HUGE powermac open firmware issue.

Well, basically I have a sawtooth G4.
I was trying to install Tiger via any method possible, since the DVD drive doesn't seem to work.
So using another mac, I tried to install it via target disk mode.
Well, the G4 wouldn't boot into target disk, so I booted into open firmware.
I typed in "target-mode"... and it said "ok". It basically did nothing.
I got frustrated and typed "reset-nvram", booted back up in open firmware, and the entire "target-mode" command is GONE. Nothing. It can't find it.
Any idea on what to do would be highly appreciated.

Hi there, put the Install Disc in the other Mac, boot the other Mac into Target Mode, boot the Sawtooth G4 with the Option/alt key held down, does the Install Disc show as a boot choice?
If so select it & Install.

Similar Messages

  • Beige G3 boot from **** problem; open firmware issues; bad motherboard?

    Dear all,
    I'm having huge boot/startup problems with my beige G3 that had been happily running OSX 10.3.9, but for purposes of this discussion we can (mostly) revert to OS 9. Originally, the machine was a G3 @300; was upgraded more than a year ago to a ZIF G4 @500.
    To make a long story short, it won't boot from any hard drives, will not boot from any OS X CD, and will only occasionally boot from a 9.x startup CD (whether Apple or Norton Utilities). I think it's an open firmware issue, possibly caused by a bad motherboard (rev. 2).
    All this started happening after I used techtool pro, but I think that's coincidence (even though I acknowledge that, for cops and computer users, there are no coincidences.) Also, as discussed below, I'm having the same problems with an HD that wasn't even in the computer when all these things began.
    Here are some of the things I've done.
    --repeatedly reset PRAM, both with key combinations and removing battery. The only time it will boot from a 9.x CD is after resetting PRAM.
    --removed all add-on PCI cards.
    --removed additional VRAM
    --removed all memory cards and tried replacing one at a time.
    --disconnected both existing hard drives and replaced with an older OS 9.x hard drive (approx 60 mb) that I'd used before. Also tried different ribbon cables.
    --unplugged floppy drive
    --disconnected PCI ATA disk controller that I'd been using for running a large (1.8 gb) hard drive.
    --regarding open firmware: readenv usually shows totally normal default AND installed settings. Using reset-all works fine -- at least it makes the machine reboot, but doesn't solve the problem. reset-nvram does NOT work -- says it's an "unknown word."
    --using startup keys like holding down the option key, or shift key, or X key or cmd-option plus two others I can't remember, has no effect. Again, after I've tried any kind of reboot, the ONLY way to get the C-key at startup to boot the CD is by resetting the pram (key combination). Otherwise, the usual result of these experiments is a dark screen on startup -- nothing at all (and the LCD monitor tells me "no input.")
    --regarding OSX: sometimes (and I emphasize sometimes) I can get the machine to start booting from an OSX 10.2 CD, but it won't complete the process. Sometimes I get a "prohibited" (as in no-parking, no-smoking) icon; sometimes it will start booting (grey screen, OS X Apple icon), then crash (horizontal grey and white jagged bars); sometimes it will show the OS 9 start icon (the tiny smiling Mac SE), but not boot at all.
    --when I get the mac successfully booted with an OS 9.x CD (again, this works sometimes, but not always), the old hard drive with two partitions does show on the desktop and can be accessed. Using either disk repair or Norton Utilities shows the 9.2 system partition on the hard drive to be fine. But if I go to the startup disk control panel, confidently set the 9.2 partition as my startup disk, then reboot, there's no change. It won't boot and I'm back at square one.
    --even when I do get successfully booted with 9.x, the machine will still occasionally crash for no reason -- ie when I'm moving a Window.
    --the only thing I haven't done is slowed down the processor. It's a ZIF G4 bought more than a year ago from XLR8 your Mac. I'm running at the default 500 mhz, and it's never given me any trouble.
    So I think it's a bad motherboard or ROM. Thoughts?
    Thanks.

