Upgrading from 9.2 to Panther

I have just inherited an IMac G4 800Mhz 15" flat panel from work. It currently has 9.2 installed and I would like to upgrade to Panther. I tried to upgrade but I get the error
'startup disk was unable to select the install cd as the startup disk (-2)'
I have read around the web and found that I need to upgrade the firmware before I can upgrade.
I have looked at the available firmware upgrades at http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1395 but there is no upgrade available for the flat panel models and I tried 4.1.9 but the Imac said it was the wrond version.
What do I do?
PS I've never used a Mac before! I'm a Windows guy but I'm willing to learn......

a1cap0ne, welcome to Apple Discussions & the Mac community.
Based on the model number you listed, you have the correct retail install discs.
If you startup on OS 9.2 with the Panther CD in the disc drive, do you see the CD icon on your desktop. If yes, this indicates that the disc drive is working. If no, there is a problem with the disc drive.
There are two ways to boot from the Panther install CD installed in the disc drive. Depress the c key at startup. Another way is to depress the Command(Apple)Option+ShiftDelete keys at startup.
 Cheers, Tom

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Upgrading from 10.2.8 Panther to Tiger

Hello! I have an iMac 800 MHz PowerPC G4 17 inch flat panel purchased in January 2003. I have 512 MB of memory and 18.1 Gigs remaining on my hard drive. I bought an upgrade from eBay with a universal install disk. When I put the disk in, it spins and spins and then eventually ejects the disk...never even starts up. My drive can read other disks and I have already received a replacement disk in the event the first one was damaged. Still doesn't work. I have been to the upgrade pages thinking my firmware needed to be upgraded but it appears there is no upgrade that fits my computer. I even tried loading the firmware upgrade for the same computer with the 15 inch screen but it wouldn't let me load it, it said it wasn't compatible with my computer. Any thoughts? Do I just need to get the 20 disk upgrade kit?

Hi CSchuh, and Welcome To Discussions!
You wrote "...I bought an upgrade from eBay with a universal install disk..."
I think you probably have an Upgrade or Machine Specific DVD.
Which is probably why it is not working.
More info here Using OS X Install CDs/DVDs On Multiple Macs.
What you need is a FULL RETAIL VERSION, of Tiger.
Closer view of the TIGER INSTALL DVD
Good Luck!
ali b

Wanting to upgrade from Mac OS X Panther (10.3.9) to Leopard

Hello,
I am wondering if it is possible to upgrade from 10.3.9 to 10.5.4(Leopard), and if so how. I have tried to install 10.5.4 by bypassing 10.4 (Tiger). Now I have an old iBook G4 laptop.
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Barrie
The others have advised you how to do it, but before you do, I would very strongly recommend that you make a complete bootable backup of your existing hard drive in the iBook.
You should use an application such as Carbon Copy Cloner to make the backup, to an external FireWire hard drive.
The size, measured in Gb, of the external drive should be the total size of the hard drive in your iBook, plus at least an extra 20% (the extra space is needed so that that cloned copy can be configured and organised on the external drive.)
Once you have made this bootable backup and tested it by restarting the iBook from the external drive, then with complete peace of mind you can go ahead and install Leopard on the iBook. All of your existing documents files, etc. are safely backed up to the external drive.
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"Making a regular bootable backup is one of the Buddha's Threefold Paths"

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I have an ibook G3 with OS 9.1 I think!
Would like to upgrade to Panther
Any input would be appreciated
Thanks

Check that you have the system requirements.
Here are the requirements for Tiger (10.4), which are similar:
http://www.apple.com/macosx/upgrade/requirements.html
Update 9.1 to 9.2.2, and follow instructions here:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=75288
and update Firmware if necessary (link in that last post).
Last, all you have to do is put in the upgrade disc and install! Do you have a Panther disc? Those will be harder to find than Tiger, which is the latest version of the OS. If you get Tiger, you also need to be able to read DVDs. If your computer does not have a Combo drive, you can do the media exchange program to exchange the install DVD for a set of CDs.
(http://www.apple.com/macosx/upgrade/)
I hope this helps!

