Upgrading PowerPC G5 10.4.11 to Leopard

Thank you! As of early last week OSX 10.4 Tiger was available, as I purchased a replacement DVD from them. I guess you could have Apple Care's phone number and a credit card handy and try a different customer service rep each day until you get one who can help. It appears that getting replacement media for the G5 is a "hit or miss" endeavor that depends solely on the mood of the person who answers the phone.

Okay, I'll eat a little crow...but just a little.

You maybe right about your situation being unique, I suppose.

I like to try and not pass on misinformation here, if I can help it or aware of it... or if sometimes I am ignorant about some info and details.

I talked with two separate Apple reps. One who was a retail software sales rep, the other I was transferred to was a technical support rep. I spent about 30 minutes talking with these reps.

Very professional and knowledgeable employees, by the way.

Both of them said that the replacement discs are Mac computer specific and that ther would be no way to obtain 10.5 Leopard replacement discs with any PowerMac G5. Tiger OS X 10.4 discs yes, but not OS X 10.5.

So, they had no explanation as to how someone would have obtained these for their G5 model.

The software sales teams are only authorized to ship replacement OS X system discs that originally were installed and shipped when the Mac model was brand new.

I needed to know this as I had 4-5 other posted threads about upgrading to OS X 10.5 Leopard and all of them reported that they couldn't get these discs any longer in any form from Apple.

Something I had been very aware of for quite awhile.

Your case seems to be an exception.

Glad you were able to obtain these, but others may not be as lucky to get these as you had.

I Wish Apple would just let people who still need OS X Tiger or Leopard still obtain these cheaply.

The rep you had must have been feeling in a charitable mood that day.

So, sorry if the way my post was worded came of as sounding really angry or irate.

It was more like slightly annoyed.

😉

MichelPM wrote:

I Wish Apple would just let people who still need OS X Tiger or Leopard still obtain these cheaply.

That's a totally different issue:

In the old days, keeping an inventory of physical media, so that minor sales of outdated system software could be maintained, is way behind us.

Apple is clearly in the business of online software distribution. Heck, with Lion and Mt. Lion, they will not even give you the option to purchase them on disc.

The incremental cost to Apple to then add outdated, legacy software to their online distribution inventory is extremely low. Yet they continue to refuse to do so, even for people who have a legitimate reason to acquire this software.

For example, the purchaser of Mac who has been running on Tiger all these years, has every reason to expect that they can update their Mac to the most modern software that would run on their Mac.

It really becomes an issue of "fair use" in the face of Apple's continued refusal to sell Leopard. If my neighbor loans me his copy of Leopard so that I can upgrade my Tiger Mac to the most modern OS available for that Mac, isn't that exactly what fair use is all about? Is Apple entitled to utilize the copyright monopoly that has been bestowed upon them to require you to purchase a completely new Mac with new software?

Fair Use is always a subjective determination, but now that Apple has the option for little, or no cost, distribution of Leopard online and it chooses NOT to do so; I think the scales have tipped in favor of legitimate Mac users obtaining Leopard from 3rd party sources with it being a fair use defense to copyright infringement.

Unauthorized copying of Leopard for use on a Hackintosh - of course, the scales would tip the other way in favor of Apple's ability to protect their interest in controling how their software works most effectively on their hardware.

At the end of the day, that is what Steve Jobs taught to the Music Industry: give people the legal right to purchase and download their music and most will turn away from piracy!

Glen Doggett wrote:

I wonder if they still have OS 9 media for running Classic under 10.4 or 10.5

Norseman2 wrote:

I don't even know what that means. (I'm a Mac newbie)

Norseman: Don't worry about it:

Software written for pre-OS X is known as Classic and PowerPC Macs running OS X through Tiger could run Classic software in a "Classic Environment" if they installed OS 9 into it.

Glen: check out this information:

http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost.php?p=14927170&postcount=28

Glen Doggett wrote:

I wonder if they still have OS 9 media for running Classic under 10.4 or 10.5

I meant to say on a G4 or G5 (mixed myself up with 10.4 and 10.5 for some reason)

(Classic support was eliminated in 10.5)

I am not sure which PPC models originally shipped with both OS 9 and OS X on the original software restore media. My FW400 G4 shipped with OS 9 and 10.2, but I wasn't sure if any G5 models came with OS 9/Classic originally.

MlchaelLAX wrote:

...check out this...

I have heard of that, but have not tried, as I still have a good OS 9 machine in my G4 MDD.

Buy it from a source such as Amazon or eBay.

(78507)

My replacement iMac systems disc are white, too!

They say on the discs, iMac system restore and AHT

I have an Intel iMac.

Yeah!

Cool!

These look like replacement OS X retail DVD rreplacements as you said!

Niiiiiice!!!!!

🙂

I just called Apple support phone # 1800-767-2775 and they said that because my G5 came with Tiger, they cannot send me Leopard replacement media.

I'm back to getting it from a guy on Craigslist.

I wonder if they still have OS 9 media for running Classic under 10.4 or 10.5

I don't even know what that means. (I'm a Mac newbie)

I use Sheep Shaver periodically with some success.