Comments on: APM Partition Boots Intel Macs

By: systemsboy

systemsboy — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 03:45:35 +0000

I didn’t actually ever install Leopard on an APM partition. I only ever cloned from an existing partition to an APM partition. I’ve also heard that the Leopard installer won’t recognize APM, and it’s probably true. The only workaround I can think of offhand is to install on a GUID partition and then clone that to the APM partition.

-systemsboy

By: Louise T.

Louise T. — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 19:52:57 +0000

Sounds like you were able to do what I’d like to do. Just bought a white MacBook dual-Intel with 10.5.2 and want to have a bootable back-up on an external FW 500 GB partitioned into two volumes – where the 2nd volume would be used for a bootable back-up of my old G4 desktop running Panther.

How exactly did you install Leopard onto an APM when everything I’ve read for the past two weeks-close to 24/7-says Leopard installer won’t see APM drive. Would really appreciate a clue.

TIA
An avid Mac-geriatic

By: systemsboy

systemsboy — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 23:24:48 +0000

Yes, my tuchas is getting sore just thinking about it.

-systemsboy

By: Peter da Silva

Peter da Silva — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 17:55:05 +0000

I accidentally used SuperDuper to install Tiger on my Macbook Pro on an APM drive, after replacing the hard drive, and had no problems with it until I went to upgrade to Leopard last week… and the installer wouldn’t let me.

I had to back up, re-partition, reinstall, it was a big pain in the tuckus.

By: systemsboy

systemsboy — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 00:04:33 +0000

I think, actually, that 10.4.7 and up were Universal Binaries, at least they were for Mac OS X Server. But I have a feeling that the ability to boot Intel on APM probably was disabled in 10.4 for similar reasons.

-systemsboy

By: Kevin S.

Kevin S. — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 23:59:29 +0000

Versions of OS X prior to 10.5 were either intel or PPC, not Universal….
I believe apple made the APM/GUID requirement as a safeguard from trying
to keep people from booting to an incompatible OS (i.e. booting ppc os x on intel)

10.5 and up are universal binary, so i think that this may have made the APM/GUID issue moot…. So you can probably boot an APM partition, but GUID is preferred/supported.

That’s my theory anyway….

By: systemsboy

systemsboy — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 20:08:52 +0000

Thanks for the info, Jeff.

This sort of posting-about-the-same-thing-someone-else-just-posted-about happens to me all the time. I will try and think of a name for it. Deja-post? No. That’s lame.

Suggestions welcome.

-systemsboy

By: Jeff Johnson

Jeff Johnson — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 20:01:05 +0000

That’s funny, I just wrote this morning about booting Intel from APM at http://lapcatsoftware.com/blog/2008/11/02/what-about-sony. Note that http://developer.apple.com/technotes/tn2006/tn2166.html says, “While Intel-based Macintosh computers can boot from GPT and APM, Apple only supports booting Mac OS X on these machines from GPT. Apple’s GUI tools, like the Installer, will prevent you installing Mac OS X for an Intel-based Mac on non-GPT disks.”