    The beige Mac is now operating happily again. My original tentative diagnosis remains the same (although still tentative): corrupted PRAM from bad battery, compounded by bad cables that wrote corrupted data to hard drives, and also (possibly) allowing Tech Tool Pro (a utility that I now regard with deep suspicion) to create a "virtual" startup partition.
    A few things I've learned along the way that hopefully may be useful:
    --remember that the Ex Post Facto utility can be used to help OS X startup, not just installation. This applies to hard drives, emergency CDs, installation CDs, etc. If you can boot into any working hard drive partition (OS 9 or a backup OS 10), then run Ex Post Facto (same program runs on either OS 9 or X -- don't ask me how) and tell it what system you want to start up from. Also, the utility has sometimes told me that the startup extensions on the disc that I wanted to boot up from were bad, and offered to fix them (which works).
    --at least on my Mac (beige, v. 2 motherboard), resetting the CUDA button, resetting the PRAM, resetting Open Firmware and "draining" the memory by unplugging the computer and disconnecting the battery for several hours ALL DO DIFFERENT THINGS.
    Specifically, if I'm having trouble booting (from a hard drive or a CD), the FIRST thing I do is restart and resetting the PRAM on the fly -- holding down command, option, P and R at startup, and waiting for the chimes (preferably at least 3-4 times).
    If I do that and DON'T hear the chimes, that's my cue for my SECOND action -- restarting into open firmware (command, option O and F keys on startup). That should bring up the black text on white background open firmware screen. View other posts or apple support for details, but if you do PRINTENV and see a bunch of weird gibberish after the default/installed lists, you know that it was messed up and you need to clear it through reset nvram and reset all commands. Be aware some of these commands do or do not work depending upon what version of Open Firmware you have.
    After I've rebooted with Open Firmware, then on restart I should be able to reset the PRAM on the fly. If that works, then either let the machine run and see what happens, or hold down the C command and see if it will boot from the CD
    Usually, if I've fixed everything as above, the machine will boot into whatever version of OS 9 it finds on a hard drive. That's fine with me -- at that point, use Ex Post Facto to reboot into your OS X. (Before I forget: I used the shareware startup CD creator program BootCD to make an emergency boot CD based on OS 10.2.8 (which theoretically will support a beige mac in native fashion) and Disk Warrior, the god of disk repair utilities. Even though the CD should boot just by holding down the C key on startup, it doesn't -- but if I use Ex Post Facto to boot it, no problems (although the process is very slow -- be patient). Then I can fix almost anything using Disk Warrior.)
    If none of the above works, then I'll try resetting the CUDA (on my beige minitower, it's a very small black button inconveniently located between a PCI slot and the side of the computer housing). Hold it down for 15 seconds. That should REALLY clear the PRAM. I know this does something different from the previous steps because this is the only action (except the battery disconnect -- next) that clears the date and time from the memory.
    If all else fails, I will unplug the computer and disconnect the battery, then push the CUDA button for 15 seconds and let the machine sit overnight.
    One final finding -- I thought I'd fixed everything, but both my hard drives suddenly quit working, I discovered that during all this repeated connect/disconnect of things, one of the male pins inside one of the connectors on my Acard ATA PCI card had broken off. Not good. Fortunately, the card had a second connector, which works fine. And I did some extensive shaking of the computer to make sure (I hope) that the broken pin hadn't landed on a circuit board.
    All this took more than two weeks, and the advice of this board was much appreciated. Now I'm on to my next adventure -- trying to figure out why a combo Firewire/USB PCI card won't mount an external drive on Firewire, but will on USB. I've tried two cards with same result -- but a Firewire-only card works just fine.)
    Regards to all,
    Graham

  • How the heck do you remove the Open Firmware?

    Ok so here is the problem. I have a Powerbook G4 (the A1095 model). Now first off ever since I got the thing the second ram slot never worked. But my main problem is that anytime I try to boot form a DVD, use the Firewire, or reset the PRAM and NVRAM I keep getting asked for some password and a big lock button shows up.
    Now after many weeks and almost completely giving up I found out that somehow open firmware was used to put in a password. Now I have tried absolutely every password I have ever used, and even some other things and nothing works.
    I honestly don't know how this was even set but if it was from me it was obviously an accident. Now the other thing is that I don't have any ADMIN password. I have it set to blank so you just hit enter to login/install things. I wonder if this has anything to do with the open firmware issue???
    I have tried as I said searching apple.com and many many many many many other places to find a way to fix this problem but can't find anything even close to a possible solution. I have 3 OSX boot disks, I have even tried using an Umbuntu CD to attempt to use the disk utility on there but nothing works.
    To anyone out there I have tried letting the main batter AND the PRAM battery run dead and that still seams to change nothing. So I imagine its a saved file someplace on the main board. Oh and I also removed the Hard drive, and PRAM battery and attempted to boot like that but still nothing works.
    I can boot up and use the computer just fine. Surfing the web, installing programs, etc. all work fine. I just can't use the FireWire transfer or Boot from anything but the main HD.
    Please someone help me with this. I need to get my personal information off this computer and reinstall OSX on it. Oh and last thing, Im not sure if it has anything to do with it but the rear two fans do not seem to work either. My other G4 Powerbook seemed to have the same problem too though. Replacing the fans on that one fixed the issue.
    Anyway I waisted over $500 to get another laptop (one model newer) all because of this problem and I really need to fix this so I don't have to worry about my personal information and I can finally either use it or sell it. This is such a frustrating issue, what can I do???
    THANK YOU TO ANYONE WHO CAN HELP OR AT LEAST POINT ME IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION (PLEASE DON'T TELL ME TO GO TO THE APPLE STORE. I HAVE FIXED PROBLEMS THEY COULDN'T BEFORE AND I CAN'T AFFORD THE $300 BILL TO HAVE THEM INSPECT IT, PLUS THIS MODEL IS OUT OF DATE AND THEY WON'T FIX THEM ANYMORE ANYWAY. FYI TO ALL YOU EARLY MODEL G4 USERS!)

