Problems Booting YDL From a Firewire Drive

[brian at nutthouse.org]

If I understand you correctly you are getting the option boot screen after 
selecting your boot option in yaboot? If you are getting the open firmware 
boot screen after selecting an option in yaboot, you may have a hardware 
issue. I would definatly suggest resetting open fireware and possibly 
running apple hardware tests. Unfortunatly apple hardware test does not 
always show you errors or failures that do no fail during the test, but you 
may get lucky. I have found that installing OSX or Yellowdog will sometimes 
bring forth hardware issues that have been there but may have seemed to be 
software problems. I hope this information is helpful to you. 

Reset open fireware 

Hold Apple - Option - O - F immediatly after turning the unit on.
At the prompt type reset-all and hit return.
The machine will reboot and you can try again. 

Ken Tompkins writes: 

> 
>> Here is my setup and what I have done: 
>> 
>> 1. Installed the latest YDL on a 60gig drive.
>> 2. Removed drive from main computer and installed in firewire case.
>> 3. The result is that -- on bootup -- the text menu allowing me to select
>> Linux or OSX does not appear.
>> 4. No problem. Boot holding down the Option key.
>> 5. YDL/firewire drive DOES appear on the screen.
>> 6. When selected, the text boot message does appear.
>> 7. Here's the problem -- keyboard doesn't work! I can't boot YDL. 
>> 
>> This is on a PowerPC (Silver Doors), dual 800mhz computer. 
>> 
> 
> This is still not working though two folks made suggestions. It ought
> not to be this hard! 
> 
> The only change in the list above is that the keyboard DOES now
> work (see #7 in the list above). Here is what happens now: 
> 
> 1. I boot the machine holding down the Options key.
> 2. The three drives in my system appear: OSX, a data drive and YDL
> 3. I select YDL
> 4. The graphic screen disappears and I see the text in the upper left
> telling me to type L or Linux or X for OSX.
> 5. I hit L
> 6. There is a flash and I am back to the GUI with the three drives
> shown only now the machine seems locked up -- cursor moves
> but I can't select a drive. Also the labels on the drives are now
> black rectangles.
> 7. I have to force a reboot with the power button. 
> 
> I have run through this procedure many times but nothing that I change
> has any effect. 
> 
> I know, btw, that the YDL DOES actually boot because I put the drive
> into the Mac without the other drives and booted into YDL. So that
> drive and that installation is ok. 
> 
> As I said, this ought not to be this hard! 
> 
> Suggestions? Solutions? 
> 
> kt
> --  
> 
> 
> ===========================================
>                            Kenneth Tompkins
>                        Professor of Literature
>                  Richard Stockton College of NJ
>                                Homepage
> http://loki.stockton.edu/~ken/homepage/homepage.htm
>                    Deserted Medieval Village:
> http://loki.stockton.edu/~ken/wharram/wharram.htm
> ============================================
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