Cannot install Leopard on an iBook! Why?

Have you tried the install with the stock ram?

 

ring apple?

 

I can help you with this.

First remove the crucial RAM and put it aside. Since your iBook has 512mb in it, you should be able to install leopard.

If you install leopard successfully, put the ram back in the computer and run techtool deluxe or apple hardware test. The hardware test is in the restore cd. Run that and it will test the ram. If the ram is bad, return it.

 

If one OS works, and the other doesn't, I'm not so sure it's a question of memory. Bad ram tends to show no matter what you try to do with it. I think the problem lies elsewhere.

 

You have to remember the iBook is a older machine, so I would imagine the screen may appear to take time to light up.

Hmm..
It might be a long-shot
but have you tired resetting the PRAM?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you start up your Mac, Press and hole the following keys... Apple+Alt+P+R and wait for the 2nd chime before letting go.

 

Just a thought, since you've already played musical RAM: That error sure sounds like an install disc error.

You said it'd worked on a MB, but it's at least theoretically possible that the disc is somewhat funky and the MB's newer optical drive was able to compensate for the error. Either that, or maybe the MB's drive is somehow funky (though I'd expect it not to boot from the install disc at all in that case).

Not quite sure how you'd go about testing this... maybe burn a copy from the MB and try that?

You might also try installing it from a different computer onto the iBook connected via Target Disk Mode, though I don't know if that's even possible (and if it is, I'd think you wouldn't be able to do it from a MB--you'd need to have another PPC Mac).

 

Or perhaps use a Firewire DVD drive?
that should solve the optical drive issue.

 

Or boot the iBook in target disk mode and install 10.5 on the iBook through another Mac.

 

Just to clarify, when you say grabbed a copy of leopard, you mean you bought a new copy? or just grabbed your leopard install disks from your macbook?

 

I thought that you can't install Leopard on a PowerPC machine...

Am I wrong?

 

Leopard runs fine on G4 & G5 machines (must run at greater than 867 Mhz). Some brave (and patient) souls have gotten Leopard to run on lesser systems.

 

Yes. It seems this machine meets the minimum specs, though, so not sure what the problem is.

--Eric

 

Ah, OK. I have a 900 MHZ G3 iBook, but I don't care for Leopard anyway. I love Panther.

 

It won't run a on a G3.

PowerPC Macs can't see GPT Intel Mac partitions.

You're going to need another PowerPC Mac in order to install Leopard on the iBook.

 

I'm surprised no one has said his yet but because you already installed Leopard on one machine, and you can't on the other, you must have bought a single user license. In order to install Leopard on more than one machine, you need a 5 user license so you can install it on up to 5 machines. Looks like you'll have to go buy another copy of Leopard.

Edit: Didn't see previous post, what I said is true but you do need at least a 867 MHz G4 or faster.

 

That's not true. Even though you can legally only install Leopard on one machine, the disc/software itself does not have an activation feature like Microsoft Windows. This makes it possible for Leopard to be (illegally) installed on multiple machine even if it is licensed for only one computer. Many people have gone this relatively evil but harmless path to save money.