Zintain,
Exactly which model
iMac G4 is it?
What is the
Processor speed?
What size is the Hard Drive, and how much space is available?
How much
RAM is installed, and is it original or added?
Mac OS X Versions 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 10.4, and 10.5, are complete system upgrades that must be purchased.
Once an OS has been installed, the point upgrades, such as 10.1.x to 10.1.5 (Final) 10.2.x to 10.2.8 (Final), 10.3.x to 10.3.9 (Final), 10.4.x to 10.4.11 (Pending), and 10.5.x to 10.5.1 (Pending), can be downloaded for free.
Tiger is available for purchase at
The Apple Store (U.S.).
If your
Mac meets the
Leopard System Requirements, the
Full Retail Version, of the
Leopard Install DVD, can also be purchased at
The Apple Store (U.S.).
Jaguar and
Panther, are no longer available directly from the
Apple Online Store, as
Leopard 10.5.x, is the most up to date OS.
If you know what to look for,
Jaguar Full Retail CDs, a
Full Retail Version, of the
Panther Install CDs, a
Full Retail Version, of the
Tiger Install DVD, or a
Full Retail Version, of the
Leopard DVD, can be purchased,
sometimes less expensively, at some online
Apple retailers, Amazon, eBay,
FastMac,
HardCore Mac,
AllMac, etc.
This is the correct one
Mac OS X 10.4.6 Tiger, (DVD) Retail, selling for
$159.95, at
FastMac.
And at
HardCore Mac, selling for
$199.99.
Notice that both, are more expensive, than, the
The Apple Store (U.S.), selling for
$129.00.
Be sure not to purchase grey, upgrade or machine specific CDs or DVDs.
Jaguar and
Panther are only on CDs, not DVDs.
Tiger and
Leopard are on
DVD.
The discs should look
exactly like the images in the above links, and not say
Upgrade,
CPU Drop-in DVD, or
"This software is part of a hardware bundle purchase - not to be sold seperately." on them.
Additional info in these links.
Using OS X Install CDs/DVDs On Multiple Macs
What's A Computer Specific Mac OS X Release
Software Update, Upgrade: What's The Difference?
Caveat Emptor!
If any are presently available, examine these items very carefully, and if in doubt, ask questions of the seller before purchase!
Jaguar On eBay
None currently available.
Panther On eBay
Tiger On eBay
Leopard On eBay
Once
Jaguar 10.2.x is installed, you can use the
10.2.8 Combo Update, or if
Panther 10.3.x is installed, you can use the
10.3.9 Combo Update, to upgrade to the final version of either OS.
If your
Mac meets the
Tiger System Requirements, you could also consider installing that, and then use the
PPC 10.4.11 Combo Update, to upgrade to the current version.
If
Leopard 10.5.x is installed, use the
Mac OS X 10.5.2 Combo Update.
Jaguar System Requirements
-Power Mac G3 or G4, iMac, eMac, PowerBook G3 or G4, or iBook computer
-128MB of physical RAM
-Supports all video cards shipped by Apple on Mac OS X-compatible systems. Quartz Extreme functionality is supported by the following video cards: NVIDIA GeForce2 MX, GeForce3, GeForce4 MX, or GeForce4 Ti; Any AGP-based ATI RADEON card. A minimum of 16MB VRAM is required.
-QuickTime Pro functionality requires a QuickTime 6 Pro key. The QuickTime 5 Pro key will not work after this software is installed.
-DVD Player requires a DVD-ROM equipped Macintosh with built-in FireWire.
Review these
KB Articles, for the
Panther System Requirements, and the
Additional Panther System Requirements.
The posted
RAM System Requirement, for all versions of
OS X, is the
bare minimum.
For optimum performance, more is recommended.
Additionally,
Tiger 10.4.x ships on a DVD, so if your
Mac doesn’t have a built-in DVD-ROM player, you will have to use an alternative method of installation.
Info here
Installing Tiger Using Firewire Target Disk Mode.
And here
Installing Tiger Without A DVD Drive.
The
Tiger Media Exchange Program, referred to, is no longer available.
There is also a version available on
CDs, at
FastMac, for
$179.99.
Shop Carefully, Examine All Documentation, And I Wish You Success!
ali b
