Cant update software Powerbook G4 with Mac OS x 10.3

Question

I can't download my software updates. mailnly the one that is called : Mac OS X update Combined 10.3.9. My machine model is Powerbook 5.2. Im running Panther. But I have the cd for 10.4 Tiger. I bought this comp. on ebay from someone. i think i got a bad one not sure. First time I have had a mac. bought for my son for christmas. can anyone PLZ HELP ME. i tried to download software over 10 times it tells me this:: write to /tmp/501/temporary items/com apple software. what do i need to do? i even put the 10.4 in here and tried to update software and samething happen. So i just went back to the pather 10.3 . Frustrated with my mac if anyone could plz help. Greatly appreciated. I want to download my ilife 06 in my mac for garageband for my son cause he plays music. but it wont cause of the software updates wont work. Thanks Happy Holidays

Answer 1

Are you actually able to use the computer at all?
Do you have a second computer for use online, while you try and see if you can
make this PowerBook G4 work?
If you could start the computer from the Panther install disc #1 (C-key held on start)
instead of installing anything, note in the Install window, at perhaps the second
screen in the desktop-like window appears with Installer in the header, you can look
into the menus; click on and see what drop-down menus have on them. If you can
find Utilities or Disk Utility, run that. See if you can get that far, and if that opens, the
Disk Utility's left side area will show Macintosh HD and also another item that is the
name of the company who made the hard disk drive that Mac HD is on. Choose
the name of the hard disk drive brand, (click once on it) then choose the option in
Disk Utility, to Repair Disk.
There will be a report in the second box in Disk Utility if the utility can be used to
attempt a fix on the Mac HD. And if there is a repair report, and it says Repaired, go
ahead and run that same Repair Disk, again.
Then, choose (click on) the Macintosh HD name, & choose to Repair Disk Permissions
on that volume. When done, Quit Disk Utility, from the menu bar; and then look under
the Installer menu when that re-appears, and there look to find a Startup Disk or choice
to restart the computer from its hard drive.
When the computer is restarted and not running off the Panther installer disc#1, you can
see about using the built-in Disk Utility (see GO in finder) and the Utilities folder should be
there, select it, and go to Disk Utility, launch it and click on Mac HD, then choose 'repair
disk permissions' from this D.U. When it is done, quit Disk Utility.
If there is no problem, hardware failure, damaged hard disk drive, or too much stuff stored
on there, the computer may work better. If the drive is too full, then old user files have to go.
Does the failure of the Combo 10.3.9 update for
Panther occur in the downloading of it? Or after
the file is downloaded on the desktop?
Do you have a dialup internet connection, or how
do you go online with your computers? A slow
connection may take a long time or drop out if
you have dialup. An incomplete file may result.
If the Panther system won't work, and can't be updated, then the Tiger 10.4 installer disc may
be the only choice to continue to try and make that computer work. That is involved and does
require booting the computer from that disc.
And using Disk Utility in the Installer's menubar plus find its Options to erase the drive, and do
that; you can have the Utility secure overwrite one-pass zeros, and reformat to HFS+. Be sure
the name of the reformatted hard drive is the same as it was, Macintosh HD; and the kind of
format HFS+ and it says Apple Partition Map.
You can then quit the Disk Utility and with the Installer disc still running the computer, you
can run the Installer, to install the easy version of Tiger 10.4. At this point in time, the hard drive
would be erased, zeroed, reformatted & empty except for that reformat. And defragmented.
Ready for an all new install.
The Tiger retail disc does not contain iLife apps, and is just the main installation of 10.4; if this
path is taken, the older Panther apps and stuff would not be on the computer and the apps on
discs from Panther would not install into Tiger.
The use of a demo-trial run of Pacifist could be downloaded and used to extract applications
from the Panther installer discs that have apps. AppleWorks, iPhoto, & a few others may do OK.
So, since you bought the computer on ebay and had no way of knowing it would work (fully) or not
you are taking a chance again in trying to resolve issues as you've found them.
Sorry to hear of such a fate so close to the holiday and few if any options to resolve issues
of this level over this time of the year...
Sometimes, for the cost of a computer on ebay a selective person can find a better deal on one that
has been repaired and guaranteed; a few online companies do that for a living and have a good rep-
utation built up over years of providing service. Does the auction site offer recourse on this item?
Best wishes & regards.
Good luck & happy computing!
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