Rev A iMac, 233MHz, 256MB
Had some problems with installing updates, when booting, it turns to a blank blue screen with a mouse right after trying to start 'Apache Web Server'. Mouse responds, caps key light toggles. Nothing happens from that point on.
Able to boot in Single User mode okay. Going beyond this gives the same blank blue. Booting in Safe Mode does same.
Please help, I have trolled the websites, but I really need some serious one-on-one.
--DDTM
*bump*
Is it an open firmware problem? It may not be at the right version.. but I thought the OS X installer updated the firmware of all New-World machines. Other than that, it might be the ram. Macs are known to do anything and everything weird with even slightly off ram.
I had previously installed X.2.8 w/ 512MB on this very machine. I removed it and dropped back down to 9.2.2 for numerous reasons that are no longer valid at this time. This problem started whilst trying to apply software updates. the last update was the Quicktime Java update. Upon rboot, the machine goes to blank blue right after the Ataring Apache Server" message appears. I am unable to discern if the problem is due to a failure here, or immediately after it has started. Comparing this to other X macs I have, the status window disappears at the right time. but the desktop/Finder fails to lauch.
--DDTM
I'm only asking this because I had a pc that blanked out the screen or restarted when it got to Winblows XP, Do you think the video on the mac could pose a problem? Have you tried reinstalling OS X?
... the video always works 100% when running Classic only. The problem only ever occurrs under X. And that might only explain the problem of the monitor going to sleep. In this case, it is awake and I can see the mouse move, and the desktop never comes around.
I could reinstall, but that would send me all the way back to X.2 ( from X.2.8 ) and I would still have to apply all of the updates I am trying to muck trough now. My great fear is that I will encounter the same landmines later;
[*]machine completely freezes (even with extra cooling and known good memory)
[*]machine screen dies and power button goes from green to yellow, but caps key still works and if the conditions are right with any other onscreen messages, the power button will allow me to shut down - indicating a failure of the video ony
[*]the machine gives me the blank blue display and never finishes the startup cycle
If these problems occurred under Classic, I would start tearing through hardware, but this is acting like software is a part of the cause, so I am lost.
--DDTM
*bump*
It sounds like a driver problem now. Other than that, I would check out the analogue board.
...Since the Mac OS does alot of those things (drivers) under the covers, I do not know how to validate this, but am willing to investigate if I know to look for somethign specific.
As far as the analogue board, before I dig in, does anyone have a clear understanding of how X makes the hardware here behave differently thatn Claasic? This will help me better understand what to look for if I have to go so far as to hook it to my o-scope.
--DDTM
Tried booting in Verbose mode (Command+V). Displayed some interesting things, but is there a way to pause it as it is in the boot process? The info goes by quiker than I can really read through. I need to know what the last thing is that it does as it boots. When the displayed list of info is done, the screen goes full grey for half a second and then gives me the blank blue.
If I could 'pause' it, I may be able to make out what it is about to do, or just finished doing.
--DDTM
that you should just blow away the drive and do a clean install of OS X before you dig into the machine. That may solve the problem quicker than the other method. Plus the fact that if classic works, and OS X doesn't , that means ther is a software problem. So just do a reinstall. That SHOULD solve the problem
...this whole thing started when I did a clean install of X.2 on the 7GB partition at the front of my 120GB drive. Everything went well until I started applying updates. I hate to slick the whole drive, 'cuz there is stuff to be kept out there. I will give it a go on the clean (re)install and see how far I can go, I just dread the hours it will take to start from X.2 and apply all updates to current. I was hoping that there was something in OF I could adjust to save the time and effort spent thus far.
--DDTM
You could plug the drive into another mac and back up anything important, then erase it.
Sounds like you've got a partitioned 120GB drive, so you could copy everything important from the 7GB boot partition over to the larger part of the drive, then boot from the CD & have the installer wipe JUST the 7GB partition. Then reinstall the OS and start over.
I've had trouble with the 10.2.x updates before as well. I found that it's best to go slowly with them; if you start with the 10.2 install disk, bump it up to 10.2.4, then 10.2.6, then 10.2.8.
Any reason you're not just putting Panther on it?
...cash, baby!
That and my fear that OS X.3 will cause further problems on my machine than what I suffer under X.2.8.
For those that have run X.3 on early iMacs, is it really better?
I may go for it over the holidays or the first of the year, but would prefer not to feel like the only reason to get it is because of this problem (cause then I will resent it if it does not fix it).
--DDTM
Since I am now being faced with the a reinstall and then encountering the same problems as I progress, what about CCC? Could I just take the install on my wife's machine and clone it to my Rev A?
(not too familiar with how his tool works)
--DDTM
CCC only works on local volumes; can't clone over a network. They may have a pay version that does that, but the last time I used the freebie it wouldn't do it. So if the iMac had Firewire you could do the target disk mode. Or if you've got access to a Firewire/ATA enclosure, that would do the trick.
Do you have multiple partitions on the drive? If so, you shouldn't need to wipe the entire drive, just the partition that's got the OS on it, in which case you could back up any files by copying them directly to another partition. You wouldn't need to worry about copying the OS X System folder, as that's going to get blasted anyway. Then after a successful reinstall, just copy the important files back to the boot drive.
I have a 2GB Orb drive (USB). I was thinking I could use this drive to 'land' the image there and then pick it up on the other machine.
Could I also create a disk image (R/W) and land the image there, picking it up and landing it on e the target machine?
If this fails, I could always fork out the cash for Sonnett's Harmoni G3, it comes with FireWire. Perhaps this would get me what I need to use CCC.
Assuming, I can use either method, what else is involved in this?
updated firmware to latest? Must be done under OS 9 BTW. http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86117
booted from X install CD and run Disk Utility on the problem volume? You should run "Repair Disk" and "Repair Permissions".
swapped out ram, tried other modules? OS X can be a bitch about some modules, try something different to rule out non-X-compatible ram.
dan k
From the Read Me file on CCC...
So I could clone to a disk image, and then make that available to my imac through other means (burning or networking...). I will try this route. The caveat will be having to somehow boot to a point (in some OS) that i can invoke CCC to replace the image. Sine I have already installed a different hard drive cable on my imac, I will just crack open the case and stick the old 4GB back in and install OS X.2 there and then run CCC to relay it to the 7GB partition on the 120GB drive.
I think this will get me what I need!
Thanks guys!
--DDTM
And for added fun mount the disk image over the network while it's stored on your wife's iMac. But that might be slower. It might be faster if you have a 100mb network, becuase the drive wouldn't be seeking across the drive to different partitions for every read and write, it could just read the drive and write to the image in memory/network.