[FX.php List] [OFF-TOPIC] A bug discovery in OS X Server and OS X 10.4 installers

[Dale Bengston]

I think it's something about OS X Server. I bought a Mac mini, wiped  
it with an OS X Server install dvd, installed OS X Server. Then I  
thought better of it and put it back. I had the same symptoms Bob  
describes when trying to install OS X over OS X Server, initializing  
the drive as part of the OS X install. I had no such problems going  
the other way: it was no problem to initialize the drive as part of  
the OS X Server install, replacing the pre-installed OS X.

After thinking about this a bit more, I thought this was more  
familiar than I'd thouht. So I went and looked at my notes and  
realized that I did indeed also start the mini in target disk mode,  
hook it to my laptop and initialize it that way, because Disk Utility  
on neither the OS X or OS X Server install dvds would initialize the  
drive. Disk Utility on my laptop did it, no problem. Then I shut down  
and put the OS X install dvd back in the mini and started up. I had  
everything installed in no time after that.

Maybe I blocked out the target disk mode part. I remember now  
thinking, "I hope this works, because if it doesn't, then I have a  
nice Mac mini doorstop without an OS on it, nor any way to put one on  
it."

According to my notes, I tried the OS X Server (Intel) install dvd,  
the OS X install dvd that came with the mini, and the OS X install  
dvd that came with my MacBook Pro. Zero for three. Target disk mode  
was the winner.

Dale

On May 22, 2007, at 7:23 PM, John May wrote:

>>> I'd be concerned it's a hardware issue, especially if you're  
>>> using it as a server.  I've formatted drives on all numbers of  
>>> machines, including Intel boxes, with Disk Utility from the  
>>> installer disc.
>>
>> That was my original concern, but they checked the machine, found  
>> nothing wrong with either drive or machine itself. He took the RAM  
>> out, tested them one by one, ran it overnight, found nothing. He  
>> ran every diagnostic that he had, because I kept insisting that  
>> there was a problem, and he couldn't find it because he didn't  
>> reenact the install the way that I had; he had already initialized  
>> the drive from his startup HD, so the problem was gone.
>>
>> I made it happen 3 times in a row when I was testing... always the  
>> same. Have you tried installing OS X Server 10.4.7 on one of the  
>> new quad-core Macs? This may be machine-specific; I never had this  
>> problem on any of my other OS X Server machines.
>
>
> Never tried that specific combination.
>
> I do know there was a screwy install issue with OS X server on the  
> old G4 Xserves where the install disc wouldn't boot if there was  
> more than 512MB ram installed.  Gotta love that black magic...
>
>         - John
>
> -- 
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
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> Point In Space Internet Solutions             jmay at pointinspace.com
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