/com.apple.Boot.plist not found !, What the hell? Options

[megavolkan]

A while ago i upgraded my system to a D820 processor, P965 MS?, 9700GT etc.
Now i can't start installing from DVD (x86 10.4.5), gives an error like:

/com.apple.Boot.plist not found

Then i pressed keys randomly and when i pressed F8 a screen appeared that says

...
(bla bla bla)
HDD (159.0) Ethernet PXE Client
...

and no selectible options. I disabled onboard Ethernet nothing changed.
Previously i was able to install with same DVD and same SATA drive.

Any opinions?

[souled]

I'm getting the same thing. When I boot from the DVD, I get the 'boot.plist cannot be found' error. I can push F8 and can type in the -v flag, but the same error occurs. I know it's not the DVD because it seems to load on my friends computer and my other computer...

I think the main difference is that I'm using a SATA HDD. I have an ASUS P5W DH Deluxe mobo.

[megavolkan]

But i could install on a SATA disk before with my 865 chip mobo.

[ceynox]

I get the same error all the time, only i have a laptop (BenQ 5001U)... so i can't make drastic hardware changes.
I searched the forum and it seems that is has to do something with the chipset, it should be cureable, but from what i read only through installation through vmware.

[souled]

Can anyone help with this? I've tried two different DVDs. I tried the 10.4.6 ISO by JaS, and I tried the 10.4.7 ISO by HotISO (converted the DMG on a Mac).

Firstly, when I burn the DVDs and I load them in a computer, the explorer says the disk is 184 kb. This is with both images and burned with two different computers. Same thing if I mount the image using Alcohol 120%; it still says 184 kb.

The DVDs work in other systems, so it has to be my hardware. I checked on the HCL, and I believe my stuff is supported. Here's what I have:

ASUS P5W DH Deluxe
Intel Core 2 Extreme
Corsair 2x1GB DDR2 800
WD 250GB SATA HDD
XFX 7900 GS
Hauppauge PVR 150

I tried the JaS DVD in VMware, but that only produced the same error. I am able to see some text, but then it locks up and I get an error from VMware. After I try again, I just get the boot.plist error.

After doing a bit of searching, I've noticed this problem is fairly common, but I don't know what to do.

Any help is appreciated.

PS sorry megavolken for kind of hi-jacking your thread, but we have the same problem so I thought I'd post here.

[Rammjet]

the explorer says the disk is 184 kb

There are two sections on the DVD. A small partition that contains boot files and a large partition that contains the OSX OS and installer files.

The boot files partition is in a format that Windows can read. That is because the BIOS needs that format in order to read the boot files. The rest of the DVD is formatted in Mac HFS+ format and Windows cannot read that without a 3rd party software.

The 184 kb are the boot files.

[souled]

Ah, I see. So atleast now I know that my DVDs are working.

I remember my friend saying the OS must be installed on the primary HDD. I can't remember which method he tried, but he tried installing on a secondary HDD and things went wrong. Is this true?

I looked in my BIOS and noticed that my drive is labeled as the Third Primary drive. There are spaces for First Primary, First Slave, Third Primary, Third Slave, Fourth Primary, and Fourth Slave. There isn't a Second Primary and Second Slave (maybe it's the CD-roms?). Anyhow, could this be a source of error? I'm pretty sure I plugged in the drive to the right SATA port, although I suppose I could be mistaken.

[mMiniImManN]

[Errr, I had a nice post/reply going, hit the crtl + w and closed the tab... here goes again...]

The file not found issue, would it not be a problem with the disk itself?
I know a way around it is by launching the motherboard's onboard boot menu (I love repeating myself), [it's an F# key pressed at the time you would normally press DEL to enter the BIOS...] it's commenly different on all boards, and some doen't even support it (like, as far as I know, the Abit AB9 series). Using this boot menu, you select the dvdrom device, it should boot to the dvd liquidly... (even to a bummed OS even). I've tried this on an ASUS A8N-E board (worked perfect using the bootmenu) but not on my ABit AB9 board (it for some reason doesn't support a boot menu!! ARG!). So, it has to be something to do with how the dvd recognizes itself (or rather, how darwin recognizes itself, and boots).

My question, is could there not be some work around developed to load into, then tell it to boot from the mac side of the DVD? Think of the ol' Win9x boot floppies.. insert one of those and boot into DOS with cd-rom support; then browse to the windows folder on a setup cd and launch the installer app manually (yes, for those that don't know, it works even in XP).

I tried hunting down a simple booter for darwin, but was unsuccessful, the website was down last I checked (the open darwin one).

Any ideas? Would be a big help, even to those who have the OS isntalled and are unable to boot.


