Ok, you’re a security conscious Mac user so you’ve enabled the Open Firmware password. Now you want to boot from a CD and just holding down the “C” key while the computer starts up won’t work. What do you do?
You boot into Open Firmware (hold down command-option-O-F while the computer starts up), hit return and, when prompted, enter your Open Firmware password. Then at the prompt type
boot cd:,\\tbxi
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Thanks for this, I’ve just set up password protection for my Macbook and (logical step) I was wondering who the hell boot from cd again! It happens too I love NY, play guitar and just bought an ukelele, so… happy coincidences here! Will follow this on my Google Reader. All the best from Spain!
Thanks, Juan. Glad this old article is still helping people. And, yes, what an amazing number of coincidences!
Ouch, I re-read myself! Not who, but HOW the heck. Yikes!
Hi. I have an iMac G3 and I boot into Open Firmware mode and I type the command you said – However when I press return it prompts me with the line: ATAPI-DISK: open of DISK-LABEL failed can’t open cd:,\\tbxi What do I do now?
This was the first page I hit searching “boot cd open firmware” and I wanted to let you know that I had to use a slightly different parameter set. Specifically:
cd:,\\:tbxi
tried it and it says load-size too small power mac g5 replaced everything