[Duo2400] Re: 8.6 and 10

Thu Jan 9 11:30:50 PST 2003

I have to admit that I found the install process so frustrating that I 
chose to:

make a 2 GB partition on my 2400 for OS X use
put Apple Software Restore on the 9.1 partition of my 2400
     (http://www.versiontracker.com/moreinfo.fcgi?id=12620&db=mac)

using my iBook, make a 2 GB partition on a FireWire drive I have
install Jag onto it (with the iBook)
boot my iBook into 9
image the new X volume with Disk Copy (saving the image file to another 
volume on the same drive)

attach that drive to my 2400 running 9.1 (w/FireWire card)
     (alternately, I could have put the drive in a PC Card enclosure, but 
it's slower)
copy the image file to the 9.1 partition on my 2400 (not required)
disconnect the FireWire drive (not required)
mount the image on the 2400 using Disk Copy
using Apple Software Restore, restore the mounted image to the 2400's X 
partition (drag the volume onto ASR)
have XPF install its extensions, and go to town

It sounds like a lot of work, but it's really not that bad.

Now, if I ever need to reinstall, I just restore the image -- much faster 
and easier. I also use the same technique to get X to a state where I 
like it, and then image it, so I can get back to where I want to be if I 
need to reinstall, rather than going "clean slate." Partitions larger 
than 2 GB are possible, but they require Disk Copy 6.4 or 6.5, which is 
not easy to come by. (Disk Copy 10 is also usable, but of course you 
can't be booted from the volume you're imaging.)

I can explain this further if anyone's interested. Credit goes to 
http://www.bombich.com for the image/restore technique.

Ivan.

----------------

>
>Ivan, thank you for the detailed explanation. Out of frustration last
>night, I installed 9.1 on the same partition where 10 will reside. So far
>everything appears to be humming.
>
>BTW, did we ever figure out why is the 10.2 install process so fragile?
>My experience has been that only 1 out of every 5-6 reboots to gets one to
>the install screen, the remaining time it hangs at "Preparing for
>installation".
>
>jake
>
>
>> From: Ivan Drucker <ivanxqz at yahoo.com>
>> Subject: [Duo2400] Re: 8.6 and 10
>>
>> Nope, but I do switch back and forth between X and 8.6. Here's how:
>>
>> First, make sure you've got individual partitions for X, 9.1, and 8.6.
>>
>> First, the basic 9 and X setup:
>>
>> Install with 9.1 and get everything running.
>>
>> Set Open Firmware auto-boot? to false, either with XPF (one oef the menu
>> items) or manually in Open Firmware (hold down cmd-opt-OF after chime, at
>> OF prompt type "setenv auto-boot? false").
>> When Open Firmware comes up at startup, I type "bye" to go to OS 9 or
>> "boot" to go to OS X.
>>
>> Once I've got all that working, I can then go to 9 and use the Startup
>> Disk control panel *from Mac OS 8.6*, which is the old-school one that we
>> all used from the System 6 days. I can then choose 8.6. When I restart,
>> and OF comes up, if I type "bye" it will go to 8.6 instead of 9.1. "boot"
>> still goes to OS X. If you want to switch back to 9.1, use the same
>> control panel.
>>
>> If you don't want OF coming up every time you turn on the machine, you
>> could set auto-boot? to true (manually or via XPF running in 9) and it
>> will boot into X by default, but if you want to go to 8.6 you can hold
>> down cmd-opt-OF during startup. Don't select the 8.6 System Folder in the
>> X Startup Disk control panel because it'll mess up Open Firmware and
>> you'll be unable to run XPF to fix it without booting into 9.1 first.
>>
>> (explanation follows, optional reading)
>>
>> I think what is going on -- I am not an expert -- is that when you type
>> "bye," the Mac just ignores Open Firmware and boots from the same ROM
>> instructions that have been in every Mac until the iMac, which look in
>> PRAM to see which volume to boot from. The PRAM is set by the Startup
>> Disk control panel.
>>
>> XPF programs Open Firmware to support booting X, and these instructions
>> are followed when you type "boot". The 9.1 Startup Disk (and the X
>> Startup Disk) control panel also messes with Open Firmware, since it
>> itself is designed to support booting X on newer systems, so if you use
>> it to switch to 8.6, you'll make X unbootable. However, the 8.6 Startup
>> Disk control panel only changes PRAM and leaves Open Firmware alone. Thus
>> when you type "bye" and it begins to boot from the ROM, it just starts
>> from 8.6. The X startup instructions that are executed when you type
>> "bye" still work fine.
>>
>> If auto-boot? is set to true, the PowerBook automatically executes a
>> "boot" instruction. If X is installed, it boots (LinuxPPC uses the same
>> technique). For most users who don't have an alternate OS, it does the
>> exact same thing as "bye".
>>
>> Hope this helps,
>> Ivan.
>
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