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Create Leopard install USB for PowerBook

F

Faloude

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 6, 2018
108
18
I've hit a dead end trying to upgrade OS X Tiger (10.4) to Leopard (10.5.6) on my PowerBook G4 (PPC version).

Here's what I tried:
  • Copy .dmg to PowerBook, mount and run installer. Result: It asks for password, restarts, boots in to OS X Tiger and nothing happens.
  • Burn the .dmg to DVD. Result: not possible, the image is over 6GB - I don't have dual layer DVD's
  • Format a USB drive to Apple Partition Map and "burning" the Leopard install image to it. Unfortunately it's not bootable on my PowerBook - it's not listed in the boot menu during startup
Any ideas?
 
Faloude said:
Yeah just found it. Struggling to find my disk name in the list dev / ls. I'll get there
Click to expand...
Optionally, if you have another Mac, boot the Powerbook in Target Disk Mode and connect via Firewire. Create a partition and restore the Leopard DVD to that partition.

Then you can just boot from that partition to do the install.
 
DearthnVader said:
Optionally, if you have another Mac, boot the Powerbook in Target Disk Mode and connect via Firewire. Create a partition and restore the Leopard DVD to that partition.

Then you can just boot from that partition to do the install.
Click to expand...
Find a fireware 1 to firewire 2 cable would be a serious challenge.

Also I gave up and ordered a install USB. I hated to do it this way but I browsed every disk in dev / ls but none would boot into leopard install. Very frustrating.
 
I never had any luck trying to boot Leopard from USB, it really isn't supported on PPC. I did manage to boot the installer from USB, but it just bombs out, unsure why.

Really, what you are looking for is a "disk" entry in the device tree that is a child of one of your USB nodes.

Code: 
devalias
 dev usb0
ls

boot usb0\disk,\\:tbxi
 
Booting from USB was a total failure on this PPC model.

I managed to install Leopard (OS X 10.5) this way:
  • Insert and boot from Tiger installer DVD (don't install)
  • Run disk utility from top menu
  • Create a second partition on HD (8GB at least)
  • Insert Leopard installer USB drive and recover new partition FROM this USB
  • Restart PowerBook, hold ALT and boot from Leopard installer
 
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Faloude said:
Booting from USB was a total failure on this PPC model.

I managed to install Leopard (OS X 10.5) this way:
  • Insert and boot from Tiger installer DVD (don't install)
  • Run disk utility from top menu
  • Create a second partition on HD (8GB at least)
  • Insert Leopard installer USB drive and recover new partition FROM this USB
  • Restart PowerBook, hold ALT and boot from Leopard installer
Click to expand...

Although it seems as if you have wasted 8GB on a partition you are unlikely to use again and cannot absorb back into your boot partition, it is worth keeping as a troubleshooting/test partition.

For the record, iPartition is being made freeware by its maker Corolis Systems, although you will have to wait until July 2019 to get the required serial key. This can blitz away the Leopard Install partition and add the 8GB back to your boot partition on the fly without destroying existing partitions.

https://coriolis-systems.com/
 
Faloude said:
Booting from USB was a total failure on this PPC model.

I managed to install Leopard (OS X 10.5) this way:
  • Insert and boot from Tiger installer DVD (don't install)
  • Run disk utility from top menu
  • Create a second partition on HD (8GB at least)
  • Insert Leopard installer USB drive and recover new partition FROM this USB
  • Restart PowerBook, hold ALT and boot from Leopard installer
Click to expand...

Another option I’ve used is as follows:

Install leopard to an old MacBook or intel Mac.

Use Carbon Copy Cloner to copy the install to a flash drive.

Boot into tiger CD, use disk utility to wipe the HD and restore from the flash drive.

It saves you 8 gigs.
 
Faloude said:
Find a fireware 1 to firewire 2 cable would be a serious challenge.
Click to expand...

They are common.

It wasn't too terribly long ago that I bought one at the Apple store, although I doubt you could get one there now.

Back in November or December, I bought four on Ebay a couple of bucks each.

They're always handy to have, especially since I have a decent number of Firewire 400(6 pin) peripherals and both my MBP and MP only have FW800(9 pin).

While I'm at it, I'll also mention that, while less common, FW400(4 pin) to FW800(9 pin) also exists-there again I have a few to connect 4 pin peripherals to "modern' computers.

Adapter dongles exist also, although FW is much like SCSI in that when a connector change is needed, it's preferred just to use a cable with two different terminations than to use an adapter.

Honestly, I would extend @MagicBoy 's statement to say that in pre-Thunderbolt Macs, FW is generally easier to use, although Intel Macs are a lot more "USB Friendly" than PPCs.
 
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End adapters for FW cables are also super common. You can convert from 6 to 4 pin/iLink or from 9 to 6pin. I got a couple of sets with FW and USB adapters back in the day and those can still be had from China for peanuts.

The one thing that never took off and would have been super useful for PPC Macs was Firewire flash drives. There were only a couple launched that I can remember and they were never cheap.

https://gizmodo.com/ocz-rally-2-firewire-flash-drives-good-when-your-usb-p-245941

https://www.cnet.com/products/kanguru-fire-flash-firewire-flash-drive-8-gb/

Dishonourable mention to Micromat, who offered its TechTool utility on a 1GB FW flash drive (but $229, sheesh!)

https://www.macworld.com/article/1048764/protege.html
 
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