Problem getting Mac mini back from ubuntu

In article <imaP-74D1BC.14553921042008 DeleteThis @news.giganews.com>,
Ima Pseudonym <imaP DeleteThis @invalid.org> wrote:

> In article <480c7c50$0$1489$c3e8da3@news.astraweb.com>,
> Warren Oates <warren.oates DeleteThis @gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > In article <imaP-86C767.22491920042008 DeleteThis @news.giganews.com>,
> > Ima Pseudonym <imaP DeleteThis @invalid.org> wrote:
> >
> > > Well, I checked out the URL and downloaded the proper Restoration CD and
> > > fed it in as per the instructions. It still failed, and now I can't get
> > > the Restoration CD out of the drive, so I'm in even worse shape, as now
> > > I can't even boot into Ubuntu.
> >
> > Hmm. Well what it says (on the Apple page):
> >
> > <">
> > or you can take your computer to an Apple Store or Apple Authorized
> > Service Provider to restore your firmware.
> > </">
> >
> > I'm assuming you have another computer to work with.
>
> 4 more :-) I've been using Macs ever since 1986. That's why I'm so
> freaked out by this mess.
>
> > Take a look at
> > Refit:
> >
> > http://refit.sourceforge.net/
> >
> > I mean, it's not like things can get any worse.
>
> Actually, thay can :-) After trying one of JR's suggestions, I can't
> eject the CD from the drive any more,

Sorry about that. Seems like that Ubuntu Live CD can be a real
monster...

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JR
 >> Stay informed about: Problem getting Mac mini back from ubuntu 

In article <jollyroger-E9FB38.18083921042008.TakeThisOut@individual.net>,
Jolly Roger <jollyroger.TakeThisOut@pobox.com> wrote:

> In article <imaP-74D1BC.14553921042008.TakeThisOut@news.giganews.com>,
> Ima Pseudonym <imaP.TakeThisOut@invalid.org> wrote:
>
> > In article <480c7c50$0$1489$c3e8da3@news.astraweb.com>,
> > Warren Oates <warren.oates.TakeThisOut@gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > > In article <imaP-86C767.22491920042008.TakeThisOut@news.giganews.com>,
> > > Ima Pseudonym <imaP.TakeThisOut@invalid.org> wrote:
> > >
> > > > Well, I checked out the URL and downloaded the proper Restoration CD
> > > > and
> > > > fed it in as per the instructions. It still failed, and now I can't get
> > > > the Restoration CD out of the drive, so I'm in even worse shape, as now
> > > > I can't even boot into Ubuntu.
> > >
> > > Hmm. Well what it says (on the Apple page):
> > >
> > > <">
> > > or you can take your computer to an Apple Store or Apple Authorized
> > > Service Provider to restore your firmware.
> > > </">
> > >
> > > I'm assuming you have another computer to work with.
> >
> > 4 more :-) I've been using Macs ever since 1986. That's why I'm so
> > freaked out by this mess.
> >
> > > Take a look at
> > > Refit:
> > >
> > > http://refit.sourceforge.net/
> > >
> > > I mean, it's not like things can get any worse.
> >
> > Actually, thay can :-) After trying one of JR's suggestions, I can't
> > eject the CD from the drive any more,
>
> Sorry about that. Seems like that Ubuntu Live CD can be a real
> monster...

Please understand that I don't blame you. Resetting the firmware seemed
like a good alternative; still does actually - if I could get it to
install. But I guess if I could get that to work, then getting the
system install disk to boot would have worked too ...

I'm beginning to wonder if the hardware has been damaged or failed (just
due to all this use, not Ubuntu). I've never run into this kind of
problem in all the years I've been using Macs, and I'm completely
stumped :-/

Thanks
 >> Stay informed about: Problem getting Mac mini back from ubuntu 

In article <imaP-858A11.18151321042008 DeleteThis @news.giganews.com>,
Ima Pseudonym <imaP DeleteThis @invalid.org> wrote:

> Please understand that I don't blame you.

Understood. Thanks. : )

> Resetting the firmware seemed
> like a good alternative; still does actually - if I could get it to
> install. But I guess if I could get that to work, then getting the
> system install disk to boot would have worked too ...

I think restoring the EFI would do the trick - I'm just not sure if you
can actually do that in this circumstance.

