively new to Mac's.

Would it be possible to install OSX 10.4 to a USB hard drive then boot from it from my Macbook Pro (10.5 installed natively)? Is there a website with instructions on how to go about doing this if it is possible?

Thanks for any help - this is for work.

turtle777 · Jul 9, 2008, 12:47 PM

I'm not sure, but I think it should work.

Why don't you give it a try, just pop in the OS X 10.4 install disk and chose the connected USB drive as an install location.

-t

Full-Auto · Jul 9, 2008, 12:52 PM

I haven't purchased a drive yet, and I don't want to buy it if it's not going to work.

MacNNUK · Jul 9, 2008, 12:59 PM

I do exactly that to run PS7 from 10.4.11. as it doesn't work under 10.5.4

I installed 10.4.11 onto USB HDD, by placing 10.4 installation disc into my iMac, and installing onto USB drive, then press alt on startup, and select 10.4.11 USB drive, which also has PS7 installed on it.

Works a treat.

(PS7=Photoshop 7)

Full-Auto · Jul 9, 2008, 01:02 PM

Great, thanks! I will go pick up a drive.

turtle777 · Jul 9, 2008, 02:21 PM

Just as a FYI:

USB booting HD only work with Intel-based Macs. Since you are on a MBP, you shouldn't have a problem.
The G4 and G5 Macs only support booting via Firewire HD.

-t

Full-Auto · Jul 9, 2008, 03:34 PM

Ok, I have my external drive and I can't figure out how to install 10.4 to it from my 10.5 machine.

I rebooted and selected to boot from the OSX install disk (by holding down option/alt). It then boots back into 10.5 from my HD.

How do I go about installing the OS to the USB drive?

Full-Auto · Jul 9, 2008, 04:33 PM

Wow, this is frustrating. When I boot from the install DVD, it ignores the instruction and boots from the HD.

If I am in the 10.5 system and it's running and double click on the "install Mac OS X and Bundled Software" icon it prompts me to reboot. I click continue and it prompts me for my password. I enter it, and it reboots... from the hard drive and 10.5.

I know this has to be possible... could it be that OSX isn't recognizing the USB drive as a bootable device?

Cold Warrior · Jul 9, 2008, 04:40 PM

Hold down option at startup to select the disc.

Full-Auto · Jul 9, 2008, 04:51 PM

When I hold down the option button, it gives me two options:

1) hard drive in the MBP
2) DVD drive (OS X install disc)

I select the DVD and it boots to the HD.

Full-Auto · 05:22 PM

First, rebooting and holding down the option key then selecting the OSX DVD:

Then double clicking on the install icon from within the OS and letting it reboot itself.

Full-Auto · Jul 9, 2008, 05:47 PM

Well, nothing I do will make it boot from the DVD. I'm not using Disc Utility to "restore" the DVD to my external drive... then hopefully I will be able to boot from the external drive and run in the install from there...

This is massively frustrating!

ibook_steve · Jul 9, 2008, 06:30 PM

Hold "c" at boot to force booting from the optical disk. Keep it held until the gray apple and you hear the disk spinning to boot the installer. If that doesn't work, something is messed up, hopefully not with your machine's firmware or optical drive (or your install disk).

Steve

Full-Auto · Jul 9, 2008, 06:35 PM

Humm, I'll try that again but the last time it ended with the same result.

I just restored the DVD to my USB drive and booted with the option key held down. It showed the USB drive as a bootable device this time (before it didn't) so I selected it. It booted from 10.5 on my hard disc once again.

Full-Auto · Jul 9, 2008, 08:09 PM

Originally Posted by MacNNUK

I do exactly that to run PS7 from 10.4.11. as it doesn't work under 10.5.4

I installed 10.4.11 onto USB HDD, by placing 10.4 installation disc into my iMac, and installing onto USB drive, then press alt on startup, and select 10.4.11 USB drive, which also has PS7 installed on it.

Works a treat.

(PS7=Photoshop 7)

I just tried doing the same operation with my iMac and had the same results as I did with my MBP.

How did you install 10.4 on your USB drive? Did you have 10.4 on your internal drive first, or did you install 10.4 on your USB drive while your system was running 10.5?

