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  1. Hi!
    I’m happy to try the new ppc64 image on my imac g5 isight….
    If you can confirm that the new image will pull in a fixed version of hfsprogs that fixes the grum install problem. Happy to help if I can.

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  2. I don’t know whether a different hfsprogs is in there, I did not make the installer image. Just try please.

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    1. I have been trying out these installer images and the latest one from 12/3/2020 hangs when trying to detect and partition disks. This has been a problem for months now. The installer image from 4/19/20 was one of the last ones that worked. This one still fails to install GRUB and hfsprogs is still unavailable. Debian is pushing updates like crazy now, last night alone, 23 new updates, so I’m hoping they are working on it.

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    2. I’ve tried many of the old installer images as you suggested and have found that the last one where partman actually worked was the one from 05/30/2020. The next one from 08/16/2020 and everyone since, partman is broken. With all the updates that come out each day, why has this problem gone on so long?

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      1. I am new to this forum and have managed to complete the installation on an iMac 3g (slot loading) using the 3o/5/2020 image (same problem as Thomas with the more recent ones). However, I also followed David’s workaround (post of 29/11/2020) to solve the Grub problem. The installation is complete but I can’t get the graphic environment to work (after startup and I get a black screen with a blinking cursor). I tried adding the nomodeset option and I am using an xorg.conf file which I know works on this iMac. Any suggestion? I believe I have an ATI 128 card. Many thanks, Antonio

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          1. I had but I think it is a combination of that and xserver-xorg-video-r128: now at least I get a complete blank screen which is a xorg.conf problem but no longer a “no screens found” error when launching startx. I am reinstalling and will report back.

          2. I have been struggling with this for a few weeks now. I installed Mint via a USB and it seems to work but I can’t get the GUI to start on my Mac G3. I have installed firmware-linux-nonfree and xorg-video-r128 and a couple of weeks ago, having played around with a number of xorg.conf files I finally managed to get Mate to load although the colours were a bit odd. At that point I decided to upgrade the RAM (I now have 1GB) and to reinstall everything using the same xorg.conf file but I only get a blank screen after startx. Xorg.0.log does not indicate any particular error (although it depends on which environment I try to launch: XFCE, LXDE or Mate). Any suggestions?

          3. Until they get around to fixing GRUB you are much better off going back to an installer that uses Yaboot. If you use the one from Debian 10.0/ you can install a base system, update /etc/apt/sources.list and then do a dist-upgrade. From there you can install LXDE, and finally, install MintPPC manually. I have no experience with a G3 but it works just fine on my gaggle of G4s.

          4. I have installed Debian with Yaboot but had to use Jessie as it seems to be the last one for PPC 32 bit. Having changed sources.list to the ones I had with Mint 20.04, I can’t upgrade: I keep getting a GPG error which says that there is no public key, etc, hence I can’t upgrade the distribution. Antonio

          6. Thanks, I have now installed Debian 10 using the ISO at the link you suggested; however, I am not sure which sources I should use at this stage? If I use deb http://ftp.ports.debian.org/debian-ports/ unstable main and then try apt update I get the same GPG signature error I was getting yesterday, shall I use deb http://u58733p55594.web0093.zxcs-klant.nl/repo unstable main (which is what I had when I managed to install Mint but without GUI) or use this only after having updated the system (ie see your message above about doing a dist-upgrade)? Many thanks, Antonio

        2. Also, upgrade the sources to…

          # Sources
          deb http://ftp.ports.debian.org/debian-ports/ unstable main
          deb http://ftp.ports.debian.org/debian-ports/ unreleased main
          deb http://incoming.ports.debian.org/buildd/ unstable main

          # Non-Free (add this if you have an ATI GPU)
          deb [arch=all] http://ftp.debian.org/debian/ unstable main contrib non-free

          And, install the public key with this…

          apt install debian-ports-archive-keyring

          Then install MintPPC manually.

