Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Compatibility issue. Will Leopard on external hd run on an Intel Mac Pro?

J

jonnya

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 7, 2020
8
2
Hello all,

I had a Mac Pro tower 2.0ghz G5 circa 2005/2007 model. The machine failed but I took out the internal hard drive. I believe the os was leopard, but cant be sure (its been a 4 years). I want to retrieve the data (itunes library) on it using it as an external Hd on a newer machine.

Somebody mentioned to me it needed to be a G5 processor to read the data Is this correct? Can I use a Mac Pro laptop with intel? Prob around 2010/13 model. Will it be possible to read the data from the desktop hd on a later laptop model or are there compatibility issues between certain osx's and the newer intel processors?

Lastly...I am open to recommendations of apple laptop models to buy for around £150/to £200..either a Mac pro or the minimum laptop required to get the data off the external Hd and use photoshop app on an ongoing basis with an external monitor.

All replies really welcome,
Cheers,
Jonathan.
 
My first Mac (2008 White plastic MacBook) came pre-installed with Leopard 10.5.X. That was an Intel MacBook. You should be able to read the data from the G5 with a current Mac as long as the hard drive was formatted to HFS, which it should have been. You should not need Leopard.
 
Thanks for that. I did read on osx history on wikipedia that intel chips would not run a direct install of leopard...hence my concern that it may not be able to read a leopard installed hd. So any current mac can read the data I have from an internal hard drive (hfs). Does it have to be G5 chip? Didnt they cease to be produced?
 
The filesystem is supported by newer versions of Mac OS, so you can read the data on any OS X system. Leopard can run on G4, G5, and Intel processors. You can boot it as long as you are using a computer that came with a version of OS X older than 10.6.
 
Put the drive into an USB3 (or USB2) enclosure.
Connect it to the new Mac.
You could also use a USB3/SATA dongle adapter that offers a power connection for 3.5" drives.

Be aware that iTunes is discontinued with Catalina.
I believe the new Apple music app is called [simply] "Music".
I DON'T know if it will import an older iTunes library.
But give it a try anyway.
If not, there may be other ways to "get at" the files.

IF the song files exist as physical files from your old iTunes library, it may be possible to extract them "as files" and then just "drop them" into the new library to see if they'll be recognized that way. I don't use any Apple-encoded files (I'm mp3 or AIFF ONLY here), so I don't know the ins-and-outs of working with Apple-encoded music.

Finally, if you get a new Mac with Catalina, be aware that it's still possible to install and run iTunes, but it requires "a hack" (but a good one).
You need to download something called "Retroactive", which will make it possible to install and run iTunes under Catalina.
 
Thank you all for your input. Spot on information Just what I needed. Thank you for talking your time.
 
I have attempted to attach the internal 3.5 hd to a sata interface to a laptop (apple) but the drive does not power up. Or appear to work (no lights evident on the sata connector) or sound from drive powering up.Does the 3.5 inch internal hd need a separate power source?
 
jonnya said:
I have attempted to attach the internal 3.5 hd to a sata interface to a laptop (apple) but the drive does not power up. Or appear to work (no lights evident on the sata connector) or sound from drive powering up.Does the 3.5 inch internal hd need a separate power source?
Click to expand...
What are you using to connect it to the laptop?
 
its a 2.5 sata /ide to usb enclosure.
[automerge]1589489414[/automerge]
I can fit the 3.5 drive into it if I take the board out of the enclosure
 
RogerWilco6502 said:
Ok, can you send a picture of how you have it set up?
Click to expand...

Sorry for delayed reply...gmt Scotland. The main usb connection was connected directly to mac pro laptop...my friend suggested plugging in (to usb port) lighter usb cable to power the hd..it did not work....
 

Attachments

  • DSCF6170.JPG
    DSCF6170.JPG
    299.3 KB · Views: 85
  • DSCF6172.JPG
    DSCF6172.JPG
    221.1 KB · Views: 120
  • Like
Reactions: RogerWilco6502
While 2.5 inch drives can get power from USB alone I’ve never known a 3.5 inch drive that didn’t need a dedicated power source. You’re drive isn’t getting power from this setup. You need to put it in an enclosure designed for 3.5 inch drives or something like this:

www.amazon.com

AGPTEK® SATA/PATA/IDE Drive to USB 2.0 Adapter Converter Cable for Hard Drive Disk HDD 2.5" 3.5", Compatible with USB 1.1/2.0/3.0, with External AC Power Adapter Included

This USB 2.0 to IDE / SATA drive adapter implements a bridge between a USB port and one SATA, ATA or ATAPI based mass storage device port.
www.amazon.com
 
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
  • Like
Reactions: bhodinut and RogerWilco6502
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back