Upgrading from Panther 10.3.9 to Tiger 10.4.3

My brother has a 17" 1.8 IMac and wants to upgrade from Panther 10.3.9 to Tiger 10.4.3 so he can use Aperture, Apple's new software. Since I have always helped him in the past with his upadates, I prefer doing clean installs by reformatting the hard drive before doing a major upgrade like the aforementioned. Is this the preferred method or should I attempt to install over Panther without reformatting? I'm rather reluctant to go to 10.4.3 based upon the number of negative experiences reported by people who have done so, but if he wants to use Aperture, according to the system requirements needed to run it, he has to perform this update. What recommendations do any of you have for making a safe migration from 10.3.9 to 10.4.3? In other words, what is the best and safest method of updating?
G5 2.3 Mac OS X (10.4.1)

Tom,
Don't forget this forum is the hospital ward. Don't let the preponderance of bad reports make you think an update is bad. These are usually cases where people haven't taken the proper precautions while updating which should always be taken.
Mac OS X doesn't technically have a clean install option. For reasons why I say not, see this user tip:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=607614
The best method of upgrading depends on how well the machine is functioning in 10.3.9. If it has sufficient space, sufficient RAM, has not had any kernel panics, the following sequence of steps is recommended:
1. Backup your data.
2. Make sure all your hardware and software has compatible drivers for the operating system you are going to. Verify all the applications you are going to use are updated.
3. Dismount and disconnect all third party peripherals.
4. Upgrade and install to 10.4 with a retail 10.4 installer disk. Do not use a system specific disk on a different machine. Buy the box family or single user pack from an Apple software reseller.
5. Repair permissions with Applications -> Utilities -> Disk Utility
6. Run the 10.4.3 combo update:
http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/macosxupdate1043combo.html
7. repeat step 5.
Do steps 1 and 5 before and after any update as a general practice in anycase. Application installers often have a tendency to want to mess with permissions and sometimes don't put them back causing problems later on.
Now if you are having issues launching specific programs, or programs unexpectedly quitting now, or 4 language screens those need to be isolated before you update.

Why upgrade from Panther to Tiger on G4 iMac?

I have two iMacs. I use a G5 recently upgraded from Panther to Leopard 10.5.5. My wife has a G4 with Panther 10.3.9.
Now that I have Leopard I have a Tiger install license available.
Are there good reasons to upgrade my wife's G4 to Tiger?
She uses it heavily for e-mail, internet, and MS Word.
She's networked to my G5 through Airport and we use printer sharing and file sharing.
Her G4 works great, but I'm wondering about security issues.
Comments?
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Correct me if I'm wrong but I think Apple is still releasing Security updates for Panther too, isn't it?
I think some of the Panther software is starting to show its age limitations for Internet capabilities, and things like iTunes for all the new iPods, etc. On one hand if you're not actually having problems then my feeling is an old computer best runs software designed for it. On the other hand I am not sure you would lose any functionality if you did upgrade. I think most Panther applications run on Tiger, the system requirements are pretty similar. It's not like when you upgrade to Leopard that you suddenly lose Classic support and it requires (demands?) a faster processor. From my personal perspective upgrading to Leopard really makes a big difference in capabilities both ways and may even be a negative upgrade if you run old software the way I do. Upgrading from Panther to Tiger didn't have any downsides and had several upsides in terms of software is still being brought out for Tiger.
[Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger system requirements|http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=301341]
[OS 10.3 Panther requirements|http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106163]

Import Address Book after upgrade from panther.