    Since http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1352 says:
    Warning: The Open Firmware Password can be reset and changed by any one of the following (except MacBook Air):
    1-By any administrator user, as designated in the Accounts preferences (or in Server Admin).
    2-Via physical access to the inside of the computer.
    3-When the computer is started up in Mac OS 9.
    I would try this suggestion: http://maczealots.com/tutorials/security/

  • PowerMac G5 will not boot into Open Firmware, or Boot Manager

    I have a PowerMac G5 and it refuses to boot into Open Firmware. I used Command + Option + O + F and held down the Option key. I have tried 3 different Keyboards but no avail.

    Hmmm,
    Does it boot to Single User Mode, CMD+s keys at bootup, if so try...
    /sbin/fsck -fy
    Repeat until it shows no errors fixed.
    (Space between fsck AND -fy important).
    Resolve startup issues and perform disk maintenance with Disk Utility and fsck...
    http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106214
    Does it boot from your Install Disc, or show boot choices  when holding alt at bootup?

  • Regarding Open Firmware. Serious issue regarding Load Base change.

    Hello.
    Okay, i have purchased a Mac Mini G4 quite some time ago, and i recently sold it to a friend.
    This friend is trying to port MorphOS to the Mini for fun.
    In doing this he wanted to change the load base setting in the Open Firmware.
    At first he set it higher, den twice as high and now to:
    0x1000000 and then: 0x2000000.
    After this the Mini displayed some text about flashing ROM and then turned off. After this it would not turn on..
    Holding down the power button gives the <CHORD> sound plus some squeeking sounds, but nothing else happens.. Nothing is initiated, not even USB.
    In my head the only possible solution now is to reflash the OF ROM.
    What I need from you guys is info on how to do this and what tools is required.
    Also if you have any experience with bustet OF setups, how could they be fixed.
    This is quite a major issue as the Mini is almost completely DEAD as it is now. It doesn't boot, it doesn't move the DVD drive.. It goes <CHORD> and then nothing.
    Please, help :P
    Mac Mini Mac OS X (10.4.7)
    Mac Mini   Mac OS X (10.4.7)  

    unfortunately i cannot open any windows, no. the color wheel spins for an indefinite period of time. any program i try to open essentially freezes. i also cannot successfully restart the computer via the apple menu, the only ways i can restart are if i use the power button directly or if i restart from the login screen. i can't open anything, really. it tries to open the programs and starts to but after a while seems to time out. it indicates that it's still trying but after a few minutes shows no progress. if my screensaver goes on and i wake my computer up again, it freezes on the screensaver and can't get out of it. i tried starting up from the tiger disk but that wasn't working either (when i start up from any disk that isn't my hard drive, my monitor resolution isn't recognized, so it won't display anything - so every time i've had to upgrade in the past i've borrowed another monitor for the process).

  • PowerMac G5 not showing boot manager or open firmware

    I recently got a PowerMac G5 Dual 2.5 GHz (7,3) from a friend of mine, and I would like to dual-boot it between Tiger (or Leopard) and Debian PPC. However, every time I try to bring up the boot menu (hold ALT/option at boot before chime) there is simply a black screen. Same happens when I try to boot to Open Firmware (hold CMD-ALT-O-F); just a blank screen. When I try to boot from the Debian CD, it's almost as though it is ignored, as I am put straight to OS X, but I can boot from the Panther/Tiger DVDs. I have tried resetting the PRAM, the SMU via the button on the board, and I left it unplugged overnight, to no avail. Can anyone help?

