Installing to a G3 in target mode via a G5

[Derick Centeno]

Just an idea, but perhaps a local library, university, college or 
school would allow you to have access or borrow (on loan) a cd drive 
created in the same era as your G3 iBook.
Failing that swapping out your CD drive for a compatible replacement 
may be an option; when considering such problems of repairs, parts etc, 
you may be interested in checking out www.fastermacs.net, more 
popularly known as Other World Computing or OWC.

As mostly every installer is designed to run from the hardware it is to 
be installed upon; a "target mode" option could work only if the 
installer had information regarding the G3.  Most G3's are Old World 
and need the BootX control panel to be operational in the Classic MacOS 
environment so that one can boot into YDL from BootX.  In your 
situation, this means that at the very least you may need not only a 
working CD drive; you may also need a functioning BootX from which to 
load and use Linux while you are on a G3.  Also if your intention is to 
use the current version of YDL, you will have to make sure the 
parameters of BootX are such that you will be able to run YDL 4.0 or 
YDL 4.1

Not to suggest anything which would not interest you, but if you are 
interested in 32bit systems a G4 Powerbook doesn't need the above 
steps.  Indeed if you don't care for OS X as many don't you can easily 
wipe clean the PB drive and install YDL 4.1 on it and the thing will 
run really, really fast and you'll have a full scale server as a 
laptop.

Of course, we all eventually choose whatever makes sense within the 
tasks we would like to engage upon vs. the economics involved in doing 
so.  OWC could be useful in assisting you in considering the cost 
equation in acquiring parts, etc.

Good Luck...

On Mar 19, 2006, at 4:31 PM, H. Apfel wrote:

> I've got a special problem here: a G3 iBook with a broken CD drive 
> (read errors somwhere mid-install), so I have to install YDL from 
> outside. unfortunately the only other machine which is availabe is a 
> G5. So if I put the G3 into target mode and use install firewire on 
> the G5 a 64-bit kernel is installed on the iBook - which (you guessed 
> it!) won't work :-(
>
> Is there any way to tell the installer which hardware to expect 
> eventually?
>
> Thanks a lot
>
> Holger
>
> Otoh, I might just buy another iBook, wait another 13 days and split 
> the FW cable to do a simultanous install on 2 32-Bit systems...
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