PPC Mac Mini - Kernel Panics on startup... HELP!

Fallingman

Hi chaps.

I'm in need of some assistance.
I have an old PPC Mac mini, and as the title of this thread suggests - I cant even start it up without getting a kernel panic. I only use it to run XBMC on the TV in my bedroom. I either get a hang, a message telling me (in a number of languages) to reboot my computer - or my favourite is the text over the screen finishing with "We'll hang here..."

So, I cant boot into either normal, safe, or even single user mode. I also cant start to the OSX install disks in order to reformat. I can however open it in Open Firmware mode. For the technical, there's a brief story below about my adventures trying to create a USB bootable drive...

Spoiler:

I tried creating a USB Boot disk, and then following the instructions here - but I know nothing about command lines, and when I try to "devalias" the "ud", when I get to the bit about checking that it worked, my dir command returns "can't open the DIR device"

So, my question is this really... This old thing doesn't owe me anything, and I have a small portable usb HD on my desk, so I was thinking about cracking the case to install the new HD. Given my issues, do you think this will work? Apologies for the nub question, but given how early my kernels seem to freak out - would it even allow me to instal a new HD?

I guess my question is a) should I bother trying, and b) any suggestions? i.e. make the external USB HD an image of the install disk or something?

ben0207

Are you able to run Apple Hardware Test?

Fallingman

No - I cant load into anything other that Open Firmware mode. So I cant start from disk to run the hardware test... Unless I can run a hardware test from OF mode?

ben0207

Then I'd suggest taking the HD out and popping a blank one in, and seeing if Disk Utility on a boot CD (or restore Disc) can read it okay.

If the new HD works, you can then try getting files off of the old one with a USB cradle.

GnomeTank

Sounds deeper than an HDD problem to me. If you can't even boot from boot discs (which don't require an HDD to boot), it sounds to me like something deeper at the motherboard/CPU level is going wrong. You could just have dead/dying hardware.

Fallingman

I think you might be right about the machine being on the way out. Somehow it started booting to disc, and so I erased the disk, and tried a full reinstall. Now it's giving me the message that the BaseSystem package couldn't be validated. I don't know what that means, but it doesn't sound good.
I'm thinking it might be time to see if I can't find another 2nd hand mini...

GnomeTank

Definitely sounds like a motherboard issue to me. Sounds like the I/O controller is going.

Fallingman

Ah well.
Thanks for the input. I can now put this old machine to bed with a sense of confidence.