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bchammer

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 8, 2016
1
0
Am the new owner of an old G5 dual 2 GHz machine. This thing is awesome. Looking to get an install disk so I can install a larger HD. It's my understanding you have to use a DVD to re-install. If so, are there any special versions needed? I see prices on eBay ranging from $25 - $100. Any help is most appreciated. Thank you.
 

DeltaMac

macrumors G5
Jul 30, 2003
13,768
4,592
Delaware
Just get a commercial installer DVD. The label will be mostly black, with a big X across the label.
Any Leopard version will be fine. You might look for the newest version of the Leopard installer, which would be OS X 10.5.6. Nothing special about that either, it is just the latest version of the system installer.
After the install, you would update through the normal software update.
 

bunnspecial

macrumors G3
May 3, 2014
8,353
6,497
Kentucky
As said, any retail disk is fine Leopard was released a little over 2 years after the last PPC Macs shipped.

I have both a 10.5.0 and 10.5.6, and honestly I see little advantage to using either. Software update will still run the 10.5.8 combo update plus some other stuff with either version. Any Leopard install will require two restarts to bring it up to date(I guess that's a symptom of how much you've done it when you know that). Just buy whatever version you can get less expensively.

As an interesting side note, ALL Leopard disks(and installs) are actually universal. "Gray disks"(system restore disks) are all for Intel Macs, but will install a Leopard version that is bootable on either version. I have the gray disks for my late '07 Blackbook, and have actually used TDM to install on a PPC Mac from that disk. Unless you want to defeat the hardware checks, buying a retail disk is usually cheaper than buying a restore disk and a computer to go with it :) . As it so happened, I initially bought the Blackbook for the simple reason that I wanted one, and bought the gray disk to get all the factory software(along with the fact that my 10.5.0 disk wouldn't install on it).
 

Dronecatcher

macrumors 603
Jun 17, 2014
5,249
7,887
Lincolnshire, UK
When or if you apply the 10.5.8 Leopard update you might get a dialogue/progress bar that isn't moving and looks like it's crashed - just leave it, it will eventually complete (I've known it take 45 mins on slower machines).
Also, as soon as Leopard installs, the Spotlight search software will start indexing the drive - this will make your system appear slow - either leave it till it finishes (you can check progress by clicking on the icon top right) or immediately disable it in System Preferences.
Search the forum - there's a whole stack of speed ups, hacks and niche software that will breathe life into your G5.
 

oi!

Suspended
Jan 10, 2016
288
32
Is it just me, or would a sticky thread for G5 life breathing speed ups, hacks and niche software would be a real asset to the community?
Maybe a sub forum page full of such sticky threads as the above, how to flash Silicon Image SATA card, all the comon causes of kernel panics and how to fix them, ways to quieten MDD fans, and maybe even (my personal prayer) how to flash graphics cards or top end total grade 'A' dummies like me.
 

eyoungren

macrumors Penryn
Aug 31, 2011
29,662
28,438
Is it just me, or would a sticky thread for G5 life breathing speed ups, hacks and niche software would be a real asset to the community?
Maybe a sub forum page full of such sticky threads as the above, how to flash Silicon Image SATA card, all the comon causes of kernel panics and how to fix them, ways to quieten MDD fans, and maybe even (my personal prayer) how to flash graphics cards or top end total grade 'A' dummies like me.
You have to pick and choose your battles.

The mods here are heavily biased against making any thread sticky. And if they start allowing that in one subforum then users in other sub forums are going to demand it - which is why they don't like doing it.
 

Hack5190

macrumors 6502a
Oct 21, 2015
531
311
(UTC-05:00) Cuba
Is it just me, or would a sticky thread for G5 life breathing speed ups, hacks and niche software would be a real asset to the community?
Maybe a sub forum page full of such sticky threads as the above, how to flash Silicon Image SATA card, all the comon causes of kernel panics and how to fix them, ways to quieten MDD fans, and maybe even (my personal prayer) how to flash graphics cards or top end total grade 'A' dummies like me.

Not G5 specific, but there is the "F.A.Q. for PowerPC Macs" thread.
 
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