G4 help

[Penelope636]

Particulars:
Machine Model: Power Mac G4 (AGP graphics)
CPU Type: PowerPC G4 (2.7)
Number Of CPUs: 1
CPU Speed: 350 MHz
L2 Cache (per CPU): 1 MB
Memory: 1 GB
Bus Speed: 100 MHz
Boot ROM Version: 4.2.8f1

Presently have OS 10.3.9
QuarkXPress 4.1 which is bootable by Classic

Want to be able to upgrade to 10.5 so I can then upgrade Quark and convert to pdf .

Problem: In checking it seems that in order to install Tiger I need to have a built in FireWire...and mine is not built in, but FireWire Bus is from LaCie 1394 CDRW drive LUN 0.

Also need a DVD drive, a combo or Super Drive, and can't seem to locate this information in About this Mac.

Any assistance / clarification welcome!

Thanks

Penny

 

[sickmacdoc]

Penny-
To clear up one thing, your G4 PowerMac does have built in Firewire-- all models of the G4 PowerMac do. What you may be referring to is what you might see in the System Profiler under the FireWire section- as there it would identify any devices (such as the CDRW drive) that are currently connected to your FireWire bus.

The next thing is that I get the impression that you need to upgrade to Tiger first on the road to upgrading to Leopard and that is not true- a normal retail Leopard disk can be installed with any version of Mac OSX on it-- or even a hard disk with no version.

BUT-- (and this is a big but) your system's CPU speed falls way below the minimum requirement for Leopard of 867Mhz as listed on Apple's Leopard Specs page. Yours is 350Mhz. Now there are programs that can help you trick the system into installing on a system like yours (as the installer does check for meeting the minimum processor speed at the start of the installation process), but even if you get it installed I think you will be very disappointed in the speed it will operate at. Tiger on the other hand does not have a minimum CPU speed requirement and still runs reasonably well on a system of that speed.

The information about your CD/DVD drive can be found where you got the other info (in the System Profiler which pops up when you click "More Info" in the About This Mac window). If you look down the left hand column under "Hardware" you will be picking the entry that says "ATA" in your 10.3.9 system (it is listed differently in later systems). Under "ATA" it will list both your hard drive as well as the optical drive. I just looked up some specs on your system and it seems it could be either a CD drive or a DVD- but it will not be a SuperDrive.

Hope this info helps!

 

[hughvane]

Hope this info helps!

An excellent response smd!

 

[SmurfBoxMasta]

big cat + slow machine = endless spinning wheels of death

you'll be sorrrry........... don't say we didn't warn you

stick with older kitty for happy happy joy joy....

 

[Penelope636]

smd,
Thanks for your quick, clear and thorough response. So...if I get Tiger and whatever Quark (prob 6.5)... that will allow me to convert my files to pdf. No need for me to upgrade to Leopard if the above will be sufficient for my needs... and my G4 can't handle it anyway.

Correct?

Penny