Sep 26, 2016 A while back I tried this guide on my iBook G4 to try to get it to boot into OS 9, but it didn't work because the iBook was newer than the one in the guide. But my PowerMac G5 is from about the same time, maybe older. Would it be possible to install OS 9 on the G5 using this method? Oct 06, 2016 Dec 1, 2016. Voted for Mac OS, because as of now I haven't tried any alternative operating systems on PowerPC Macs. After getting through the hassle of trying Linux on my 2006 iMac, I'd like to make Tiger and Leopard as usable as possible. But a Linux installation is still in the long-term plan for my G5 Quad. 비즈니스 기술, IT 뉴스, 제품 리뷰 및 엔터프라이즈 IT 전략. G5 Entertainment – The Developer and Publisher of Casual and Free-to-Play games for iPhone, iPad, Android, Google Play, Kindle Fire, Windows and Mac.
Long ago, Mac fans and Commodore Amiga fans fought like mortal blood enemies. But we now live in a far more civilized age—one where Macs and Amigas can walk together, hand-in-hand, along the sandy shores of computerburg.
For that we can thank MorphOS 3.5, a free-to-try Amigalike operating system developed by Amiga and PowerPC aficionados. With a simple download and a CD-burn, you can turn an aging G4-era Macintosh into a modern day Amiga-compatible machine.
“Sacrilege,” you say. “Why would I want to do that?” For the same reason you might build a life-sized replica of Iron Man in your basement. It’s a hobby; a fun diversion—for most, anyway. Some people do use MorphOS as their daily computing workhorse. In this big world of ours (mostly Europe), there still exist pockets of die-hard Amiga users. For them, MorphOS is a boon because it extends the OS platform with which they’re most comfortable (AmigaOS) into a new generation of relatively modern, low-cost, and high-powered machines (PowerPC Macs).
And unlike some cottage OSes, MorphOS brings with it a large library of very usable software, much like a modern Linux distribution. Not only does it run MorphOS native programs, but also a large selection of programs written for AmigaOS.
So here, without further ado, is how you can join the “Amigalike” renaissance—or just play around with a different OS for a few hours.
Step 1: Check hardware compatibility
Before any Amigalike magic begins, you need to make sure MorphOS 3.5 will work on your system. Fortunately, MorphOS runs on a nice variety of Apple-brand machines from the early 2000s.
Here’s a list of compatible machines, which I scraped from the official MorphOS Hardware Compatibility Page.
- Apple Mac mini G4
- Apple eMac (1.25GHz and 1.42GHz models only)
- Apple iBook G4
- Apple PowerBook G4 (models with a Radeon graphics only)
- Apple PowerMac Cube (bundled USB audio hardware not supported)
- Apple PowerMac G4 (nVidia GeForce2 MX and nVidia GeForce4 MX/Titanium cards are not supported, audio supported only with certain models)
- Apple PowerMac G5 (only a couple models are supported, and MorphOS will only use up to 1GB of RAM, no matter what)
If you’re like me, you probably have some spare Mac hardware like this floating around somewhere (in my case, I just decommissioned a Mac mini G4 that ran as a backup server for almost a decade).
Everything I’ve read suggests that installing MorphOS on a G4 Mac mini is the easiest route. It makes installing MorphOS relatively painless (if you call overwriting a perfectly good Mac OS X partition painless, that is). It’s worth mentioning that MorphOS also runs on certain exotic non-Mac hardware like the Genesi Efika.
Step 2: Download MorphOS ISO and burn it to CD
After you’ve selected your target machine, it’s time to download the software. Mosey on over to http://www.morphos-team.net/downloads and grab the ISO file made for Macs.
To go any further, you’re going to need a computer with a CD/DVD burner for this step. You’ll also need a program that burns ISO files to CD-Rs (I recommend ImgBurn for Windows and Disk Utility for OS X).
After you download the software, burn the MorphOS 3.5 ISO to a CD-R.
Step 3: Boot your Mac from the CD
This step is easy. Gently place the CD you just burned into your Mac’s CD/DVD drive (gently!), power up the machine, and just after you hear the chime, hold down the C key on the keyboard. That tells the Mac to boot from the disc in the CD/DVD drive.
After a few moments of furious churning noises from your CD-ROM drive, you’ll see a black splash screen with a blue butterfly logo in the center. If you see blue butterflies before that, it’s time to cut back on the LSD.
After further loading from CD, the MorphOS desktop will appear. A window titled Welcome to MorphOS in the center that shows various 3D-rendered vehicles will greet you, and you will be pleased.
Step 4: Tiptoe through the waters of MorphOS on CD
At this point, you have the option of playing around with MorphOS for a while without obliterating your Mac’s existing OS X installation. Think of it as a test drive.
To run some MorphOS applications, click on the Explore CD button in the welcome window. You will find most of the included applications tucked away in the appropriately named Applications folder. Some are also in the Utilities, Tools, and Games folders.
If you’re looking for a Web browser, it’s called OWB (short for Origyn Web Browser), and it’s in a folder called OWB within the Applications folder. Type in macworld.com and read this article. Congratulations; you’re now stuck in an infinite loop. To break free, read the next step.