    It's acting like there is a firmware password in some respects.  It should be asking for your firmware password when a firmware password was configured but it doesn't seem to be.  I've never used a firmware password, so I have no direct experince with it.
    1) Might try the hardware reset.   I'd try this first. You will have to search around to find where the hardware reset button is on your machine.  BDAQUA help? 
    2) Might try the procedure to delete firmware password.  I'd try it.  Don't think it can hurt!
    Maybe your are getting the firmware password?  Do you see this image?
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1352
    http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-57521667-263/use-the-calculator-to-reveal-a -macs-firmware-password/
    Remove one memory stick.  Then do as BD suggests.
    BDAqua reminds me:
    Then, the PRAM must be reset 3 times. (Command + Option + p + r).
    http://www.securemac.com/openfirmwarepasswordprotection.php
    You machine does boot to one partition always.  Could install a linux boot manager in that partition.  Yaboot on a ppc
    The mac startup manager is installed in firmware cannot touch it.  Linux boot manager is install on hd.

  • Start-up Problem - White Screen Open Firmware

    Hi
    Just turned my eMAc on and got a new beeping sound, the little light on the front flashed several times and then the screen went completely white with the following message;
    Apple PowerMac 6,4 4.8.2f1 BootROM built on 03/11/04 at 09:18:55
    Copyroght 1994 - 2004 Apple Computer, Inc.
    All Rights Reserved
    Welcome to Open Firmware, the system time and date is: 07:26:35 10/20/2006
    To continue booting, type "mac-boot" and press return
    To shut down, type "shut-down" and press return
    ok
    0 >
    I typed in 'mac-boot' and return and everything starts and 'appears' to work as normal.
    I have shut down and restarted twice and the same thing happens. I also noticed that the push button switch seems to be sticking.
    My question is - Is this a hardware issue (the start button is faulty) or is it a software (firmware, corrupt file)?
    Many thanks for help and advice
    Mick

    It's possible it's a hardware problem, but first I'd suggest you try resetting Open Firmware:
    At the 0 > prompt, type:
    reset-nvram
    and press Return
    At the 0 > prompt, type:
    set-defaults
    and press Return
    At the 0 > prompt, type:
    reset-all
    and press Return.
    With luck, that will clear things and you'll be back to booting normally.
    Hope this helps.