Hello folks,
A friend of mine recently upgraded to leopard from 10.3.9.
Made backups but can't import her old addressbook files.
The way i told her to do it is just to take the addressbook folder from 10.3.9 and replace it in Users > library > application support in Leopard. This has always worked in 10.4 or from 10.4 to 10.5 but this time it wouldn't.
Any idea's ? She can't go back to Panther and needs those address cards.
Thanks for the help
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I figured it would be the same as after an upgrade from Tiger, so i just copied the folder out of Application Support :/
Now that Panther is gone there is no way to go back and export it to vcards or archive anymore.

Can not upgrade from Panther 10.3.9 to Tiger 10.4

I have a PMG4 AGP 1.4 ghz (upgrade from OWC) 2 GB ram and three SCSI hard drives 147/147/40 (upgrades from OWC).
I upgraded to Tiger 10.4 from Panther about six months ago. And the upgrade never worked. After the upgrade for Tiger, the screen would look gray with the Apple logo and the spinning icon, then it would remain gray but the Apple logo will change to a circle with a diagonal line across it and it will stay that way forever.
So I been stuck with Panther ever since. (My iMac-G4 Video Special Edition did take the upgrade very well). I called OWC and they said that their drives were tested for Tiger and didn‘t have any problems. (how about the processor upgrade?)
I also took the computer to Apple store for advise, and one of their techs told me that the hard drive could be the problem.
So last night I decided to try it again but on the other drive (the one I‘m using as a starup disk with panther 10.3.9). Same thing.
By doing the same thing it tells me that the hard drives are the problem.
Please help because I really don‘t know what to do of this.
Thanks,
Oscar

You might try removing third party hard ware. Specifically, the SCSI drives. Get the systme back to original configuration with only keyboard and mouse and give it a go.

Using Mailboxes on my computer when upgrading from Panther to Tiger

I'm getting ready to upgrade from 10.3.9 to 10.4 and want to avoid all the issues with Mail that I have been reading about. In the README on the installation disk it says:
"Using POP email accounts and On My Mac mailboxes in Tiger and Panther...
If you have a shared home folder and you access a POP email account using Mail in both Mac OS X Panther and Mac OS X Tiger, you will not see messages that you retrieve in one version when you switch to the other.
You will not see messages saved in a mailbox on your computer when you switch from one version to another. To avoid this problem, use separate home folders for each version of Mac OS X.
Your IMAP account will synchronize automatically when you switch between Mail in Tiger and Panther."
The question is – I am using an IMAP account and do not store my mesages on the server, but on my Mac. Obviously I want to be able to access all my old mail when I upgrade. How do I go about using separate Home Folders? And will doing this still enable me to access all my mail without switching back and forth between the 2 OS's?
Thanks
PB G4 Mac OS X (10.3.2)
PB G4 Mac OS X (10.3.2)

If you install Tiger over Panther on the same partition, you will not have separate Home folders/directories.
I've been using the Mail.app exclusively since Jaguar was introduced, thru Panther and now Tiger. I installed Tiger over Panther via an Archive & Install selecting preserve user and network settings without experiencing any problems with my Mail.app data or with anything else but I backed up my data beforehand just in case which is a good idea regardless. I used SuperDuper! to create a bootable clone of my hard drive with Panther installed saved to a Firewire drive before installing Tiger.
Most of the problems reported here with Mail.app data after upgrading to Tiger are from existing/underlying problems with Panther mbox files.
Before upgrading to Tiger, I didn't allow any mailbox to exceed 500MB or so in size and I used the Rebuild Mailbox function on the most active mailboxes on a regular basis. I used the Rebuild Mailbox function on all Panther Mail.app mailboxes before upgrading to Tiger. If you do this, you should be fine but a backup of the entire Mail folder at Home > Library > Mail is your insurance in case something goes wrong with the mbox conversion process to Tiger Mail with one or several mailboxes stored locally on the hard drive.
Be sure to check the hard drive for any directory problems with Disk First Aid repair via Disk Utility when booted from the Tiger retail install disc before proceeding with the installation. If any problems are reported and successfully repaired, run repair again until no problems are reported. Afterwards, it won't hurt to repair disk permissions from the same location.
Do this along with having a backup of all important data for insurance and you should be fine.

