I have reviewed the PowerPC faq (and related documentation).
I am posting to ask if anybody has SPECIFIC experience in successfully installing onto a 2001-era Dual G5 PowerMac (2 Ghz).
This machine has the new-world ROM, and two ATI Rage128 cards.
My monitor is plugged into the VGA port of one of the cards. (oddly, the second card does not have a VGA port, it has two of the "newer" style connectors, and I don't have one of those cables).
Unfortunately, the internal DVD drive has gone kind of flaky. I don't know if it's because it's really old firmware, or if there is an actual problem. It can read some disks, and writing is hit-or-miss, depending on media. That said: my main problem is that it does not recognize a Ubuntu LiveCD (12.04 PPC x64), at boot time. StartupDisk won't recognize it as a startup volume.
As far as I know, everything else on this machine is in perfect working order. The PRAM battery is even fresh.
I have also made a USB drive of the LiveCD; this reads, mounts, and "looks" just fine in the Finder.
I have also modified this image, by "fixing" the /install/ofboot.p file (as described in https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu-cdimage/+bug/1051313 ) (I experience my "problem" in both configurations).
I have tried booting from this USB flash drive installed in all three USB ports (two in back, one in front).
Command-Option-Shift-Delete -> does not work.
Option -> does NOT give me the "boot drive selection menu".
Command-Option-O-F -> here's the weird thing.
I do remember, when I first got this machine, that I could get into Open Firmware using this method.
But now, when I use this combo, and boot, the machine starts up, (chimes), the monitor goes blank, and then, instead of the normal "grey Apple logo" screen that's usually displayed at a startup, the screen stays blank (monitor is not getting a signal). The Open Firmware console is not displayed.
Then, the machine's fans ramp-up, like it's on high-power chugging. (they don't go to full-speed, like you'd see during an automatic fsck, they just power up to a medium level, higher than the normal low-idle). The machine then, just sits there.
I assumed that I need a new-style connector for the other video port on the card, and that's why the Open Firmware screen isn't displaying. (the VGA connector works fine for the standard OS display when I boot to 10.4.11).
So I have blindly typed in all the variations of the: "boot usb0/disk@1:2,\\yaboot" that I can think of. And I tried that with the USB drive in all three ports. I tried it with the /install/ofboot.p file in both configurations (stock 12.04, and with the 1051313 fix).
I also tried using the "bless" command on the /install/ folder. (also did not do anything).
I have to assume that either:
1. My machine is too old to support USB boot, and I'm just not seeing whatever error message is being generated in the OF console.
2. I don't have the correct device ID, (as listed in the FAQ), and I can't get it without an OF console.
3. There is something wrong with the 12.04 image that will not boot on my machine no matter what I type in the OF console.
4. OF has broken on this machine, and I'm not really *in* OF, and it's locked up, and I'm typing for nothing.
I'm trying to track down one of these newer video cables so I can connect to the other output ports of the card to see if I can view the OF output.
I'm also going to try the daily "Trusty" build, to see if there are new fixes that get around my problem.
I may try dropping-in a second hard-drive, to see if I can dd the Live ISO to that, boot from that, and install.
So my questions are:
1. When you enter OF in THIS model Power Mac, is the fan-speed increase that I noted, "normal"? (can I use this as an indicator that I'm in Open Firmware console?)
2. Has anybody successfully booted from a LiveCD USB flash drive on THIS model?
3. Doesn't the /install/ folder need to be "blessed" (with either the "bless" command on a Mac, or hattrib -b ?)
4. Should I expect that the current daily "Trusty" build is going to be more stable than the latest-supported 12.04?
I am posting to ask if anybody has SPECIFIC experience in successfully installing onto a 2001-era Dual G5 PowerMac (2 Ghz).
This machine has the new-world ROM, and two ATI Rage128 cards.
My monitor is plugged into the VGA port of one of the cards. (oddly, the second card does not have a VGA port, it has two of the "newer" style connectors, and I don't have one of those cables).
Unfortunately, the internal DVD drive has gone kind of flaky. I don't know if it's because it's really old firmware, or if there is an actual problem. It can read some disks, and writing is hit-or-miss, depending on media. That said: my main problem is that it does not recognize a Ubuntu LiveCD (12.04 PPC x64), at boot time. StartupDisk won't recognize it as a startup volume.
As far as I know, everything else on this machine is in perfect working order. The PRAM battery is even fresh.
I have also made a USB drive of the LiveCD; this reads, mounts, and "looks" just fine in the Finder.
I have also modified this image, by "fixing" the /install/ofboot.p file (as described in https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu-cdimage/+bug/1051313 ) (I experience my "problem" in both configurations).
I have tried booting from this USB flash drive installed in all three USB ports (two in back, one in front).
Command-Option-Shift-Delete -> does not work.
Option -> does NOT give me the "boot drive selection menu".
Command-Option-O-F -> here's the weird thing.
I do remember, when I first got this machine, that I could get into Open Firmware using this method.
But now, when I use this combo, and boot, the machine starts up, (chimes), the monitor goes blank, and then, instead of the normal "grey Apple logo" screen that's usually displayed at a startup, the screen stays blank (monitor is not getting a signal). The Open Firmware console is not displayed.
Then, the machine's fans ramp-up, like it's on high-power chugging. (they don't go to full-speed, like you'd see during an automatic fsck, they just power up to a medium level, higher than the normal low-idle). The machine then, just sits there.
I assumed that I need a new-style connector for the other video port on the card, and that's why the Open Firmware screen isn't displaying. (the VGA connector works fine for the standard OS display when I boot to 10.4.11).
So I have blindly typed in all the variations of the: "boot usb0/disk@1:2,\\yaboot" that I can think of. And I tried that with the USB drive in all three ports. I tried it with the /install/ofboot.p file in both configurations (stock 12.04, and with the 1051313 fix).
I also tried using the "bless" command on the /install/ folder. (also did not do anything).
I have to assume that either:
1. My machine is too old to support USB boot, and I'm just not seeing whatever error message is being generated in the OF console.
2. I don't have the correct device ID, (as listed in the FAQ), and I can't get it without an OF console.
3. There is something wrong with the 12.04 image that will not boot on my machine no matter what I type in the OF console.
4. OF has broken on this machine, and I'm not really *in* OF, and it's locked up, and I'm typing for nothing.
I'm trying to track down one of these newer video cables so I can connect to the other output ports of the card to see if I can view the OF output.
I'm also going to try the daily "Trusty" build, to see if there are new fixes that get around my problem.
I may try dropping-in a second hard-drive, to see if I can dd the Live ISO to that, boot from that, and install.
So my questions are:
1. When you enter OF in THIS model Power Mac, is the fan-speed increase that I noted, "normal"? (can I use this as an indicator that I'm in Open Firmware console?)
2. Has anybody successfully booted from a LiveCD USB flash drive on THIS model?
3. Doesn't the /install/ folder need to be "blessed" (with either the "bless" command on a Mac, or hattrib -b ?)
4. Should I expect that the current daily "Trusty" build is going to be more stable than the latest-supported 12.04?