  • PowerBook G4 boots to Open Firmware without keyboard access

    Summary:
    Let me provide a little backstory.
    According to the [DARPA Visitor Guidelines|http://www.darpa.mil/body/visitor_guidelines.html] wireless network technology is prohibited from DARPA facilities. Laptops with a wireless card are required to be "disabled at the BIOS level".
    Before an upcoming visit to DARPA I was told that I would need to make sure my laptop wireless card was disabled. I mentioned that Macs don't have BIOS but I'd look into doing it in Open Firmware. The response from DARPA was that no one has ever successfully brought an Apple laptop into the facility, and that I should procure a PC laptop for my visit. Ah, a challenge!
    I booted into Open Firmware (⌘⌥OF), located the wireless card in the device tree, and removed two properties I figured the driver would be searching for: the vendor ID, and the product ID. I exited Open Firmware and continued to boot into Mac OS X v10.5.2.
    Sure enough the System Profiler showed that no wireless card was installed. Success! Now I just need to make the device tree modifications persist between reboots.
    It seemed the solution was to place the Open Firmware commands I issued to disable the card into nvramrc. So I set nvramrc to contain the same commands, and set use-nvramrc? to be true. I rebooted the machine but the card was still detected.
    A bit [more research|http://docs.sun.com/app/docs/doc/805-4436/6j4719c8v?a=view] revealed that the device tree is not created by Open Firmware until after the nvramrc is executed. The solution is to build the device tree in the nvramrc and tell Open Firmware not to rebuild it. The documentation states that this is accomplished with the probe-all, install-console, and banner Forth commands. I added those commands to my nvramrc and rebooted. The contents of nvramrc:
    probe-all install-console banner
    dev wireless
    " device-id" delete-property
    " vendor-id" delete-property
    The outcome... well technically the laptop has wireless disabled. Almost everything is disabled. The machine now boots directly into Open Firmware with a few ominous bits of output and no response from the keyboard.
    no active package
    Apple PowerBook5,6 6.4.9.1f1 BootROM built on 01/21/05 at 10:51:16
    Copyright 1994-2005 Apple Computer, Inc.
    All Rights Reserved.
    Welcome to Open Firmware, the system time and date is 05/06/2008 10:00:00
    Command security mode
    To continue booting, type "mac-boot" and press return.
    To shut down, type "shut-down" and press return.
    ok
    0 > _
    The first sign that something has gone wrong is no active package. The second message just throws another wrench into the works: Command security mode. Yes, the Open Firmware password was enabled. In retrospect this was a bad thing to have set when mucking about in OF. I knew of the RAM change trick (see below) so this was not an issue at the time.
    Question:
    So the question is: What actions do I need to take to return the laptop to a useable state. That is, booting into Mac OS X.
    *Attempted solutions:*
    +1. Reset nvram+
    The first and most obvious solution is to reset nvram using the snag key combination ⌘⌥PR. Unfortunately do to the firmware password being set, [all snag keys have been disabled|http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1352]. This means no target disk mode (⌘T), boot from CD (⌘C), boot from network (⌘N), etc... In any case an attempt at resetting nvram yields an additional message being appended to the Open Firmware screen:
    Release keys to continue!_
    +2. Reset nvram after changing amount RAM in system+
    Luckily there is a work-around to firmware password protection. Changing the amount of RAM installed in the machine should allow the nvram zap snag to function. I removed one of the two 512MB DIMMS in the laptop and started up while holding down ⌘⌥PR. This results in the same message as above:
    Release keys to continue!_
    Not so lucky.
    +3. Reset the Power Management Unit+
    [Resetting the Power Management (PMU)|http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=14449] is accomplished by removing the battery and disconnecting the power cord, and then holding down the power button for about 5 seconds. This had no effect besides resetting the system clock to 01/01/1904 00:00:41.
    Getting more desperate...
    +4. Search logic board for CUDA+
    I [opened the machine|http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Mac/PowerBook-G4-Al-15-Inch-1-5-1-67-BT-2-0 -LR/64] to search for a hidden [CUDA button|http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86760]. As expected, a CUDA button does not exist on this model and the PMU reset is accomplished as noted in attempted solution 3.
    +5. Remove internal battery+
    Well the laptop is open now, so I tried removing the internal memory backup battery and revisited each of the above solutions. No success.
    +6. Remove hard drive+
    Again, since the laptop was open, why not remove the hard drive and see what happens. The machine wasn't even making it to the boot-loader hand-off so I didn't expect this to produce any results. No results produced.
    Thinking crazy thoughts...
    +7. Attempt a firmware update+
    Firmware updates have a side effect of resetting the nvram. Also firmware updates are initiated very early in the startup process by holding down the power button until a tone is heard and the power light flashes. My thought was that I would grab a previous firmware update for this laptop and force it to be reapplied. Unfortunately there have been no updates to this model's firmware.
    +8. Write my own firmware update script+
    While investigating solution #7 I realized that the file BootROMFirmware installed by the firmware updaters for G5s and G4s machines are just Forth programs with a binary payload attached to the end. I learned [Forth|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forth(programminglanguage)]. The BootROMFirmware files are really cool, since they do everything from drawing the progress bar during the update, uncompressing and check-summing the binary payload, and generally making sure you don't brick your machine. In any case it seem entirely doable to write my own program in Forth and undo the evil I did before. I really only need to flip one bit. I needed the use-nvramrc? variable set to false. So I created this very simple Forth program:
    \ debrickifier
    setenv use-nvramrc? false
    reset-all
    The original firmware file had additional attributes set, a creator and file type of fw99. So I set those two attributes on my file as well. I ran strings on the firmware installer program and guessed that it was copying the file to /System/Library/CoreServices. So this is where I placed my Forth file. Reinstalled the drive and rebooted the laptop while holding down the power key to initiate a firmware install. No dice.
    Its hard to tell why this is failing. The file may in the wrong place, have the wrong permissions. From what I've reviewed in the original files, the setenv and reset-all words should be available. Maybe the Firmware Update utilities are setting some other magic in nvram before the reboot.
    I think I've covered all the different major solutions that I've attempted. Their might be a few more that I've forgotten to mention (like using an external USB keyboard). I still think that getting some Forth to execute via the firmware update mechanism could use some more exploration. My current worst case is that I'll replace the logic board, although I'd hate to do that when I know there are only a few bad bits flipped in a CMOS somewhere.
    I'm hoping to snag the attention of the resident hardware/firmware guru that can shed some light upon the firmware update process, but any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
    Cheers,
    Mark

    For your next DARPA visit, another option might be to buy the cheapest possible third-party wireless card — it doesn't even need to work. Insert it into your Powerbook's CardBus slot before visiting DARPA, and turn Airport off in System Prefs. On arrival at DARPA, remove the card from the Powerbook and hand it to the security guard. Retrieve it from the guard as you leave, and turn Airport back on again when you get home or back to your office. Unable to comply with the letter of the dunderheaded regulation because you have no BIOS, you will be complying with the spirit of it instead, and no one will be the wiser.

