Forums | MacLife

JediKnightChewie · 2003-01-16 9:09 pm

eek

i came home and it was on in 9, but i needed to boot into x because i have a ton of comp sci homework due tommorrow that i need to finish, and so i told it to boot up into x, but our stupid norton utlities/antivirus/whatever/etc has been broken and not working correctly for a while, but it always checks the hard drive or something while shutting down, and i wasnt really paying attention because i was anxious to get my homework done but something funny happend, and it stoped shutting down or something, so i tried turning it off and on again, and i got the blinkey question mark instead of booting up, so i figured it couldnt decide which os to boot up into, so i fould the os 9 cd that came with the imac im using now (which dosent have dev tools, so it wont help me with my homework) and poped that in seeing if i could boot off of that, and it started but stoped about 1/5 of the way though (before any of the extensions even show up) and then i tried doing it again with out the extensions on, and it just sat there for a while, so i figured maybe its just slow or something so i went to go eat dinner, and i came back and it looked exactly like it did before.

now that i have explained my situation in one crazy run on sentence, could someone please help me by explaning what i can do to get out of my prediciment (and hopefully make more sense then i did wink )

even more important then completing the comp sci homework (i can get at least some credit with what i already have done) id like to not get killed by my dad for messing up his computer, so any help in the next 2 hours befoer he gets home would be quite appreicated big_smile

thanks all, i appreicate any help you can provide (and helpful help is espically appreicated wink )

Kirk · 2003-01-16 9:25 pm

Stick the original Norton Utilities disk in the drive. No, the Norton AntiVirus disk won't help here. Reboot while holding down the 'C' key. When the machine is clearly booting off of the CD and not your hard drive, let go of the 'C' key. Run Norton Disk Doctor . . . multiple times if necessary until you get a clean bill of health. Cross your fingers that you don't lose any important files.

JediKnightChewie · 2003-01-16 9:28 pm

heck, id love to just reinstall norton, but the problem is that the cd kind of magically dissappeared some where a while ago....

/me looks around at the piles of stuff as tall as her....

lots of stuff magically dissappears around here, its kind of sad actually

DoctorB · 2003-01-16 9:32 pm

First Don't Panic.

Second the OS9 disk that came with your iMac may not be able to boot a G4 machine depending upon the the age of the iMac v G4. What you need is the OS9 disk that came with the G4. If all you have is a OSX disk for the G4 then use that to boot the machine. Once it is up then run DiskFirstAid on the HD of the G4 and see if it can fix it.

Another approach is if the G4 has OS9 and OSX installed to separate partitions (which I highly recommend) then just boot holding down the option key and you should be presented with a screen offering to boot into OSX or OS9 (they a buttons you click then click the right arrow). This only works if the OSes are on separate partitions.

Another choice would be to try to boot with the Norton Utilities CD and then run Disk Doctor.

The worst case sceanario is that when you thought the computer was frozen the first time it was actually Norton writing the various files to the disk (been there ? done that). Turning the computer off in the middle of that has likely bollixed up the HD directory info so you are going to need to run a disk repair program.

I hope some of this helps.

I see Kirk got there first while I was typing this in.

Earendil the Mariner · 2003-01-16 9:45 pm

Did you try just waiting for a few minutes while the folder/question mark was flashing?
It'll try to find any valid system folder and start up from it (assuming 9 and X haven't both been fuxored), but it can sometimes take several minutes.

JediKnightChewie · 2003-01-16 10:28 pm

*phew* 2 horus after i get home and i finally have an operating system wink big_smile blush cool neutral

i just decided to reinstall x (yeah yeah, i know tongue ) and no, my hard drive isnt partitioned tongue and i really dont feel like loosing a lot of info at this point in time, but i have x working, and so thats good, im not sure about 9 (Which is what really matters because its my dads comp, and he likes 9) but we shall see, for now, homework time. thanks for all your help, i appreicate it

mmmmmmm, cold dinner big_smile

TheChronoTrigger · 2003-01-16 11:00 pm

/me cooks JKC a nice WARM dinner

Kirk · 2003-01-16 11:50 pm

Chewie, you probably just hozed the HD. Never, never, never install anything on a corrupted HD! You likely overwrote something important. <phew> Good luck . . . .

Freezer mac · 2003-01-16 11:57 pm

d'oh..... ..... what kirk said....
hope you had a backup of the drives contents.... because if you didn't and there are some important documents on there, there could be a problem

Taxxodium · 2003-01-17 6:17 am

Don't use Norton, it's evil. I have had bad experiences with it..

And, be sure to backup stuff and make a complete erase of your HD, because as Kirk said, you'll probably have a defect HD now

JediKnightChewie · 2003-01-17 7:49 am

um.....

/me truns in homework and runs away from home
blush

so what should i have done??? what should i do now (considering that this isnt my computer and my dad gets kinda mad some times when someone breaks his computer neutral )

but just for the record, i ran the disk utilities on the x disk yesterday, and after it did that it said it was fine, it just wouldnt let me eject the disk no matter what i tried unless in installed it.

Altivec · 2003-01-17 8:21 am

Another thumbs down for norton here. I've found that it tends to report problems that aren't really there, and does more damage than good (on both the PC and Mac versions).

