Why Leopard?
Leopard is the LAST release of Mac OS X for the iMac G4 (though technically, 10.4 Tiger was the last release for the earlier machines). It is also the last Apple operating system for the PowerPC based Mac. As such, it commands a high price to get hold of, but is definitely worth it. Leopard brought in a number of refinements, and as of 2015, is a huge step up in support compared to Tiger, making it worth the small performance hit.
Leopard runs well on all G5 macs and some G4's (those above 867MHz processor). So how can you get it to run on G4's without the 867MHZ or above processor?
Disclaimer Whilst the methods are proven to work, I cannot be held accountable for any issues regarding your Mac after the installation of Leopard.
Leopard runs well on all G5 macs and some G4's (those above 867MHz processor). So how can you get it to run on G4's without the 867MHZ or above processor?
Disclaimer Whilst the methods are proven to work, I cannot be held accountable for any issues regarding your Mac after the installation of Leopard.
Tips
- Keep it simple. Don't mess around in open firmware, just download LeopardAssist (in downloads page) which fakes the clock speed and lets leopard install. **Please note that after this app is run, you MUST boot into the install DVD, as if it is rebooted more than once, the process is undone.**
- Don't upgrade the OS. Seriously, this was my major problem. I always tried to upgrade from Tiger 10.4 to Leopard 10.5, and it would install, but on first boot, kernel panicked constantly. A fresh install will be faster, and also, works... no kernel panics, its really smooth. Just make sure all files you want to keep are on a separate drive or storage medium.
- Let it settle. When I first got to the Leopard desktop, I was horrified at the performance, and I really regretted upgrading. I started reaching for the Tiger install DVD. Then I remembered - Spotlight was using tonnes of system resources, indexing the system. Waiting for it to finish or disabling it completely (google that) will greatly increase performance, so don't go running for Tiger until you've tried Leopard for a few days.
Methods
Whilst the methods are proven to work, I cannot be held accountable for any issues with your Mac after the installation of Leopard.
Leopard Assist.
Leopard Assist is the easiest way to get Leopard onto an unsupported Macintosh. This will only work on a G4 based Mac. Essentially, the program fools the installer into thinking
Firewire Target disk mode
1) Boot the unsupported mac into target disk mode (turn on computer and immediately hold down "T" http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1661)
2) Insert Leopard Disk into supported Mac
3) Begin installer as usual
4) When selecting the hard drive to install to, select the unsupported mac's hard drive, connected by firewire. Wait for installation to finish, then shut both computers down, remove the install disk and you're done!
2) Insert Leopard Disk into supported Mac
3) Begin installer as usual
4) When selecting the hard drive to install to, select the unsupported mac's hard drive, connected by firewire. Wait for installation to finish, then shut both computers down, remove the install disk and you're done!