> I'm beginning to wonder if the hardware has been damaged or failed (just
> due to all this use, not Ubuntu). I've never run into this kind of
> problem in all the years I've been using Macs, and I'm completely
> stumped :-/

I doubt it's the hardware. I think your EFI firmware is hosed - well,
not hosed, just changed to load grub exclusively, which isn't desireable.

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JR
 >> Stay informed about: Problem getting Mac mini back from ubuntu 

Ima Pseudonym <imaP.RemoveThis@invalid.org> writes:

>In article <jollyroger-E9FB38.18083921042008.RemoveThis@individual.net>,

>Please understand that I don't blame you. Resetting the firmware seemed
>like a good alternative; still does actually - if I could get it to
>install. But I guess if I could get that to work, then getting the
>system install disk to boot would have worked too ...


You should be able to eject the CD from the Open Firmware command
line. I can't recall the syntax but I bet Google does...
--
A host is a host from coast to coast.................wb8foz.RemoveThis@nrk.com
& no one will talk to a host that's close........[v].(301) 56-LINUX
Unless the host (that isn't close).........................pob 1433
is busy, hung or dead....................................20915-1433
 >> Stay informed about: Problem getting Mac mini back from ubuntu 

In article <imaP-74D1BC.14553921042008.RemoveThis@news.giganews.com>,
Ima Pseudonym <imaP.RemoveThis@invalid.org> wrote:

> Actually, thay can :-) After trying one of JR's suggestions, I can't
> eject the CD from the drive any more, so I think it's off to the AASP
> for some mechanical thrashing.

What about booting from a firewire drive? Or USB2, if this is an Intel
machine. Refit gives you access to an EFI command line, among other
useful stuff.
--
W. Oates
 >> Stay informed about: Problem getting Mac mini back from ubuntu 

On 2008-04-22 07:25:52 +0100, David Lesher <wb8foz.RemoveThis@panix.com> said:

> Ima Pseudonym <imaP.RemoveThis@invalid.org> writes:
>
>> In article <jollyroger-E9FB38.18083921042008.RemoveThis@individual.net>,
>
>> Please understand that I don't blame you. Resetting the firmware seemed
>> like a good alternative; still does actually - if I could get it to
>> install. But I guess if I could get that to work, then getting the
>> system install disk to boot would have worked too ...
>
>
> You should be able to eject the CD from the Open Firmware command
> line. I can't recall the syntax but I bet Google does...

Is this a PPC Mac Mini (with Open Firmware) or an Intel Mac Mini (with
EFI)? According to <http://wiki.osx86project.org/wiki/index.php/EFI>
Apple's EFI implementation doesn't have a command-line interface.

Cheers,

Chris
 >> Stay informed about: Problem getting Mac mini back from ubuntu 

In article <fuk0dg$j38$1@reader2.panix.com>,
David Lesher <wb8foz.RemoveThis@panix.com> wrote:

> Ima Pseudonym <imaP.RemoveThis@invalid.org> writes:
>
> >In article <jollyroger-E9FB38.18083921042008.RemoveThis@individual.net>,
>
> >Please understand that I don't blame you. Resetting the firmware seemed
> >like a good alternative; still does actually - if I could get it to
> >install. But I guess if I could get that to work, then getting the
> >system install disk to boot would have worked too ...
>
>
> You should be able to eject the CD from the Open Firmware command
> line. I can't recall the syntax but I bet Google does...

At the risk of repeating myself again ... I can't get AT OF, since none
of the normal startup key operations seem to work any more.
 >> Stay informed about: Problem getting Mac mini back from ubuntu 

In article <675fltF2mcmnmU1 RemoveThis @mid.individual.net>,
Chris Ridd <chrisridd RemoveThis @mac.com> wrote:

> On 2008-04-22 07:25:52 +0100, David Lesher <wb8foz RemoveThis @panix.com> said:
>
> >> In article <jollyroger-E9FB38.18083921042008 RemoveThis @individual.net>,
> >
> > You should be able to eject the CD from the Open Firmware command
> > line. I can't recall the syntax but I bet Google does...
>
> Is this a PPC Mac Mini (with Open Firmware) or an Intel Mac Mini (with
> EFI)? According to <http://wiki.osx86project.org/wiki/index.php/EFI>
> Apple's EFI implementation doesn't have a command-line interface.

