Can i factory reset my imac using an external dvd drive?

My Drive wont accept dvd discs anymore, still allows cd's though. Is it possible to do a factory reset using the osx disc on an external hard drive or will i encounter problems?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=se-208db%2Ftsbs&tag=mh0a9-21&index=a ps&hvadid=3174900530&ref=pd_sl_1fmc9mcvlw_p
Would that drive work?

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Trying to wipe the hard drive on a G5 iMac, using an external DVD drive as the one in the iMac is broken.

I'm trying to boot up with the OS (or install) disk, from an external DVD drive as the one in the iMac is broken. When the computer boots up, my normal desktop appears, but also the Mac OSX (Tiger) install disk. When I double-click on the "Install Mac OSX" icon, a screen comes up that says: "Click the button below to restart & begin the install process". The iMac restarts, but just goes back to where it was, & I'm prompted to: "Click the button below to restart & begin the install process".
So far there is no way to "begin the install process", I just keep going around in circles with this. I'm doing this so I can sell the computer. I hope I've made it clear, and TIA for any advice.

I looked at the disk utility erase option. The wording looked a little vague. Seemed to me to erase all the disk including the data if you pick one pass, but I am not sure.
but that is contradicted when you see you have to pick the correct option.

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Is it possible to install Tiger using an external DVD drive?

I have one the of the first iMacs and at the time I thought I didn't need a DVD Player. However, now I was thinking of buying an external DVD player/burner. Is it possible to upgrade to Tiger using the external DVD drive since I don't have an internal one?

Hi Celticart,
Welcome to the discussions.
I have an old AGP PowerMac G4 to which I have hooked an external Firewire DVD Drive. I have installed Tiger without any problems, using this drive. I see no reason why it couldn't be done on an iMac as well, (provided it has Firewire).
I don't think you could get it to work using an external drive hooked up via USB.
Cheers!
Karl

Starting up an emac using an external dvd drive?

My emac has frozen. I was installing the software update to system 10.4.6 when the machine crashed (not enough HD space? don't know.)
Now, it won't get past the Starting Mac OS X screen.
I figure I need to do a clean install or something drastic, just to rebuilt the system software. I think that will work, but I have a problem:
The 10.4 disks I bought only came in DVDs. My emac only has a CD drive, so I installed the software using an external DVD burner.
I have tried to restart holding down the C key, but it's not starting off the external drive.
I have no idea where the ancient OSX disks (CDs) are that came with the computer, and don't know if it's a good idea to go backwards anyhow.
I know the actual hard drive on the emac is functional, because I was able to make it a target disk to back up the files today.
Any clue how to start up using the external DVD drive and the 10.4 DVD?

Edward Rosenstein,
Welcome to the Apple Discussions!
Had you used patchburn on the external DVD drive?
Does the drive appear as an option using the option key to bring up Startup Manager?
You mention backing up the eMac's hard drive in Firewire Target Disk Mode. The host computer you used for that should show you how much free space there is on the eMac hard drive; you'll need at least 5 to 8 GB free.
If the host computer you used for the Firewire Target Disk Mode backup has a DVD drive, you can use that to install 10.4 onto the eMac while the eMac is connected in target disk mode. If the host computer doesn't have a DVD drive, try moving the external DVD drive to the host, run Patchburn if it's not recognized, and you should be able to install onto the eMac that way.

Upgrade to SL using an external DVD drive?

Hi all:
I've got an older mac mini (it's an intel machine), but the internal dvd drive has been broken for a long time. I've been using an external DVD drive when needed. I've been trying to upgrade to SL from 10.5.8, but it just won't work. It gets to the instal screen and then at "45 minutes remaining" it flashes to the end of the status bar and reboots my computer... where I am still on 10.5.8. I tried repairing permissions and all that good stuff, but no dice.
Any help? Is the weak link my external DVD burner? Thanks!

