Issue with 24-inch USB boot drive using IMC 24" 8.1 A1225 model
Issue with 24-inch USB boot drive using IMC 24" 8.1 A1225 model
It seems you're experiencing kernel panics with SnowLeo and Leo, and you're wondering if Yosemite will appear. You might want to check your SSD formatting—your Mac had Captain installed after the HDD failed, but it's unclear if that affects things now.
Confirming your concerns about Yosemite and El Capitan not installing properly. The issue seems linked to the iMac failing to boot the installers, causing kernel panics. Regarding your questions, you can boot and install Leopard and Snow Leopard but expect kernel panics. You should be able to run Disk Utility from a bootable Mac OS X USB and format it as a single partition with MBR and Mac OS X Extended (Journaled).
I insert the USB with Snow Leopard or Leopard and trigger a boot from it after holding the Alt key. About 30 to 40 seconds after clicking to start, I see a power off screen. This happens on my Transmac drive.
Looking for Yosemite and the Captain from Apple? This guide covers Apple support resources, including Snow Leopard and leopard downloads. Let me know if you need further help!