help! just trashed my boss' ibook

[zimv20]

it was osx-only, she wanted classic on it. so i:

1. used CC Cloner to copy osx off it
2. put the ibook in firewire target disk mode
3. used disk utility from _my_ ibook to erase the HD via the partition panel. the "install mac os9 disk drivers" was indeed checked.
4. stuck the os9 install CD into my boss' ibook, started w/ the C key pressed
5. all i get is the ? folder, alternating w/ the same folder w/ an os9 mac icon on it

what gives?

other things i tried:

1. used firewire target mode to install os9; it wouldn't boot (? folder)
2. used f/w target mode to run Disk Warrior; same thing
3. zapped PRAM; same thing

what exactly did i mess up? what else in the h/w can i reset?

 

[applemacdude]

What revision is the ibook?

 

[al256]

Try holding down the option key while booting up. See if you can see the CD that way.

 

[janey]

Re: help! just trashed my boss' ibook

Originally posted by zimv20

4. stuck the os9 install CD into my boss' ibook, started w/ the C key pressed
5. all i get is the ? folder, alternating w/ the same folder w/ an os9 mac icon on it

couldn't you just have installed os 9 by sticking that cd in first?
anyway, force the computer to start up with os x by holding down the "x" button during startup.
perhaps you can reinstall both os 9 and os x.
i keep thinking of installing os x on an external firewire hard drive then starting the computer up with the external hard drive...but that's just because i did that with my iPod...
random thoughts floating around in my head...i think you should tell your boss what happened then take it to an apple store and ask them to do something about it.

 

[zimv20]

Originally posted by applemacdude
What revision is the ibook?

600 MHz 14"

dunno beyond that

 

[zimv20]

Originally posted by al256
Try holding down the option key while booting up. See if you can see the CD that way.

ooh, i didn't try that w/ the CD in. right now i'm erasing the drive again, this time formatting w/ zeroes. if that doesn't work, i'll try the option key.

 

[zimv20]

Re: Re: help! just trashed my boss' ibook

Originally posted by übergeek
couldn't you just have installed os 9 by sticking that cd in first?

i tried -- but i got the flashing ?.

anyway, force the computer to start up with os x by holding down the "x" button during startup.

since i erased the drive, there's no more OS on it. i tried booting, via firewire, from the supposedly bootable CC Clone i made, but it didn't work. got a big grey X i've never seen before.

i think you should tell your boss what happened then take it to an apple store and ask them to do something about it.

well, i'm not going to lie to her. but i do want to exhaust all my options before i have to haul the thing in. regardless, she needs it for a trip in 2 days. ugh.

 

[Kwyjibo]

sounds like its time to start over...did the ibook have restore discs, i've found thats the easiest way to install os9 on top of osx

 

[janey]

Re: Re: Re: help! just trashed my boss' ibook

Originally posted by zimv20
since i erased the drive, there's no more OS on it. i tried booting, via firewire, from the supposedly bootable CC Clone i made, but it didn't work. got a big grey X i've never seen before.

well, i'm not going to lie to her. but i do want to exhaust all my options before i have to haul the thing in. regardless, she needs it for a trip in 2 days. ugh.

ahhh ahhh no more OS!! ack...why don't you start up your boss's iBook with your hard drive as the startup disk?
anyway, you better do something about it...there's this apple store in chicago...

 

[zimv20]

Originally posted by Kwyjibo
sounds like its time to start over...did the ibook have restore discs, i've found thats the easiest way to install os9 on top of osx

aww, nuts. i don't know where hers are, and mine are in Zurich (don't ask). so it _is_ possible to install os9 onto osx? i tried once before, the installation program said it would erase the existing OS (osx).

but that wasn't from the restore disks. it was a proper os9 installation CD.

 

[zimv20]

- zeroing the drive didn't work

- holding down the option key didn't show any bootable drives (even though i had the os9 install CD in the drive)

argh!!!!!

 

[janey]

like i said, use your mac's hard drive as a startup disk with your boss's iBook. hold down option+shift+command(apple)+delete.

 

[Judo]

I'm pretty sure you can just boot off an install CD to install OS9 with out taking OSx off of the HD. You just have to check the clean install check box.

I'm guessing your best bet at the moment would be to find her restore disks that came with the iBook. I've had heaps of trouble booting off of OS9 cds on some iBooks, even using Generic OS9 CDs bought by themselves.

Hmm can't think of anything else at the moment. I'm just hoping you selected make bootable in the CCC prefs.

