Installing Mac OS X Leopard on a Power Mac G4

Being the proud owner of a "new" Power Mac G4, I recently acquired the Mac OS X Leopard Disc. However, after looking at some articles (including EnGadget's article on the same subject), I am wondering if I am actually able to install the OS on a less-than-minimum-requirement Mac.
The Mac I have is running on 640 MB of RAM and a PowerPC 440 Mhz Processor. The EnGadget Power Mac was running of 512 MB OF RAM and a PowerPC 1Ghz Processor. I understand what would and wouldn't work on the EnGadget's computer; however, will the OS run at all on my Mac?
Thanks in advance,
Jordan. Meow!

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How do I format / install Mac OS X on an IDE HD in a Power Mac G4?

I purchased what appears to be a Power Mac G4 (PCI Graphics) computer at a government surplus sale. There was no keyboard, no mouse, no software, no hard drive and no monitor. Someone at some point installed a PCI ATI Video card with a VGA and DVI-like output. Since there wasn't a monitor and since I couldn't tell whether the computer worked I offered $10 for the computer. The surplus staff were more than happy to sell it to me at that price.
The interior of the desktop appears to be "intact". Much to my (pleasant) surprise the computer powered up although a Folder with a question mark appeared and alternated between a question mark and Mac-Computer face. I powered down the computer, installed an 80GB IDE IBM Desktar Hard Drive, inserted the boot disk for a Mac OS X G4 Laptop and rebooted the computer. I didn't actually expect the computer to boot but I thought I make an attempt anyway.
So my question is ... what do I need to do to format the hard drive I put in this G4 Desktop computer and then install Mac OS X?
I'm thinking I'll need to get a Mac keyboard and a Mac Mouse as well or will straight-up USB mice and keyboards work?
Thanks for any assistance.

On the Apple site the two cheapest Apple Keyboards are $49 for the extended 10 key and for the keyboard without the 10 key (what's up with that??)
The extended keyboard is nice, but you need to have OS X 10.4.1 or later installed and have the keyboard software update installed before you can use it.
The "short" keyboard is a USB version of the wireless, which is also sans 10 key. Apparently there is a demand, but I don't care for it.
The short board requires Leopard 10.5.6+.
A white or black Pro keyboard is a good board, usually from $10.
How does the PowerMac G4 BIOS recognize the connected hardware?
By virtue of the firmware in the ROM of the connected device.
All devices must have Mac specific ROM, or, in the case of an optical drive, be from the same era (or earlier) as the OS.
OS X, unlike Windows, is loaded with drivers. If a device is Mac compatible, and compatible with the OS version, it will be plug and play.
Also, there is a lot of "generic" device support built in.
In the case of late model optical drives in OS X, with Tiger previous to 10.4.11, using Patchburn utility will provide profiles for OS X to fully utilize the burn capabilities of late model drives.
DVD-ROM functions should require no additional effort/patches/modification.
most or all of this hardware is not or does not appear to be manufactured by Apple.
As with most manufacturers, components are third party.
A big difference is the ROM and drivers.
ROM is Mac specific, and in the majority of cases, only Mac ROM containing devices are compatible.
Drivers are very tightly controlled by Apple, and typically, unlike Windows machines, manufacturer firmware updates often times cannot be applied, or require hacks to perform.
Generally speaking, if Apple hasn't issued a firmware update for a device, there may not be one.
Of course, there are exceptions to this "rule of thumb" for aftermarket third party devices.
Once I have an Apple Keyboard, how do I access the "BIOS" on the PowerMac?
Unlike a Windows machine, this is not a necessary measure to use the Unix based OS X.
The only thing close to BIOS is Open Firmware.
Accessing OF is typically unnecessary.
Since it appears that the PowerMac recognizes the CD-DVD player should I still get the OS X CD's or am I okay with getting the OS X DVD's?
I'd get DVD, unless the CD set is a real buy.
I have some extra SDRAM I can scavenge if it's the right kind of SDRAM.
Biggest issue, besides SPD in the EEPROM is density. Macs need low density RAM, and will usually not recognize high density RAM.
Firmware parameters are strict, and OS parameters for RAM tighten with each later version. RAM must be of the proper specification, or it will be incompatible.
There is no user controlled timing adjustment, etc. done in a BIOS. It is all set "in stone" and a user is always best to use only RAM that is "Guaranteed Mac Compatible".