Yes, there is a reason. That's what I was trying to figure out. I don't think it would have to do with using an external DVD. Did you try starting up from the DVD. You might try that. If you want to erase and install, then you'll have to start up from the DVD. If you can, once the installation begins choose your language; open Disk Utility from the top of the next page; highlight your drive and choose Partition; assuming you want one partition select 1 (you must select a number here even if you don't want to change the number); and select GUID under the options (which also will format/erase your drive). Shut down Disk Utility and continue your installation.
Next, if you have access to another properly equipped Mac (see link), then you may be able to install using [firewire target disk mode.|http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1661] Finally, [here is another interesting install possibility mentioned above.|http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20051227162152292] You should be able create your image file like this:
a. Insert the DVD/CD;
b. Open Disk Utility, and select the DVD/CD from the left side list (select the DVD/CD icon on top);
c. from the Disk Utility File menu select New Disk Image from Disk 1;
d. Choose to format the disk image as DVD/CD Master, name the disk image, click Save; and
e. Upon completion, Get Info on the .cdr file and lock the file.
Message was edited by: donv (The Ghost)

Upgrading to Tiger using an external DVD Drive

Our computers at work don't have internal DVD drives. When we try to install Tiger using an external DVD we can't get past the restart process. We insert the DVD into the external DVD drive and restart our computers. Once the computer restarts, we double-click the Tiger DVD and it once again tells us to restart. My questions is....Can you upgrade to Tiger using an external DVD drive or should I request the CDs from Apple for the upgrade?
Thanks,
Devra
Power PC G4 Mac OS X (10.3.9)

Hi Devra,
first of all: WELCOME TO THE DISCUSSIONS!
Be aware that you CANNOT boot from an external USB-drive: Don't start up from an external USB device. You have to use an external firewire drive. Then insert the DVD and reboot while holding down the Option-key. Select the DVD in the external firewire drive as boot volume.
You also might want to follow this procedure: 10.4 Tiger Upgrade: Decision tree+Checklist . It also covers potential install errors due to outdated firewire-drive firmware.
If this answered your question please consider granting some stars: Why reward points?

How can i factory reset my iMac?

hi, i am trying to factory reset my iMac to sell (as i've bought a MacBook) and from what i've see on the internet you need to hold cmd as it boots to go into the recovery partition so you can wipe the wipe drive and make it set up as a new Mac. My problem is that i use a wireless keyboard that comes with the iMac and this doesn't connect unitl after the initial start up?

Welcome to Apple Support Communities
You have to press the keys after hearing the startup chime until you see an Apple logo. The Apple Wireless Keyboard can be used during startup, but you have to press the keys after the startup chime.
After starting in Recovery, open Disk Utility and select Macintosh HD in the sidebar. Then, go to Erase tab and erase the drive. If you want that your files aren't recoverable, choose one of the secure erase options to erase the hard disk.
Finally, close Disk Utility and install OS X. When the installation finishes, turn off the computer. If you can't start up with the keyboard, buy a USB keyboard. The new owner will have to purchase the iLife apps if he/she wants to use them

Can I use USB external DVD Drive to boot up my G4?

My G4 (PCI Graphics) internal drive DVD-ROM is not working, its dead. I want to replace it with an External USB or Firewire Lacie DVD Drive.
According to Apple document http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=58606, my computer cant boot up from Firewire devices. I think that means, I wont be able reinstall my Mac OS or install future systems or start my DiskWarrior from the CD. Using a external Firewire DVD Drive. Let me know if I am wrong?
Can I use a USB external DVD Drive to boot up?
G4 (PCI Graphics) 400 mhz, 488Mb Memory, 50GB, 9.2.2 & 10.3.9. USB 1.0 & Firewire 400 Ports
G4 (PCI Graphics) Mac OS X (10.3.9)

Hi, Harold -
Bad news - your G4 (PCI) model can not boot to either a firewire drive nor to a USB drive.
Although the G4 (PCI) models do have native firewire, they (and their cousins the B&W G3) are specifically exempted from firewire booting; there is no workaround for this -
Article #58606 - FireWire Booting
Relatedly, a G4 (PCI) machine can be the Host machine in a Firewire Target Disk Mode setup, but can not be the Target machine.
Article #58583 - Firewire Target Disk Mode
USB booting was introduced first on the G4 (AGP) model, and is not available on earlier Mac models -
Article #58430 - USB Info and Benefits of Dual-Channel USB
The only external drive your G4 (PCI) can be booted to is a SCSI drive - but that requires that the machine have an appropriate SCSI PCI card installed.
Replacing the internal optical drive might be the best choice, particularly for ease of maintenance and OS installing in the future.

Can I install Tiger using an external DVD drive?

