imac G5 with no OS -- please help Dad and Son

[DadAnd12-Year-OldSon]

I've run into the issue of "invalid source argument" before, in Disk Utility for restoring. I can't remember offhand which way it was that actually fixed the issue for me, but I believe if you click on the source (the dmg/iso image) and then drag the source to the source box, and the destination to the destination box, it will work. If that doesn't work, try the opposite, and first click on the destination and drag it to the destination, and then drag the source to the source box.

Here's a video I just found explaining it a bit clearer:

Thank you very much! I chatted with him about this just now -- I'm in the middle of work, so I might not have clarified it all, but he wondered if this was in Monterey or not. Apparently he's not really able to do much with Disk Utility in Monterey yet, for some reason -- with this kind of thing. It may have changed from Big Sur, etc.?

 

[DadAnd12-Year-OldSon]

As pointed out, if they are grey discs they are keyed to the specific machine they were originally shipped with. You'd either have to modify the installer and burn a new disc (at this point, you may as well get a retail disc image and burn that to circumvent the hassle) or spoof the iMac's model ID in OpenFirmware to match the ID the grey disc expects, which just complicates things. If you want to spend money on a Mac OS X DVD, get a retail 10.4 or 10.5 one. That is sure to work on the iMac without any hassle (assuming its DVD drive functions).


The last version of YDL available for PPC Macs is 6.2, released in 2009. That's pretty ancient. I'd rather go with a more recent distro; maybe @wicknix excellent "remixes" of Lubuntu 12.04 or 16.04 which have been upgraded with newer software.

Thank you! Are you saying that these versions of Linux should work without issue? That would be cool!

 

[Slix]

Thank you very much! I chatted with him about this just now -- I'm in the middle of work, so I might not have clarified it all, but he wondered if this was in Monterey or not. Apparently he's not really able to do much with Disk Utility in Monterey yet, for some reason -- with this kind of thing. It may have changed from Big Sur, etc.?

This example was using an older version of Disk Utility, but I experienced this "bug" on Mac OS X 10.4 and 10.5 and 10.10 I believe in the past. The basic method of doing a disk image restore is the same across newer versions of Disk Utility, except now there's a "Restore" button at the top of the app, which should make the process a little more streamlined.

 

[m1maverick]

Buy this:

Apple Macintosh OS X 10.5 Leopard - Disc Only​

You may want to verify with the seller this is the full version and not the upgrade.

MODS: Not my auction.

 

[originaldotexe]

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.

lol your son is about as old as i am then. ill be 19 in february

 

[DadAnd12-Year-OldSon]

I've run into the issue of "invalid source argument" before, in Disk Utility for restoring. I can't remember offhand which way it was that actually fixed the issue for me, but I believe if you click on the source (the dmg/iso image) and then drag the source to the source box, and the destination to the destination box, it will work. If that doesn't work, try the opposite, and first click on the destination and drag it to the destination, and then drag the source to the source box.

Here's a video I just found explaining it a bit clearer:

Hi, He likes that video. However, he says, the Disk Utility in Monterey is quite different, so this method unfortunately won't work with what he has. It was a good try!

 

[DadAnd12-Year-OldSon]

Hi All -- I'm curious whether you think my son's assessment of a related situation is correct. Here's what a neighbor just asked him:

"I have a large screen mac desktop that is probably 10-15 years old. I’ve been convinced I can use the screen for a second monitor with my MacBook Pro, so it sits in the corner…if the curiosity hits him, could he help me set that up? There’s an OS of some sort in it that maybe he could use with his iMac G5?"

My son responded, just to me:

--He'd feel responsible if he began to 'play around with' an expensive MacBook.

--To use that old Mac as a monitor, he thinks she would probably have to 'empty it out' ('gutting the old Mac', in his lingo). Then, he thinks, she would probably have to connect an internal 'circuit board' -- so it can act as a monitor -- and he's not sure they make those for the old iMacs (she thinks it's an iMac, not a Power Mac). He also says that he thinks it would cost less than $200 to get a decent monitor, which would accomplish what she wants, and would be significantly easier to deal with/set up

Do you agree, or have other ideas? I guess trying to make use of her old iMac/Power Mac's OS would indeed be iffy.

Thank you all yet again! We're still pondering the dual layer DVD suggestion that you've made. We know that's a decent option, maybe his best one.

 

[DadAnd12-Year-OldSon]

Buy this:

Apple Macintosh OS X 10.5 Leopard - Disc Only​

You may want to verify with the seller this is the full version and not the upgrade.

MODS: Not my auction.

Thanks!

 

[Slix]

Hi All -- I'm curious whether you think my son's assessment of a related situation is correct. Here's what a neighbor just asked him:

"I have a large screen mac desktop that is probably 10-15 years old. I’ve been convinced I can use the screen for a second monitor with my MacBook Pro, so it sits in the corner…if the curiosity hits him, could he help me set that up? There’s an OS of some sort in it that maybe he could use with his iMac G5?"