  • Happy on Leopard, hangs on sleep with Tiger: Firmware issue?

    I have an early 2005 G5 dual 2.0 that I bought new. It has 2.5GB of RAM and two drives: a 1TB and a just-recently-reinstalled original 160 GB drive.
    I've updated it through the years and recently it's been running Leopard 10.5.8 on the 1TB drive.
    I've just replaced it with a Mac Pro as my main machine, and wanted to set up the G5 to run Classic apps, so installed the original 160GB drive, wiped it clean with Drive Genius, and did an erase and install from my original 10.4 CD, followed by a bunch of Software Update runs to get it to 10.4.11.
    Trouble is, when booted in 10.4.11, every time it sleeps, the fans go into high gear and the system hangs, so I have to press the power button to shut it down.
    I cleaned off the disk and reinstalled.
    I zapped the PRAM/NVRAM.
    I booted in Open Firmware and did a reset.
    I disconnected the 10.5 disk.
    I ran Apple Hardware Test.
    I disconnected all cables and pressed the PMU/SMU reset button.
    Had a very nervous day when reconnecting the power cord gave me a solid power LED and a non-operational power button, until I got brave and reset the PMU again with the power cord plugged in (against Apple advice, but some folks said it worked). That got me booted again.
    Ran through several cycles of circle-with-bar gray screen boots, hang with loud fan boots, safe boots, etc.
    None of these steps indicated anything unusual or stopped the loud fan/dark screen/hang under 10.4.11.
    I'm now at the point where the machine boots fine, sleeps fine, and is generally happy as a clam when booted on my tried-and-true 10.5.8 disk, but does the loud fan/dark screen/hang when booted under 10.4.11, most consistently around sleep time, but sometimes just trying to boot.
    Other possible useful debugging info:
    Right now, the only things plugged in are Ethernet, Apple Keyboard, Apple Mighty Mouse, and VGA monitor with DVI adapter.
    Internal speaker no longer works, but headphone jack does.
    I did try during this process to get my old Thrustmaster ADB joystick running via a Griffin iMate, but those experiments are on hold until I get the base system stable.
    Most posts about similar behaviors (for example, http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2444469&start=0&tstart=0) point to a hardware issue, but that doesn't make sense to me because there aren't any issues under 10.5.8.
    My current thinking is that it may possibly be a firmware issue, that I have a version installed that requires 10.5.x and is not compatible with 10.4.x. System Profiler lists
    Boot ROM Version: 5.2.4f1
    However, I can't find much info about this version.
    Even if I found a 10.4-friendly Firmware Update, I'm not sure the machine would let me install an older version.
    So, does my thinking seem sound, or are there other avenues I should pursue?

    No PCI cards other than stock video card.
    No 3rd party kexts running. Just a fresh install of 10.4, then everything Software Update fed me to get to 10.4.11.
    Safe boot does not change the behavior.
    I ran several more experiments and have some more results to share.
    Booting from the Tiger disk reliably caused the machine to become unresponsive when going into sleep mode, after which the fans would go to full speed after a couple of minutes. Occasionally, upon power down and power up, I'd get the gray screen with the circle/slash graphic. Powering down and powering up would then result in a successful reboot.
    Booting from the Leopard disk would not cause the machine to hang when going in to sleep. However, I did notice that the machine wasn't really sleeping, either. The screen would blank, but I never heard hard disks park (the option to "put hard disks to sleep when possible" is checked in the Energy Saver System Preference), and the case fans continued spinning at low (normal) speed. Wake up took no time at all and made no sound except from the monitor. It may not be sleeping, but at least it's not crashing, either.
    Perhaps there really is a hardware issue, and Leopard is handling it more gracefully than Tiger. Unfortunately, Apple Hardware Test isn't finding it, and I see nothing indicated in the logs.
    It's less than ideal, but unless I find a solution, I may just put the machine in never sleep mode to keep it from crashing.

  • Can't reset Open Firmware!

