This workaround can also be applied to install Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard but the caveat is that it has to be done from a system that is certified to fulfil the minimum specs required to run Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. Once that is completed, simply plant the Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger installed hard drive into the PowerMac G4 and boot it up. The powerbook suffered minor damage to the aluminium casing causing it non-economic to repair, therefore i had successfully tendered for the item. For all Macs that match a specific Mac OS 9 compatibility - courtesy of 's Ultimate Mac Sort - click the compatibility of interest (right column). For complete specs on a particular system, click on the name of the Mac (left column). So an alternative that will also work is to install Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger onto the intended hard drive for the PowerMac G4 using an external hard drive casing and another Mac. Hi there, Ive recently purchased a 2nd hand Apple Powerbook G4 A1104 and the previous user details and password are still on the system and to reset it has asked to install the Mac OS disc. The level of Mac OS 9/Classic support for each PowerPC G3, G4, and G5-based Mac is listed below. The firmware 4.2.8 can be downloaded together with the instructions from Apple’s support web page.įor most of us, we probably don’t have an OS 9 OS to do this anymore. To install Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger on a PowerMac G4 400MHz (AGP) you actually have to update the firmware on the Logicboard of the PowerMac first. Who would’ve imagined that a PowerMac G4 400MHz which was originally released on Apple’s OS 9 platform, can still until today run not only Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger but also Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard! We have on occasion tested the limits of Apple hardware and have always been amazed by its longevity. The Power Mac G4 SuperDrive Firmware Update 1.0 application installs new firmware on the SuperDrive which addresses an incompatibility with 4x DVD-R and 2x DVD-RW media, and the 2x SuperDrive in.