Stuck on grey screen trying to install 10.5

Question

Hi,
A friend of mine has been given an eMac 1ghz running 10.4. She connects to the internet by a wireless 3G dongle but the installation software requires a more recent version of java than is installed on the eMac and needs to download an update but is not able to use the internet so she's in a catch 22 situation.
I decided the best option would be to install 10.5 as the eMac appears to have the correct spec (just!) but have so far been unable to. I have tried to install from both a full retail dvd and a copy on a FireWire drive. On both occasions the disc mounts on the desktop but once the emac is restarted to begin installation the discs spin and I get to the grey apple screen with the spinning timer but the it just gets stuck. It is exactly the same for both the dvd and the FireWire drive.
There is nothing plugged in except the keyboard and mouse. I wondered if it could be a firmware problem but again I cannot check that as it can't get on-line. I have replaced the pram battery and reset it. I wondered if it could be a hard drive problem and will take my old 10.3 discs round next time to see whether I can boot from that disc and check the hard drive.
Does anyone have any ideas? I can always download stuff at my house and take it to hers on a disc as long as I know what to download.
Any help is gratefully received.

Answer 1

Is the Leopard 10.5 DVD a retail full-install version, or one that shipped
with a different Macintosh computer? It has to be a retail version to work.
Some eMac models with lesser than ideal graphic processors are not
best suited to run Leopard; but some users have made it go anyway.
The usual progression of Java updates, continue from whatever version
the OS X has in it currently and builds with additional downloads. So, if
you can get the Standalone downloads in the correct order as needed
from Apple Support Downloads (right now I don't have a precise list)
for the OS X version you are contemplating the need, it could work.
You should stay at Tiger 10.4 (.11) if the computer had been working
OK, and make sure the hardware is in good condition and has as
much RAM installed as the computer supports; then be certain the
Leopard install DVD is proper and did not come from a different Mac.
Leopard requires 512MB of RAM to 'bare-bones' work; and plenty of
free space available for the system and apps to use, since this will
rely on Virtual Memory (space on hard drive used automatically by
the OS X as virtual RAM along with all the chip RAM you can supply)
in order for an OS X system to work fairly well. At least 1GB RAM, too.
{There probably are other aspects of the question and ways of interpreting
them; and I am being interrupted here at the precise times I need to think
about the question I'm writing to... but I can't get the annoyance to stop.}
So hopefully you can check and test the computer before upgrading the OS
and have the correct Leopard 10.5 disc if you go that way; and enough RAM
plus a large enough hard disk drive with alot of empty space available.
Which model eMac is the one in question? 700/800/1.0/1.25/1.42?
PS: *A list of progressive Java updates* in Mac OS X 10.4 (.11) looks like this:
The list in my 10.4.11 system in use now, looks like this:
J2SE50Release4.pkg
J2SE50Release3.pkg
JavaForMacOSX10.4Release9.pkg
JavaForMacOSX10.4Release8.pkg
JavaForMacOSX10.4Release7.pkg
JavaForMacOSX10.4Release6.pkg
JavaForMacOSX10.4Release5.pkg
Java131and142Release2.pkg
Java.pkg
(And the numbers may reflect the date of installation
since their order is not totally numerical. Among the
updates, there may be some related to the Security
Updates. Be sure to install the Last security update
and it should include many of the older secure items.)
• Apple Support Downloads - Mac OS Components:
http://support.apple.com/downloads/#macoscomponents
Apple Support can also be searched.
+{ edited to add this last pile of words }+
Good luck & happy computing!