 

[zimv20]

update

i've got osx back on the machine and am in the process of ditto'ing back everything CCC saved.

i reinstalled os9 via f/w target mode but the ibook can neither boot from it nor launch classic ('cuz it's os9.0).

for whatever reason, it refuses to let me install an os9.2 update CD (it'll boot from it, but tell me the machine is ineligible).

so i think the thing to do is find the restore disks. however, she couldn't find them a year ago when i first asked for them to install os9.

my hope now is just to get this thing back to the way it was when i got it today.

thanks for all the suggestions, everyone. and ubergeek -- thank you for teaching me a new way to boot a machine.

 

[Mblazened]

sometimes there are problems in booting cds that aren't the original cds that came with your computer. But your ibook there doesn't sound likely.

Your cd drive may be broken, or maybe the logic board. If you can't start up off the cds that originally came with the computer, you have a hardware problem.

 

[zimv20]

Originally posted by Mblazened
If you can't start up off the cds that originally came with the computer, you have a hardware problem.

as i mentioned, those disks have gone missing.

happily, i've successfully booted from 3 different CDs and the HD, now that OSX is reinstalled.

the only CD it wouldn't boot from is my OS9.0 CD (bought standalone). other machines can boot from this CD, so it seems it's a conflict between the ibook in question and that particular CD.

 

[colocolo]

I had problems installing OS's on my iBook when i had issues with my HD...

anyways, download OS 9 upgrade from the Apple site, and install from there, that should work

 

[zimv20]

and the more i look into it...

this apple page shows os9 compatability w/ different models. not sure exactly which ibook my boss has, but it's clear now that the os9.0 CD i was using is not supported by that machine.

in fact, it's likely that my 9.2.1 upgrade CD is also not supported.

i was doomed from the start.

 

[irmongoose]

Yeah, PowerMacs, PowerBooks, iBooks, iMacs, maybe even eMacs, all have different OS 9 installers for some reason. But all the OS X discs work on all machines. You're going to have to find an iBook OS 9 CD or just do it from the restore discs if you find them.



irmongoose

 

[janey]

Re: update

Originally posted by zimv20
thanks for all the suggestions, everyone. and ubergeek -- thank you for teaching me a new way to boot a machine.

no, thank you for helping me remember

 

[XnavxeMiyyep]

Re: and the more i look into it...

Originally posted by zimv20
...

in fact, it's likely that my 9.2.1 upgrade CD is also not supported.
...

The 9.2.1 update CD only updates 9.2.0 to 9.2.1. If you want to install 9.2, you need a 9.2 install disk.

 

[Fukui]

If you have classic (9.2) on your own computer, just use disk copy to make a disk image of the OS 9 folder and all the apps she wants, then close/eject the disk (I've only tried with OSX disk copy, not sure about OS 9 version), then copy the disk image to her laptop, double click the disk image to mount it. Then choose your OS 9 folder from the classic preferences in system preferences. Try and start it up, it should work. Now, when you quit classic, you can just eject the disk, and the next time OS X needs classic, it will automatically open and mount the .DMG file and classic will run fine...I'm on a UFS formated disk, and it works every time for me.

P.S It seems that you Boss' laptop is not OS 9 boot-able, but classic should be just fine...good luck.

PPS When you image the OS 9 system, name the volume .OS9 and it will be invisible on the finder/desktop, so you boss wont be annoyed at a disk image appearing all the time.

Good luck

 

[zimv20]

Originally posted by Fukui
If you have classic (9.2) on your own computer, just use disk copy to make a disk image of the OS 9 folder and all the apps she wants,

fascinating idea. sadly, i don't have the apps she needs. i'm worried that some won't install through classic (photoshop, illustrator, go live, font mgmnt utility, et. al.).

 

[Fukui]

Originally posted by zimv20
fascinating idea. sadly, i don't have the apps she needs. i'm worried that some won't install through classic (photoshop, illustrator, go live, font mgmnt utility, et. al.).

Hmm, I think most of those should install fine, as long as they don't have to download anything from the net during install...you also dont have to install the apps in the disk image or whatever, just the system folder and utilities...

...sorry couldn't help.

 

[zimv20]

Originally posted by Fukui
Hmm, I think most of those should install fine, as long as they don't have to download anything from the net during install...you also dont have to install the apps in the disk image or whatever, just the system folder and utilities...

...sorry couldn't help.

no worries, it's a great idea. i just talked to my boss (who laughed when i told her about this thread) and she's going to get her hands on the software restore CDs.

now i'm keeping my fingers crossed that i can install os9 w/o trashing the osx installation.