Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Install OS X 10.4 on iBook preparation

I have an iBook G3 (dual USB version) which is currently running OS X 10.3 (Panther), I need to upgrade it OS X 10.4 (Tiger). My iBook G3 doesn't came with a DVD drive, the OS X 10.4 is a DVD disc by default, how do I install the OS X 10.4 on my iBook?

There is a few solutions to solve the problem:

1. Use CD installer
When Apple release Tiger OS in year 2005, it came as a DVD installer by default. You can send back the DVD and exchange the CD installer for USD9.95, the service end at 19 March 2007.

2. Get external firewire DVD drive
You must get external firewire DVD drive, usb drive probably will not work, because openfirmware in Apple machine only support firewire. Even if you get external firewire DVD drive, make sure it is boot from your machine, you have to try it.

LaCie has a firewire DVD drive, and D2 DVD drive support both usb and firewire, but the usb+firewire DVD drive is bulky.

3. Target disk mode
By holding 'T' key while booting the Apple machine, will go into target disk mode. This is a great invention from Apple, the idea is turn you Apple machine into a external drive, connected to another machine as a external storage using a firewire cable.

You need another Apple machine with DVD drive. You can turn you target machine (the machine without dvd drive) as target disk mode, install from another machine with DVD drive, or you can turn the machine with DVD drive as target disk mode, so it can be access as a external DVD drive.

The detail process for target disk mode, refer to the Internet. Remember to backup your data for both machine. I will try it out with I am free.

System requirement:
G3/G4 CPU, 256MB Ram (512MB recommended), occupied 3G (with X Code need 4G) HD storage, Firewire port.
To save hard disk space, skip 1.6G printer driver.
Machine without firewire port can try this software, XPostFacto.

Note:
Mac OS X 10.4 available on PowerPC and Intel platform, it came with 2 different DVD, there is not universal installer. Only OS X 10.5 (Leopard) came with universal binary.

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