It's an Intel (1.83).
 >> Stay informed about: Problem getting Mac mini back from ubuntu 

In article <020c8832$0$14286$c3e8da3@news.astraweb.com>,
Warren Oates <warren.oates DeleteThis @gmail.com> wrote:

> In article <imaP-74D1BC.14553921042008 DeleteThis @news.giganews.com>,
> Ima Pseudonym <imaP DeleteThis @invalid.org> wrote:
>
> > Actually, thay can :-) After trying one of JR's suggestions, I can't
> > eject the CD from the drive any more, so I think it's off to the AASP
> > for some mechanical thrashing.
>
> What about booting from a firewire drive? Or USB2, if this is an Intel
> machine.


I do have an external USB hard drive with a recent clone of the internal
hard drive, as a normal part of my safety backup procedures.

Again, at the risk of repeating myself, none of the normal startup key
signals work, so I can't boot from the OSX install disk ('c' at startup)
nor either of the hard drives ('option' at startup).

If I could have booted from either of these, there would never have been
an initial post on this topic - well. not from me, anyway :-)

But I seem to have no way of intercepting the machine to boot from
anywhere but the CD drive, and even then not into MacOS.


> Refit gives you access to an EFI command line, among other
> useful stuff.

But the only way I can boot the system is in Ubuntu, and it's really not
worth spending the time needed to figure out how to get the software,
modify it as required, build and install it on a Linux derivative and
then wrest back the Mac side of it.

I have a feeling that I won't be burning another Ubuntu trial disk for a
very long time indeed ! :-)))
 >> Stay informed about: Problem getting Mac mini back from ubuntu 

In article <imaP-F1FBED.14294522042008 DeleteThis @news.giganews.com>,
Ima Pseudonym <imaP DeleteThis @invalid.org> wrote:

> In article <020c8832$0$14286$c3e8da3@news.astraweb.com>,
> Warren Oates <warren.oates DeleteThis @gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Refit gives you access to an EFI command line, among other
> > useful stuff.
>
> But the only way I can boot the system is in Ubuntu, and it's really not
> worth spending the time needed to figure out how to get the software,
> modify it as required, build and install it on a Linux derivative and
> then wrest back the Mac side of it.

Yes, it seems your only out, at this point, is to use Ubuntu to
configure GRUB to start Mac OS X, since it's apparent GRUB has taken
over your EFI.

--
Please send all responses to the relevant news group. E-mail sent to
this address may be devoured by my very hungry SPAM filter. I do not
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JR
 >> Stay informed about: Problem getting Mac mini back from ubuntu 

In article <imaP-F1FBED.14294522042008.TakeThisOut@news.giganews.com>,
Ima Pseudonym <imaP.TakeThisOut@invalid.org> wrote:

> I have a feeling that I won't be burning another Ubuntu trial disk for a
> very long time indeed ! :-)))

I can't argue with that.

Sorry for being redundant earlier -- I hadn't remembered that you
couldn't boot Mac at all from any source.

You can still boot into Ubuntu though? Maybe it's just a question of
editing the Grub bootup file. I haven't done this for a while, but I
have vague memories of it.
--
W. Oates
 >> Stay informed about: Problem getting Mac mini back from ubuntu 

In article <012d0065$0$23782$c3e8da3@news.astraweb.com>,
Warren Oates <warren.oates RemoveThis @gmail.com> wrote:

> In article <imaP-F1FBED.14294522042008 RemoveThis @news.giganews.com>,
> Ima Pseudonym <imaP RemoveThis @invalid.org> wrote:
>
> > I have a feeling that I won't be burning another Ubuntu trial disk for a
> > very long time indeed ! :-)))
>
> I can't argue with that.
>
> Sorry for being redundant earlier -- I hadn't remembered that you
> couldn't boot Mac at all from any source.
>
> You can still boot into Ubuntu though? Maybe it's just a question of
> editing the Grub bootup file. I haven't done this for a while, but I
> have vague memories of it.

Google for it:

<http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=299769>
<http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=63401&highlight=grub>

--
Please send all responses to the relevant news group. E-mail sent to
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JR
 >> Stay informed about: Problem getting Mac mini back from ubuntu 

Did you try:

1. Configuring grub to boot Mac OS X?

2. Restoring the firmware, by *very carefully following the instructions* at:

http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/firmwarerestorationcd17.html

These seem to involve holding the *power* key down on boot (which should
result in 3 flashes or beeps) but you should read them carefully to be
absolutely sure.
 >> Stay informed about: Problem getting Mac mini back from ubuntu