Ticket Options

Question Details

TICKET ARCHIVE -> Os X

dylan - Jul 1, 2005 - 7:39 pm

I have a Blue and White G3 yosemite and I am trying to install OS 10.3 panther. When I put the disk in and click on install, restart I get the message: "Startup disk was unable to select the install cd as the startup disk. (-2)" I have tried several things.......checking firmware is up to date (downloaded G3 bw firmware from apple site and it told me my firmware is up to date).......trying to select OS X disk in startup disk utility (its always greyd out)........puting OS X disk in an external lacie firewire cd drive booting up from a cd in the internal drive and trying to select disk that way (didn't work).......I have a 6 gig quantum drive as master and I have installed an 80 meg maxtor drive as slave, does this matter........nothing seems to work, just keep getting the same message as above......help

DeltaMac - Jul 1, 2005 - 9:23 pm

Is your Panther install CD labeled as an 'Upgrade'?
Is your CD drive original to the G3?
Have you tried booting with the installer CD in the drive, while holding the 'C' key?
As you have discovered, the Blue & White cannot boot to an external FireWire drive.
You could try removing any extra memory, until you have 256 MB memory installed.
Try removing any PCI cards added to the system, even if supplied originally with the system. The only exception, your video card.

Let me know how it goes.
- Dale

dylan - Jul 2, 2005 - 11:32 am

Dear Dale

Thanks for the reply, much appreciated.

- Panther CD is not an upgrade
- Have tried holding down C on startup several times, just hangs
- The CD drive is the original as far as I know? I bought the machine second hand so I can't be 100% sure.....it is a Matshita CR-589 revision GAOW using driver version 1.4.7 according to the system profiler in 9.2.2.
- Have tried removing all RAM except 256....same error message.
- Could I try installing from a mac laptop running OSX via an ethernet cable?
- Also, a friend says its possible using disk utility and disk image and copyiing OSX to the hard drive....neither of which utilities I have?

thanks for helping...what do you think?

DeltaMac - Jul 2, 2005 - 1:40 pm

You won't be able to easily install through an ethernet connection without setting up a NetBoot, which may not work from the B&W, anyway.

Disconnect ALL externall devices from your computer, so you have only a power cord, keyboard, and display attached. The mouse will be plugged into the keyboard.
Are there any PCI cards in addition to your video card? You should remove any other PCI cards.
Panther Installer CD in the drive.
Shut down the computer.
Restart, holding option-Apple-O-F (that's letters Oh and Ef)
You should see the Open firmware screen, (light grey with dark text)
Type reset-nvram, and press enter
You should see OK, then type reset-all, and press enter again.
Your computer should restart, hold the Option key
You should see any bootable drives, or just the OS X install CD. This can take a couple of minutes to finish (the arrow cursor will return). Click on the icon for the OS X installer, then click the right-facing arrow.
If this works, you should boot to the installer CD, continue with the install if you can.
If still no boot, then something is wrong with the CD drive - you could try a CD drive cleaning disk - or you have a bad Panther installer CD - or the logic board in the B&W has a problem in the IDE bus.

- Dale

dylan - Jul 6, 2005 - 5:16 am

Dear Dale

sorry for not replying sooner.....I work away alot and am only intermittantly at home.....The machine won't open up into the firmware......it just hangs with a message from the monitor saying signal out of range......I am pressing the two keys to the right of the space bar (one with alt and a symbol, one with the apple) and O F while restarting.....is there another way into the firmware console, maybe using the progammer's button on the front of the tower?.......

thanks dylan