OSX Tiger from Jaguar

Question

OSX Tiger from Jaguar

I have an imac G3 600Mhz (2001) that is rated for use with up to OSX 10.4.11 (Tiger) and currently runs 10.2.8 - it has the latest firmware (4.1.9) and a DVD drive and is ready. Per other posts, an upgrade from Jaguar to Tiger is possible and will work, however, I'm confused when it comes to picking an appropriate upgrade DVD in the general marketplace, as everything comes with warnings and caveats about compatibility, and pretty much no ad for upgrade DVDs references the imac G3 specifically (nor would I expect them to since G3s never came built with Tiger).

If I see an ad listing OSX 10.4.11 upgrade, can I assume it works, or are there some other parameters that I need to validate (build dates, look for something that works on a G4 etc etc etc)?

Thanks, D

P.S. I can't believe it's that complex, but it seems like it might be. Maybe it's that Apple did sell a generic, retail packaged DVD that would basically upgrade ANYTHING legitimate, but that other resellers are marketing machine-specific (non-retail) copies (kinda like there are OEM system system restore bundles for Intel machines)?

Posted on Dec 30, 2014 2:18 PM

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Answer 1

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BDAqua

Level 10

239,219 points

Dec 30, 2014 2:27 PM in response to dfromminneapolis

Hello,

Upgrade discs normally upgrade only one version, say 10.3.x to 10.4.x, usually issued to Mac buyers that bought a Mac 2 to 4 weeks before introduction of the later OSX version.

You need a Retail version, not the Gray Discs.

Tiger Requirements...

To use Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger, your Macintosh needs:

* A PowerPC G3, G4, or G5 processor

* Built-in FireWire

* At least 256 MB of RAM (I recommend 1GB minimum)

* DVD drive (DVD-ROM), Combo (CD-RW/DVD-ROM) or SuperDrive (DVD-R) for installation

* At least 3 GB of free disk space; 4 GB if you install the XCode 2 Developer Tools (I recommend 20GB minimum)

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1514

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=mac+os+x+tiger+retail+10.4

See Tom's, (Texas Mac Man), great info on where/how to find/get Tiger...

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3089008?answerId=15305521022#15305521022

Or Ali Brown's great info on where/how to find/get Tiger...

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=10381710#10381710

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Answer 2

BDAqua

Level 10

239,219 points

Dec 30, 2014 2:29 PM in response to dfromminneapolis

Maybe it's that Apple did sell a generic, retail packaged DVD that would basically upgrade ANYTHING legitimate, but that other resellers are marketing machine-specific (non-retail) copies (kinda like there are OEM system system restore bundles for Intel machines)?

Precisely. 🙂

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Answer 3

Dec 30, 2014 4:07 PM in response to BDAqua

Nice info - thanks! Yes, my imac meets the requirements. So the retail version I need isn't technically an "upgrade"but rather sold as a full install? And in that case, does it upgrade from my Jaguar to Tiger (without blitzing applications) or does it behave more like a clean install?

Thanks for the great additional info!

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Answer 4

BDAqua

Level 10

239,219 points

Dec 30, 2014 4:56 PM in response to dfromminneapolis

As I recall, Tiger/10.4, puts a Previous System Folder on your drive & moves the old System folder to it, but leaves your user folder & user Apps all there, but does replace Apple's Apps, like Safari, Mail, iCal, etc with later versions.

Be aware that many user's Apps may not run in Tiger that did in Jaguar, but 10.2/10.3/10.4 was likely a better chance than later OSXes that seem to break everything at every upgrade. 🙂

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Answer 5

BDAqua

Level 10

239,219 points

Dec 30, 2014 4:57 PM in response to BDAqua

Oh, there may be a choice for Archive & Install, that is what you want, not Erase & Install.

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Answer 6

Jan 2, 2015 3:24 PM in response to BDAqua

Thanks - I have a retail DVD of 10.4.3 on order... before I begin, just wanted to poitn out that my G3 is currently able to boot into classic mode.... when I run 10.4.3 archive and install, will the G3 retain ability to boot into classic, or does that "go away"when you mess with the OSX "side" of things?

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Answer 7

BDAqua

Level 10

239,219 points

Jan 3, 2015 7:50 AM in response to dfromminneapolis

It should still use Classic within 10.4.x

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