RESCUE CD/DVD project

[dino7777]

Hello,

 

I wonder if there is already something like a CD or DVD which could be used as a rescue system if one can not log into ones OSX even in single mode.

 

I myself have beside a SL installation a Leopard volume left, just for this purpose.

In case something goes really wrong, I can boot up Leo and have full admin access to HFS+ partition.

 

If there is not something like this, it would be great if some of use get together to make this thought real.

 

By now I think of a boot CD, that is customized to boot up in most common configurations.

Maybe with a boot option : Intel; Atom; AMD to start with the right kernel.

 

The goal should be to get a common usable boot CD, to boot up in BSD/OSX.

Than the user should be given some easy tasks like:

- mount volume X

- check / repair volume structure

- fix permissions, rights

- build caches

- clean caches

...

 

 

What do you think?

Sure I would rather have a rescue CD at my desk, than a full OSX installation just for the case.

 

If there is need for something like mentioned above, we should

first: collect and than define some requirements

second: build a dev group and

third: define separated tasks

fourth: test

finally: deliver

 

( I know this sounds like work, same hsit as everyday dev job; but this is how things are done )

 

Sure, best would be if there is already some kind of system rescue for hac mac out there!!

If not, lets make it done!!!

[nestorj76]

please check http://www.paragon-software.com/home/rk-mac/index.html is feee.

[dino7777]

thanks, but ...

 

I checked it. burned the cd and booted from it.

 

DIDNT DO ANY CHANGES, BUT THE CD RUINED MY EFI BOOT AND WINDOWS BOOT PARTITION !

 

so this CD is nothing for osx86

 

had to reinstall PCEFI booter and even Windows boot partition on second disk

[srs5694]

thanks, but ...

 

I checked it. burned the cd and booted from it.

 

DIDNT DO ANY CHANGES, BUT THE CD RUINED MY EFI BOOT AND WINDOWS BOOT PARTITION !

 

so this CD is nothing for osx86

 

had to reinstall PCEFI booter and even Windows boot partition on second disk

 

If by "EFI BOOT... PARTITION" you mean a partition marked as type "EFI System" in which you've stored OS X files, then that's because you've abused that partition. It has a very specific purpose, as defined in Intel's EFI specification. It's unfortunate that some OSx86 users, and even boot loaders, are now using this partition incorrectly. I just posted in another thread advising somebody to not abuse the EFI System partition in this way, and this is precisely why.

 

As to the Windows boot partition, damage to it is more troubling. Are you positive that the partition itself was damaged, or you were simply rendered unable to boot it? If the latter, it's possible that your boot loader configuration was damaged, rather than the Windows partition itself.

[dino7777]

Thanks,

 

yes u r right, I do use GUID partitions first "hidden" partition, i.e. the first 200MB sized partition, as my bootloader, and it contains PCEFI and Chameleon.

I guess the CD removed the active flag from that partition, and than it was not bootable anymore.

But I didnt want the app to do that. I just booted with that CD, and didnt choose any option to make changes!

 

Can u please post the link to ur posting.

As the search option in the forum gives me just errors

and

I think that using this partition to store bootloader and custom kexts is really a good why to keep ones system more vanilla like, and it is safer to do system updates.

 

 

Second

 

 

As mentioned, I didnt made any changes within the program. Just booted, and took a look at the options thta it gives.

I use 3 internal disks. two are GUID parted, one is MBR. the MBR one had no boot partition. one GUID had PCEFI, the other Win bootloader.

And again, the CD messed it up.

After i repaired the PCEFI bootloader, choosing Windows gives "BOOTMGR is missing" error.

I had to use a Win DVD to repair this.

 

 

All in all I wanna say, that this parg0n cd is no solution for osx86 users.

 

So I still think, that it would be good to make some kind of resue CD.

 

I was lucky as I had a usb flash drive with Chameleon as bootloader on it.

So the repair of my system took not too much time.

