I can see plenty of results for installing MorphOS FROM a USB stick but is it possible to install MorphOS ONTO a usb stick / drive on a PowerPC Mac and boot from that? I have run the installer from the CD and have used the automatic partition setup and installed MorphOS onto an 8GB USB stick but can't seem to boot it using open firmware.

It may be because I'm not savvy with how this is done but have tried:

boot usb1:2,\\bootinfo.txt for example after checking using disk utility with OSX what the partition number the boot partition is on the USB stick AND which is the correct usb alias for the port the stick is plugged into and I'm getting no boot with the error "LOAD-SIZE is too small!"

When the USB stick is plugged into the Mac when OSX is loaded I can see the "boot" partition and it contains:
boot.img
bootinfo.txt

MAC bootmanger does'nt recognize USB-ports. But you can boot manually by typing following in OpenFirmware console:

Code:
Notice: This is the name of the partition you gave in HDToolbox - Not the name you may have given by formatting this partition!

Stick needs 2 partition:
1. HFS formated with boot.img (a few MB are enough - needed only for boot.img)
2. SFS formated with MOSsystem


Normaly OF creates a virtual device named <ud> pointing to a (used) USB-port. You can see this by typeing <devalias> in OF-console. USB should be inserted before reboot - some MACs does'nt create the ud-device if inserted later.

If your MAC does'nt create <ud> it is also possible to boot from USB, but it is a bit more complex.


[ Editiert durch Amigaharry2 16.02.2024 - 07:23 ]

Quote:
You're using a wrong syntax there in the OF prompt, please refer this page and try to get files listed from OF first.


Quote:
I actually had one PowerMac G4 that did show a partitioned and MorphOS installed USB stick in Startup Manager and I was able to boot it from the graphical menu. But I guess it had some very uncommon firmware version :) Too bad I don't have the machine anymore to inspect more.

I actually had one PowerMac G4 that did show a partitioned and MorphOS installed USB stick in Startup Manager and I was able to boot it from the graphical menu. But I guess it had some very uncommon firmware version :) Too bad I don't have the machine anymore to inspect more.

Very uncommon - never have seen such a machine nor heared about such a OF.......

Isn't the ud alias only available on later models including the G5 Macs? This is a MacbookG4 5,4 which when running devalias does not list ud as one of the aliases

[ Edited by vaccinemedia 16.02.2024 - 22:50 ]

@amigaharry I actually used the auto installer onto the USB stick where it creates the partitions for you rather than using HDToolbox - so would this be DH1? I noticed DH1 mentioned during the installation....

I'm just installing on the stick again after re-partitioning it again in Tiger with 2 partitions with the first one being HFS (no +) as when I tried booting I kept getting a "no entry" sign which means the drive was not bootable. I'll keep you posted.

I think we need some good old YouTube tutorials on everything MorphOS related. The only videos seem to be people who have done a single installation on a drive with nothing else on it. If this works I'll see if I can work on one as I have recently managed to get 8 operating systems on my SSD on the PowerBookG4 and I'm wanting to do a video set on how I managed to do each one as it has taken me over a month to get them all done as you have to install them in a very specific order and know exactly what you're doing. I did but only after making a LOT of mistakes along the way ;)

FYI they are: OS9, Tiger, Sorbet Leopard, MintPPC, Debian, Adelie Linux, Lubuntu and OpenBSD

Just tried it and got the same "no entry" sign. In fact just using "boot ud:" got the same result too. Normally get an error if I have entered the wrong filename when trying to boot of the hd using the same method so I'm thinking ud is definitely not available on my machine as it's also not in the list of devices when I run the devailas command.

@amigaharry "If your MAC does't create <ud> it is also possible to boot from USB, but it is a bit more complex." I may need some guidance on this one if you have the time :)

You'll be better off simply adding one more drive to your Mac.

You have to insert the stick *before* booting - otherwise OF won't recognize it. And it should be a smaler one (>4GB). Try different sticks - MACs a a little bit picky.....
Some OF-Versions recognizes the stick, but doesn't create ud. In this case , there is a way to access the stick with it's hardware-address.
Till yet I have'nt found a G4 or G5 MAC, which can't be made to boot from USB.

FYI:
1. Partition (HFS) need not to be made "bootable" only "mountable". From this partition you load boot.img directly with OF-command above.
2. Parition ist SFS an contains MOS-System - this partition has to be set bootable, so that MOS-Kernel can find and boot from it.


I've done a manual, but in German (https://www.amigaportal.de/index.php?forums/morphos.47/). There are some Tutorials for alternate boot.devices and Multiboot-Systems. Maybe you can read German or translate it by Google.
If I find time, I can do a short abstract for your case in english.....or someone translates this tutorials professionally.

> HDToolbox

HDConfig

> Isn't the ud alias only available on later models including the G5 Macs?
> This is a MacbookG4 5,4

The G5 Macs and the 2nd PowerBook G4 generation (Aluminum), which the PowerBook5,4 from 2004 belongs to, were concurrent computer lines, both being produced from 2003 to 2006. However, advances in OpenFirmware for either of those lines may not necessarily have been adopted by the other one.

> it should be a smaler one (>4GB).

Rather <4GB, I presume ;-)

Thanks Andreas - writing on Mobile Phones seems not to be my thing......