[funkboy]

Thanks for the excellent Calvin and Hobbes reference /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[heimdall]

I was planning on installing Tiger on a Firewire hard drive and running off that for a while, see how things are. It doesn't have a system on it yet, so I'll slowly install the things I have installed on my internal drive and see if things break. I can always boot of the internal if things go haywire.

[tabasco_hot]

You cant boot up off an external drive. At least you never could before. If you can let me now, I will erase my Firewire drive and try installing over a CCC'd version of my existing install first.

[lkalliance]

Sure you can boot up off an external drive. At least, an external FW drive, if it's been prepared properly. You can't boot up off an external USB 2.0 drive.

[tabasco_hot]

Have you done it? I remember this not being possible from an external source, and I never heard of Apple adding the feature. If it is possible I'll install it on an iPod, and bring a backup system around with me everywhere. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[stniuk]

Yes you can boot from an external FW drive, I do it every weekend to run DiskWarrior etc.

[Nobody]

It was only the early versions of OSX this was not possible. As I found out after buying a way too expensive external drive to try and fix my problems with OSX 10.0 and 10.1.
Think it has been fine since OSX 10.2.3.

[dc_guy]

Could someone post an explanation or hyperlink to a web site that explains how to erase my hard drive so I can do a clean install of Tiger? I admit, I'm ignorant on how to do this, as I'm a recent Mac convert from the Windows world. Thanks!!!

[ekc]

No no, the correct version reads like this.

[lkalliance]

Yep. I've got a clone of my system on an external FW drive, and I've tested booting on it just fine.
I remember when the iPod FIRST came out, it was very easy to install a bootable system onto it for just the reason you're talking about. Starting with the second generation, it became tougher to do so, but not impossible using something like Carbon Copy Cloner. I've never done it on my iPod, personally, but I've heard of people doing so. I heard anecdotes of server admins having systems installed on iPods that they could just jack into their Xserves to boot off in emergencies.

[MacGizmo]

In reply to:

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Could someone post an explanation or hyperlink to a web site that explains how to erase my hard drive

---

It's simple. AFTER you backup any important files, you simply pop the Tiger install CD into the computer, double click the install icon and the computer will restart from the CD. At some point in the first few screens, there will be an Option button which when clicked will give you the option to "Erase and Install." This is what you want.

[Nobody]

I did back up Panther with CCC but I just upgraded the system I run off of and Tiger smokes. Photoshop is unreal now. My iBook did take a couple restarts but it worked great to. Yes fix permissions and disable journaling after all is said and doine for max speed and less problems

[macmeech]

Be careful about this. If you are still running a G4 Yikes, you will never be able to boot from an external FW Hard Drive.
Am I to understand that the new G5 allows this under 10.3.9?

[Doughboy]

I experimented with different methods using an external firewire drive and CCC on my Mac Mini.
After a while I just decided to do an upgrade on the Mac Mini internal drive and it worked great.
Then I upgraded my iMac 1.6Ghz and my Powerbook 15" 1.67Ghz - both are fine!