Og · 2003-01-17 8:59 am

I thought you left.

wink

DoctorB · 2003-01-17 3:06 pm

I've had some luck with Norton DiskDoctor for big repairs, but I agree that it over calls some things. I NEVER, NEVER, NEVER install the background apps (I think it is DiskSaver) since I have had nothing but bad experiences with apps that want to mess with the HD at startup, shutdown or in the background.

Taxxodium · 2003-01-17 3:11 pm

The HD doc has spoken smile

BJShan425 · 2003-01-17 3:14 pm

So what do you guys recommend for disk repairing besides Norton?

Earendil the Mariner · 2003-01-17 3:52 pm

So what do you guys recommend for disk repairing besides Norton?

TechToolPro3 for me (even though it doesn't "officially" support X, it can fix most problems that would occur).
I also have DiskWarrior, but that's only for directory replacement.

DoctorB · 2003-01-17 3:56 pm

Well my current group is Norton DiskDoctor, Drive 10 and good old Disk First Aid. None of them are super and a bad disk problem some times requires all three.

Kirk · 2003-01-17 4:43 pm

I have had good success with both Norton Utilities and TechTool Pro. I've heard the same complaints about Norton from others for years. However its always worked for me on several generations of Macs.

If you ever suspect you have corruption on your hard disk, you should never install anything else, application or data file, until its fixed, i.e. you've run NDD, TTP or Disk Warrior and therefore are assured the directory is fine. I run TTP weekly just 'cause I'm paranoid. A corrupted directory might allow you to overwrite an important file . . or ten.

Freezer mac · 2003-01-17 9:18 pm

i use diskwarrior for my directory, and norton speed disk for optimizing...(i hyave yet to loose anything due to a norton problem, but i have lost things due to drive 10 crashing while optimizing....)

[MA] Flying_Meat · 2003-01-19 2:21 am

Don't use Norton, it's evil. I have had bad experiences with it..

And, be sure to backup stuff and make a complete erase of your HD, because as Kirk said, you'll probably have a defect HD now

It's fine, go ahead and use norton. I've never (in over 200 computers) had any problem I could pin on Norton.

I'm a Macintosh Systems Administrator that managed 4 Macintosh servers and well over 100 users and their comps (pretty small numbers in industry terms, but I'm good with it smile ).

Always backup your stuff!!!

K. End of rebuttal and reinforcements

There are other fine utilities, if you want to take Taxx's advise. I actually don't care. I just hate to see bad reviews without in-depth/in the trenches analysis to back them up.

Much as if someone said, "Don't use Macs. They are evil. I have had bad experiences with them." eek lol

Og · 2003-01-19 8:10 am

Dont' use Macs. They are evil.

big_smile

ACtually, last nite I had to do a sleep study (apnea), so borrowed a friend's iceBook. Watched X-Men while the tech was wiring me up like a geek's office. Took him longer than usual 'cause he wanted to see what the hubbub about Macs was. I happily showed him, then we went back to X-Men. Now he wants one. Told him about the new AlBook and he really wants one of those wink

JediKnightChewie · 2003-01-20 12:26 am

I thought you left.

im suffering from withdrawl wink tongue
(seriously, im trying so hard to stay away from the computer big_smile tongue well, ok, maybe just semi hard, but my parents have said they noticed 2 times me spending less time on the comp, and that is good for possible future relations(and maybe them letting me live here at home after i graduate ))

and right-before-finals-must-do-anything-besides-study syndrome wink

well, ok, i have studied, now, granted it is for the class that is going to have the easiest final, i dont even need to pass it to keep my grade and its going to be the last final i take, but hey, at least ive studied.... and ive also stapled all my stuff into these nice little easy to study packets based on class and such.... if only i didnt have so many of them....

and og, i seem to be under the distinct impression that you are male. now, considering the fact that youre avatar is a full grown adult male, and your sig says that you have the cutest avatar... neutral

are you currently stuck in a closet door?

wink tongue
hehe, jk

but yeah, g4 seems to be fine now... with the exception of the fact that my printer wont work in x, but i havent been able to get it to work for the last 2 weeks or so so thats old news i guess.... mad

DoctorB · 2003-01-20 7:09 am

ACtually, last nite I had to do a sleep study (apnea), so borrowed a friend's iceBook. Watched X-Men while the tech was wiring me up like a geek's office. Took him longer than usual 'cause he wanted to see what the hubbub about Macs was. I happily showed him, then we went back to X-Men. Now he wants one. Told him about the new AlBook and he really wants one of those

Ah yes. Converting the heathen one at a time. big_smile

Og · 2003-01-20 9:56 am

og, i seem to be under the distinct impression that you are male. now, considering the fact that youre avatar is a full grown adult male, and your sig says that you have the cutest avatar...

are you currently stuck in a closet door?

hehe, jk

"Distinct impression"? Lessee, I have posted about Og, Jr (who granted when his hair isn't cut does pass for female due to fairness of face) and my better half (or ball and chain), and you're getting an impression? lol wink

You do make a good point, and if it was my wife posting with that avatar, it would say "Hunkiest" 'cause she, like apparently most of the female-type species, has some irrational attraction to Hugh Jackman. tongue Which is why even though she doesn't like X-Men, she never complained or left the room when I would watch it. roll

See if my sig makes more sense now. I'd hate to be the cause of a bright young person going thru life with that sort of tragic misconception. lol

Forums | MacLife

#1 2003-01-16 9:09 pm

help! i broke my g4!

#2 2003-01-16 9:25 pm

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