 

 

 

Regards

 

If by "EFI BOOT... PARTITION" you mean a partition marked as type "EFI System" in which you've stored OS X files, then that's because you've abused that partition. It has a very specific purpose, as defined in Intel's EFI specification. It's unfortunate that some OSx86 users, and even boot loaders, are now using this partition incorrectly. I just posted in another thread advising somebody to not abuse the EFI System partition in this way, and this is precisely why.

 

As to the Windows boot partition, damage to it is more troubling. Are you positive that the partition itself was damaged, or you were simply rendered unable to boot it? If the latter, it's possible that your boot loader configuration was damaged, rather than the Windows partition itself.

[srs5694]

yes u r right, I do use GUID partitions first "hidden" partition, i.e. the first 200MB sized partition, as my bootloader, and it contains PCEFI and Chameleon.

I guess the CD removed the active flag from that partition, and than it was not bootable anymore.

 

The "active" flag (aka the "bootable" flag or various other names) is an MBR concept that has no equivalent in GPT. There are a number of things that a disk utility could have done to render a GPT disk unbootable, including wiping out the boot manager in the MBR (reasonable on a real Mac, which uses EFI, but not on a BIOS-based PC) and "fixing" a "broken" EFI System partition. The EFI System partition is supposed to be formatted as FAT and have files for EFI in a particular directory layout, so formatting it as HFS+ and putting non-EFI files on it will definitely make the partition look broken to many utilities.

 

But I didnt want the app to do that. I just booted with that CD, and didnt choose any option to make changes!

 

I agree that this is undesirable. Depending on what it actually did, it might or might not be a negative for all OSx86 installations.

 

Can u please post the link to ur posting.

As the search option in the forum gives me just errors

 

Here it is. Note that I only address the purpose of the EFI System partition in the final (third) paragraph of my post.

 

I think that using this partition to store bootloader and custom kexts is really a good why to keep ones system more vanilla like, and it is safer to do system updates.

 

I can't argue with your goal. I'm just suggesting that using the EFI System partition for this purpose is a Bad Idea. You may have discovered one reason. There's no telling what current or future disk utilities will do if they see the EFI System partition used in a way that it's explicitly not supposed to be used. Since it's possible to create partitions of other types for this purpose, you should just do that, rather than use the EFI System partition, which has a clearly-defined function. You can read up on the details in Intel's EFI specification, if you like. (I don't have a URL for it offhand, but I seem to recall finding it pretty easily a few months ago by Googling it.)

 

So I still think, that it would be good to make some kind of resue CD.

 

I've no argument with you there. Personally, an OS X install DVD is close enough for me; you can use that to run most programs on the install disc or any other accessible disk. (You need to launch the Terminal to run anything other than the installer's standard programs, though.)

[dino7777]

thanks

 

for your detailed explanations. Me myself am by now not so deep in specs of guid, ... I am more based on highlevel programming and testing (in this case black box

 

But maybe I'll take some time and a deeper look in the specs. (for ex. get the idea of using the 128MB that seperate guid partitions, for most confidential data - I know that is out of its purpose ... anyway, first have to get deeper in the theoretic)

 

to get back to the rescue cd thought.

 

yes I know a installation dvd is some kind of tool one can use to get back in ones system, mount a volume and do some fixes.

but for ex. I miss recovery tools there.

here a concrete example:

again I messed too much around, and a guid partitiion was defect. I tried to fix the partition just as u mentioned with a installation dvdv and diskutil, but no success.

I managed to fix the error with TestDisk. As I remember I the start and end catalogs differed (please dont take me by word, as said I miss knowledge of the specs).

 

I stick with my thought, that I and maybe the most of us, miss some kind of cd, to easily mount hfs, manage and fix partitions, build caches, ...

 

There should be to much of work to do, as it would be more a collecting existing tools and scripts, as coding.

I am willing to offer some of my time and effort, but i guess there should be some more people involved.

 

regards