How can i install mac os x snow leopard on a macbook pro new hard drive

I replaced the hard drive on my macbook pro and I'm having difficulty installing Mac Snow leopard on the new hard drive. I press "C" when rebooting with the disk inside and all I get is "you need to restart your computer. Hold down the power button until it turns off, then press the Power button again" any suggestion?

Booting From An OS X Installer Disc
1. Insert OS X Installer Disc into the optical drive.
2. Restart the computer.
3. Immediately after the chime press and hold down the "C" key.
4. Release the key when the spinning gear below the dark gray Apple
      logo appears.
5. Wait for installer to finish loading.
Clean Install of Snow Leopard
     1. Boot the computer using the Snow Leopard Installer Disc. Insert the disc into the
         optical drive and restart the computer. After the chime press and hold down the
         "C" key. Release the key when you see a small spinning gear appear below the
         dark gray Apple logo.
     2. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue
         button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu.
         After DU loads select the hard drive entry from the left side list (mfgr.'s ID and drive
         size.) Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window. Set the number of
         partitions to one (1) from the Partitions drop down menu, set the format type to Mac
         OS Extended (Journaled, if supported), then click on the Partition button.
     3. When the formatting has completed quit DU and return to the installer. Proceed
         with the OS X installation and follow the directions included with the installer.
     4. When the installation has completed your computer will Restart into the Setup
         Assistant. Be sure you configure your initial admin account with the exact same
         username and password that you used on your old drive. After you finish Setup
         Assistant will complete the installation after which you will be running a fresh
         install of OS X. You can now begin the update process by opening Software
         Update and installing all recommended updates to bring your installation current.

I am running Mac OS X 10.4.11. I am installing Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.3. Will it affect anything on my profile right now?

Can anyone tell me if I were to install Mac OS X 10.6.3, will it affect anything on my profile.

What profile? It will upgrade your system software, nothing more. Before proceeding see the following:
How to Install OS X Updates Successfully
A. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions:
Boot from your current OS X Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. Then select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu. After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the installer. Now restart normally.
If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior (4.0 for Tiger) and/or TechTool Pro (4.5.2 for Tiger) to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.
B. Make a Bootable Backup Using Restore Option of Disk Utility:
Open Disk Utility from the Utilities folder.
Select the destination volume from the left side list.
Click on the Restore tab in the DU main window.
Check the box labeled Erase destination.
Select the destination volume from the left side list and drag it to the Destination entry field.
Select the source volume from the left side list and drag it to the Source entry field.
Double-check you got it right, then click on the Restore button.
Destination means the external backup drive. Source means the internal startup drive.
C. Important: Please read before installing:
If you have a FireWire hard drive connected, disconnect it before installing the update unless you will boot from this drive and install the update on it. Reconnect it and turn it back on after installation is complete and you've restarted.
You may experience unexpected results if you have installed third-party system software modifications, or if you have modified the operating system through other means. (This does not apply to normal application software installation.)
The installation process should not be interrupted. If a power outage or other interruption occurs during installation, use the standalone installer (see below) from Apple Downloads to update. While the installation is in progress do not use the computer.
D. To upgrade:
Purchase the Snow Leopard Retail DVD.
Boot From The OS X Installer Disc:
Insert OS X Installer Disc into the optical drive.
Restart the computer.
Immediately after the chime press and hold down the "C" key.
Release the key when the spinning gear below the dark gray Apple logo appears.
Wait for installer to finish loading.
E. If updating:
Download and install update(s)
Use Software Update, or
Download standalone updater(s).

Can I install Mac OS X version 10.5 on my Power PC G5 Tan Tower?

Can I install Mac OS X version 10.5 on my PowerPC G5 Tan Tower, with a single 1.6 processor, 4 GB DDR SDRAM. I am running version 10.4.11 and want to update to 10.5
I also need to know where I can find the software to buy, they don't seem to have it in the apple store.

You really should check things out first before speaking.
Here are the requirements for 10.5;
Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard requires:
A Mac computer with an Intel, PowerPC G5, or Power PC G4 (867 MHz or faster) processor
512 MB memory or more
A DVD drive for installation
9 GB of available disk space or more
Some features require a compatible Internet service provider, fees may apply.
Some features require Apple's MobileMe service; fees apply.
Allan

Upgrade from tiger to leopard on a power mac G?

can i upgrade from tiger to leopard on a power mac G5?

