DESPERATE HELP NEEDED - Installing 10.5 on Mac Mini G4.

Before installing the next OS X major version update via internet Software Update.
Check if your Mac needs a firmware update, and update the firmware.
Another thing you can try if you have another Mac and a FireWire cable is using Target Disk Mode and connect to the HDD via FireWire.

I feel your pain, brother

Check out Beanz Bootmania:

http://www2.tba.t-com.ne.jp/beanz/

I've never used it before, but it should allow you to install 10.5 to the mini over ethernet from your MacBook Pro.

Good luck!

Pacifist can install somethings, but not Mac OS X.

If you are comfortable taking the Mac Mini apart you could always take out the HDD and use a external adapter to mount the drive on your MBP and then install 10.5 that way. Might be a good opportunity to replace the HDD with a new one while you are at it. Then you could just install 10.5 on a fresh HDD and install that into the mini.

The firmwares I see in the apple support site are for Intel Macs, search there for the G4 Mac Mini.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3479

http://manuals.info.apple.com/MANUALS/0/MA348/en_US/Leopard_Install-Setup.pdf

I'd suggest putting the Macbook into Target Disc Mode, put the Leopard DVD into the Macbook, boot the Mini from the Leopard DVD and install Leopard to the Mini's internal hard drive.

It may, but I don't think it will. Give it a try and see what happens.

When I had my mini, it was such a pain to get Leopard on it, I feel you! What I ended up having to do was (thank god I had a FW400 cable) and put my DVD into my BlackBook and then Target Disk Mode. My mini couldn't read any disc I put in it, even a custom single-layer Leopard that has worked fine with my other Macs.

You might

have a disc that is unreadable because of it's Dual-Layer-ness

Not all dual layered discs play nice in all drives...

Just a thought.

The best way to get something booted, which I do because I am sick of CD/DVD problems, is take the dmg and image it, in disc utility, to a external FW partition or even a flash drive, but you will have to do the boot from USB hacks in open firmware to boot from USB. Unless this mac barely passes the cut off.

Boot from FW Partition with system imaged to it!!

Laters...

USB Superdrive? I used that with my iMac G4

Actually, here's an idea.

If you can boot up any other OS CDs (like Tiger) go into disk utility, partition your HDD into 2 partitions (one like 8GB for Leopard and the other for your OS) and restore the installer if it's on a flash drive to that 8GB split. Then boot from that 8GB split and install it to your bigger portion of the HDD.

geoffpalmeruk said:

Ahhaaa!!!!

Click to expand...

The only way you can use your Macbook to boot the Mini G4 is if the Macbook is vintage enough to be able to boot 10.5. (I.e. 2009 or before).

I know this is true, I have booted many G4s from Intel macs that came stock with Leopard 10.5, even the late 2009 Mac Minis that came with snow leopard will boot with Leopard. (I'm absolutely correct on this, don't bother to argue about it).

You will find your Mini needs a ram update as well as a Leopard update. You might as well throw a new faster hard drive in it at the same time and put a new optical drive in it.

I ran the final G4 Mini (silent upgrade to 1.5ghz that had 64vram) maxed out to a 100gb 7200rpm drive and 1 full gig of ram, ran Leopard fine.

You can upgrade it with a dual layer optical drive for about forty bucks. You might as well do that, too. Otherwise, find a Macbook from mid 2009 or earlier and use it in target disk mode with your Leopard disk. No newer macbook/pro will be of any use to you. In fact, ANY mac that was originally released prior to the Snow Leopard release of August 2009 will be useful to what you want to do.

But heed my warning about more ram and hard drive. You have the base 1st gen G4 Mini. I don't even think it came with bluetooth (though you can add that to your unit, too, I think I helped someone back in the day with that project).

geoffpalmeruk said:

Thanks, just tried firewire boot in target and no joy.

Next i will try mounting the image to a separate partition (10gb) on the internal hdd an use that to boot ant try to instal i that way :-/

Click to expand...

Find someone with a 2009 or older mac with a working DL optical drive. They were standard on all Macs after 2005 or 2006.

The image stuff doesn't work well.

If you really are in a jam, I have a 80 gig hard drive out of a Powerbook with Leopard on it that I can sell you cheap. Do the ram upgrade at the same time.