Q: firmware update for g4 agp 400
I am trying to update the firmware from 3.2.4f1 to 4.2.8.
The computer is running 10.4.11 ok most of the time.
I do not have OS9 or classic on the hd.
How important is the update?
Can the update be installed without OS9? I have 9.1 but it won't install on my hd.
The computer is running 10.4.11 ok most of the time.
I do not have OS9 or classic on the hd.
How important is the update?
Can the update be installed without OS9? I have 9.1 but it won't install on my hd.
G5 late 2004 Dual 2Ghz AGP, Mac OS X (10.4.11), dual monitor, 4GB RAM, two 160GB HD, DVR-117D
Posted on Jan 20, 2009 12:06 PM
by Don Archibald,Solvedanswer
Hi, Harry -
As far as installing the v. 4.2.8 firmware update, it can only be installed when the machine is booted to OS 9 on a local writeable drive. This means it can not be installed when the machine is booted to a CD or to OSX.
OS 9.1 should install on that model, provided you have a retail (white label w/ large gold 9) INstall CD.
If it is a matter of the OS 9.1 installer not being able to 'see' the internal hard drive when the machine is booted to the OS 9.1 Install CD, that is usually caused by the absence of OS 9 drivers - if the drive was last initialized using OSX's Disk Utility and the option to install OS 9 drivers was not selected, that condition will result.
Apple KBase Article #TA20774 addresses that situation, and offers one possibiity of recovering without having to re-format (hence erase) the drive - see the section in the article re Drive Setup.
Unfortunately that solution rarely works, and it then becomes necessary to reformat the drive. Since this operation will erase the drive completely, be sure to back up anything you do not want to lose before doing it. If you elect to do this and use OSX's Disk Utility to do it, be sure to selecct the option to install OS 9 drivers.
Other workarounds -
• Install a second internal drive and put OS 9.1 on it. Boot the machine to OS 9.1 on that drive, then install the firmware update. Once the firmware update has been installed, you can remove that second hard drive, or keep it in place for use as an OS 9.1 boot drive and/or for file storage, archiving, and backup.
• Get a firewire hard drive, install OS 9.1 on it, use it as the boot drive in order to install the firmware update. Your G4 (AGP) model is firewire bootable.
Comments re these workarounds -
1) OS 9 (any version) can not be used as a boot OS if the volume it is on is greater than 200GB. Partitioning a drive larger than that will work.
2) OS 9's Drive Setup utility can not initialize, format, or partition a firewire hard drive; however, OSX's Disk Utility can do all of that. If you do this, be sure to install OS 9 drivers.
3) You can select any available bootable volume, including a firewire drive or CD, via the Startup Disk control pane in OSX 's System Preferences or control panel in OS 9's Control Panel, or by using Startup Manager at the beginning of booting -
Article #HT1310 - Startup Manager: How to Select a Startup Volume
***
It is arguable whether one should fix something that does not seem broken, i.e., go to the effort to install a firmware update on a machine which is running the latest version of OSX it is rated for with no apparent problems.
It may be that there are some small anomalies in OS or program functionings for which you've developed your own workarounds, anomalies that would disappear after the firmware is updated.
It may be that a later OS update to OSX 10.4, or to a program that you have been using, will fail to take without updated firmware - there's no way to know this in advance.
Apple recommends that the update be installed - Article #HT1395 - Firmware Updates.
Whether you decide to expend the effort to install it or not, based on what you see as a need for it or lack thereof, is your choice.
As far as installing the v. 4.2.8 firmware update, it can only be installed when the machine is booted to OS 9 on a local writeable drive. This means it can not be installed when the machine is booted to a CD or to OSX.
I have 9.1 but it won't install on my hd.
OS 9.1 should install on that model, provided you have a retail (white label w/ large gold 9) INstall CD.
If it is a matter of the OS 9.1 installer not being able to 'see' the internal hard drive when the machine is booted to the OS 9.1 Install CD, that is usually caused by the absence of OS 9 drivers - if the drive was last initialized using OSX's Disk Utility and the option to install OS 9 drivers was not selected, that condition will result.
Apple KBase Article #TA20774 addresses that situation, and offers one possibiity of recovering without having to re-format (hence erase) the drive - see the section in the article re Drive Setup.
Unfortunately that solution rarely works, and it then becomes necessary to reformat the drive. Since this operation will erase the drive completely, be sure to back up anything you do not want to lose before doing it. If you elect to do this and use OSX's Disk Utility to do it, be sure to selecct the option to install OS 9 drivers.
Other workarounds -
• Install a second internal drive and put OS 9.1 on it. Boot the machine to OS 9.1 on that drive, then install the firmware update. Once the firmware update has been installed, you can remove that second hard drive, or keep it in place for use as an OS 9.1 boot drive and/or for file storage, archiving, and backup.
• Get a firewire hard drive, install OS 9.1 on it, use it as the boot drive in order to install the firmware update. Your G4 (AGP) model is firewire bootable.
Comments re these workarounds -
1) OS 9 (any version) can not be used as a boot OS if the volume it is on is greater than 200GB. Partitioning a drive larger than that will work.
2) OS 9's Drive Setup utility can not initialize, format, or partition a firewire hard drive; however, OSX's Disk Utility can do all of that. If you do this, be sure to install OS 9 drivers.
3) You can select any available bootable volume, including a firewire drive or CD, via the Startup Disk control pane in OSX 's System Preferences or control panel in OS 9's Control Panel, or by using Startup Manager at the beginning of booting -
Article #HT1310 - Startup Manager: How to Select a Startup Volume
***
It is arguable whether one should fix something that does not seem broken, i.e., go to the effort to install a firmware update on a machine which is running the latest version of OSX it is rated for with no apparent problems.
It may be that there are some small anomalies in OS or program functionings for which you've developed your own workarounds, anomalies that would disappear after the firmware is updated.
It may be that a later OS update to OSX 10.4, or to a program that you have been using, will fail to take without updated firmware - there's no way to know this in advance.
Apple recommends that the update be installed - Article #HT1395 - Firmware Updates.
Whether you decide to expend the effort to install it or not, based on what you see as a need for it or lack thereof, is your choice.
Posted on Jan 20, 2009 12:45 PM