I'm not sure why I can't do this. Nothing works... No matter what I do it will not boot from the DVD or the USB drive (which is now running an image of the DVD) from either of my Mac's.

turtle777 · Jul 9, 2008, 08:11 PM

Ok, are you SURE you have a full retail version of 10.4 ?

If you tried to use a 10.4 System Restore disk that came with a non-Intel machine, it won't work !

-t

Cold Warrior · Jul 9, 2008, 08:12 PM

Are you using a universal copy of 10.4 or is it PPC?

edit: turtle and I are thinking the same thing.

turtle777 · Jul 9, 2008, 08:19 PM

Oh, and even the the older retail versions won't be Universal. I'm not even sure if they sell Universal 10.4.

But AFAIK, Doofy once got a free 10.4 Universal upon explicit request after he bought a Intel mini with 10.5, and couldn't run some software on it.

If you just purchased the MBP recently with 10.5 preinstalled, you might wanna give Apple a call.

-t

Full-Auto · Jul 9, 2008, 08:34 PM

It's the disc that came with my Intel MB.

ibook_steve · Jul 9, 2008, 10:27 PM

That disk is not going to work with any machine other than the model of MacBook it came with, or possibly older machines. You need a retail Tiger disk, but I don't think that was universal, so it wouldn't work anyway. If you have the MacBook, boot off of this disk on that machine to create the USB drive. That's the only way it will work.

Steve

Full-Auto · Jul 9, 2008, 10:35 PM

Originally Posted by ibook_steve

That disk is not going to work with any machine other than the model of MacBook it came with, or possibly older machines. You need a retail Tiger disk, but I don't think that was universal, so it wouldn't work anyway. If you have the MacBook, boot off of this disk on that machine to create the USB drive. That's the only way it will work.

Steve

Ha! My wife has the machine (but I bought a 5 license 10.5 pack and upgraded it... hopefully that's not going to be an issue).

Full-Auto · Jul 9, 2008, 10:41 PM

Ok, now we're making progress! So, from my MB I can boot from the DVD but a new problem arises.

It shows the USB drive but a red exclamation mark appears over it and when I select it, it tells me I can not install to that volume... it doesn't say why.

Any ideas?

turtle777 · Jul 9, 2008, 10:47 PM

Maybe you need to format it first ?

-t

Full-Auto · Jul 9, 2008, 10:53 PM

I think I figured it out, I looked at the partition and it was a DOS/Windows partition. I reset the partition to GUID and we'll see if that does it... keeping my fingers crossed.

Thanks a BUNCH for the tip on using the MB... I would have never thought of that.

Full-Auto · Jul 9, 2008, 10:54 PM

Originally Posted by turtle777

Maybe you need to format it first ?

-t

Yeah, I tried that early on and formatted it Mac OS Extended (Journaled) but apparently it still had a Windows partition... hopefully I've got it licked... waiting for it to reboot.

Full-Auto · 12:34 AM

Sweet, that did it. Thanks guys, I couldn't have done it without ya.

turtle777 · Jul 9, 2008, 11:28 PM

Great, glad it worked. Enjoy.

-t

Full-Auto · Jul 10, 2008, 08:59 AM

Well, it works great on my MB but because the OS is tied to it, it doesn't work when I plug the external drive into my MBP. So now I'm on eBay looking for a full install.

turtle777 · Jul 10, 2008, 11:04 AM

Originally Posted by Full-Auto

Well, it works great on my MB but because the OS is tied to it, it doesn't work when I plug the external drive into my MBP. So now I'm on eBay looking for a full install.

Look at my post above:

http://forums.macnn.com/90/mac-os-x/...e/#post3688822

You might get Apple to send you a free copy.

See also Doofy's thread here: http://forums.macnn.com/89/macnn-lou.../more-bunnies/

-t

Full-Auto · Jul 10, 2008, 09:02 PM

So here's a question, if I bought a G3,4,5 compatible version of Retail 10.4.x off eBay and installed it from a G5 to the USB drive... then booted from the USB drive and patched it to 10.4.11 would it then boot on an Intel Mac?

turtle777 · Jul 10, 2008, 09:06 PM

Originally Posted by Full-Auto

So here's a question, if I bought a G3,4,5 compatible version of Retail 10.4.x off eBay and installed it from a G5 to the USB drive... then booted from the USB drive and patched it to 10.4.11 would it then boot on an Intel Mac?

