10.4: Create a simpler PowerPC and Intel boot drive

Jun 19, '06 07:30:03AM

Contributed by: fahirsch

Jonathan Rentsch in this article describes how to make a two-partition external disk that can boot either an Intel or a PowerPC Mac, but it required an extra partition on the Intel Mac. My partner Mike Palacio and I did it without the extra partition, using the following method.

Required: both Intel and PPC Macs, install disks for both, and the external hard drive.

  1. Connect the external drive to the Intel Mac and start up from the Intel Install DVD.
  2. Quit Install and launch Disk Utility.
  3. Format the external drive as GUID (use the Options button). Don't partition it.
  4. Quit Disk Utility, launch Install, and install Mac OS X on the external drive.
  5. After the installation finishes, the Intel Mac restarts from the external drive and you create an account, restart again from the Intel Install DVD. Don't update nor install anything else to keep the size small. You can do it later.
  6. Quit Install and launch Disk Utility.
  7. Create an image of the external drive, and save it on the Intel Mac's hard drive.
  8. Now again format the external drive into two [or more) partitions. This time you will choose APM in the Options. You will use only two of the partitions for the installations.
  9. Label one of the partitions Intel, the other PPC.
  10. Restore the image you made in step seven onto the Intel partition. You can now update and add whatever you want. You have now made an external drive that can boot from Intel Macs.
  11. Shut down everything and connect the external drive to a PowerPC Mac.
  12. Using the PowerPC Install disk, install Mac OS X on the PPC partition of the external drive.
You now have an external disk that can boot from either Intel or PPC Macs. The only glich that we found is that the etc, tmp, and var aliases are visible on the Intel partition. We have not found a way to make them invisible.

[robg adds: I haven't tested this one, and we discussed a related method in this hint.]

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Mac OS X Hints
http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=2006061610374449