Missing Operating System

[jfn]

I tried to set up 8f1099 from an install disc that I've used before on a friend's Thinkpad T42 (P4M, SSE2, Radeon Mobility 9600). We used a dual-boot configuration with his existing NTFS partition and a shared FAT32 partition (same layout as my working T30 setup). The installation went fine, but when I set the Mac partition active and try to boot from it, the system says "Missing Operating System". I tried reinstalling and got the same problem. Using the chain0 method doesn't work - selecting the Mac partition drops you right back into the Windows bootloader.

 

However, if we put in the install DVD, the system will boot from the hard drive fine (if you eject the DVD as it starts up). And the system runs fine once it's been started this way (in fact I am jealous... he has Quartz Extreme with his fancy 9600).

 

Does anyone know what we can try? Thanks!

[Technobob]

What method are you using to set drive active?

Have you tried setting the startup disk in System Preferences>Startup Disk?

Have you checked to see if Mach_Kernel is in root on the hard drive?

Edited December 14, 2005 by Technobob

[jfn]

Used PartitionMagic to set the drive active, which seems to work correctly (changing which partition is active changes which bootloader is sought).

Have tried setting the startup disk, and it's set correctly.

mach_kernel is in the hard drive root.

 

Any more ideas? Pretty annoying to have to put the DVD in and then pop it out as it starts loading every time.

 

Also - and I'll go search for an answer myself - with the Radeon 9600 and accelerated graphics, if you move a window its contents disappear until you scroll or something. Sleep also causes a kernel panic. Neither of these problems happen on my T30.

[The Chazinator]

Partition Magic might not work here (it might show the entire partition table as bad)

 

What you have to do is the following.

 

1) If possible, back up all of your data from the NTFS partition to a DVD or something.

2) Clear the hard drive of partitions.

3) Make two partitions, one for OS X and the other for Windows.

4) Install OS X in THE SECOND partition. Windows will WANT the first one, or else you'll get the same error. Make sure that the second partition is HFS+ and the other is JUST FREE SPACE.

5) After OS X installs, boot the Windows CD up.

6) Format the free space partition that you made before. Be careful though; deleting the wrong partition will obviously prevent you from loading up OSX.

7) After all is done, you should be able to choose which installation you want to load through the Darwin Bootloader. Press any key and hte first option should be "Windows NTFS".

 

i hope that works out for you.

[Xenokira]

I'm having the same problem. I did notice that the partition the OSX is installed on is called "disk0s5" instead of "disk0s2" in the previous install I had. Could this be causing the problem?

[Peeps]

I, too, have the same problem, but I am trying something rather difficult too. I have Windows XP, Windows Vista, Xandros Open Circulation eddition (linux) and Mac OSX. Getting Mac to work, however, has not been easy. I have to insert the DVD every time I want to get into it.

 

Xenokira, I believe I know the reason why it says disk0s5. in my linux partition, /dev/hda1 is my primary drive, /dev/hda2 is my extended drive, and then /dev/hda5 is my (logical) Vista drive. where 3 and 4 went, I have no clue, but that is how they are (even though they were made back to back).

 

Also, if anyone would know how to get OSX to work with either LILO or the new vista bootloader, I'm all ears because 4 bootloaders can be a lot to deal with...

[Xenokira]

Partition Magic might not work here (it might show the entire partition table as bad)

 

What you have to do is the following.

 

1) If possible, back up all of your data from the NTFS partition to a DVD or something.

2) Clear the hard drive of partitions.

3) Make two partitions, one for OS X and the other for Windows.

4) Install OS X in THE SECOND partition. Windows will WANT the first one, or else you'll get the same error. Make sure that the second partition is HFS+ and the other is JUST FREE SPACE.

5) After OS X installs, boot the Windows CD up.

6) Format the free space partition that you made before. Be careful though; deleting the wrong partition will obviously prevent you from loading up OSX.

7) After all is done, you should be able to choose which installation you want to load through the Darwin Bootloader. Press any key and hte first option should be "Windows NTFS".

 

i hope that works out for you.

Trying this method out right now. I have OSX running great and booting off the hard drive. I'm starting my Windows XP MCE installation right now. I'll update and let you guys know how it works

 

FOLLOW UP:

Tried the above method with no luck. I ended up creating a 40MB FAT32 partition for Boot Magic. I setup Boot Magic to boot both Windows & Mac OSX and it seems to have done the trick.

Edited December 19, 2005 by Xenokira

[jfn]

I hope I don't need to reformat the drive to make this work, and I don't see why that would be necessary. I do have Windows on the first partition, followed by a FAT32 partition and the HFS+ partition, and this setup has worked fine for me on several other laptops. The computer can run off the Mac OS partition fine if the DVD is used to help boot it up.

 

Any other ideas? I have tried reinstalling, to no avail. What can I do to make the Darwin bootloader on this third, HFS+ partition run?

[Xenokira]

I hope I don't need to reformat the drive to make this work, and I don't see why that would be necessary. I do have Windows on the first partition, followed by a FAT32 partition and the HFS+ partition, and this setup has worked fine for me on several other laptops. The computer can run off the Mac OS partition fine if the DVD is used to help boot it up.

 

Any other ideas? I have tried reinstalling, to no avail. What can I do to make the Darwin bootloader on this third, HFS+ partition run?

I think the reason you need to boot from the DVD is because Windows is conflicting with Darwin. Once I had OSX installed without Windows on the disk at all, Darwin loaded up fine. Try setting your Start Up Disk in OSX to your Windows partition, then in Windows install Boot Magic. Boot Magic should have an entry for Windows automatically, and then you just need to add an entry for OSX. Its really pretty easy, just go to the Advanced options and select the Partition whose type is AF. This did the trick for me, good luck!

[jfn]

Switching to Boot Magic solved the problem. Thanks!

[Victor Gil]

I'm having the same problem. I did notice that the partition the OSX is installed on is called "disk0s5" instead of "disk0s2" in the previous install I had. Could this be causing the problem?

 

You're using an extended partition that's why your OS X won't boot. Try deleting it and creating again with diskpart as "primary type=af".

 

I tried to set up 8f1099 from an install disc that I've used before on a friend's Thinkpad T42 (P4M, SSE2, Radeon Mobility 9600). We used a dual-boot configuration with his existing NTFS partition and a shared FAT32 partition (same layout as my working T30 setup). The installation went fine, but when I set the Mac partition active and try to boot from it, the system says "Missing Operating System". I tried reinstalling and got the same problem. Using the chain0 method doesn't work - selecting the Mac partition drops you right back into the Windows bootloader.

 

However, if we put in the install DVD, the system will boot from the hard drive fine (if you eject the DVD as it starts up). And the system runs fine once it's been started this way (in fact I am jealous... he has Quartz Extreme with his fancy 9600).

 

Does anyone know what we can try? Thanks!

 

In your case it's possible that you have two active partition and that's causing a conflict, try booting with a Linux Distro CD, use "fdisk /dev/hda" and then type "p" if you see two partition with an asterisk then you have two active partition. Type "a" and select the partition you don't want to be active and reboot, maybe this can solve your problem.