OS X Restore Discs won't Reinstall to HD?!?!

Okay, I'm trying to do a Archive and Install of Tiger on my MacBook.
When I boot to the DVD, walk through the steps, and when I get to the part where I choose which Volume to install to (the only one there, the internal HD), it has a red exclamation mark next to it.
Makes no sense, it has about 60GB available, it the drive Tiger is currently on, but it says it can't boot to this drive.
Any ideas?
Thanks.
Joshua

No, it's the original that came with it.
One more thing...
Only thing 'weird' I can think of in this scenario is this HD is not the stock HD, it's a 120GB drive I upgraded to myself. I used SuperDuper to image the stock 60GB, then restored the 120GB from that image.
Shouldn't matter but I at least wanted to throw that out there.

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Hi Ymir;
I have never used the Erase & Install yet. Besides being basically lazy, I have never felt the need to do all of that work.
My feeling is the Erase & Install is the nuclear bomb method of upgrading and should be saved for those occasions when a nuclear bomb is called for and not any other time.
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"System restore" so am guessing you are on Windows. Are you able to uninstall Photoshop using the Control Panel? If on Mac OS X the uninstaller is located at Applications > Utilities > Adobe Installers.
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Depending on which iBook you have, your only option may be the iBook G4 restore discs.
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hello,
i just did a clean erase and install of os x tiger on my powerbook g4 12" dvi with the tiger retail install dvd. i updated everything with the combo updater and then kept updating until there was nothing left.
then i put in my original software restore disc that came with the computer and i loaded the package from the dvd. when i run the software restore program, it asks me to insert the disc with the following pictogram: (the same pictogram that is on the dvd). i tried to eject the disc and re-insert it, but it still won't recognize it.
the computer is out of warranty now. do you think if i went to the apple store, they would give me the programs that came with my computer, or will they just try to sell me ilife?
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thanks for reading,
hamdog

hamdogger:
i see now that i probably should have restored the computer to the factory defaults with the original restore disk and then used my full retail tiger upgrade to instal tiger.
I think that is the best way to go about it. As I understand it, you want to install some of the apps that came bundled with the original install disks, and are not on the Retail Version. Using Pacifist to do that may be a bit tedious. Here is what I suggest:
• Completely reformat and erase HDD.
• Install and update original OS, including bundled software.
• Install Tiger using the Update Option. This will leave everything intact and install Tiger over it.
Formatting, Partitioning Erasing a Hard Disk Drive
Boot from the install CD holding down the "C" key.
Select language
• Go to the Utilities menu (Tiger) Installer menu (Panther & earlier) and launch Disk Utility.
• Select your HDD (manufacturer ID) in left side bar.
• Select Partition tab in main panel. (You are about to create a single partition volume.)
• Click on Options button
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• Click OK
• Select number of partition in pull-down menu above Volume diagram.
(Note 1: One partition is normally preferable for an internal HDD.)
• Type in name in Name field (usually Macintosh HD)
• Select Volume Format as Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
• Click Partition button at bottom of panel.
• Select Erase tab
• Select the sub-volume (indented) under Manufacturer ID (usually Macintosh HD).
• Check to be sure your Volume Name and Volume Format are correct.
• Click Erase button
• Quit Disk Utility.
Install Panther OS X 10.3.9
• Boot from the 10.3.x install CD 1
• Go to Installer Menu and open Disk Utility
• (Optional)Go to File menu and Repair OS 9 Permissions!
• Quit Disk Utility.
• Launch Installer
• Select Destination disk for installation
• Click Options
• Select Installation Option Archive and Install
• (Optional) Preserve Users and Network Settings
• Choose to Customize and deselect Foreign Language Translations and Additional Printer drivers.
• Check box to install BSD Subsystems (Panther & earlier).
• Install Mac OS X 10.3.x
• Restart and Repair permissions (Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility)!
• Download and apply the 10.3.9 Combo Update
• Restart and Repair Disk Permissions as previously!
• Run Software Update and apply all updates available
• Repair Disk Permissions (Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility)!
Installation Process (Tiger)
• Open Installer and begin installation.
• Choose to Customize and deselect Foreign Language Translations and Additional Printer drivers.
Optional: Check box to install X11 (Tiger).
• Proceed with installation.
• After installation computer will restart for setup.
• After setup, reboot computer.
• Go to Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility.
• Select your HDD (manufacturer ID) in left side bar.
• Select First Aid in main panel.
• Click Repair Disk Permissions.
• Connect to Internet.
• Download and install Mac OS X 10.4.11 Combo update (PPC) (Tiger)
Computer will restart.
• Repair Disk Permissions as previously.
• Go to Apple Menu > Software Update.
• Install all updates.
Computer may restart after updates.
• Go to Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility.
• Select your HDD (manufacturer ID) in left side bar.
• Select First Aid in main panel.
• Click Repair Disk Permissions.
You can setup the computer with your friend's name, or else set up a dummer admin account. You friend can then set up a new admin account and delete the dummy account.
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Cheers
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Hello all,
I'm trying to reinstall tiger on my old laptop (to erase everything and clean it up for someone else). When I put in the installation disk it says that it 'cannot be installed on this machine'. Since the machine is already running tiger, this seems odd. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

