A.1. Getting Ready to Install For starters, you need to make sure that you and your Mac have what it takes to handle Mac OS X ” specifically : -
A Macintosh that came with a G3, G4, or G5 processor . In other words, a Power Mac G3 (but not the old beige ones), Power Mac G4, or Power Mac G5; an iMac or eMac; a PowerBook G3 (the final model, the one with a FireWire jack) or PowerBook G4; or an iBook. (According to Apple, Macs with G3 or G4 upgrade cards don't qualify. Neither do original fruit-colored iMacs with CD trays that slide open .) You can bend the rules a little, however; see the box on the next page.
Note: Actually, G-whatever chips aren't the only acceptable ones. Tiger also runs on the 2006-and-later Macs that contain Intel processors!
-
Plenty of free hard disk space . You need 2 to 5 GB free to install the full Mac OS X 10.4 ”more if you install the Developer Tools, less if you decline to install all the optional languages and printer drivers (more on this in a moment). -
A lot of memory . Remember that when you use Mac OS X, you may sometimes have to run Mac OS 9 (in the form of the Classic simulator) simultaneously . One modern operating system takes a lot of RAM; two of them require even more. Apple recommends at least 256 MB of memory, but Mac OS X absolutely loves memory. For the greatest speed, install 512 MB, 1 gigabyte, or more if you can afford it (and these days, you probably can). -
The latest firmware . Firmware describes the low-level, underlying software instructions that control the actual circuitry of your Mac. Every now and then, Apple updates it for certain Mac models, and it's very important that your Mac has the absolute latest. If yours doesn't, a message will appear to let you know during the Tiger installation. Some Macs might just spit the Tiger DVD right out (although that could also mean that your Mac can't play DVDs, as described next). Quit the installer and grab the latest updater from www.apple.com/support/downloads. -
A copy of Tiger to install . Apple sells Tiger in several flavors. There's the regular Tiger DVD, for example, and there's the Family Pack, which authorizes you to install Tiger on up to five Macs in the same household. (Neither version is copyprotected, however.) And then there's the CD version, which you must buy for $10 if your Mac doesn't play DVDs. The order form is in the Tiger box, or you can download it from www.apple.com/macosx/upgrade.
Tip: If you run into trouble with any phase of the Mac OS X installation or upgrade, visit www.apple.com/support/tiger/install. There you'll find an elaborate installation guide that covers every conceivable troubleshooting scenario.
A.1.1. The Partitioning Question If you're one of the dwindling crowd that still has to start up in Mac OS 9 from time to time ”and if your Mac can boot up in Mac OS 9 ”you'll save yourself a lot of trouble and time if you keep Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X on two different drives . This kind of setup offers several advantages: WORKAROUND WORKSHOP
Installing Mac OS X on Forbidden Macs | | Apple says that you can't install Mac OS X except on models with G3, G4, G5, or Intel processors. The truth is a little bit more complicated: The Mac OS X installer doesn't run on any models except those, but Mac OS X itself can indeed be made to work. All you need is a patch to make the installer work, and a few pieces of software in the System folder. That's exactly the point of XPostFacto, a free program that lets Mac OS X operate on certain pre “G3 Macintosh models, including these: Macintosh 7300, 7500, 7600, 8500, 8600, 9500, 9600, and certain clones (Umax S900 and J700, and Power Computing PowerWave and PowerTower Pro). There are a few glitches along the way; for example, you can't reboot into Mac OS 9.2 (although you can use it for Classic). For rebooting purposes, pretty much the only solution is to keep a separate partition with Mac OS 9.1 on it. Even so, if your Mac has enough speed and memory, there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to enjoy Mac OS X and all the cool new programs that run only on it. Just don't call Apple asking for technical support. You can download XPostFacto (and get your questions answered ) at http://eshop.macsales.com/OSXCenter. |
-
It's much easier to switch between the two operating systems at startup time. (You may hear this feature called dual booting .) -
Troubleshooting Mac OS 9 or Mac OS X is much easier. -
You don't have to see, and try to distinguish, your Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X folders all mixed together in the single hard drive window (two Applications folders, two System folders, and so on). The easy and expensive way to achieve this happiness is, of course, to install Mac OS X on a second hard drive (like an iPod). Fortunately, there's also a free method: partitioning your Mac's main hard drive ” dividing its surface so that it shows up on your desktop with two different icons and two different names . You can keep Mac OS 9 on one, and Mac OS X on the other. (For that matter, you can keep Tiger on one, and Panther on the other.) Now you can live like a king, enjoying all the advantages of people who have two separate hard drives. Unfortunately, partitioning with Disk Utility requires first erasing the drive completely . (To do the job without erasing, you need a program like Volume Works or Disk Studio; see www.subrosa.com and www.micromat.com.) In other words, you have to make a whole-disk backup first ”and then copy everything back onto the hard drive when the process is over. Ponder this compromise, weighing it against the advantages of partitioning. A.1.2. How to Partition If you decide to partition your drive, on the other hand, here's how to do it: -
Back up everything worth preserving . Burn it onto CDs, copy it onto another Mac over the network, email it to yourself, whatever it takes ”just remember that you're about to erase the hard drive completely. -
Insert the Mac OS X DVD (or Cd, if you've ordered it). Double-click the Install Mac OS X icon. Click the Restart button. Your Mac restarts, booting up from the Mac OS X CD. After a moment, the Installer screen appears. However, you don't want to install Mac OS X just now, so don't click Continue. -
Choose Utilities Disk Utility . The Disk Utility program opens. -
Click the Partition tab. Partition your hard drive as shown in Figure 10-40 (which appears on Section 10.26.10.1) . Actually, you can create more than two partitions, if you see any value in it. -
Click Ok. In the warning box, click Partition . Now you've done it. Disk Utility erases your hard drive and divides it into the number of partitions you've specified. When the progress bar disappears, choose Disk Utility Quit Disk Utility. You arrive at the first Mac OS X installer screen; skip to step 3, below. |