Upgrading from Panther to Tiger. Is it worth it?

Hi there. I have been debating this in my head for quite some time. It is worth upgrading from Panther to Tiger? What are the benefits?
Thanks,
dave

Hi dave!
If you do decide to upgrade, Tiger is available for purchase at The Apple Store (US).
Jaguar and Panther, are no longer available directly from the Apple Online Store, as Tiger 10.4.x is the most up to date OS.
A Full Retail Version of the Tiger Install DVD, can be purchased rather inexpensively, at some online Apple retailers, Amazon, eBay, AppleRescue, (as cornelius mentioned) etc.
Be sure not to purchase grey, upgrade or machine specific CDs or DVDs.
Additional info in these links.
Using OS X Install CDs/DVDs On Multiple Macs
What's A Computer Specific Mac OS X Release
Software Update, Upgrade: What's The Difference?
Once Tiger 10.4.x is installed, you can use the PPC 10.4.8 Combo Update, to upgrade to the most up-to-date version.
Tiger System Requirements
Mac Model Compatibility & Requirements For OS X
Additionally,
"Tiger ships on a DVD, but if your Mac doesn’t have a built-in DVD-ROM player, you’ll need CD media. When you buy Mac OS X Tiger, you qualify to purchase Tiger CDs for only $9.95."
Download The Order Form Here. Media Exchange Program
Shop Carefully, Examine All Documentation, And Good Luck!
ali b

Need to upgrade from Panther

I need to upgrade from Panther so that I can sync my ipod but I also use classic Mac os 9 for some programmes. If I upgrade will I loose the ability to use these programmes or can I still run classic. Help someone.......also I am not completely confident so be gentle....I need clear answers. Please help.

Hi.
If your machine meets the system requirements for Tiger, then you can install it.
Tiger supports the Classic environment (runs OS 9.2.2), so you'll be able to use your classic programs.
Good Luck.

Having problems upgrading from Panther to Tiger

Hi there!
I'm new to this place, but very desperate to find answers. I have been trying to upgrade from panther to tiger for the past week and have gotten a mess. I have to restore my old panther system after a panic kernal while trying to install tiger. I have tried to upgrade, install and archive and erase and install tiger and the same keeps happening: after 30-30% installation of essentials, I get a "try installing again" message and immediately goes to a blank blue screen. I have to reboot from my eDisk on the external hd and re-install my old system. I've done EVERYTHING I can find on the web and in the install suggestions. Everything has been updated (firmware, sofware, etc.), I tired disconnecting external devices except the keyboard and the external dvd I need to install and still the same thing...over and over and over!
So, now I'm down to the fact that I need to install CDs (internal) instead of DVD off the external drive. However, when I went and downloaded the form for the exchange the Tiger versions listed (MA453Z/A, MA454Z/A) do not coincide with the version I purchased (M96397/A). So I'm trying to figure out what this version is that I purchased and if it has anything to do with my big install mess!
So, any ideas out there? Glad to hear your input!

Call 1-800-MY-APPLE WRT media exchange program and the DVD version you have.

Leopard Upgrade from Panther Forgot Mail Messages

I just upgraded from Panther to Leopard. My iPhotos, Word documents, Bookmarks, everything except email messages made it thru the upgrade and are accessible. My problem is that although all of the Mail user settings are fine, and I can send and receive mail, my inbox, sent box, etc. are empty. Do I have any hope of seeing the contents of them again?

It seems Tiger lost my Mail files. I restored from backup, then started Mail again. It imported in less than 1 minute, then started up normally.
Beavis2084

Upgrade from Panther Server with Raid1

Trying to upgrade from Panther Server with software Raid1. Upgrade fails with "Could not prepare disk". I'm guessing it has to do with the RAID1? I need to upgrade and not do a clean install.
Could I upgrade to tiger server first?

