OS X 10.3.9 to 10.4.7 - Is it possible?

[HelixOmnimedia]

Hello
First of all, i want to apologies if this is posted in the wrong section - but i need help. and Secondly I'm new-ish to Mac and i'm needing help and some question answered.

My older brother has just came home from travelling around the world, and he's got a 15" PowerBook G4, Processor 1.67ghz Power PC, Memory 1gb ddr sdram (i have no idea what that means) and it's running on Mac OS X 10.4.7.
I've got his old 12" PowerBook G4, Processor 1ghz Power PC, Memory 256mb built in, and it's running Mac OS X 10.3.9.

I was wondering, can i use his "Mac OS X Install Disc version 10.4" to up-date my Mac operating system? As i've been playing around with his iWeb application (part of iLife - can this be installed too?) and dashboard, and i'd really like the new version.

Questions: (if it can be done - upgrading)

Is it better to install it on top of everything i've got installed on my PowerBook, or is it better to save/backup everything and install it from a clean install?

Will any of my files (mainly music in iTunes) be lost after upgrading?

What will happen if i need to give my computer i clean install? Do i insert my install disc that came with the computer? And it'll be cleaned back to 10.3 (i think?)


I have no idea who long he's staying for, there's talk that he's leaving on Wednesday - so i'm sort of needing an answer and a "how to guide - if possible" asap.

Thanks for any help

 

[trainguy77]

First off this type of thing is illegal as you don't own a license for 10.4 Here at macrumors we don't do things illegal. Secondly, yes its possible. My recommendation(when you go buy your own copy) is to do an archive install, this puts the old system into a different folder and installs the new one without touching your data. However you still should do a backup.

 

[HelixOmnimedia]

First off this type of thing is illegal as you don't own a license for 10.4 Here at macrumors we don't do things illegal.

I'm so sorry as i mention new-ish to Mac and the whole upgrading thing. Looked at the price for buying the upgrade disc for Tiger on the Apple website £89 ($129), but short on chash - being a university student.
Just been reading about the new 10.5 OS so i think i'll wait until next spring before upgrading.

Anyway Thanks trainguy77.

 

[Eraserhead]

I'm so sorry as i mention new-ish to Mac and the whole upgrading thing. Looked at the price for buying the upgrade disc for Tiger on the Apple website £89 ($129), but short on chash - being a university student.
Just been reading about the new 10.5 OS so i think i'll wait until next spring before upgrading.

Anyway Thanks trainguy77.

That may well be a good idea, though as a university student it should cost around £50 from the Higher Education Store (Leopard too when it's released), you have to call apple on 0800 0391010 or go to the HE online store (only works from a university network.).

 

[HelixOmnimedia]

as a university student it should cost around £50 from the Higher Education Store (Leopard too when it's released), you have to call apple on 0800 0391010 or go to the HE online store[/URL] (only works from a university network.).

DISCOUNT!
I can't believe i never knew about this, and i can't believe they didn't tell me about it when i phoned them at the beginning of the summer when i bought my iPod Video. I remember telling them that it was doing a college media course and working with Macs which made me decide to buy an iPod.
Oh Well, nothing i can do about that now. But thanks for the heads-up about the HE Store, spring doesn't seem that far away now.

 

[California]

Before you upgrade your powerbook, you really need to get more ram. you need to buy at least a 512mb chip; preferably a 1gb and max it out.

OS Tiger minimum os is 512mb.

I have seen Tiger discs on US craigslist for less than 50 bucks. Also a friend of mine got if off Amazon for 80USD. So look around. On the other hand, Panther isn't shabby as an OS, so you could wait for Leopard. But do the memory upgrade no matter what you do and do not pay more than 100USD for the 1gb chip. Shop around.

PS I happen to have this chip for sale for 90USD in Marketplace but I have two interested buyers.

 

[clevin]

the student discount can go as low as $60.
Tiger's official sys req is 256Mb,.

 

[AlBDamned]

Yes it's possible.

It might be possible, however, it also depends on what model his brother's PowerBook is; If it's a DDR RAM revision then it will probably work, but if it's the final revision with DDR2 RAM, there's a high possibility that the 10.4 disc supplied with it won't install on the 12" version.

And yes, it's illegal anyway.

I have seen Tiger discs on US craigslist for less than 50 bucks. Also a friend of mine got if off Amazon for 80USD. So look around.

Again, it's important to make sure the "restore" discs will work because across very different generations of machine they won't.