No, it most likely wouldn't. The 10.4.11 might not update ALL required apps to be Intel native.

I'm not 100% sure though. You might wanna call Apple and ask.

Seriously, call them, it doesn't cost you. Let THEM propose to you what would work, since you absolutely need 10.4 to make your app work.

-t

Full-Auto · Jul 10, 2008, 10:32 PM

Originally Posted by turtle777

No, it most likely wouldn't. The 10.4.11 might not update ALL required apps to be Intel native.

I'm not 100% sure though. You might wanna call Apple and ask.

Seriously, call them, it doesn't cost you. Let THEM propose to you what would work, since you absolutely need 10.4 to make your app work.

-t

Is it best to call or swing by my local Apple store do you think?

turtle777 · Jul 10, 2008, 10:56 PM

Originally Posted by Full-Auto

Is it best to call or swing by my local Apple store do you think?

I dunno, I would try calling first, and if that doesn't help, go to the Apple Store.

-t

AKcrab · Jul 10, 2008, 11:46 PM

The retail version of Tiger will not boot an intel mac.
You need to find an intel mac that originally shipped with 10.4 and clone that install to your external drive.

We've been mulling over this issue in my shop. There is NO universal version of tiger. There is only a PPC version. The disks that ship with 10.4 intel machines will create an install that will work on *all* intel machines, but the install disks themselves will not allow installation on every intel, just the family that they shipped with.

We've created a disk image of a bare-bones 10.4 intel install that we will use for restoring intel 10.4 machines.
(We've not tested this yet, as we just had the opportunity today to create our new "Intel Tiger Install" image.)

Full-Auto · Jul 11, 2008, 06:58 AM

Originally Posted by AKcrab

We've been mulling over this issue in my shop. There is NO universal version of tiger. There is only a PPC version. The disks that ship with 10.4 intel machines will create an install that will work on *all* intel machines, but the install disks themselves will not allow installation on every intel, just the family that they shipped with.

We've created a disk image of a bare-bones 10.4 intel install that we will use for restoring intel 10.4 machines.
(We've not tested this yet, as we just had the opportunity today to create our new "Intel Tiger Install" image.)

I don't believe this is going to work for you.

I have an Intel version of 10.4 that shipped with my Intel Macbook. I installed the OS to my USB drive using my MB then tried to book my MBP from the USB drive. It won't boot. It only boots from the MB.

ibook_steve · Jul 11, 2008, 12:18 PM

Originally Posted by Full-Auto

I don't believe this is going to work for you.

I have an Intel version of 10.4 that shipped with my Intel Macbook. I installed the OS to my USB drive using my MB then tried to book my MBP from the USB drive. It won't boot. It only boots from the MB.

Did you update that install to 10.4.11?

Steve

Full-Auto · Jul 11, 2008, 11:20 PM

Originally Posted by ibook_steve

Did you update that install to 10.4.11?

Steve

Yeah, and on my Intel MB it boots fine under 10.4.11 but on my MPB I get this screen after a few seconds of it trying to boot from the USB drive:

turtle777 · Jul 12, 2008, 12:17 AM

Why are you still tinkering around with it.

Just give Apple a call, for crying out load.

-t

Full-Auto · Jul 12, 2008, 12:49 AM

Originally Posted by turtle777

Why are you still tinkering around with it.

Just give Apple a call, for crying out load.

-t

Oh, I will.

I'm not bitching, just pointing out my experience in trying to shoehorn 10.4 onto my MBP.

analogika · Jul 12, 2008, 10:07 AM

Originally Posted by Full-Auto

Sorry for the noob question, but I'm relatively new to Mac's.

Would it be possible to install OSX 10.4 to a USB hard drive then boot from it from my Macbook Pro (10.5 installed natively)? Is there a website with instructions on how to go about doing this if it is possible?

Thanks for any help - this is for work.

If the MacBook Pro is a revision that came out AFTER the release of 10.5 (either of the two revisions that have been released this year so far), then there is probably NO WAY you're going to get it to boot 10.4, since the hardware has changed, and support for the new hardware was never written into the 10.4 branch of the system.