Issues replacing hard drive in Mac Pro

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I've been looking for days for a solution to the problem I'm having, but I think my problem is so specific, it's just too tough for me to find.

A couple weeks ago, the hard drive in my work's mac pro went out. We got a couple of new 1TB hard drives from apple to put in it. I took the bad HD out and put the two new ones in.

I'm trying to boot from my OSX DVD, but when I hold down the option key, the computer goes to a gray screen, I can see the mouse, but it doesn't even try to access the DVD drive. I could probably pinpoint the problem if I could hear the DVD drive thinking and just not be able to read the disc, but it doesn't do anything. It just sits on the gray screen, I can move the mouse around, but it never tries to boot from DVD.

Any ideas as to what the problem might be?

Thanks.
 

pigoo3

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Are you sure that:

- the DVD drives is working properly?
- the OS install DVD isn't damaged?
- are you using the correct OS install DVD? (describe what disk you're using, including the color of the disk, the OS version of the disk, and we need to know the exact model Mac Pro you have).

HTH,

- Nick
 
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Are you sure that:

- the DVD drives is working properly?
- the OS install DVD isn't damaged?
- are you using the correct OS install DVD? (describe what disk you're using, including the color of the disk, the OS version of the disk, and we need to know the exact model Mac Pro you have).

HTH,

- Nick

Thanks for the ridiculously fast reply, Nick.

I am not sure if the DVD drive is working properly, but since the hard drives aren't formatted and I can't get into OSX, I find it tough to test. :p

The OS DVD looks fine and it works on other machines.

The install DVD is black and is OSX Tiger 10.4.3.

I'm not sure what model of the Mac Pro is since I can't look at "about this mac"... is there any other way to see what it is without being in OSX? Also, my work has 5 mac pros, all of which are different model numbers, so finding the info on this specific one would be a challenge in itself...
 

pigoo3

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The install DVD is black and is OSX Tiger 10.4.3.

I'm not sure what model of the Mac Pro is since I can't look at "about this mac"... is there any other way to see what it is without being in OSX? Also, my work has 5 mac pros, all of which are different model numbers, so finding the info on this specific one would be a challenge in itself...

That is a pretty old install DVD. The OLDEST Mac Pro (the "quad-core" model that came out in 2006)...shipped with Mac OS 10.4.7. So even on the "oldest" Mac Pro...and OS 10.4.3 install disk would be too old. Thus on any newer Mac Pro it wouldn't work with either.

To make a long story short...you need a newer Mac OS install disk. Either OS 10.5 or OS 10.6. I would suggest OS 10.6...but you would need to confirm application compatibility (with the apps. you use) before installing a newer OS. If you knew the OS version from the old hard drive...that would of course be the most helpful.

HTH,

- Nick
 
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Do you think that would make the DVD drive not even try to read the disc though? That is what's making me really scratch my head on this.

Thanks for your help! :)
 

pigoo3

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Do you think that would make the DVD drive not even try to read the disc though? That is what's making me really scratch my head on this.

Thanks for your help! :)

Now that I know that you're trying to use an OS install DVD that is too old for your computer...it's probably not the DVD drive.

The most probable reason why the computer (Mac Pro) can't or won't read the disk is...you're trying to boot the computer from this disk. The OS version on the disk is too old...so the computer cannot use it because the "firmware" on the motherboard is rejecting it.

"IF" you booted the computer from a "good" hard drive (with the proper OS version on it)...then this OS DVD would probably be "read" by the DVD drive...you just cannot boot the computer from this OS DVD.

The bottom line is (in my experienced humble opinion)...you NEED a newer OS install disk (newer OS version on it). And without knowing the exact model Mac Pro you have...it's hard to say exactly which OS install disk you need.
 
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Thanks, you're right. It just baffled me that I couldn't hear the DVD drive doing anything.

Thanks again, problem SOLVED!
 

pigoo3

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Thanks, you're right. It just baffled me that I couldn't hear the DVD drive doing anything.

Thanks again, problem SOLVED!

Good deal!:) In case you need to determine which Mac Pro model you have:

- there is usually a label located either on the rear of the Mac Pro (near where all the ports are)
- or on the inside of the computer (you need to remove the Mac Pro's side panel) and it should be on the bottom or one of the sides/edges where the panel used to be.

Good luck,

- Nick
 
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Macs are like time when it comes to installing an OS older than they are. You cannot go backwards. Inadequate or no drivers. Mac Pro 1.1 was released with OS X.4.7 and that is as far back as they can go.
 

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