Yes, however, read about the pitfalls below.
Mac OS X 10.5 was release October 26, 2007. Its 10.5.8 update is the newest operating system available for PowerPC Macs that meet its requirements. It is available occasionally by calling Apple online store's phone number, even though the website does not show it. Many want to upgrade to Leopard because of i-Devices (iPhone, iPad, iPod) bought saying iTunes 10 or later is recommended. To check if that really is required, look at the i-Device requirements section of this tip
If your Mac is Intel, and running 10.4.11 or earlier, and meets the hardware requirements of 10.6, a less expensive upgrade solution is to upgrade to 10.6 directly. No need to upgrade to 10.5 unless your software won't run in 10.6.
Software listed for Intel Mac and PowerPC Macs can run on 10.5 for the platform indicated in the link. For Leopard you need
867 Mhz on a single processor or faster (1 Ghz and higher are faster).
256 MB of RAM (preferably 512MB of more based on arbitrary experience).
9 GB of hard disk space (arbitrary experience adds another 15%) free.
Macs newer than August 28, 2009 can't run Leopard, and require a minimum of Snow Leopard.
Dual booting Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X 10.5, check this tip:https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-1757
Classic is not compatible with 10.5. 10.4.11 on a PowerPC Mac or earlier is needed for Classic.
Mac OS X 10.5 is the earliest version of Mac OS X that will run iTunes 10. This is necessary for numerous i-Devices (iPad, iPhone, and iPods). To find out which require it, see this article
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITunes_version_history
Should you require only iTunes 9, and are running a minimum of 10.4, backup your data at least twice, check in Apple menu -> About This Mac if you have a G3, G4, G5 (which is PowerPC), or Intel Core (which is Intel) make sure you are running 10.4.11 PowerPC or 10.4.11 Intel (depending on the aforementioned processors), and download iTunes 9.2.1. The only reason you should upgrade to 10.5 is if some other software is required.
Boot Camp is only available on Intel Macs with 10.5 and higher.
Time Machine backup software first appeared in 10.5
You have several options of installation which are explained here: https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-2209
All of which I recommend you backup your data at least twice before upgrading, and have sufficient disk space to install, and all your third party applications and drivers are known to be Leopard compatible, and after backing up your data you dismount and disconnect all but Apple keyboard and mouse and if there is an external display, that too. And just before you install repair permissions.
If any of the above terms confuse you, ask on the Discussions board what they mean, and one of the people who knows will gladly assist you.
You must use the installer disc that looks like *, and does not say Upgrade, Dropin, or OEM, if you choose to upgrade to Leopard.
Message was edited by: a brody

HT1338 I installed Mac OSX Snow Leopard 10.6.3 And now my Java is not working, what can I do to fix's this?

I installed Mac OSX Snow Leopard 10.6.3 And now my Java is not working,what can I do to fix's this?

Run Software Update to get to 10.6.8 and update Java.

I want to go back to Snow Leopard but I get "you have to install mac osx.app 23.1.1

I have a new 21.5 iMac I just purchased July 9 so I was able to download Lion for free under the up-to-date program. After installing Lion I decided I wanted to go back to Snow Leopard for various reasons. When I restart with the original Snow Leopard DVD that came with my machine and holding the C key down, I get the window for Mac OS X install DVD. I click the icon to install SL and another window pops up stating "You can't use this version of the application. Install Mac OSX.app with this version of Mac OSX. You have to install Mac OSX.app 23.1.1" To answer the question before hand....I don't have a time machine backup.

