Powerbook G4 Bios setup

[RicoDirenzo]

I am a Mac ignoramous!! How does one enter the bios on a powerbook G4. i jsut helped a friend replace a bad hard disk on his G4. How do I get to the bios?

 

[ATIRAGEPRO]

"Firmware dont count either...."

Macs don't have BIOS. lol. However, if your new drive has OS X installed, just hold down the X key.

 

[RicoDirenzo]

OMG!!! All the system configs are software controlled? I'll stick with PCs....Yikes!!!! Thanks..........he is on his own!!

 

[ATIRAGEPRO]

"I just saved a document, now i have to overclock..."

Not ALL software controlled, Macs use firmware sometimes too.

What exactly is your freinds trouble? Why does he need to enter his BIOS because of his hard drive? WTF?

 

[macdude425]

Apple-Option-O-F will bring you to the OpenFirmware prompt.

It's so much more powerful than BIOS. However, there's no pretty interface; just a command line.

 

[The General]

OMG!!! All the system configs are software controlled? I'll stick with PCs....Yikes!!!! Thanks..........he is on his own!!

whats so bad about EFI
???

 

[RicoDirenzo]

Firmware.....Cmos = firmware......so I'm confusd. Anyway, the new drive is not formatted and the Mac OS not installed. He has a CD stuck in the internal drive that will not eject by keyboard command. Being a PC tech (Zero mac experience) I was asking how I could check the BIOS to see if the CDrw shows up in the hardware profile but it sounds like you can't do that on a Mac. Looks like I've got some reading to do!!!

 

[ATIRAGEPRO]

"Tootsie ROWL....Tutsie ROWL...."

You take a paperclip and stick it in a small hole in the CD rom. CD pops right out.

It probably is not going to show up in a BIOS anyway, (your freind's CDROM has commited suicide, and has transitioned to another life...)

Just take the CDROM out and be done with it.

 

[The General]

the eject button on the keyboard would require an OS to be installed so atiragepro's idea is all i have come up with. i dont know how to use the firmware terminal.

 

[Qiranworms]

To get into the Open Firmware prompt (the "equivilant" of a BIOS), hold the Apple key, Option key, O, and F (as Mac_Mogul said). It's a command prompt, so it's less immediately obvious what to do than the average PC BIOS, but it's more powerful. Just Google around for basic prompts to do the various checks you need.

Anyway, to your CD removal question, just get into the Open Firmware prompt and simply type:

eject cd

If it doesn't eject it, something's probably physically not working.

To get out of OF, just type

boot-mac

You can boot from a CD without going into the Open Firmware prompt at all, just hold the 'C' key when you turn on the machine, and it'll do it.

OMG!!! All the system configs are software controlled?

Open Firmware is more modern, and I'd say better, than a BIOS. No, it isn't really "software controlled". BIOS' are outdated .