So I'm new to the mac scene and I bought a used Mac Pro desktop from a local college at a surplus sale. The college tech team wiped the hard drive which is fine by me, but I cannot get the machine to boot from cd or usb. It just brings me to a screen with a file folder in the middle that blinks a question mark and then a double face icon. What can I do? I'm very new to macs so bare with me.
New Mac Pro
- Thread starter mlomax
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The flashing "?" means there is no OS installed on the hard drive. What CD/DVD or USB are you trying to boot from. It would also help to know exactly what model Mac Pro you have.
Need lots of details. It's the details that will get things understood quicker...and get this computer running.
- Nick
It is a Power Max G5
Processor 2.0ghz G5
4gb ram
Nvidia GeForce 6600 LE
It's also a usb which has been formatted to a journaled image and the had the installed.dmg file placed on it. I also made sure the master boot record partition was taken off and replaced by Guid instead. The DVD is the 10.5 install disk.
Processor 2.0ghz G5
4gb ram
Nvidia GeForce 6600 LE
It's also a usb which has been formatted to a journaled image and the had the installed.dmg file placed on it. I also made sure the master boot record partition was taken off and replaced by Guid instead. The DVD is the 10.5 install disk.
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Since this computer is a Powermac G5...then it's not a Mac Pro. Both look the same...but the Powermac G5 is older.
If that DVD is gray-colored...these are model specific...and cannot be used on just any computer.
What OS version is on the USB?
- Nick
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I hope you got a very good deal on Mac (hopefully close to free) because it's sufficiently old and outdated, will not run Snow Leopard which is a bare minimum requirement for virtually all software out there today..
You'll have to go out of your way to find software written at the time of this Mac or shortly after to be able to do anything with it..
You'll have to go out of your way to find software written at the time of this Mac or shortly after to be able to do anything with it..
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Well PowerMac G5's and earlier cannot boot from USB drives or thumb drives period. Will only boot from a DVD in the optical drive. Suggest you look for Tiger OS X.4 or Leopard OS X.5, the latest operating systems the G5 can run. Do not buy the silver/grey system discs from eBay and such as they are for the precise model they came with ONLY.
Leopard OS X.5 will set you back over $100 and has others have said, the G5 is simply not worth that much expenditure. Sorry.
Leopard OS X.5 will set you back over $100 and has others have said, the G5 is simply not worth that much expenditure. Sorry.
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I agree with all the other comments, putting too much into a Powerbook G5 is just not worth it due to the lack of up to date software.
I will say I did buy a working 2004 Powerbook G4 12" just because it came with Leopard and all for $30. A young friend of mine had bought 4 Powerbook G4's in various degrees of disrepair. I wanted the Leopard disk so we could get the other Powerbooks up and running if possible. Out of 4 Powerbook G4's we ended up with two working 15" and two working 12". It was a fun project.
Leopard on Ebay will go for $60 and up. I just got lucky that it was a first time buyer and I could see the disk in the bundle picture but he did not list it in the description. I can be worth lurking on Ebay. A little patience and you can find good deals.
Lisa
I will say I did buy a working 2004 Powerbook G4 12" just because it came with Leopard and all for $30. A young friend of mine had bought 4 Powerbook G4's in various degrees of disrepair. I wanted the Leopard disk so we could get the other Powerbooks up and running if possible. Out of 4 Powerbook G4's we ended up with two working 15" and two working 12". It was a fun project.
Leopard on Ebay will go for $60 and up. I just got lucky that it was a first time buyer and I could see the disk in the bundle picture but he did not list it in the description. I can be worth lurking on Ebay. A little patience and you can find good deals.
Lisa
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OP has a "Powermac G5" (desktop computer)…there were no "Powerbook G5's.
What you said about the computer being old (lack of up to date software)…and cost concerning Leopard is on the mark.
- Nick
p.s. Looks like this:
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