Thanks for all your help guys. I had trouble with my first install of Lion, it seemed buggy and when I tried some of the suggestions you offered, my machine did not always react the way it should have. I thought that was weird because it's a new iMac, only three weeks old. Pondini pointed me in the right direction and I think Lion is stable now. This worked after a few tries, not sure why I wasn't getting consistent results but it worked eventually.
1. Shut the computer down.
2. Hold "command" and "R" and turn on the computer (I believe this is recovery HD from the internet because it wasn't working from my hard drive)
3. After a few unsuccessful tries, and repeating #1 and #2, I finally got a window to reinstall Lion. This took about an hour to download and after that things went as expected.
As long as Lion is more stable than it was on my first install, which it seems to be now, I'll just stay with it. After this experience, I would say "make sure you need the features in Lion, and that all your current programs are compatible with Lion before you forge ahead."
Thanks again

When I am re-installing the Mac OSX snow leopard onto an older Mac I run into the window that says select the disk where you want to install Mac OSX but nothing is there to select

I am trying to re-install the Mac OSX snow leopard onto an older I mac with a new hard drive. I run into the "select the disk "where you want to install Mac OSX but there is nothing in the window to select. Any advice?

After you install a new hard drive, you need to boot to another drive to initialize it to MAC OS Extended (journaled) format and create the partition(s) on the drive. You do this using Disk Utility. Otherwise, the mac operating install process doesn't see a formatted disk to install to.

How do i install Mac OS X version 10.6.8 on my computer from Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard

how do i install Mac OS X version 10.6.8 on my computer from Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard

Upgrade Paths to Snow Leopard, Lion, and/or Mountain Lion
You can upgrade to Mountain Lion from Lion or directly from Snow Leopard. Mountain Lion can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for $19.99. To access the App Store you must have Snow Leopard 10.6.6 or later installed.
Upgrading to Snow Leopard
You can purchase Snow Leopard through the Apple Store: Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard - Apple Store (U.S.). The price is $19.99 plus tax. You will be sent physical media by mail after placing your order.
After you install Snow Leopard you will have to download and install the Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1 to update Snow Leopard to 10.6.8 and give you access to the App Store. Access to the App Store enables you to download Mountain Lion if your computer meets the requirements.
     Snow Leopard General Requirements
       1. Mac computer with an Intel processor
       2. 1GB of memory
       3. 5GB of available disk space
       4. DVD drive for installation
       5. Some features require a compatible Internet service provider;
           fees may apply.
       6. Some features require Apple’s iCloud services; fees and
           terms apply.
Upgrading to Lion
If your computer does not meet the requirements to install Mountain Lion, it may still meet the requirements to install Lion.
You can purchase Lion by contacting Customer Service: Contacting Apple for support and service - this includes international calling numbers. The cost is $19.99 (as it was before) plus tax. It's a download. You will get an email containing a redemption code that you then use at the Mac App Store to download Lion. Save a copy of that installer to your Downloads folder because the installer deletes itself at the end of the installation.
     Lion System Requirements
       1. Mac computer with an Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7,
           or Xeon processor
       2. 2GB of memory
       3. OS X v10.6.6 or later (v10.6.8 recommended)
       4. 7GB of available space
       5. Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.
Upgrading to Mountain Lion
To upgrade to Mountain Lion you must have Snow Leopard 10.6.8 or Lion installed. Purchase and download Mountain Lion from the App Store. Sign in using your Apple ID. Mountain Lion is $19.99 plus tax. The file is quite large, over 4 GBs, so allow some time to download. It would be preferable to use Ethernet because it is nearly four times faster than wireless.
     OS X Mountain Lion - System Requirements
       Macs that can be upgraded to OS X Mountain Lion
         1. iMac (Mid 2007 or newer) - Model Identifier 7,1 or later
         2. MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer) - Model Identifier 5,1 or later
         3. MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later
         4. MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer) - Model Identifier 2,1 or later
         5. Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later
         6. Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later
         7. Xserve (Early 2009) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later
To find the model identifier open System Profiler in the Utilities folder. It's displayed in the panel on the right.
Are my applications compatible?
         See App Compatibility Table - RoaringApps.
     For a complete How-To introduction from Apple see Upgrade to OS X Mountain Lion.

I have Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.8; I am trying to install Mac OS X Lion

I have Mac OS X Snow Leopard professional 10.6.8 update
I am trying to install Mac OS X Lion.
I get an error message: other users are logged on.
I have three accounts: William G Cullen; Guest; williamgcullen.
I have tried to delete williamgcullen, but it asks for a password; I have tried every password I know and can't open it. I also did not set up this account.
how do I solve this problem?
[email protected]

Go to System Preferences > Users & Groups. If the lower left, there is a lock icon. Click on it and type in your password to make changes.
Then, select the account you want to remove and press the - symbol.

