How to install SysX.5.1(PPC) on external disk using MacPro SysX.5.6(Intel)
I need to install the SysX 5.1 for a PPC Mac on an external disc to make it a start up disk but I need to use my MacPro to do the install. The MacPro gags on the PPC Sys install disk.
You cannot boot an Intel Mac from a PPC installer or vice-versa. If you wish to install Leopard on a PPC machine then boot the PPC Mac from the OS X Installer Disc One. If the PPC machine's optical drive is not usable, and you are trying to use Target Disk Mode for the installation then it will not work. The installer determines the machine type from the Mac that boots the installer program.
To install on a PPC machine either boot the PPC machine directly or connect it to another PPC Mac with a functioning optical drive. An alternative is to boot the PPC Mac from an external drive on which you have restored the Leopard installer disc (you can do that using the Restore option of Disk Utility to clone the installer disc to an external hard drive.) The external drive must be FireWire to boot a PPC Mac.
Kappy,
thank you for your response. Your second paragraph is pertinent to my problem. I have a sick G5 machine that needs a new system hard drive. My MacPro is my only working machine; so I want to install OS X 10.5.1 from the original G5 install disk to an external drive linked by firewire to my MacPro. I will then install that sys hard drive into the G5 to aid in our troubleshooting. I would like to try the Restore option of Disk Utility to clone the installer disk to the external hard drive but have never used that before. I have not found this approach in my reading on the problem and would like to try it. Any other advice is welcome.
best, nrb
Unfortunately you cannot boot your Mac Pro from a Leopard installer disc and then install Leopard on a PPC Mac. So your best option would be to put the installer onto an external hard drive volume.
If you have an external hard drive you don't mind erasing, then here's what you can do:
Extended Hard Drive Preparation
1. Open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder.
2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Click on the
Partition tab in the DU main window.
3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the
Options button, set the partition scheme to APM (for PPC Macs) then click on the
OK button. Click on the
Partition button and wait until the process has completed.
Next you will clone the installer DVD to the hard drive:
1. Select the external hard drive volume from the left side list.
2. Click on the Restore tab in the DU main window.
3. Select the external hard drive volume from the left side list and drag it to the
Destination entry field.
4. Select the Mac OS X Installer DVD volume from the left side list and drag it to the
Source entry field.
5. Double-check you got it right, then click on the Restore button.
It should take around 15-30 minutes for the cloning process to complete. Now quit DU. Eject the external drive and connect it to your G5. Restart the G5 and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager screen appears. Select the icon for the external hard drive then click on the large right arrow button. The computer should boot from the external drive directly into the OS X Installer. At this point after the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. As soon as the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu. Now you can attempt to repair the G5's internal hard drive or if necessary erase the internal drive and reinstall OS X.
I think this is what you want to do assuming the G5 does not have a functioning optical drive and you do not have access to another PPC Mac or an external FireWire optical drive. Hope this helps.
