[chart2006]

I have a 2000 model imac which originally came with Mac OS 9.6. I've purchased all new CDs for software and the new OS X. I think it's the original OS X cause there is no version on it that i saw. Anyway i had a hard drive in my windows based computer formated in the NTFS file system and i want to put it into my IMAC and put the new OS on it. Even after deleting the partion i still couldn't get it to recognice the new the drive. The drive is 200Gb. I pulled out an old 40Gb h.d i had and partitioned it into two 20 Gb h.d. with the FAT32 format and the 'select destination volume' option still wouldn't give me the hard drive as an option.

Things i've done:
deleted all partitions went with an 'unpartitioned' drive
created a 'raw' partition
created a NTFS partition
created a FAT32 partition

The OS goes through the installation fine until it's time to select a location of installation and only shows up the cdrom drive which of course i can't select.

Is there anyway of getting my mac to recognize the hard drive?

[Rastor9]

What you should do is to make absolutely sure that your older Mac has 100% of its firmware files updated.

If this OS X is version 10.0 or 10.1 (they didn't start naming them until 10.2-Jaguar), don't even try to use or install those versions! They were terribly unstable and difficult to manage.

If you can, obtain at least of copy of 10.3-Panther, because Apple is stills supporting this version at least until the release of 10.5-Leopard.

You need to partition your Macintosh Drive with MacOS Extended NOT with FAT32 or NTFS which are used for Windows and DOS operating systems.

[Adrianking99]

You need to re-initialize the new drive with Disk Utility, (which I think uses the 'Erase' button in DU, but it's a long time ago to 10.0 and I'm not sure). If you are given an 'erase' option for this drive, or an 'initialize' option, in Disk Utility then all will be well. Once the drive has been initialised, you will be able to install the OS on it. If the drive doesn't show up as possible to initialise, then follow the advice above. OS 10.2.8 was pretty stable, by the way, or if you can get Panther disks, then go to 10.3.9.