I have an old powerbook g4 that is on OS 10.4.11 and want to update to a newer version of OS

Question

I have an old powerbook g4 that is on OS 10.4.11 and want to update to a newer version of OS

Can I go directly to Snow Leopard from Tiger 10.4.11? I have an old powerbook g4

PowerBook, Mac OS X (10.4.11)

Posted on Oct 24, 2012 7:05 PM

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Answer 1

BDAqua

Level 10

238,991 points

Oct 24, 2012 8:59 PM in response to yummyfujiapples

Hello, sorry to report, no G4 or even G5 can go to 10.6 Snow Leopard, 10.5.8 is the highest it'll evr go...

Leopard requirements/10.5.x...

* Mac computer with an Intel, PowerPC G5, or PowerPC G4 (867MHz or faster) processor

minimum system requirements

* 512MB of memory (I say 1.5GB for PPC at least, 2-3GB minimum for IntelMacs)

* DVD drive for installation

* 9GB of available disk space (I say 30GB at least)

Classic/OS9 Apps no longer supported.

Trouble is Apple no longer sells it, check eBay & such for the Retail version, not the Gray Discs...

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=mac+os+x+leopard+retail+10.5

Snow Leopard/10.6.x Requirements...

General requirements

* Mac computer with an Intel processor

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Answer 2

Oct 25, 2012 2:22 PM in response to BDAqua

Hi BDAqua,

Thanks for the reply. Do you know what the highest OS it could go to, and without having to load multiple OS's to get to that latest OS that would work on the G4? Or maybe, I just need to bite the bullet and get a new Macbook Pro??

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Answer 3

BDAqua

Level 10

238,991 points

Oct 25, 2012 6:21 PM in response to yummyfujiapples

10.5.8 is the highest it can go.

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Answer 4

Oct 26, 2012 3:55 PM in response to yummyfujiapples

Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard installation system requirements

http://support.apple.com/kb/TA24950

Look on eBay or Google the installer part numbers to possibly find at an on-line store. Here's what to look for:

MB427Z/A Leopard 10.5.1 install DVD

MB576Z/A Leopard 10.5.4 install DVD

MB021Z/A Leopard 10.5.6 install DVD (single user)

MB022Z/A Leopard 10.5.6 install DVD (5-user family pack)

Installing Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1544

Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard Installation and Setup Guide

http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/leopard_install-setup.pdf

After you install the base 10.5, download & install the 10.5.8 combo update at http://support.apple.com/downloads/Mac_OS_X_10_5_8_Combo_Update

The DVD should look like this

Caution - Leopard does not support classic mode. So, if you currently open OS 9 apps in classic mode, you won't be able to do this if you upgrade to Leopard.

 Cheers, Tom 😉

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Answer 5

Nov 1, 2012 2:05 PM in response to Texas Mac Man

Thanks Tom. I was able to find copies out there for Leopard. I'm thinking it might be time to just upgrade to a MacBook Pro with the Retina display. A lot more expensive, but I'll be able to stay more current with that new laptop.

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Answer 6

JSB9

Level 1

8 points

Feb 2, 2013 9:29 AM in response to Texas Mac Man

Hi all,

I'm in a similar situation and looking to purchase an install dvd for leopard 10.5.1. Anyone know if model number MB432ZM/A will also work, or is this some kind of cpu drop, computer specific, or intel only version? I'm suspicious because I found it very cheap but everything on ebay is$50+. Thanks!

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Answer 7

edex67

Level 4

3,255 points

Feb 2, 2013 10:50 AM in response to JSB9

MB432ZM/A is technically the "upgrade" edition, much like the SL disc is an "upgrade" edition. However, much like Microsoft's upgrade discs, they work to install the OS from scratch. As long as it looks like the disc in Texas Mac Man's earlier post it should work.

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