Step 5: Install MorphOS
Before we go any further, a warning: any MorphOS installation will destroy whatever is currently on your target Mac’s hard drive. Proceed with caution.
It is possible to dual-boot MorphOS and OS X (which would still destroy your OS X partition), but that would be silly.
If you’re ready to take the plunge and do a full MorphOS install, click on the Installation button in the aforementioned Welcome to MorphOS window. A new window will pop up that leads you through the install process.
For me, the installation itself was quick and trouble-free. MorphOS asks you to set a few keyboard, mouse, time, and network preferences, and then it politely asks you to wipe out (partition) your hard drive. I recommend the automatic partition option for simplicity’s sake.
After that, the system will set up custom partitions and install the files from the CD. You can then reboot into full MorphOS glory. Amazingly, the boot process only takes a couple seconds on a Mac Mini; it’s a lean operating system.
Step 6: Use and enjoy—with a catch
After noodling around with MorphOS for about 30 minutes, you will notice a pop-up window that asks you to register, and then the system will become unbearably slow. This is where MorphOS reminds you that it is not free software.
Obviously, the architects of MorphOS would like you to purchase a license, which currently costs €79 for the Mac mini. (As of this writing, about 2300 people have done so. Seriously.) You can get around the limit by rebooting as many times as you want.
For most tinkerers, I suspect the 30-minute limit will be enough time to fool around with MorphOS. Those serious about the system can buy a license and go further.
To extend your MorphOS installation, you can download thousands of MorphOS native applications from various sites around the ‘Net. I recommend archives hosted by the Czech PowerPC User Group and the MorphOS Software Repository. You can also download and run many modern Amiga programs (written for AmigaOS 4.0 and above) from Aminet.
Plenty of support for MorphOS can also be found at the World Association of MorphOS Users website. But try as you might, nothing will ever redeem your soul for erasing a perfectly good Mac OS X installation—or so they tell me on the Macworld forums.
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- Related:
Less than a year after unveiling the original Power Mac G5, Apple released a new line of G5 models, each with dual processors and an 8x SuperDrive. As before, the entry level model uses 64-bit PCI slots and only supports up to 4 GB of RAM vs. PCI-X slots and an 8 GB RAM ceiling in the faster G5s.
The motherboard architecture uses HyperTransport technology. System memory is so fast (400 MHz RAM on a 900 MHz to 1.25 GHz bus) that Apple doesn’t bother with a level 3 cache.
A headphone jack, a USB 2.0 port, and a FireWire 400 port are located on the front of the G5 for easy access.
The G5 uses an aluminum enclosure that’s vented in the front and back. The case includes four thermal zones and nine fans to handle cooling, each independently controlled for speed. The 2.5 GHz model incorporates a liquid cooling system to keep the CPU from overheating.
Note that the 1.8 GHz model is one of Apple’s entry-level G5s, which means it uses 33 MHz PCI expansion slots instead of 133 MHz PCI-X andhas 4 memory slots instead of 8.
Power Mac G5 Reliability
Reliability ratings are based on statistics compiled by MacInTouch in June 2006, at which time the dual-core Power Mac G5 models had only been on the market for 8 months. Letter grades are based on failure rate: A = 0-6%, B = 7-12%, C = 13-18%, D = 19-24%, and F = 25% or higher. We also note the two components that failed most often.
- G5/1.8 dual (June 2004), D+ (19%, logicboard, optical drive)
- G5/2.0 dual (June 2004), C- (17%, logicboard, hard or optical drive)
- G5/2.5 dual (June 2004), F (26%, logicboard, hard drive)
In each generation, except for the final dual-core one, the fastest model is the least reliable, while the second-fastest is the most reliable. Logicboards are the most expensive component to repair, followed by the power supply. Hard drives, optical drives, video cards, and RAM can be replaced inexpensively using third-party components.
- Got a G3, G4, or G5 Power Mac? Join G-List.
- Our Mac OS 9 Group is for those using Mac OS 9, either natively or in Classic Mode.
- Our Early OS X Forum is for those using Mac OS X 10.0 through 10.3.
- Our Panther Group is for those using Mac OS X 10.3.
- Our Tiger Group and Tiger Forum are for those using Mac OS X 10.4.
- Our Leopard Forum is for those using Mac OS X 10.5.
- Our Leopard Group is for those using Mac OS X 10.5 and 10.6.