Wow, Panther server. Ah the memories... Anyway, what you are running into is an issue with the actual Apple RAID software versions. If you run this command:
diskutil checkRaid
You should see in the result:
Apple RAID version: 1
That is your problem. Tiger and Leopard will only install on Apple RAID version 2 which was introduced in Tiger. But, all is not lost. Apple has provided a method to upgrade the RAID version without a break and a recreation. Again, using diskutil, run this command to see your options:
diskutil convertRaid
You will get:
Convert a 1.x RAID set (Mac OS 10.3 Panther or earlier) to a 2.x RAID set.
The filesystem must be mounted and resizeable (i.e. Journaled HFS+).
Ownership of the affected disk is required.
Example: diskutil convertRAID /Volumes/RAID
If the name of the volume is Data, then diskutil convertRaid /Volumes/Data should provide the fix you need.
Boot from your Leopard install media and then before attempting to install, open the Terminal and use the command above. Provided you formated as HFS+ journaled you will be fine.
*Make sure you have a backup!*
Oh, and if this fails, then run a diskutil list and hope that you did not install the OS 9 firewire drivers. If you did, then nuking and paving is likely your only option. In that case, I would suggest a clone, then a Raid break, then a creation of a new RAID set, then a restore, then an upgrade.
Again, make sure you back everything up. Be ready to revert back to your clone. Stop all services before upgrading. Export all users and groups. Just be safe. Panther to Leopard can be a tricky upgrade. If you are using MySQL, do a dump before attempting.
Hope this helps. Backup first. Backup many places.

Upgrade from Panther to Leopard on PowerBook G4

Hi-
I just bought Leopard (for $129 directly from apple) and am interested in knowing the steps I would need to take to upgrade from Panther (10.3.9) on a PowerBook G4 with the following specs:
Machine Model: PowerBook G4 17"
CPU Type: PowerPC G4 (1.1)
Number Of CPUs: 1
CPU Speed: 1.5 GHz
L2 Cache (per CPU): 512 KB
Memory: 512 MB
Bus Speed: 167 MHz
Boot ROM Version: 4.8.4f1
I have 11 GB of disk space available.
Do I have the correct system requirements to make this transition seamlessly? Anything else I need to get?
Thanks!

What's the difference between getting an external hard drive vs. the card? I'll definitely go with 160GB to be on the safe side.
See my reply in your other thread.
I keep reading that Archive&Install is giving people problems. Given my situation, would you recommend Upgrade or Archive&Install or Erase& Install?
I'm running Tiger and did not know that A&I was giving people problems on Leopard. If that's the case, I would definitely do the Upgrade (if that is an option like it has been on previous OSX installers).
My main thing is that I'm going to need to keep Office 2004 (which I learned should work on Leopard).
Given that, use the Upgrade method.
Unless... this may sound silly, but can I save it on disks or something? (I don't have the original install disks anymore).
That's not silly at all, and with some applications it will work. I do not know if that's the case with Office, but I would recommend against it. OSX often needs to "weave" parts of an app into itself via the installation, and copying the actual app will not do that. If you have a disk image of the installation disc, that's a different story, and it will copy/work fine.
Also, when I do the backup (via Super Duper?), where does all the stuff end up living? If it's on my hard drive, doesn't that get taken away when I replace it with the newer/bigger one?
I use SD and think it's the best cloning app out there. You need to save it on an external source, otherwise you're correct, it's still "living" on your PB's HD, and if you erase that HD or something happens to it, all that data is gone.
In your situation, I would consider either an external HD or an enclosure. With an external, you'll be able to use if for backups, which would be a very good idea if you value your data. 300GB and even larger can be found for under $100. I'd recommend a FireWire model, so you can then boot your PB from it if you want/need to.
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Upgrading from 9.2 to Panther

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