To know more about the computer in question and the software installer said
to be used in this matter, does make a considerable difference in the outcome.
An installer disc set that was originally shipped with one computer won't work
in another different model; so that is why the questions grow like weeds when
you ask a question, instead of just getting what may seem to be a simple reply.
For example, your MacBook's discs won't work to install Tiger 10.4 in an iBook,
even if both shipped with Tiger 10.4. There are other similar examples. If the
correct discs to install an OS X into the computer you are working on are not
the original discs included with it, you'd need to have them or a retail install disc.
And the correct installer DVD (unless an older CD-based installer disc) would
be inserted into the computer, and it restarted while holding the C key down;
and then the Installer would boot the computer, not the old OS on the Mac.
An incorrect disc usually gives a warning message of being unable to work.
Good luck & happy computing!

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btw: I have reformatted it, and partitioned it, too. reset the pram, nvram. stuff like that.
Thanks,
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Hi, Ronda,
Thank you for replying to this.
here is the info:
-hard drive specs-
brand: IBM
model: -not sure-
capacity: 12.07 GB
basic info:
This HD came out of a previous "Windows XP" Computer.
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I have managed to partition it with a restore disk
I partitioned it to "Mac OS Extended" to two (2) partitions
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The restore disc was NOT the original -- The iBook was bought used. It may of been a copy of the original owner's disc, and they may not of wanted to get rid of that, also.
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Model: iBook G3/900
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Jacob.

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Thanks.

The way i see it the only problem seems to be that i haven't purchased lion with my account. Is this the case?
Yes. Any 2011 iMac that did not have Lion already installed shipped with its predecessor Snow Leopard, and included system and applications restore discs.
If your Mac did not ship with Lion already installed, there is no need to purchase it since you can upgrade directly from Snow Leopard to Mavericks. Upgrading to Lion or Mountain Lion are options as well, but they are not free.
Boot from its original grey System Install DVD. Install that OS, install all applicable Software Updates from Apple, then upgrade to Mavericks by downloading it from the App Store. Follow these instructions: Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard: How to Erase and Install

Can i use time machine instead of restore discs

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John.Kitzmiller wrote:
Time Machine backups are not necessarily computer specific, however TM does not back up the OS
Yes, it does, unless you've specifically told it not to. That's how you can do a full restore of an entire system from a TM backup, even if it's a previous version of Leopard.
, so there's really no way to do what you're trying to accomplish.
That's not the practical issue. As pointed out earlier, the practical issue is, the TM backup for one type/model of Mac won't run on another, as the hardware drivers, etc., are different. Worse, the 2009 Mac Mini has an Intel processor; a G4 has a PPC processor.
Plus as already pointed out, it would be a violation of the EULA.
Correct.

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-ive tried mac osx panther retail (version 10.3.2)
-powerbook restore discs (set of 2) - "mac os version 10.4 / aht version 2.5 / disc version 1.0)
-leopard 10.5 dual layer version
and ive tried all sorts of things like formatting mac journaled extended, and 6 zeros method too.
everytime i get "alert this software cannot be installed on this computer"
Now i have no OS and no clue. Ive spent heaps of money on ebay buying recovery discs that i thought were gonna work with this, but now i have a g4 with no OS.
So the big question is:
"WHAT DISCS DO I NEED TO RECOVER THIS UNIT"
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ok so ive gone into system profiler this is what it says:
powerbook g4 15"
powerbook5,2
powerpc g4 (1.1)
1 cpu
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Apple's restore/recovery discs are keyed to specific machines, which is why the OS X 10.4 discs don't work. Not sure why the Panther retail won't install. On Leopard, your Powerbook didn't come with a dual layer DVD, so are you installing from an external dual layer drive or has the internal DVD drive been very recently upgraded? The Apple store only shows one Leopard version being available, which I would expect is a standard density DVD - could the dual layer version of Leopard you're using have been intended for use on an Intel-based Apple notebook?
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OS X Restore Discs won't Reinstall to HD?!?!

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