Installing Linux on PowerPC, problem with yaboot

baldurpet · 01-01-2009, 01:08 PM

This is a follow-up problem of this one.

In short I want a LiveCD to rescue all the data from a iBook G4, and then I want to install Ubuntu on it.

I began by downloading Ubuntu 8.10 and SystemRescueCD for PowerPC. The iBook could read both disks but there were problems with both of them:

SystemRescueCD: When I insert the SystemRescueCD the yaboot starts up and I get something like

Code:

Welcome!
Hit <TAB> for boot options.
Welcome to yaboot version 1.3.12
Enter "help" to get some basic usage information
boot: help
Press the tab key for a list of defined images.
The label marked with a "*" is is the default image, press <return> to boot it.
To boot any other label simply type its name and press <return>.

but when I push return I see some stuff like the Linux startup menu and the the screen goes black.
Ubuntu 8.10: When I insert the Ubuntu 8.10 CD into the iBook, I also get the yaboot start-up screen. But I don't get into the normal Ubuntu menu where you can select "Try Ubuntu without any change to your computer". Instead it goes into a TUI (I think it's called) and so I think I'd just install Ubuntu and overwrite everything on the computer.

Is it possible to get into the "Try Ubuntu without any change to your computer", instead of installing it right away- erasing all the data? And why does the SystemRescueCD make the screen go black?

baldurpet · 01-01-2009, 01:36 PM

Update: I managed to get into a shell using the Ubuntu CD, and typing expert while in the yaboot and then selecting "Execute a shell" from the main menu.

N00b question; where would her files be stored? I'm in the bash shell and when I press ls I get

bin, dev, etc, floppy, init, initrd, lib, mnt, proc, root, sbin, sys, tmp, usr and var