Ok, I found the last place this issue was posted on, I reread it and saw a post I forgot about..
retailer posted that there's problems with the JMicron chip and drivers, ect... I know my abit has this for ide and some of the sata devices, but as far as I know the asus board doesn't use this chip at all; so it's gotta be an issue with drivers... any way a more generic raid ide/sata driver might be loaded to the install disk to add support? But still doesn't offer a reason why the boot menu surpasses the problems.. hmpf, it's got me stumped as where the conflict is

[megavolkan]

So can we say no solution to this problem?

[mapledell]

i'm having the same problem. i have a MSI p65 neo-f.

i have loaded the 10.4.6 jas patched dvd and installed through vmware, no problems. (well, a few problems, but it is up and running now). when i try booting to the drive directly, then i get the boot.plist error.

any suggestions?

[megavolkan]

i'm having the same problem. i have a MSI p65 neo-f.

i have loaded the 10.4.6 jas patched dvd and ...

Yes, i also have exactly the same board. Could it be the source of the problem?

[mMiniImManN]

If I remember right, after the OS is installed and you get that error, there was a way to configure something... But i'm not sure if that worked out like it should, my abit board is rma'd and i expect it in a few days.. and after a bios update of my asus board, it boots directly from the disk; suprised me even...

[paulicat]

Im guessing the problem is from an unsupported ide controller.
Try getting an ide>sata convertor to connect the dvdrom to your sata controller.

[mMiniImManN]

I now believe this might be a kernel issue (somebody want to confirm this with me?)
I looked up support for JMicron drivers and linux... it appears that some Ubantu system have had problems, and that there was a patch to the kernal that fixed the issue, even though the kernal supported the drivers.. (yea, it gets more weird)

check the first post at this site:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=234706


So my next question (so I might not have to spend time looking it up), is there an active working driver that could be loaded to the install dvd? I know I was unable to come up with anything so far....

[mMiniImManN]

Im guessing the problem is from an unsupported ide controller.
Try getting an ide>sata convertor to connect the dvdrom to your sata controller.

I was thinking the same thing, I read somewhere to change around the way the ide controller's handle's (er, its change it to AHCI or something - I was lazy and didn't go look up what the exactly the AHCI does but might even help)

I'm curious if the way works, if anybody tries it, please tell... I might have to go order one... although I do want my OS drive to be on the normal IDE controller.. hmm.

[souled]

I searched for how to disable JMicron, and I ran into a forum where they say to set the ICH7 to AHCI (for the P5W). My BIOS doesn't have an ICH7 parameter, but when I try to just disable JMicron completely, the drive isn't recognized. There is also a setting nested in the JMicron setting (can't remember the name) that can have values of RAID, basic, or AHCI. My default is set at basic. I tried putting it at AHCI, but the same error appears when I try to boot from the disk.

[aldudturn]

I'm getting exactly the same error too with a Foxconn P965 mb, trying to use the 10.4.7 version.

[mMiniImManN]

Hmm, somehow I knew changing it to the AHCI or w/e it is wouldnt fix things, I don't remember if I tried that or not (just by trying as much as I could) but we'll see come monday... arg, wish ups shipped weekends :s

Hmm, I just realized that Ubantu link I posted is a 12+ page forum thread.. I kind of don't want to read all that, so I won't. I guess I'll either have to install to a sata drive or wait for a proper fix (I'm still thinking it maybe a kernal issue)....

Edit: I just read an interesting piece of info... I'll quote it

https://launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu/+bug/57502
Several people mention that giving the parameter "all-generic-ide" to the kernel (at boot) works for Fedora Core, however, it did not work with the Ubuntu 6.06.1 desktop cd.

Is there a similar feature for Darwin or whatever, to override the ide driver??? It would be very interesting to see if it just happens to make it work, I'm not counting on it though.

I think using the IDE to SATA connector fixes the issue... but you'd have to plug it into a SATA port that isn't part of the JMicron controller... The above link I posted had somebody try it. Looks like I'll be heading to the store then.. eh, next week ish.

Only thing is, the whole IDE channel would have to be ignored in my box if there's no drivers for it, booo

Oh ya, you guys also might want to check for mobo BIOS updates (BE CAREFUL! (naturally))
For my Abit AB9 Pro, the new bios update's description is: "Support the IDE/ RAID mode adjusting function on JMicron363" + (plus some other fixes). I was ever so hoping to have loaded this bios into my board, but as I experienced first had their mobo is a bit flaky.. is why I had to RMA is, oi :s

[megavolkan]

So i see that its p965 boards that might be the cause of the problem.
Is there anyone succesfully installed osx on a 965 board?
If so what is the exact configuration?

[micheleq]

I tried a lot with a P5B motherboard to install 10.4.6 and 10.4.7.

You can solve the installation problem with an USB DVD and start the installation.
Someone (2 people if i remember) had a success to install the OsX with this solution using a SATA HD connected to black/purble SATA connector (Jmicron raid connector) using it as AHCI.

I failed to do that on my p5B, so im not sure if one solution exists.

I changed motherboard and with 945 all works easily

Mike