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      2. Thomas, many thanks, I had done that during the previous installation attempt (when I installed Jessie) and forgot to redo it with the iso image you pointed me to; however, I am not sure which source should be included in sources.list: when I run sudo apt install debian-ports-archive-keyring I get “unable to locate package…”. Antonio

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  3. Hi, I tried the new PowerPC image from 12/03 with my 1998 Rev. A G3 iMac. As with other ones, it can’t boot from CD when holding “C” at startup and when I try, say:
    boot cd:,\\:tbxi
    I have “MAC-PARTS: Can’t find a default partition”
    Then, I try:
    boot cd:3,\\:tbxi
    and so on for other partition numbers, it gives me:
    “MAC-PARTS: Specified partition is not valid.”

    Any clue ? Thanks!

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  4. I tried the late December and January images. Both failed GRUB install for me on an iBook G4. However, I believe this is due to the powerpc-ieee1275 modules not being loaded in the installer grub image. This is why I state that. When I reboot with the MintPPC install disk and kick out to the GRUB CLI prompt, I don’t see the apple partitions when I type “ls”, (ex: ieee1275/hd, apple3).
    I was able to boot with a live CD/DVD from Adelie (which I never got to install), that did list all of the apple partitions.
    I did the following to boot to my MintPPC install:
    From GRUB CLI:
    set root=(ieee1275/hd,apple3)
    linux /boot/vmlinux-5.5.0-2-powerpc root=/dev/sdb3
    initrd /boot/initrd.img-5.5.0-2-powerpc
    boot

    Once I was in and I had the network connected, I did the following:
    apt-get install grub2
    grub-install /dev/sda
    update-grub (Needed each time you customize your grub.cfg file)

    If you unfortunately had yaboot installed, you can do the following:
    Mount your boot_strap partition and change all references to yaboot to grub.
    mkdir /mnt/bs
    mount /dev/sda2 /mnt/bs
    cd /mnt/bs
    rm yaboot
    rm yaboot.conf
    cp /boot/grub/* /mnt/bs
    Use “nano” or “vi” to edit the ofboot.b file and change all instances of yaboot to grub.
    Cross your fingers and reboot.

    This worked for me. I now have a graphical GRUB 2 bootloader.

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  5. The latest Debian installer image from 2/2/2021 works perfectly, including partman and GRUB. As Steve Jobs said when he croaked, “Oh wow. Oh wow. OH WOW!”

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    1. I downloaded and burned the Debian installer dated 2/2/21, reformatted and repartitioned my drive, and proceeded to install it. It was going well, until the end, when GRUB was being installed. It, of course, FAILED TOO! WTF?

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  6. Jeroen, while doing a manual install of MintPPC32, the only package that is broken is ‘evince’ which has unmet dependencies: Depends: libgs9-common (= 9.53.3~dfsg-7) but it is not going to be installed.

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  7. I’ve given up on Debian and Mint. Months of trying to get a stable OS installed and running on my old G5 DP has left me fully disillusioned about both. Mint is just gobsmackingly silly, being unable to run at all due to GRUB failing to install from multiple installers, and on-site instructions from users just did not work. Debian is just as bad, with one installer having no mirrors with which to update from, and another, dated 2/2/21, wouldn’t even attempt to install GRUB.

    So, I downloaded Ubuntu 9 and installed it with no issues at all. It is sitting with an open desktop right now. Ubuntu might be lame and boring, but at least it works.

    See you all another time, when Mint is finally worked out and the GRUB installer works.

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  8. Yep Version of 2/2/2021 did not work! on P5 Quad

    The Only Good workin Linux with easy install on P5 Quad is Lubuntu 16.04 Remix but I dont want Luntubu.

    Tried to install Suse Tumbleweed PPC64 from 26.01.2021 did not work too.