I can't install Mac OS X Snow Leopard on my Mac mini!

Hi,
I have a Mac mini 2007, with OS X 10.5.8
I want to install Mac OS X Snow Leopard, but i can't. I erased the hard drive with the installation disc of leopard and then i tried boot snow leopard. After a few seconds it said: "You can't install on this computer. What can i do?
My Mac mini's details:
Model Name:          Mac mini
Model Identifier:          Macmini2,1
Processor Name:          Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed:          1.83 GHz
Number Of Processors:          1
Total Number Of Cores:          2
L2 Cache:          2 MB
Memory:          1 GB
Bus Speed:          667 MHz
Boot ROM Version:          MM21.009A.B00
SMC Version (system):          1.19f2
Please help!

Where did you obtain the Snow Leopard DVD? If it is aDVD from another computer, it will not work. You will need the retail version of the DVD as shown below.
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC573/mac-os-x-106-snow-leopard

Installing mac OS X leopard 10.5 version on my ibook

i'm trying to install mac OS X leopard 10.5 version on my ibook and it's not mounting on the desk top...it tries to read the DVD disc for 2-4 seconds then spits it out.
My Mac machine is described as follows:
1) machine name: iBook G4
2) machine model: PowerBook 6,7
3) running: Mac OS X Tiger version 10.4.11
4) Processor: 1.33 GHZ
5) PowerPC G4
6) memory: 1.5 GB
7) lots of hard drive memory 70 GB
ATA bus model number of DVD drive is:
MATSHITACD-RW CW-8124
Revision: DBOD
Detachable drive: no
Protocol: ATAPI
Unit number: 0
Socket type: internal
apparently this mac OS X leopard disc is a DVD dual layer format and my drive reads only DVD single layer DVD's....is this in fact true?
I thought i did my due diligence properly before buying this OS X but i guess not.
Your help, ideas and guidance is much appreciated.
thanks and sincerely,
g.
victoria, bc, canada

Is this the retail version of Mac OS X 10.5 you have?
If so, it should work. If it is a gray Install disc that came with another Mac, it won't work.

Trying to downgrade MacBook Pro (13" mid 2010) from lion back to snow leopard. Error: you have install Mac 23.1

Upgraded to lion, thought it was going to be the hip new thing but I can't stomach it. Time to go back home.
The problem I'm having is that I can't run the snow leopard disk no matter how hard I try.
I tired booting to the cd and I got that pleasantly multi lingual message telling me "you must restart your computer"
I wrote the disk image to a USB and got the same massage when I tried to boot to it.
When I try and run the disk from the desktop I get the grammatical masterpiece of an error message "you have install Mac os x 23.1"
My computer is boot camped if that makes a difference at all, and I don't care about my data I have it manually backed up (not tm).
How I can snow leopard 10.6.8 again?

First, do you have a backup? If so then you can just boot from your Snow Leopard disc, re-initialize the hard drive and install SL anew, then restore from an older backup (assuming you have one?).
Clinton
P.S. You might be able to install without wiping your hard drive. To see, just use your SL disc and try to reinstall. I don't know - I've only gone back-in-time with TM since getting a new Mac with Lion installed.

PLEASE HELP ME - I am not very tech savy and I thought I hadn't installed Mac OS X Snow leopard .After I installed it I went to tether with my Iphone but Itunes wont even recognise it and no one will help me ;-(

I am not very tech savy & I thought I hadn't installed Mac OS X Snow leopard .After I installed it I went to tether with my Iphone but Itunes wont even recognise it and no one will help me

krystiefrommorayfield wrote:
I am not very tech savy & I thought I hadn't installed Mac OS X Snow leopard .After I
installed it I went to tether with my Iphone but Itunes wont even recognise it and no one will help me
You connect your iPhone to iTunes through the Sync Process...
See Here
Syncing with iTunes
From Here
http://www.apple.com/support/iphone/syncing/
http://www.apple.com/support/iphone/

Hello, i want install mac osx leopard 10.5 but error in installing

i need guaid help for error install mac os x v10.5 leopard
i dont install it because send error

What is the error. Does your Mac conform to these requirements?
support.apple.com/kb/SP517http://
Ciao.

Installing Mac OS X Leopard on a Power Mac G4

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