My PowerBook is being repaired and I have to use an older G4/733 tower (OS 9.2; CD/zip drives only) from 2001 ASAP. I purchased Tiger and now need to load it, along with the new software. Rather than purchasing an internal dvd drive, can I buy and external dvd drive to install Tiger/new software? I've seen some posts that say "no" and others that say yes, as long as its firewire, not USB. In looking at external drives, I've seen some compatibility requirements that say OS X as the minimum. Some places like CDW and the Apple store don't seem to have an answer for me. Does anybody here know? thanks!
Bob
PowerPC G4 Mac OS 9.2.x

Internal drives are much cheaper; you can get a DVD burner for under $40 online, vs. well over a $100 for an external, which may or may not boot your specific system.
The NEC ND-3550A or Pioneer DVR-110D will both boot the OS installer DVD when using the "C" Key, or from Startup Disc...
In a QS, you just have to remove the drive tray faceplate before installing the drive; This Apple Article has clear diagrams of the replacement process.

Can I restore using an external DVD drive?

Hey everyone, I've got a unibody MacbookPro with a broken internal disc drive.
My roommate has a new external USB super drive. Can I reinstall my OS using his external CD drive? Or will I need to make a DMG of my original install disc and do it that way?

As far as I am aware you should be able to reinstall your system software without any issues using your roommates external disc drive.

How do I install Tiger on a G3 iMAC from an external DVD drive?

I want to install Tiger on my PPC G3 iMAC. It is 500MHZ with 512 MB Ram, running 10.3.9. It has a CD drive, but CD version of Tiger is no longer available. I purchased a retail version of Tiger, and, on the advice of the Apple Store personnel, purchased an external DVD drive. It is a USB Lacie drive. My iMAC sees the DVD, but when I click the Install icon, it has a Restart button. Clicking the button restarts for 10.3.9. Same thing happens when I use the "C" key. When I try to assign the DVD drive as the startup drive, it says "ding" and won't assign it. What can I do next?

Take the DVD drive back and exchange it for a Firewire model. You cannot boot the iMac from a USB drive. This is basic information your Apple store personnel should know unless you failed to tell them what Mac model you have.

Boot Windows AND FreeBSD from my MacBook Pro 8,3 using an external DVD drive. I'm considering to remove my DVD-ROM and replace it with an SSD drive. That doesn't seem to work. Why not?

As the title says, I'm attempting to boot off my favorite operating systems, Mac OS X, Windows 7 and FreeBSD from an external DVD drive. However, for some odd reasons, booting the Windows DVD and FreeBSD 9.1 install DVD from the external drive does not seem to work. I was able to create a bootable USB with the Windows installer, but whenever I attempt to do the same with FreeBSD, I only get an error message that says "No bootable device -- press any key to restart." Is this a limitation that Apple deliborately created? If so, why won't Apple let its customers do whatever they please with their computers, considering that customers who want to change the hardware and/or operating systems knows what he is doing, without having to worry about some silly Apple limitations?
If I sound rude, I apologize for that, as no impoliteness is intended from my side.
In advance, thanks. Have a wonderful day, everyone.

That is only partially correct at best.
When you are booting off Windows or any other operating systems that usually don't support EFI (including Windows), your Mac uses something called CSM-BIOS. And as long as that CSM-BIOS implementation on EFI-based Mac do not support booting off from USB (note that Mac OS X Installer works fine when booting from USB), not even a USB Apple SuperDrive which once was an internal drive, there mot definately is something for Apple to fix.
When attempting to install Windows via BootCamp, a somewhat hybrid GTP/MBR table is created. When you boot off the installer disc of the OS you intend to install (i.e. Windows 7, FreeBSD, etc), your Mac might not support the EFI boot option (at least my 2011 17-inch MacBook Pro doesn't support that), so the only way of booting that second OS installer is via the regular BIOS, which Apple's EFI based systems implement as CSM-BIOS.

Using An External DVD Drive

I do not have an internal DVD drive and want to view commercial DVDs on my iMac. Only AFTER I purchased an external LaCie drive did I learn that this is not supported on my machine. I tried VideoLan Client software (version 7.0; the latest that supports OS 10.1) but it's not reliable.
My question is-if I upgrade to the latest operating system and increase my RAM, will I have reliable DVD viewing capabilities with my external drive? Anything else I should do?

Some external DVD drives work with a software called Patchburn to extend operation to Apple's applications in 10.2 and up. http://www.patchburn.de/
I have no idea whether LaCie's will, but http://www.macsales.com/ drives do.

HT5096 How do I transfer all of my stuff from a laptop to my new iMac using an external hard drive from Time Machine?

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Connect the drive and use the Migration Assistant to restore the backup. This can either be done as part of the setup process or on its own; the Migration Assistant is located in the /Applications/Utilities/ folder and will migrate user data into a newly-created account.
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Can i factory reset my imac using an external dvd drive?

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