Archive & install problematic

Confused.

Would you elaborate what OS is currently on the iMac G5, confirm the the PowerBook G4 is on Tiger (10.4.11).

What are you running Mountain Lion (10.8.3) on? It won't run on any PPC Mac, nor indeed on the earlier Intel models.

In anycase, a fan working hard indicates there's some overheating going on.

Have you checked the vents for build-up of dust (top and bottom)?

Try vacuuming the slots with the crevice tool.

Ensure the Mac is switched off first!

Certainly processor- or graphic-intensive applications will produce more heat, and as I recall the G5 was not slow to wind the fans up in those situations.

However I found that they were easily clogged, especially at the exhaust ports (top), so it's definitely worth a look.

I haven't got the link to hand at the moment, but something like iStat Pro can tell you what your system component temperature are, and how fast the fans are running. (That assumes the PPC version is still available).

<Skelmersdale eh? Not too bad an area I believe. Hope you didn't get flooded last month!/>

john fuller3 wrote:

I thought of defragging it - but don't have discwarrior.

Don't bother, it's seldom necessary unless you're creating and deleting very large files frequently (like video editing or serious audio work), and simply cloning Macintosh HD to an external HD, erasing the internal and cloning back will make a better job more safely.

• First I'd like to be able to upgrade the system back to Tiger - where it was when I did this thing today.

I wonder if Apple has records of these purchases and I can download it again without having to pay all over again.

Tiger is not a download. You need a physical retail installer DVD, and they are not cheap. Apple doesn't source them anymore, so it's Amazon MP, eBay etc.

A quick look on Amazon raised just 4, including an open box. Prices from £75 to £180. (the original retail price in 2005 was £99).

Then it might all work properly.

• Otherwise, do you know how I can substitute the 'new' system for the one which I backed up?…

…Maybe I could boot with the ext HD and do some sort of transfer, or something.???

Depends how you made the backup and how the external is formatted and connected..

If you're able to boot from the backup, you can erase the internal and clone the original back to the internal. The Restore function in Disk Utility would do this.

The nitty-gritty;

To boot a PPC it needs to be a firewire drive; they won't boot from USB.

The drive needs to have been formatted as Apple Partition Map (APM) and Mac OS Extended

You boot to it by restarting and then holding down the alt key no later than the chime and holding it until the pictures of the bootable volumes appear. Choose the external and it will continue to boot from there.

Alternatively, in the current OS on the internal, select the external in System Preferences > Startup Manager, and restart.

<We're just on the edge of the flood plane and had the puddle halfway up the garden for a while/>

A simple dragged copy is unlikely to be bootable, but you'll find out when you try as it won't appear in the Startup prefs or manager if it isn't.

I can't remember if the Tiger Setup wizard allows you to import your data from another source, but that's the best way to get it over if it does, without raising permissions problems.

john fuller3 wrote:

I figured out that the backup didn't feature there.

Correct. You can confirm that by checking System Preferences > Startup Disc. If it doesn't show there, then it's not bootable.

Anyway, now I understand what has happened [it came, second hand, with OS X 10.3, but had been upgraded - without discs - to Tiger].

The only way to upgrade without a disc is the illegal way, and frequently comes with a number of "guest" programmes. Fortunately the latter would likely be Windows-only, but you could certainly expect a flakey installation.

I have a friend in Ireland who has a G5 Imac running Tiger, and should have the start-up discs... so I'll try that.

Two things here; first, unless it's a retail disc it's a breach of the licence conditions for your fof's Mac. Second, if it's not a retail disc it may well not work anyway (I won't say it absolutely won't as PPC seems a bit more tolerant there than Intel).

Thank you for your time and experience - you do seem to know your way around the Mac technology .. 🙂

I can think of a few people around here who will (justifiably) read that line with some derision!

As for time; being housebound it fills an hour or two between dealing with correspondence and trying to get around the house…

John

Snap!

It might be that they put the old discs in with the package instead of the new ones....

I would expect that. The licence condition for the original software is that the discs are passed on when ownership of the Mac is transferred.

Passing on a retail disc is OK, but only if the seller isn't using an installation from it on another Mac.

Generally speaking, the original discs from another Mac won't boot anything bar the exact same model spec, but see my comment above.

Sorry to go on about Licences, but I have to point these things out to fulfill the Ts & Cs of the forums.