Hi, I haven't had a Mac since my Performa from the 1990s. I did help an elderly friend with a Mac about 10 years ago. But I guess I'm a Noob again on Macs. My 12 year old kid has never had a Mac, and was really excited to be given a friend's old imac G5 the other day. He thinks it's a 2006 model. Problem is that the Mac's owner wiped it completely, there's no OS. Thanks to an old friend, we now have 3 Mac OS disks on loan. The first and best is Snow Leopard 10.5: when we put that CD in, it won't install. We can get in, and access Disk Utility, etc., but we get a message saying that we have to have a version of 10.4 installed for 10.5 to work, or something like that. (Is there a workaround for that?) The second disk we have contains Mac OS 10.6.3. The computer won't boot at all with that one. Then we have a 10.3.5 disk -- but it is "bundled", or has bundled software, so we get an error message saying that one won't work. Do we have workaround options for getting an OS on this computer? Thanks very much! You could really make a kid's day (or week) if you can figure this out. He's tried pretty hard, watched at least a couple hours of YouTube videos already, trying to learn about this Mac issue.
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imac G5 with no OS -- please help Dad and Son
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Are you sure it's a 2006 model? That would make it an Intel iMac not a G5.
If you put that disk in again that gave you access to Disk Utility, from the menu select Terminal and type machine - that will return a value and tell us if it actually is a G5.
Do you have another computer to download an operating system and burn it to DVD or write to a USB stick?
If you put that disk in again that gave you access to Disk Utility, from the menu select Terminal and type machine - that will return a value and tell us if it actually is a G5.
Do you have another computer to download an operating system and burn it to DVD or write to a USB stick?
That sounds like a ‘drop-in Leopard upgrade’ DVD. It can be modified to work for a clean install but you’d need a working Mac (or installation of Mac OS X) to do that.
The final Mac OS X 10.6 doesn’t run on PowerPC Macs. There’s no way around that.
You could spoof the iMac’s model ID to get that disc to work but 10.3.5 is old and, generally speaking, not very useful these days. I’d suggest burning a 10.5.6 install DVD from a known-good image (basically what @Dronecatcher suggested) and trying to install that to get started.
Given it boots 10.3.5, it can’t be an Intel.
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Hi! We do have other computers, all run Windows 10. It sounds like the other person (below) confirms that it's an imac G5 because it runs 10.3.5. (though it doesn't because of the bundled software issue).
I meant to add: we're willing to try to burn an OS to DVD or write it to a USB stick. We have both capabilities! Thanks!
Well spotted!Given it boots 10.3.5 it can’t be an Intel.
Thank you! We don't know how to burn a 10.5.6 install DVD from a "known-good image". How might we take that on?That sounds like a drop-in upgrade DVD. It can be modified to work for a clean install but you’d need a working Mac to do that.
The final Mac OS X 10.6 doesn’t run on PowerPC Macs. No way around that.
You could spoof the model ID to get that disc to work but 10.3.5 is old and not very useful these days. I’d suggest burning a 10.5.6 install DVD from a known-good image and trying that.
Given it boots 10.3.5 it can’t be an Intel.
You can get an official release of OSX Leopard here:
Mac OS X Leopard Install DVD : Apple : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
Mac OS X Leopard Install DVDVersion 10.5.42Z691-6232-A
archive.org
That works on PowerPC or Intel or alternatively go for a custom version here:
Sorbet Leopard - 10.5 Unleashed (Grand Finale 2/2)
Introduction It's safe to say that a great many users in the PowerPC community rely on Mac OS X Leopard regularly and leverage its useful features just as often. However, there are certain elements laced throughout the overall user experience that have always personally bothered me, such as...
forums.macrumors.com
Wow! That was fast! We'll give it a try. Thank you very much!
OK, I checked with my son and here's what is up. He had already downloaded the ISO. But he didn't how to burn a DVD because (1) We have Windows computers; there's no way he could see to create files on a Windows computer that will be bootable on the Mac; (2) Our DVD-RWs are 4.7 GB, so we guess they are not big enough. We DO have bigger flash drives/USB drives but we don't know if they're usable -- again, we don't know how to create a bootable image for the Mac when all we have is Windows computers. Is what we want to do possible, and, if so, is the process to do it laid out somewhere? Thank you again.
Afraid I've never burnt a DVD or made an OSX install USB on anything but a Mac but I understand Etcher should do the trick:
Etcher Image Flasher Download (Latest Version) — Etcher
Etcher ✅ is an open source, cross-platform solution, which allows users to quickly create bootable drives. Download the latest version of Etcher today.
etcher.download
Be warned, some USB memory sticks can be temperamental!
