>I have a similar problem.  I don't have the tools to partion a drive under
>mac, but I should be able to use a drive partioned under another os?
>For some reason also the stuff-it expander has stopped working for me, so
>I can't expand the install, and mkfs.  Any clues?

The NetBSD FAQ has a description of a simple ResEdit patch to Apple HD 
Setup that makes it work on most non-Apple disks.  Since this is part of 
the MacOS distribution and it's freely available from Apple's FTP servers 
you should be able to partition a disk under MacOS. It's possible a disk 
formatted and partitioned on another OS may work, but I doubt it.  The 
Boot Block is formatted differently under different systems for one, and 
this may also apply to the Partition Map.  I have seen a proposal of how 
to make a SCSI disk usable under both MacOS and Windows, but I don't know 
if anyone has really got it working.

As for Stuff-it Expander, it's sometimes a bit cranky.  I think I've seen 
problems with it when Internet Config was installed or when parts of Drop 
Stuff were on the system.  You might try re-building the DeskTop and see 
if that helps.  If all else fails let me know and I'll put together a 
self-expanding version of Mkfs and Installer for you.

-bob