Replaced iMac hard drive, now can't install OS X

Have an iMac G5 (2004, pre-iSight)

Replaced the internal drive, now trying to start it up from the original install discs (OX 10.3).... here's what's happened:

1) Installer took me up to the "Select Destination" step, but no destinations (volumes) appeared in the window to choose from

2) Switched from Installer to Disk Utility/First Aid. The new drive appeared at the top of the list on the left (labelled 232.9 GB ST3250318AS), but after selecting it all the Verify/Repair buttons at bottom remained greyed out.

3) Still in Disk Utility, switched from First Aid to Erase (this on advice from another forum):
- left Volume Format as Mac OS X Extended (Journaled)
- gave it the name "Attempt 1" and clicked Erase

4) Back to First Aid screen, where "Attempt 1" volume now shows in list, indented beneath "232.9 GB etc". The Verify Disc and Repair Disc buttons are now active, and volume "Attempt 1" mounts, checks, and verifies ("...appears to be OK")

5) Now, back to the Installer, where I again get up to the Select Destination step. Volume "Attempt 1" is displayed, but with a red exclamation mark over it. Selecting it produces the message "You cannot install Moc OS X on this volume."


If you've read this far, I thank you already! And if you have any insights or suggestions, I'll thank you again!!!


Patrick

Nice job troubleshooting this problem so far!

Are you positive that you installed the replacement HD correctly? Check out this Apple DIY for HD replacement in an iMac G5:

http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/imacG5_17inch_harddrive.pdf

On page #9...did you remember to reconnect all THREE cables?

HTH,

- Nick

p.s. You didn't mention EXACTLY which model iMac G5 you have (other than it's a non-iSight model). So this DIY instructions may or may not apply.

Hi Nick, thanks for the reply!

I have the 20" (Model A1076), but yes, I was working from the corresponding PDF at manuals.info.apple.com.

(Actually, that PDF assumes your replacement drive came from Apple, with mounting brackets and hard drive thermal sensor already attached. Mine did not, but I found instructions to deal with that additional step at iMac G5 20" Model A1076 Hard Drive Replacement - Page 2 - iFixit )

In any case, I did reconnect both the data and power SATA connectors, as well as the thermal sensor connector. Was careful about proper anti-static protocol throughout.

I assume that since the drive is recognized, identified correctly, and mounts/verifies, that nothing went wrong with the installation itself. Is this a correct assumption?

Is there some compatibility issue among different types of SATA drives that I'm unaware of?

Don't know what to do next except maybe spring for a more thorough (3rd-party) disc utility than the one on the install disc, and see what that might tell me...

Anyone have any ideas?

P.


P.

Mactracker advises that model number came with OS X.4 system discs. They were introduced in May 2005. Any chance the Panther discs have come from another machine and been mixed up somewhere along the line?

Answer Harrys question first. If that is not the case, select the Partition tab and select 1 New and then under advanced, since it's a G5, set it to Apple Partition Map and then apply. This is just a guess and if it's the wrong type of partition, it will not install.

PDiggy said:

I have the 20" (Model A1076), but yes, I was working from the corresponding PDF at manuals.info.apple.com.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info...but still not quite enough to exactly identify it (yes I know you mentioned the A1076 number). There were three generations of iMac G5's:

- 1st gen.
- 2nd gen. "ALS" (ambient light sensor)
- 3rd gen. iSight

You mentioned that it's not the iMac G5 iSight model...so we can eliminate the 3rd gen. But it could be the 1st or 2nd gen. iMac G5 since both of these generations had a 20" iMac G5 model.

The reason why I mention this is..."harryb2448" brings up a very good point. The 1st gen. iMac G5's originally shipped with Mac OS 10.3.5...the 2nd gen. iMac G5's originally shipped with OS 10.4. To easily determine this...got to "About This Mac" under the Apple Menu. If you have a 20" iMac G5 with a 1.8ghz cpu...it's a 1st gen. iMac G5. If it has a 2.0ghz cpu...then your iMac G5 is a 2nd gen. iMac G5.

