Installing Leopard from a PowerPC mac to an Intel mac via Target Disk mode

I've just purchased Leopard, but thanks to the common and very annoying faulty MacBook Pro disk drive, I cannot even read the DVD, much less install from it. Before, the disk drive error never affected purchased DVDs, only the ability to read and burn to empty DVDs, but now, apparently, I can't even read Apples own disks.

As the new system disk is Universal, would it be possible to start the installer form the cd on my sister's PowerPC mac (12' Powerbook), and install the system on my MacBook Pro's harddrive, mounted as a firewire drive, or would the installer automatically choose the PowerPC version, since it is launched on a PowerPC computer?

And, if so, is there any way to tell the installer to install the Intel version of Leopard if I run it on a PowerPC computer?

MacBook Pro 2.16 GHz Intel Duo Core, Mac OS X (10.4.10), 2 GB of RAM, X1600 256mb, 120 GB 5400 RPM harddrive,

Posted on Oct 29, 2007 9:34 AM

17 replies

Ayjona Author

Level 1

10 points

Nov 2, 2007 3:51 PM in response to Ayjona

@Malcolm: I completely missed your reply. I managed to resolve it another way, but your reply is still correct and very helpful. I had forgotten I could put the other computer (the one on which I am not installing Leopard) into target disc mode, and boot from the DVD on my MacBook Pro. Thanks!

@Hedi: There is another way to install Leopard on your G5. If you have access to an external HD, try this:

1. Insert the Leopard install disc in the MBP
2. Use the "Restore" function in Disk Utility to restore the disk to an external harddrive, formatting the hard drive during the restore (using the Leopard install disk as the Source, and the harddrive as the Destination). Do the checksum test while you are at it, just in case.
3. Connect the harddrive to your G5, and boot the G5 from it.
4. Install directly from the harddrive.

This is how I resolved my problem, where the MacBook Pro would not mount the Leopard install disc. I mounted the Leopard disc on my sister's computer, and used the restore function to copy all the contents of the install disc to an external hd. Once I booted the MacBook Pro from the harddrive, the installation did not only succeed perfectly, it did it in far less time than it takes to install it from the DVD. Startup took me only a minute, and the actual install (Archive & Install) 18 minutes.

Michel Corbin, this should work for you as well, should you happen to have an external harddrive that you would not mind formatting.

Hedi ®

Level 1

31 points

Nov 2, 2007 7:27 PM in response to eschw95458

The drive appeared after a few minutes, it was all a question of patience. Leopard is in the Mac.

Thanks for the support!!!!

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Installing Leopard from a PowerPC mac to an Intel mac via Target Disk mode