[redfive]

I have a brand new iMac and I'm trying to set up multiple boot partitions to load a copy of 10.5 and then 10.6 on.

I'm unable to boot from CD to get into the Utilities folder to run Disk Repair. Running my Disk Utility in the OS itself let's me know that the disk needs repair. I'm unable to partition the disk also due to this disk issue.

I've tried both my 10.5 CD and my 10.6 CD along with my friends burned 10.6 CD. They all exhibit the same behavior. The computer boots and then the Apple logo sits in the middle for at least 20 minutes before I decide to turn it off and try another solution.

I've tried using Command + S to get to Terminal only and a similar action takes place. The computer starts to load up but then stops responding when it's loading the Extensions.

The computer loads perfectly fine in any other scenario and exhibits no other problems.

What else can I try in order to either repair my disk as I'm assuming this is causing my issues or to blow away the OS altogether from a Terminal prompt and then I can start over?

[ibook_steve]

Do the disks mount OK when the machine is running normally? If not, there could be something wrong with the drive. Can you select the disk in Startup Disk preferences?

Do you have an external drive you could try?

I am, of course, assuming that you holding the "c" key at boot to boot from the disk.

Steve

[Art Vandelay]

If you have a brand new iMac, you'll need to boot from the disc that came with it. The current iMacs require 10.6.3+. A 10.6 or 10.5 retail disc will not boot any currently sold Mac hardware.

[Moderator]

I respectfully disagree with Mr Vandelay, I would expect a retail 10.6 disc to work. I know they will not go down to 10.5, but a 10.6 disc should work.

I have seen this problem in rare instances and was not able to figure out the problem. But you could easily either buy an external hard drive, clone your whole system to it, then boot off of that while yours is in target disk mode for repair.

or

borrow a buddies laptop and put your machine into target disk mode to accomplish the same thing.

[Moose]

Originally Posted by Moderator 

I respectfully disagree with Mr Vandelay, I would expect a retail 10.6 disc to work.

You can expect whatever you want, but he's right.

[anthology123]

If this a brand new out of the box iMac, then you should have in that box a DVD that will boot up your iMac. It would be in the long skinny box inside a package that usually says "Everything Else"

[P]

Originally Posted by Moderator 

I respectfully disagree with Mr Vandelay, I would expect a retail 10.6 disc to work. I know they will not go down to 10.5, but a 10.6 disc should work.

I would be surprised if it worked. The newest iMacs all use Intel's P55 PCH, and because Apple skipped both the 3 series and the 4 series of Intel's chipsets (they used the 9400M), the latest Intel chipset driver in the 10.6 installation is for the 965PM. That's quite a few generations away, and to add to the problems, those old opticals were attached by ATA and not SATA. Some quick googling of OSX86 sites adds support to this theory - minimum 10.6.2 is required to make a P55-based computer boot.

[AKcrab]

The latest retail disk is 10.6.3... It will NOT boot a current iMac, MacBook Pro, Macbook, or MacBook Air. Period.