Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2008 08:29:54 EST
Subject: AUGD: Flip-flopping OS'
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A MUG member wrote me:
I have an older PowerPC G4. It has a fast processor, enough RAM and hard
drive space to install Leopard.
I also know that I can start up my Mac from a Firewire connected hard drive
if it has an operating system on it. I'd hold down the OPTION key at startup
and I have a choice to select what drive/OS to start from.
I know that Leopard (Mac OS 10.5) does not support Classic (Mac OS 9) Mode.
If I have OS 10.5 on the G4's internal HD, and have OS 10.4 & 9 installed on
my external Firewire HD, can I start up from the external OS 9 or 10.4 when I
want to? then switch back (by restarting) in Leopard? Or am I locked in to
Leopard forever?
I guess their question could apply to G5's, too.
Not a bad question, I thought, unfortunately I don't know the answer. Do you?
I would put OS 10.4 and OS 9 on the PB and create and install disk on the external drive. I run OS 10.4.11 on a PBG4 and G5 and then boot into Leopard when I desire to use that OS.
Just after Leopard arrived on the scene, MacFixit published the details of installing Leopard on an external hard drive.
I followed the instructions and now boot my PBG4 1.67Hz and my G5 into Leopard from 2 separate external disk drives.
A quick look at Apple support just now came up negative. I know it can be done, but hesitate to post the copyright info from MacFixIt.
Basically, you make a disk image of the Leopard install DVD using Disk Utility, put it on a 10 GB partition of the drive, them simply boot using the disk image on the external drive as the start up disk. That will install OS 10.5.x on a 30 GB partition of drive (Remainder of the drive left for Time Machine. (This is the setup for the G5. The G4 partitions are somewhat different.)
Hope this helps somewhat.
Jerry G.
Club Mac of Monterey
Gary Kampel
PBMUG.org