So my main point is...if you have a 2nd gen. iMac G5...those OS 10.3 disks won't work (that version of the OS is too old).

HTH,

- Nick

Thanks everyone for your input!

Sorry, guess I'm mistaken about the model # … I took if from the instructions at iFixIt, and assumed it was the only one that applied to the non-iSight 20” G5s. Unfortunately I can't verify anything via "About This Mac" without a working OS...

But, I must have a first gen model: it's got a 1.8GHz processor and it definitely shipped with the OS 10.3 discs I'm using. In fact I've sucessfully re-installed from those disks once before, when my previous, original hard drive began to fail. That got me back up and running for another month or so until the drive completely bit the dust (at least, that was the diagnosis from the Genius Bar).

Dtravis7: the options under my Partition tab appear to be different from what you're describing; I don't see any “Advanced” button. But I think I may see what you're getting at:

When I click the Info icon at the top of the Disk Utility window...
- the disk itself (Name: ST3250318AS) is listed as "IO Content: Apple_partition_scheme"
- the volume (Name: Attempt 1) is listed as "IO Content: Apple_HFS" (and also as "Bootable:Yes")

Does the *volume's* IO Content setting also need to be “Apple_partition_scheme” (like that of the disk itself), rather than “Apple_HFS”?


Thanks thanks thanks again to everyone and anyone who can help!


PS & FYI: The ultimate reason for going through all this is that, once I can get OS 10.3 up and running on the new drive, I hope to open the darn thing up again, replace the 256MB RAM stick with 1GB, and then upgrade the OS. I've already bought the RAM and the Leopard install disc (direct from Apple, version 10.5.6 - the latest the G5 can handle), so I really hope I haven't wasted my money on both of those and the hard drive too.......

PDiggy said:

Unfortunately I can't verify anything via "About This Mac" without a working OS...

Click to expand...

Sorry about that...I completely forgot that with the new HD you couldn't check things on your Mac.

PDiggy said:

But, I must have a first gen model: it's got a 1.8GHz processor and it definitely shipped with the OS 10.3 discs I'm using. In fact I've sucessfully re-installed from those disks once before, when my previous, original hard drive began to fail. That got me back up and running for another month or so until the drive completely bit the dust (at least, that was the diagnosis from the Genius Bar).

Click to expand...

Good to hear that your iMac G5 is a 1st. gen. model...and that those OS 10.3 disks are definitely compatible with your Mac.

Is your old hard drive completely dead? If not...why not reinstall it (just to feel better about the whole thing)...and to prove to yourself that the problem is definitely the new HD. Sometimes when I'm faced with a problem I can't immediately resolve...I like to put things back to the way they were to start with...just to make sure I didn't do anything wrong...and to "regroup" and start over.

Also consider that the new hard drive you got could be defective. If so...no use trying to figure something out that's unresolvable!

- Nick

Agreed with Nick. That way you will know for sure.


Forgot that in 10.3 the Disk Utility is a lot different than it became later.

I'm not familiar with the G5 but if it is a PPC then Apple format is correct and if it is an Intel then GUID is correct. You may need to reformat the HD into the correct structure before it will let you install the OS and be bootable. I found this and it rings a bell from years ago.

10.3 did not have the GUID option at all as at the time there were no Intel Macs.

Is it a possibility that the now installed HD still has a jumper on it making the OS think it is a slave HD and not a Master?

Problem solved

Hey, thanks for all your input everyone!

The solution turned out to be embarassingly simple: after creating a volume on the new drive all I had to do was RESTART to get the installer to recognize it as bootable, instead of switching directly back to the installer from disk utilities.

Now, let's hope the RAM upgrade and Leopard installation go smoothly....



Patrick

PDiggy said:

The solution turned out to be embarassingly simple...

Click to expand...

See my avatar?....I'm sending my dog over to BITE you (and he's NOT a small dog)!

Congrats on figuring things out.

- Nick

I should have thought of that as you have to do that on most PC hardware. I guess the older iMac G5's were that way. I normally did not have to reboot like that with my iMac G5 iSight.

Glad you got it sorted and sorry I did not suggest that as I often do out of habit.