OSX Gurus please help!

Grimspoon

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Nov 9, 2006
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Ok going to try keep this short and to the point.

Bought a 2nd hand macbook, I want to do a reinstall of OSX 10.5 but when I insert the original discs that came with the laptop, the install starts but fails on the CD verification. SO I managed to get the leopard image from apple and tried to burn it to disk, after 2 discs wasted i managed to burn it and boot with it, however it takes ages to boot into the disc. Anyway when it does the verification it fails just like the original disc does. Now I am getting seriously peep off. Does this book have a bum drive?

I keep thinking maybe I should just skip the dvd verification and try install and see what happens, but if the install fails then I am properly fugged! Please can someone advise on what I should do. thanks!
 

Synaesthesia

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Try burning the disk slowly and obviously use good media. You can also confirm the md5 of the download to see if it's good.

You can try skip the verification it won't screw up your computer.
 

StbA

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This is the correct procedure: you'll need a 8 GB flash drive + the .cdr you got.
Double click on the .cdr.
Open Disk Utility It'll be mounted below the Mac OS X Install DVD.cdr
Right Click on Mac OS X Install DVD (the one with the white box, not the grey box) and set it as the source, then burn the DVD or restore it to the memory stick, the memory stick installation imho is faster.
 

GreGorGy

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The CD verification could be checking that the install media (OEM CD) is intended for the machine being used. So perhaps your install media is not intended for your Macbook. The next problem is this image you got from Apple. What apple where gave you a CD image of the OS? Never heard of it...

And the final problem: If your MB was released when Leopard was at, say, 10.5.3 then an install DVD prior to that version will not have the system rom enabler. You need a later install DVD and unless you can get one, you MAY be SOL. Use MacTracker to determine the earliest version of the OS that supports your hardware.
 

bwana

MyBroadband
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I think the verification is checking the integrity of the files on the DVD - hence the option given to skip it.
 

Grimspoon

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The CD verification could be checking that the install media (OEM CD) is intended for the machine being used. So perhaps your install media is not intended for your Macbook. The next problem is this image you got from Apple. What apple where gave you a CD image of the OS? Never heard of it...

And the final problem: If your MB was released when Leopard was at, say, 10.5.3 then an install DVD prior to that version will not have the system rom enabler. You need a later install DVD and unless you can get one, you MAY be SOL. Use MacTracker to determine the earliest version of the OS that supports your hardware.

I doubt the CD verification is checking that because even my original discs won't verify. Apple on Sandton drive gave me the media, I assumed that by them giving it to me it meant that it can indeed be installed on my book, if not then they are pretty useless at their job for not informing me. I refuse to pay R1500 for an OS that I have already paid for hence my desperate effort to make a restore disc. I have now wasted 3 DL DVD's which are not cheap. So ya at this point I am not sure wtf to do.
 

GreGorGy

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The OP says that the original install "starts but fails on the CD verification"

Then the same thing happens with the burnt media. A snapshot of the error and not an arbitrary view of disk utility may tell us more...
 

The_Unbeliever

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I think it's a dodgy CD/DVD-Rom unit and not the CD/DVD's.

Will OSX install from an external USB/FireWire DVD unit?
 

Grimspoon

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I think it's a dodgy CD/DVD-Rom unit and not the CD/DVD's.

Will OSX install from an external USB/FireWire DVD unit?

You know I have been trying to copy the dam .img onto my external drive to try install that way and I just can' get the ****ing thing on....So PLEASE if someone could help me get it over I am loosing my mind.

I have a external drive with the mac file system on with the image on, but I cant copy it to either my External FAT32 drive because you cant copy more than 4 gigs to a F32, and I cant copy it to my PC HD's with NTFS because it says access denied, SO WTF??
 

StbA

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Format the flash drive to Mac OS Extended and Follow my instructions posted this morning. It's even got a picture.
 

Synaesthesia

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Ja how I do it:

Insert an 8GB Flash Disk
Open Disk Utility, and erase the flash Disk, to HFS+ (Journaled). You do this from the "Partition" Tab. Just make it 1 partition and you're set. I think it should also be GUID...

Mount the OS X image (double click on it).
Click on the tab marked "restore"
Right click on the mounted OS X Install Image and select Set as Source
Click on the Flash Disk and select Set as Target
Now restore it.

Boom you have a bootable OS X Install.
 

Grimspoon

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Ja how I do it:

Insert an 8GB Flash Disk
Open Disk Utility, and erase the flash Disk, to HFS+ (Journaled). You do this from the "Partition" Tab. Just make it 1 partition and you're set. I think it should also be GUID...

Mount the OS X image (double click on it).
Click on the tab marked "restore"
Right click on the mounted OS X Install Image and select Set as Source
Click on the Flash Disk and select Set as Target
Now restore it.

Boom you have a bootable OS X Install.

Hey guys, thanks for all the input.

I have done exactly what you suggested above and it copies fine, but then won't boot when I restart. I hold C down and everything. I even start the intstall OSX app in the OS and it says restart and the installation will continue, which it doesn't.

Ok the disc I am using I took out of my laptop, it has 2 partitions, one Acer and one Data. The MAC only detects the Data partition when I plug it in. I formatted the data part to OSX file system and did the copy to that drive.

Could it not be booting because there is another partition on there?
 

bwana

MyBroadband
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You only hold C if you're booting from a CD/DVD - hold down the option key to boot from a different source.
 

Grimspoon

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Great success! Got it working, just required me to hit the option key when booting and I could select the external to boot from and all installed and well.....Now let the playing begin :D
 

d0b33

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Interesting, I never knew you could install off a USB stick... last time I checked I was told it's not possible...

Could have saved me some DVD-DL's!
 

Grimspoon

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Interesting, I never knew you could install off a USB stick... last time I checked I was told it's not possible...

Could have saved me some DVD-DL's!

Tell me about it, I canned 3 DL DVDS trying to burn a bootable disc.
 
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