My son responded, just to me:

--He'd feel responsible if he began to 'play around with' an expensive MacBook.

--To use that old Mac as a monitor, he thinks she would probably have to 'empty it out' ('gutting the old Mac', in his lingo). Then, he thinks, she would probably have to connect an internal 'circuit board' -- so it can act as a monitor -- and he's not sure they make those for the old iMacs (she thinks it's an iMac, not a Power Mac). He also says that he thinks it would cost less than $200 to get a decent monitor, which would accomplish what she wants, and would be significantly easier to deal with/set up

Do you agree, or have other ideas? I guess trying to make use of her old iMac/Power Mac's OS would indeed be iffy.

Thank you all yet again! We're still pondering the dual layer DVD suggestion that you've made. We know that's a decent option, maybe his best one.

Target Display Mode would allow this, assuming that model of iMac supports it. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204592

It's probably not worth gutting it when you could find a cheap display somewhere (like a thrift store) that would be just about as good (and more versatile). I also agree with him: it might not even be possible without a lot of soldering and other intricate work.

Hi, He likes that video. However, he says, the Disk Utility in Monterey is quite different, so this method unfortunately won't work with what he has. It was a good try!

Ah, that's a bummer. Is it possible to get the dmg to the iMac and burn it that way?

 

[originaldotexe]

Hi, He likes that video. However, he says, the Disk Utility in Monterey is quite different, so this method unfortunately won't work with what he has. It was a good try!

so you pretty much just need to mount the dmg first (double click it in finder) and then instead of using the dmg itself as the source in disk utility, you need to use the partition on the dmg thats mounted in the left side instead.

 

[DadAnd12-Year-OldSon]

Target Display Mode would allow this, assuming that model of iMac supports it. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204592

It's probably not worth gutting it when you could find a cheap display somewhere (like a thrift store) that would be just about as good (and more versatile). I also agree with him: it might not even be possible without a lot of soldering and other intricate work.


Ah, that's a bummer. Is it possible to get the dmg to the iMac and burn it that way?

I will check!

 

[rgwoehr]

If he's still stuck on getting Disk Utility in Monterey to restore the image to the USB drive, he could try using SuperDuper to clone the disk image to the USB drive. Just mount the disk image and it'll show as a source in SuperDuper. Also I think the flash drive will need to be formatted as Mac OS Extended before SuperDuper will see it as a destination, but I'm not 100% sure about that.

I haven't had any luck using the restore function of Disk Utility in probably the last 3 or 4 versions of macOS.

 

[Amethyst1]

Also I think the flash drive will need to be formatted as Mac OS Extended before SuperDuper will see it as a destination,

It also has to have the Apple Partition Map (APM) scheme for PPC Macs to be able to boot from it. If that causes SuperDuper! (on the Intel M1 Mac) to complain about non-bootability, ignore the warning.

 

[DadAnd12-Year-OldSon]

Thanks to you both! I will tell him!

 

[DadAnd12-Year-OldSon]

Hi All -- Want to give you a happy ending! Son made a USB with another free iMac that he rec'd, a 2011 Intel. And he was able to get 10.5.8 installed on the iMac G5 (2004-2006). Computer is working now! Thank you so much for all of your help and suggestions. We both really appreciate it. If we have other interesting issues with old Macs, we might just give y'all another jingle.

Also....a neighbor gave him two iMacs, one of which he used to make the bootable USB drive. They are the 2011 Intel Core i5 21.5" model. He's got two of them now! And he'll put in SSDs, upgrade RAM, do thermal paste, all that good stuff. And he has the Mac Mini M1 which is amazing. And he also acquired a cheap used Macbook Pro unibody from 2008. We've got a bushel of Apples in his room. 🙂

Thank y'all again! Ciao for now!!!

 

[TheShortTimer]

Congratulations! 🙂

 

[eyoungren]

Also....a neighbor gave him two iMacs, one of which he used to make the bootable USB drive. They are the 2011 Intel Core i5 21.5" model. He's got two of them now! And he'll put in SSDs, upgrade RAM, do thermal paste, all that good stuff. And he has the Mac Mini M1 which is amazing. And he also acquired a cheap used Macbook Pro unibody from 2008. We've got a bushel of Apples in his room. 🙂

It would seem that you and your son are the people to know in order to get free slightly older Intel Macs. Most of us have received a free 2006 to 2009 model here and there but 2011? M1? Nice. 😀

Congratulations on finally getting things running.

 

[Amethyst1]

Most of us have received a free 2006 to 2009 model here and there but 2011? M1?

Strictly speaking, the M1 wasn't free though 😉