    I have a 1GHz titanium, and it has the 'sleep of death' problem - blank screen on opening the lid from sleep. (Only happens intermittently.) It has several other 'issues' lately that are driving me nuts, but one at a time. I would like to reset the open firmware, however on this machine, when I hold cmd-option-o-f on restart it does nothing. Literally.
    The machine reboots, then sits there with a blank screen. Nothing happening.
    If I release the keys, it does not go into a startup, it just sits there - note the fan is making a slight noise, so technically it is not 'off', however I have to hold down the power key and restart that way.
    Is there a way around this? Not a software issue, as all this happens (or rather, doesn't happen!) before anything loads.
    -frustrated
    Powerbook G4   Mac OS X (10.3.9)   Titanium 15" Powerbook 1GHz Superdrive

    Are you able to do a pram reset? (command-option-p-r). If so, do this 3 times and then attempt to go immediately into an open firmware reset.
    About the sleep issue, I had also had that problem. I performed a reset that has cleared that issue (hopefully permanently). My computer is a little different but I believe the procedure is similar. I would consult the knowledge base to see what the procedure is for doing a reset. In my case, I basically held down the reset button (located next to my modem port) without the battery out and the power cord unplugged.
    Hope that helps.

  • Monitor refresh rates and Open Firmware

    Does anyone know if it's possible to change the default monitor refresh rate of an iMac in Open Firmware and how?
    Thanks.

    Thanks but I think the iMac G5 does have a refresh rate or something analogous to one, in this case I believe it is 60 hertz. I want to know how to change it in firmware because I believe it will solve an issue my display suffers from. See here:
    Stephen Durnin, "Horizontal wavy lines when screen shows too many dark pixels", 06:00pm Sep 16, 2005 CDT

  • I need Help updating Open Firmware!

    I'm struggling to update to MacOSX 10.2 from 9.2 however every time I try to boot up the system with the OSX CD I get the "WSOD"(White Screen of Death) that lets me do nothing. So I try accessing the Open Firmware and I still get a question marked disk icon after booting with CD. I currently have Open Firmware version 2.01f.
    Where do I go from there? Can memory be an issue.

    Don Archibald...
    "" Open Firmware is not the same as the machine's firmware version, in spite of the similar names. Open Firmware can not be upgraded; firmware can be upgraded. ""
    Unless it is me, this rather tells me it is one in the same.
    (Sorry for breaking out in a story) ....
    When I did my iMac V 1.2 firmware upgrade, my iMac Firmware version was 3.0.f3 then changed to verson 3.0.f2 within the Open Firmware screen.
    mrjcd and myself did later discover some later iMac 333 did ship with a 3.0.f3, build date 07/16/99 of which was not like my iMac 333, 3.0.f3, build date 12/02/98.
    As a result of Apple System Profiler is not able to report things properly, so using Open Firmware is rather a must in confirming the real need for the firmware update.
    ...Ron

  • Need urgent help on Sawtooth stucked at Open Firmware screen

    Hello.
    I've got a G4 Graphite Sawtooth Powermac running a Newertech MaxPower 2.0MHZ processor upgrade for about 3 years. It is running Leopard (10.5.8) system.
    I've also installed a Seritek 1S2 card with a 500GB Sata disk.
    Some days ago I've started to notice that sometimes when I did Log Off or Shut down the Mac cleaned all the desktop icons but then nothing happens.
    Also, it started to freeze sometimes doing some tasks like open apps or working on Photoshop.
    Today the Mac refused to boot on the main system disk (I have a secondary 80GB disk with Tigger installed on it).
    Then I ran TechTool Pro Disck scan and it gave me an error on scanning the main disk.
    I've booted into the Tiger disk (a 80GB one) and think to myself if this could be something to do with the Seriteck card or driver, or something related to it...
    I've loaded the Seritek install CD and click the install firmware of the Seriteck disk, then I've booted and... it stucked on Open Firmware forever.
    It is on the welcome screen of the open firmware and I can't do anything.
    It says" To continue booting, type "mac-boot" and press return", but I can't type anything because it looks freezed. My keyboard don't respond.
    I've tryed the firmware boot (that one with the long beep pressing the programmer button) at no avail.
    I'm desesperate. I'm a freelancer and I've goot importante work to deliver to clients and I can't get my Mac to to boot into the system.
    At this point I just want to boot normally into Tiger, Leopard, whatever.
    I just need to boot and recover my works.
    See screenshot of Open Firmware screen here:
    http://img19.imageshack.us/i/dscn3061q.jpg/
    Can someone please help?
    Thank you for your time,
    Macjaime

