New to this machine. How to install Leopard?

[StupidCitrus]

I have just acquired a Dual 2GHz PowerMac G5. I am trying to install Leopard. It seems it's too big to fit on a DVD, so I'm trying to get it to USB boot. This is a confusing process. I seem to be the only person who it hasn't worked for. I do not have any FireWire equipment.


I may be burning the Leopard image wrong. I have been writing the DMG to the flash drive via the restore command on my MacBook running macOS Sequoia.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[eyoungren]

Go here: https://macintoshgarden.org/apps/mac-osx-mac-os-10-ppc

Download #39 is a single DVD Leopard install (normally, they are dual layered to account for around the 6GB of the installer). Try burning that to a disc.

Can't really help in regard to the USB install.

PS. Macintosh Garden is a known and legitimate source of apps and information.

PPS. Don't be thrown off by the first image you see on the page. As you scroll down you'll see that the downloads progressively increase to Leopard installs.

 

[Doq]

In regards to USB booting, you need to make sure the drive's partition table is Apple Partition Map. Sequoia's Disk Utility will still let you format a disk APM, do this before restoring the installer DMG.

 

[barracuda156]

In regards to USB booting, you need to make sure the drive's partition table is Apple Partition Map. Sequoia's Disk Utility will still let you format a disk APM, do this before restoring the installer DMG.

If it is late 2005 DC, it should boot from GUID too. But anyway, APM is a safer bet.

P. S. To the topic starter: it is really a good idea to spend 20 bucks for some FW drive, that saves from unnecessary pain afterwards.

 

[Doq]

If it is late 2005 DC, it should boot from GUID too. But anyway, APM is a safer bet.

I considered mentioning this, but with GUID boot support as spotty as it is it might be confusing for a new user, so I omitted it. This is true, though.

 

[StupidCitrus]

Go here: https://macintoshgarden.org/apps/mac-osx-mac-os-10-ppc

Download #39 is a single DVD Leopard install (normally, they are dual layered to account for around the 6GB of the installer). Try burning that to a disc.

Can't really help in regard to the USB install.

PS. Macintosh Garden is a known and legitimate source of apps and information.

PPS. Don't be thrown off by the first image you see on the page. As you scroll down you'll see that the downloads progressively increase to Leopard installs.

Thank you. Would you happen to know what they trimmed off the install to get it to fit onto a single layer DVD?

In regards to USB booting, you need to make sure the drive's partition table is Apple Partition Map. Sequoia's Disk Utility will still let you format a disk APM, do this before restoring the installer DMG.

I see. I am not a Mac expert. The drive hosted a Windows installer before that was burned by Rufus. I’ll try this.

 

[StupidCitrus]

I considered mentioning this, but with GUID boot support as spotty as it is it might be confusing for a new user, so I omitted it. This is true, though.

I posted my reply and refreshed, so I’ll have to double post to mention it is not a dual core 2005 model.

 

[eyoungren]

Thank you. Would you happen to know what they trimmed off the install to get it to fit onto a single layer DVD?

Well, farther down that page it says this…

Mac OS X 10.5 Single Layer DVD - (Download #39)
Basic OS install, no extras included as to fit on one DVD.

 

[Dronecatcher]

Thank you. Would you happen to know what they trimmed off the install to get it to fit onto a single layer DVD?

Nothing essential for the average user - development tools which are removed can always be downloaded later.

The biggest chunk of extra fat trimmed off is printer drivers.

 

[StupidCitrus]

So I could go the easy way and use the slimmed down Leopard image, but I'm still trying to figure out why the USB booting in OpenFirmware is not working. Let me just say I am a light Linux user, very used to Windows, and am not well versed in Mac/Unix things.

So I locate the USB storage device in OpenFirmware. Everyone else online has theirs at usb0/disk@1 but mine is usb2/disk@2. OF can see that it's there and I found it in devalias, but it cannot read anything off of it.

When I run dir usb0/disk@2:3,\System\Library\CoreServices or anything on disk@2, I am told can’t OPEN the DIR device. You can tell it's at least trying to do something, because it actually waits a little while before reporting back it can't be opened. I have tried changing the disk@2:# number. The Leopard image was created with the APM partition table and the HFS+ filesystem. Right now I am trying a different Leopard image.

 

[StupidCitrus]

I gave up on the USB install and flashed the Leopard DMG to a SATA hard drive, connected it to the machine and I am now in the installer. Unfortunately, the WD Blue SSD I installed is not showing up in the setup.

The previous owner left an old hard drive in there with his old Leopard installation. The SSD showed up and worked in this Leopard installation, but for some reason, the installer will not see it. I even tried formatting the SSD in Leopard to no avail.

Edit : Nevermind! One restart and the installer started seeing the SSD. In the previous boot, I opened the multi-boot menu. I wonder if something fishy is going on with that SSD and OpenFirmware.