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  10. Just so you know, Jeroen, the automated install is still broken. It stops when it “fails to fetch”

    libpurple0_2.13.0-3 and pidgin_2.13.0-3

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  11. All right. So after slogging through the Gentoo installation quagmire, and coming damned close to getting it fully operational, I have since formatted my drive for yet another time, and downloaded Mint/Debian, dated 02/02/21, the 64-bit flavor, and burned it to a CD.

    I booted the CD, just as I had done in the past, got to the installer, and proceeded to install. Everything went perfectly, much to my surprise, including GRUB! I ejected my CD, rebooted, and waited for the obvious, which never came! The Debian GRUB splash screen greeted me! And I waited a little longer, and behold! Debian 10 finally came up and asked me to log in!

    So my old G5 is sitting beside me, chugging along in Debian 10. So far, my only hiccup is that I am unable to apt install Debian-System-Adjustments, as it tells me there is no package by this name available. My video card is not functional either, and I have the Mesa drivers installed. Not sure yet how to get my Radeon 9800 Pro working!

    I am very much tickled pink to see my old Mac functional in something other than Mac OS X. I anyone has any guidance about the supposed Debian system adjustments, or how to get my video card functional, please let me know!

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    1. On my G5 Quad Late 2005 the installations works fine now but after reboot just die Empty Folder Picture on Screen
      no Booting.

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    1. I followed the instructions you posted above, but it tells me finally that there are no packages to install, upgrade, or remove, and 4 not upgraded. No video driver is loaded upon reboot, and I receive a warning on the Desktop that my machine is running without video acceleration, and that performance will suffer.

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      1. Would someone who knows about G5 PowerMacs jump in here and tell Gary what to do next? Debian 10.0 installs just fine on my gaggle of G4s. The problem with video acceleration must be specific to the G5s.

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  14. So I tried installing Adelie: https://help.adelielinux.org/ for my G5. When I got to the drive partitioning options it saw both drives that are installed. Even showed the SMART info off of one of them (the SSD). But then at the next step – installation – I got an error telling me to check the cables for a bad connection…

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  15. “It’s important to leave the Apple driver partition from an old Apple OS installation.” I am having failures at Select and Install software… So I need clarification. I am trying to install on a new drive, it never had OSX on it. Should I install OSX and then try to install MintPPC to have that Apple Driver Partition? If I do automatic partition, will is save this partition or should I do it manually like you say in the instructions? Thanks for helping.

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    1. Yes, install Mac OS X on it first. That will put the small Apple partition in place. When you use partman to partition the disk it will leave that partition alone.

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    2. I didn’t install MacOS first on my drive. Works fine for me. (I had a problem with grub not starting automatically, but I was able to fix it (left a comment about it in the “Grub problem” forum post)

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      1. I run Debian 10 on a gaggle of G4 Mac minis that I control by ssh. After frequent updates I’m often unable to connect via that method. Maybe the Apple partition gets corrupted and has to be put in place again with a fresh install of MacOS X. That, and resetting the PRAM works every time.

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  16. So I was able to get Debian installed with grub using a combination of this post: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/debian-sid-installation-guide-powerpc.2146795/post-29677631, your comments on using the live cd to fix grub, and finally using the live cd and method Shannon Bell used above.

    In the macrumours post they indicated the versions listed here under the snapshot directory fixed the repo issue with missing GPG key and grub: https://cdimage.debian.org/cdimage/ports/snapshots/

    That said, I still did run into many issues. For one, not everything needed was installed, the account credentials (both root and user) did not work when I finally able to get to a login prompt and grub didn’t work.

    I installed the latest snapshot and it was able to complete installation -although security repo failed.

    I booted into debian using Shannon’s comment on the live cd but with init=/bin/bash at the end of vlinux kernel command, so I could get into single user mode.

    Executed mount -o remount,rw / so I can make changes via root

    Updated both root and user passwords after mount -r

    Used both live cd from Shannon and Thomas’s commented to update/upgrade the system, which after being persistent on fixes repo was able to properly install grub

    However, after all of that when I run the install command for the mintppc repo I get unsupported architecture. Please tell me ppc64 is supported.

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