    I ran TechTool Pro Disk scan and it gave me an error on scanning the main disk.
    If you did a "Surface Scan", and not a "Volume Structures Repair", it is telling you there is a Bad Block on the Hard Drive.
    There are two cases: It could be temporary, or it could be permanent. There are two sub-cases of each: It could be important or it could be unimportant.
    When you run the test, and it tells you the Surface Scan has detected an error, you are supposed to ask it figure out what file is involved, and write it down. Then you can decide whether to delete that file and replace it with a good copy.
    Bad blocks may mean your drive will not be working properly in six months, if you continue to use it full time. It could also die this afternoon -- no one knows. If you can re-initialize with Zero all Data (one pass) the drive will substitute some of its stash of spare blocks for any that remain bad after the zeroing. But of course all your data will be lost, and it takes a few hours to complete.
    Some readers suggest that a drive that has had spare blocks substituted may last a long time at light duty, such as making an occasional backup.
    The only article that comes up with a search for "default catch" has to do with drives that are really wacked out. It suggests you back up everything and re-initialize the drive.

  • Old iMac & Open Firmware Troubles

    Hi,
      I have an old iMac (G3 I think?) that did run Mac OS 9.1; until one day I shut off the power via the power button instead of the GUI way, and the next time I turned it off it quit on me. It now (every time it turns on) mockingly shows a blinking folder with the Finder logo and questionmark blinking intermittenly.
      So naturely, I brought it to the Apple store, hoping they would help me as they did my old Powerbook 1400c. They did, but not enough to get it functional.
      Anyway, I've been able to get it to boot into Open Firmware (via Command+Alt+O+F); but that's it. I tried issuing common commands that people have said worked for them, but to no avail. For example, I used "mac-boot", "boot hd:,\\", "reset-nvram" (or whatever that command is to reset the NVRAM), "reset-all", and even  used "boot cd:" (and "boot cd:,\\") while my Mac OS 8 install disk is in there (I don't have 9), but it does not work.
      Whenever I issue the "boot hd:,\\" and "boot cd:"; it comes up with the following message:
             load-size=0 adler32=1
             LOAD-SIZE is too small
      So my question is this: how/what can possibly be done to get this old computer up and running again? Some people have suggested it could be the logic board, but I am deeply hoping not (I dont' have the skill or money required to get & install one). Any ideas?
            Thanks!
    P.S.- Does anyone know the boot command to make it boot from CD? I think the apple guys tried it already (and did not work), but I might as well try again. Also, if it's any help, the Open Firmware version is 3.0.f2 .

    Hello,
    Would it be correct to assume that the PRAM has been successfully reset?
    http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1379
    It is possible that the internal 3.6 V battery is bad. This may or may not affect the ability to locate a valid system.
    http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/iMacG3_originalInstallGuide.PDF
    >Mac OS 8 install disk is in there
    Is it a Mac OS 8.1 or 8.5 CD that came with the computer, not a plain Mac OS 8 disc?
    >Does anyone know the boot command to make it boot from CD?
    Normally, one would press the C key. However, if this does not work, you could try holding down the four keys Command(Apple) + Option(Alt) + Shift + Delete(Backspace).
    http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/iMacG3_originalEmergencyHndbk.PDF
    Jan

  • How can I reset the open firmware password?

    I wanted to installed Mac OS X Lion from scratch on my newly purchased MBP 15,4"
    I put the installESD.dmg on a USB pendrive, then I boot on it. I used Disk utility to erase en encrypte my drive, and at the same time I set the Open firmware password.
    I launched the installation process, after a while the computer reboot but I got an error:
    there was a problem installing mac os x try reinstalling
    I google this error and found many people who solved this issue by erasing the PRAM using the shortcut: cmd + opt + P + R. I'm asked to enter the password which I did but it's still keeping asking for the password so I guess its wrong which is weird cause I typed it in few minutes ago, so I might have done twice a typing error or I don't know.
    So my question is how can I reset this password to be able to install my OS? (I cannot access to any OS cause the installation process failed).
    Thnak you for your help

    Yes I did use the disk utility to restore the dmg on my USB drive. The USB drive is perfectly fine, I can boot on it without any problem, well before setting this open firmware password I could do it.
    Now the situation is:
    No system installed,
    Lock with a password
    I have the disk to install SL but I cannot boot on the DVD because it is asking me for this password.

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