Hard drive install (or usb hardrive install)?

[mallyone]

Going on my 20th hour trying here (odds are it's impossible right now, but I'm ignoring that fact). I'm trying to install on a toshiba 5200 with a clean drive (no windows/linux/amigaos/geos/etc). The problem is I get the dreaded "still waiting on root device" error which I figure is the cd drive pooching out (it could be the controller, but that thought scares me so I won't even entertain it).

 

Rather than gutting the laptop and checking cable select and switching around master and slave, my currrent theory is to take the laptop drive, mount it in a usb enclosure, take it to my ppc mac and restore the install dvd to the first partition on the drive and hope it will then boot. A good theory I imagine but it doesn't want to boot.

 

I have a couple of questions for the experts:

 

1. how can I set the partion to be bootable, without pooching the ppc mac's booting (changing startup disk etc).

2. Can grub or lilo boot it? if so, any pointers or examples?

3. can I boot off a usb drive?

4. would this even work?

 

 

Any help greatly appreciated.

 

TIA.

[mcdull]

There were alot.. really a lot of old post related to "waiting on root device" here.

you can probably solve your problem by reading them.

I don't have good experience on this issues as my board is fully supported.

 

It could be your ATA controller driver issues.. so, post the details of your hardware and some ppl may be able to help you.

[mallyone]

I've tried many of the suggestions from this forum to no avail. This is my next step/attempt so I'm hoping someone out there can answer my original questions about this method?

 

 

tia...