When you've made your USB stick, put it in your Mac, power it on whilst holding down the Command + Option + O + F keys. On standard non-Apple keyboards, this is Win + Alt + O + F. Keep holding the combination until your display comes up.
Then type:
boot ud:,\\:tbxi
All being well the installer will start.
If you boot off of the 10.3.5 disk can you access the Disk Utility from the Utilities menu? If so you can copy the 10.5 image to a USB stick, boot up the iMac off the 10.3.5 Bundled disk, plug in the USB stick and burn the image from the USB stick to a DVD. From there you can throw in the DVD and install. This'll use the Mac to prep everything and may yield better results than a USB drive in a PPC machine.
This is a great idea -- I don't think it will work because our blank DVD-RW disks are only 4.7 GB and I think my kid said that the ISO file is 7.8GB or so.
A long shot, though it might work, would be to boot off the DVD, insert the USB drive, mount the 10.5 disk image from the usb drive and then run the 10.5 installer from the command line. I can't recall if they have the terminal available on the 10.3 installer disks though. That was a long time ago...
If booting from the USB drive turns out to be a no-go, I would suggest trying to use the 10.3.5 disc's Disk Utility to partition the HDD into two partitions (a small one of about 10 GB at the end of the hard drive; a big one occupying the remaining space) and then restoring the USB drive's contents onto the small partition. If that works, try to reboot holding ALT/OPTION and select the smaller partition (its name should be ‘Mac OS X Install DVD’). Then, once booted up, install Leopard onto the bigger partition.
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If you go to https://macintoshgarden.org/apps/mac-osx-mac-os-10-ppc you can download a Leopard 10.5 image that has been cut down to fit on 4.7GB DVD. You need to scroll down to download number 36.
Be aware, once burnt this disc takes 15 minutes or more to boot up so you need to be patient and make a hot drink while you are waiting. I have used this one many times with success.
Download number 37 underneath contains all the updates for 10.5 and would also be useful for you once you're up and running on Leopard.
If you have any trouble and are in the UK I can even post a DVD to you.
Cheers
Hugh
Be aware, once burnt this disc takes 15 minutes or more to boot up so you need to be patient and make a hot drink while you are waiting. I have used this one many times with success.
Download number 37 underneath contains all the updates for 10.5 and would also be useful for you once you're up and running on Leopard.
If you have any trouble and are in the UK I can even post a DVD to you.
Cheers
Hugh
Thank you, one and all! He's going to be over the moon about all this. I love the 4.7GB option for the DVD. That might be even easier for him to get his mind around.
You're a good dad.
I'm remembering all of the hours I spent with my dad working on/learning computers as a kid. I'm 29 now, and we lost him a few years ago, but I'm sitting in my office in the IT Department of my local school district making a great living because of him.
Have fun
I'm remembering all of the hours I spent with my dad working on/learning computers as a kid. I'm 29 now, and we lost him a few years ago, but I'm sitting in my office in the IT Department of my local school district making a great living because of him.
Have fun
Hard same. My dad got our first Mac (a Mac Plus with not one but TWO 20MB hard drives) in 1985 and that was what kicked me off to where I am. Been a software engineer for a decade and a half and if it weren’t for my dad introducing his kids to that magic box I’d be in a very different place. (Seriously, you could move the mouse and draw pictures on the screen! It was amazing!)
You're a good dad.
I'm remembering all of the hours I spent with my dad working on/learning computers as a kid. I'm 29 now, and we lost him a few years ago, but I'm sitting in my office in the IT Department of my local school district making a great living because of him.
Have fun
LOL!
My son has been using PowerPC since he was 5 (2008). His sister was harder to teach about computers and gravitated more towards iPhone and iPad. Both are using Windows PC now, simply because that's what the school systems use.
My son is 18 now and despite all the Macs in the house, one connected to six displays even, is unsure of just how much I know. He once came up to me with instructions on how to port-forward on my router. Uh…yeah, the same port-forwarding stuff I've been doing since before you were 1? That stuff? Just tell me which port you want open and which device.
I have a server, a G4 being used as a NAS and a real NAS and neither of my kids could find their way to connect to any of it because they have no clue - despite being told and shown.
My son is in his first year of computer engineering at ASU - but dad knows nothing.
SMH!
Glad you guys got something from your dads. My own dad was an electrical engineer who worked on the guidance (gyro) systems for Peacekeeper, Minuteman and Star Wars with TRW. In the 70s he worked for Rockwell and was part of the Space Shuttle program. He didn't hate computers, he actually brought a TRS-80 home in 1980, but they weren't his thing. All my interest and involvement was my own.
He was more into woodworking as a hobby - something he didn't pass down as I don't really care for it.