No Bootable Disk?

xXrkidXx · #1 04-19-2009, 07:07 PM

After I get a successful instal of iPC 10.5.6 PPF5, I try to boot my drive and it says No Bootable Device, any ideas? My specs are in my sig.

Bobwama · #2 05-06-2009, 11:07 PM

You have both A)Your Leopard partition set as active (if you have another OS installed on another partition, insert your install disk, open terminal, type fdisk -e /dev/rdiskX, where x is the drive number, then flag Y, where y is the partition # with the other OS) and B)No bootloader on said partition. You should be able to boot off the disk, just don't hit any keys when it says to hit any key to boot off disk.

Bobwama · #3 05-06-2009, 11:14 PM

Forgot to add that you have to hit write, then y to confirm in the aforementioned terminal instruction.

naquaada · #4 05-06-2009, 11:37 PM

I'll explain the steps: Boot your DVD in single user mode, with -s boot option. Then type the following commands (press return after each line):

Code:

fdisk -e /dev/rdisk0
print

Now you can check if the harddisk is the correct one, otherwise quit fdisk with q and try another disk number (f.e. rdisk1) or disconnect all other harddisks. If your partition table is written in GUID mode it is possible that this method won't work. Now enter:

Code:

update
f 1

Normally the first partition should be marked active. If you want to boot from another partition enter the specified number (f 2).

Code:

w (or write, don't know if it has to be confirmed)
q (or quit)

After this you should be able to boot if you have a proper boot selector installed, f.e. Chameleon. Watch out that in BIOS the Mac HD is at the first place, or use your boot menu.

Important info: Harddisks in GUID partition table may not be bootable ever anymore, I had this problem twice, and a friend had it too. Even rewriting and erasing the MBR wasn't working, the computer hangs with a blinking cursor. So I always use MBR for bootable harddisks, I'm only using GUID for my Terabyte harddisks to format them in only one partition. MBR doesn't allow 1 GB partitions, for what reason ever.

MBR really is a crappy partition system after all, the best partition system I know is RDB (Rigid Disk Block) from the Amiga and the most craziest is from the CMD SCSI HD for the C64/C128.