Trying to install haiku on a 08 iMac - stuck on bootloader screen even with failsafe

Help
1

Hi all, need some help.

Got an old iMac which I want to dedicate to haiku. Trying to run the beta6 image gives me the known error about no boot partitions. But I don’t know what to do.

This is the setup

  • iMac early 2008. So Intel
  • Runs Leopard, so no system integration protection yet
  • No official mac keyboard so it does not recognize the keyboard in time for the option key pressed
  • Got refind installed so I can select boot images.
  • Got Beta image 6, burned to dvd, usb
  • I have an EFI partition
  • Resized the Macos partition

When booting, efind gives me three options. 1 bootloader, the other 2 show me the lovely haiku booting screen, but error out at the fourth icon, no boot partitions found

I expect the live installer, from which I can create the right parition. But that does not happen.

What to do?

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2

What happens if you select bootloader option? Are you able to select a boot volume from there?

3

These are the options refind gives me (next to macOS, haiku dvd inserted)

  • Boot fallback boot loader from haiku esp
  • Boot legacy os from unknown volume
  • Boot legacy os from haiku esp
  • Boot legacy os from whole disk volume (since the first post I’ve created a haiku folder on the EFI partition, would that be this? Still strange it has the DVD icon)

As there is nothing installed i think unknown volume should do it. None of the options give result though

Selecting fallback bootloader gives (the one selected below)

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Gives Black screen

4

After selecting the big H icon, instantly start hammering SHIFT and SPACEBAR to get to the boot menu. From there you can enable “Fail safe graphics driver” and continue booting into the Haiku installer - hopefully.

5

Omg omg! “Welcome to the Haiku Boot Loader”

I’ve set the fail save driver, pressed Continue Booting, let’s see !

Update: after selecting the fail save driver, and pressing continu voor, nothing.

Second try with disabling all accelerants, nothing

The bootloader screen stays, but freezes, I can hear the DVD spinning but that stops too

:confused: a step further, but not there yet

6

Perhaps it will work using the USB installer instead?

7

Tried that, to no avail. Same symptoms.

tried flicking all the safety switches on, de nada.

There is this forum thread which makes me think it should/could work, Haiku on Mac - #23 by Diver . Perhaps something changed in the bootloader?

8

Have you tried installing rEFIt instead of rEFInd?

9

No, what should be the difference?

Ive read that you can’t change resolution on boot mode when EFI. Do they set the resolution differently?

10

I keep on hearing that apple devices are easier to use. There’s no way to boot a DVD without installing a third party software on these thing?

Anyway, when you’re in Haiku bootloader, do you see boot volumes available?

About the resolution, I don’t know on Mac but, on PC it’s often the opposite. If there’s no specific driver for your graphic chip, you have to choose the resolution at boot time, after that you can’t change it. So, it’s important to choose a good one.

11

Thanks,

The default way to load other systems is to hold the Command key at boot. But I suspect it’s with a Mac keyboard (there was a blog post somewhere). Because my (2) keyboard have no effect.

But as I can install Refind, c’est ca.

I’ll try Refit, ik saw some updates for Refit for Snow Leapard, so it might just fit the time. Perhaps it has a lower resolution set (this is my hope) which solved everything… (ahum)

When in the haiku bootloader, i can select volumes, either dvd of stick

12

No, you boot other OS by holding the Option ⌥ / Alt key, not the Command ⌘ one.

1 Like
13

For running just the installer, screen resolution doesn’t matter so much. But with rEFIt you should be able to boot Haiku either through EFI with fixed resolution (which could be the max resolution of your iMac through frame buffer) or boot through CSM Legacy Mode with the Haiku fail safe graphics driver.

I keep on hearing that apple devices are easier to use. There’s no way to boot a DVD without installing a third party software on these thing?

You’re about 20 years late with that comment, seeing as he’s trying to boot an obosolete 2008 iMac. All of this is obsolete, including DVDs as a medium.

14

Installed Refit, got blessed with being able to load refind from refit, but same results.

Able to get into the haiku bootloader holding shift and space, into safe mode, then freeze.

Note: video mode is ‘none’ and no other option is available.

I’ll see about the alt knob, don’t remember if I tried that, think so.

PS love Obsolete

15

So a small update, tried to boot a Debian Mac image. Got an error to insert a boot disk.

So its not haiku specific it seems but something in the iMac that make any bootloader not able to see the boot partition?

Thought it might be the USB port, but it also happens with the DVD. So something is off with the Mac & my approach.

16

Depends on the vintage of the Mac. Some only have 32bit EFI.

17

So checking the Vintage of my iMac. Its early 2008, and according to this, is fully capable of 64 bit efi

However… it did only have os x 10.5, leopard. And loads of 64bit things came with snow Leopard. So i might need to update first, then ‘profit’..

18

Updated to 10.6. no change. I found a command line entry for actually setting the 64 boot mode.

I think this is becoming more a iMac topic then Haiku, so perhaps I need to post on discuss.iboughtanoldimac.

If I finally get there, or if someone has the ultimate answer. Let’s be back

19

That specific iMac model seems to be a bit problematic

20

Yeah, came across that post. I’m stuck somewhere before that. No bootliader can find a boot device. .. though love