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my mac does not boot a 10.4 cd or a 10.5 dvd if i boot to it from system preferences it comes up with a gray screen then a finder face and question mark then boots 10.4. i put in a new drive to.
Hold down the C key while starting the computer with the disc inserted.
Are these black retail version discs which will work in any supported computer, or are they gray model-specific ones that won't work in any but the original model with which they were supplied?
Your G4 may not be fast enough or have enough memory for a standard Leopard install. These issues are easy to overcome. I have Leopard on a 733 MHz G4+ which does not meet Apple's requirements - it works exceptionally well. Original Leopard install DVDs were double layer and this alone can make installation tedious on Macs without an optical drive which can read them.
Which model G4 do you have?
Below you will find my standard OS install advice.
Backup first
It is always best to have a full bootable backup before you upgrade. If you fail to do this you will be unable to return to this OS if you decide you don't like the new OS. Also there is a slight chance that an install could lose everything on the Mac. The backup must be to an external hard disk. Preferably use Carbon Copy Cloner to make a bootable backup of the whole disk.
Erase before the install
Once you have a bootable backup on an external disk it is best to erase the internal disk with the new installer DVD before you install.
During the install
Preferably do not import any data or preferences from earlier OSs during the install process as this can reintroduce bugs.
OS numbers and names
OS X 10.4.x - Tiger
OS X 10.5.x - Leopard
OS X 10.6.x - Snow Leopard
OS X 10.7.x - Lion
OS X 10.8.x - Mountain Lion
More about Macs
The Apple History site has specifications for every Mac ever produced: http://www.apple-history.com/
Upgrade to Leopard
Those wishing to upgrade to Leopard should be aware that install disks can be expensive unless you contact Apple. Details: http://lowendmac.com/deals/best-os-x-leopard-prices.html Standard Leopard installers impose several hardware limitations including speed and RAM size but all these restrictions can be overcome. Google for details. Leopard works well at 500 MHz with 1 GB of RAM and many happy users have less than this.
Upgrade beyond Leopard
OSs beyond OS X 10.5.8 require an Intel processor. If in doubt check this: Click the apple at the top left of your screen and select 'About this Mac'. This will give you your OS number. Then click 'More Info' to see which processor you have. If it says PowerPC you cannot upgrade to Snow Leopard and above. If you have an Intel Mac it is well worth upgrading to Snow Leopard now and then considering other options after that. You can buy Snow Leopard here: http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC573Z/A
Upgrade beyond Snow Leopard
Information about upgrading Snow Leopard to Lion or Mountain Lion: http://store.apple.com/us/product/MD256Z/A
Important
Check that your Mac complies with any requirements. If you are not in the US you should use the Change Country link at the bottom of Apple pages.
It is a power Mac g4 350mhz family number M5183
Runs windows xp virtually one 30gb hd and one 40gb hd
I recently put in a io magic idvd168dl
It does not boot to anything but the 30gb hd if I try a gray screen
Comes up then a blinking happy Mac to question mark
For 2min then boots to the 30gb hd.
Thanks
Your G4 is too slow to accept a standard Leopard install DVD - this can be overcome in various ways - Google for tips.
Does your G4 meet the Tiger requirements at the following link?
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1514
If it meets the requirements you could reset PRAM as the following link describes and try again:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1379
Install CDs or DVDs must either be the grey ones originally shipped with this model or be the black general purpose 'retail' versions - I don't know why they are called 'retail' as the same ones are used for wholesale customers.
It is possible your optical drive is not bootable. That isn't too unusual with third party optical drives for which the real driver support isn't there until the system is fully booted. Support is not there when you first startup and the system is not yet running. Some drives (such as Pioneer, but probably others too) do have this pre-system support and can be used as replacements for the Apple original. Check www.mac-sales.com and see which models they sell. If you just replaced the drive for the DVD support but still have the old one and it works you can put it back in for OS installation purposes. I keep my old drives for that purpose though I have been fortunate in that the ones I have put in to replace them seem bootable (the one time I needed to do that in the past 7 years).
Also note as Neville Hillyer observed that your computer is significantly below specifications for OS 10.5 The workarounds mentioned might get it on there but were really intended for people running machines that were just below the 867 MHz set by Apple, not less than half that which your Mac runs. That is just the processor speed requirements and we know nothing about your RAM.
In the past Pioneer drives have been a safe bet (e.g., from [OWC|http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Pioneer/DVR116DBK/] or [Newegg|http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827129023]). However, check [Jeff's January 2010 post about re-branded Pioneer drives|http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=10839236#10839236] that are no longer really Pioneer manufactured.
[Power Mac G4 (Digital Audio/Gigabit Ethernet): Replacing CD/DVD Drive|http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=58698] (text only)
Limnos: - You may wish to check your links.
Matt:
I have had no difficulties with my Sony DVD RW DRU-190A:
http://sony.storagesupport.com/product/259
Here are a few details about installing Leopard on unsupported Macs:
It only boots to the 30gb hd not evin the 40gb hd they both run 10.4 and I installed 10.4 with the new drive 1 month ago so it is not the drive
Funny thing after removing all my hard drives it boots to a cd but not with them in
AHA!
How many drives? Check the Jumpers on each & the cable location, Master or Single settings for the end of the cable, Slave for the middle of the cable.
Also, a bad HDD can cause this, so some may be OK.
Interesting while cleaning my Mac and changing the jumpers I'd does something difrent
I am pleased you have found the glitch.
Ok after adjusting the hd placement and jumpers it can boot to a cd but it comes up with a gray screen telling me to restart
Ps how to install Mac OS X 10.5 the open firmware method did not work
What is the 2z691-****-A number on the Install Disk, and the color of the Disc?
There are workarounds if the 867MHz CPU is the only hangup...
http://sourceforge.net/projects/leopardassist/
There are also workarounds for all the Leopard requirements including memory.
Whilst Leopard can probably be installed it is likely to be slower than Tiger on this 350 MHz Mac.
powermac g4 does not boot dvd
