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HELP! OSX install on G4

M

mikefly

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 4, 2007
183
0
Hi,

I've found a buyer for my old PowerBook 12" G4.

The hard drive has been erased, and it won't allow a new OS to be installed.

I've tried:
10.2 (gray disk) - weird ascii error
10.3 (3 black disks) - cannot install
10.5 (gray disk) - too new.

I can't find 10.4 - which is what was on the G4 before I erased it.

Any advice?
 
You'll need a retail 10.3 or 10.4 disc depending on your Powerbook's model. Or you'll need the restore discs for its model. You could try the OpenFirmware modification that trick Leopard into install on it.
 
You'll need a version of OS X equal to or higher than what shipped with it. For example if it shipped with 10.4.2 nothing lower than that will install. Also, if you use the grey restore discs they need to be for the exact model of Mac you're installing on with the correct version of OS X, nothing else will work. If they are the black retail discs then as I mentioned above they need to be equal to or higher than the version that shipped with your Mac.
 
Osx

99% sure this is the model. In which case, it shipped with 10.2 - and the black 10.3 disks should work...

PowerBook G4 (1 GHz / 867 MHz) Nov 2002 9.2.2, 10.2 10.2.3 6C115, 6E62, 6H60
 
mikefly said:
99% sure this is the model. In which case, it shipped with 10.2 - and the black 10.3 disks should work...

PowerBook G4 (1 GHz / 867 MHz) Nov 2002 9.2.2, 10.2 10.2.3 6C115, 6E62, 6H60
Click to expand...

What happens with the the 10.3 discs?
 
*select destination* portion of install
Volume appears with red exclamation mark.

"You cannot install Mac OS X on this volume. An earlier version of Mac OS X is not installed"
 
You have a 10.3 upgrade disc. While there is a way to change it to the full version, the procedure is against forums rules to post.
 
Gotcha.

Just checked the disk, and you're correct... but it won't even give me the option to install the 10.2.3 disk that (I assume) came with my G4.

"You need to restart your computer. Hold down the Power button for several seconds or press the Restart button"

I'm trying to find a 10.4 disk. Will this solve the problem?
 
mikefly said:
Gotcha.

Just checked the disk, and you're correct... but it won't even give me the option to install the 10.2.3 disk that (I assume) came with my G4.

"You need to restart your computer. Hold down the Power button for several seconds or press the Restart button"

I'm trying to find a 10.4 disk. Will this solve the problem?
Click to expand...

Sounds like the 10.2.3 disc boot is causing a kernel panic. A 10.4 disc will work if a 10.4 full retail disc.
 
Last edited:
Thanks all. I'll just bring the PowerBook to work and try to borrow 10.4
 
mikefly said:
GermanyChris said:
10.5 will go on just fine if you can't get any 10.4 disk's
Click to expand...
nope.
Click to expand...

I used a 10.5 disk on my G4 mini (after upgrading RAM) and it worked fine but I already had an OS. Do you have access to another G4 machine you can use to do the initial install (of 10.2.3 hopefully without a kernel panic) and then put the disk back in your G4? Once you have some OS on your disk you should be able to use any upgrade disk.
 
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