Details
- introduced 2004.06.09 with 1.8 GHz 256 MB/80 GB at $1,999, 2.0 GHz 512 MB/160 GB at $2,499, and 2.5 GHz 512 MB/160 GB at $2,999; shipped in August; 1.8 GHz single model added 2004.10.19; replaced by 2005 Power Mac G5 on 2005.04.27
- Support Mac OS Versions
- CPU: 1.8/2.0/2.5 GHz PowerPC 970
- Bus: 900 MHz/1.0 GHz/1.25 GHz (half CPU speed)
- Performance:
- Geekbench 2 (Leopard): 2083 (2.5 GHz), 1704 (2.0 GHz), 1553 (1.8 GHz)
- Geekbench 2 (Tiger): 2105 (2.5 GHz), 1688 (2.0 GHz), 1582 (1.8 GHz)
- L2 cache: 512 KB on-chip L2 cache
- L3 cache: none
- RAM, 1.8 GHz: 256 MB, expandable to 4 GB or 8 GB using pairs of 400 MHz PC3200 DDR RAM (4 RAM slots in 1.8 GHz model, 8 in faster ones)
- Video: AGP 8x
- 1.8/2.0 GHz: Nvidia GeForce FX5200 Ultra
- 2.5 GHz: ATI Radeon 9600 XT
- ATI Radeon 9800 XT with 256 MB optional
- VRAM: 64 MB (Nvidia) or 128 MB (Radeon 9600)
- Hard drive bus: 1.5 Gbps SATA Rev. 1
- Hard drive: 80/160 Serial ATA (SATA) 7200 rpm
- Optical drive bus: ATA/100 bus
- optical drive: 8x SuperDrive on Ultra ATA/100 bus
- 3 33 MHz 64-bit PCI slots on 1.8 GHz model
3 64-bit PCI-X slots on faster models (two 100 MHz, one 133 MHz) - Modem: internal 56k v.92
- Microphone: standard 3.5mm minijack, compatible with line-level input, not compatible with Apple’s PlainTalk microphone
- FireWire: 2 FW400 ports (1 on front), 1 FW800 port
- USB: 3 USB 2.0 ports (1 on front)
- Ethernet: 10/100/gigabit
- WiFi: antenna and connector for 802.11g AirPort Extreme card
- Bluetooth: built in, optional antenna
- PRAM battery: 3V CR2032 lithium
- power supply: 600W 661-2904
- size (HxWxD): 20.1″ x 8.1″ x 18.7″ (51.1 x 20.6 x 47.5 cm)
- Weight: 39.2 lb. (17.8 kg)
- Gestalt ID: n/a
- PRAM battery: 3.6V half-AA
- Part no.: M9454 (1.8 GHz), M9455 (2.0 GHz), M9457 (2.5 GHz)
Accelerators & Upgrades
- none likely
Power Mac G5 Price
Online Resources
- Best Power Mac G5 Deals.
- Best Classic Mac OS Deals. Best online prices for System 6, 7.1, 7.5.x, Mac OS 7.6, 8.0, 8.1, 8.5, 9.0, 9.2.2, and other versions.
- Best Mac OS X 10.0-10.3 Deals. Best online prices for Mac OS X 10.0, 10.1, 10.2, and 10.3.
- Best Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger Deals. Best online prices for Mac OS X 10.4.
- Best Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard Deals. Best online prices for Mac OS X 10.5.
- What’s the Best Version of OS X for My Mac?, Ian R Campbell, The Sensible Mac, 2008.02.28. Which version of Mac OS X is best for your hardware depends on several factors.
- How Fast Is Classic Mode on a Power Mac G5?, Dan Knight, Mac Daniel, 2014.08.21. We run several benchmark tests from the Classic Mac OS era on a dual 2.3 GHz Power Mac G5 to see how well Classic Mode fares.
- Know Your Mac’s Upgrade Options, Phil Herlihy, The Usefulness Equation, 2008.08.26. Any Mac can be upgraded, but it’s a question of what can be upgraded – RAM, hard drive, video, CPU – and how far it can be upgraded.
- The ‘Better Safe Than Sorry’ Guide to Installing Mac OS X Updates, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2008.12.16. Most users encounter no problems using Software Update, but some preflight work and using the Combo updater means far less chance of trouble.
- Why You Should Partition Your Mac’s Hard Drive, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2008.12.11. “At the very least, it makes sense to have a second partition with a bootable version of the Mac OS, so if you have problems with your work partition, you can boot from the ’emergency’ partition to run Disk Utility and other diagnostics.”
- The Future of Up-to-Date Browsers for PowerPC Macs, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2009.08.31. With Intel-only “Snow Leopard” shipping, software support for PPC Macs will continue its decline. Also, a look at SeaMonkey 2 and Camino 1.6.9.
- Optimized Software Builds Bring Out the Best in Your Mac, Dan Knight, Low End Mac’s Online Tech Journal, 2009.06.30. Applications compiled for your Mac’s CPU can load more quickly and run faster than ones compiled for universal use.
- Tips for Installing or Reinstalling Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger, Adam Rosen, Adam’s Apple, 2009.06.10. Mac OS X 10.4 uses less memory than Leopard, supports Classic Mode on PowerPC Macs, and, unlike Leopard, is supported on G3 Macs.
- Choosing My Next Low-end Desktop Mac, John Hatchett, Recycled Computing, 2009.05.19. The recently deceased iBook G4 was going to take up desktop duty. Now the options are a G4 iMac, 17″ PowerBook, Power Mac G4, and Power Mac G5.
- PowerPC Architecture Was Not a Failure, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2009.02.16. CNET’s Brooke Crothers calls PowerPC a failed architecture, but 12 years of PowerPC Macs, IBM’s blade servers, and three game consoles tell a different story.
- Will Snow Leopard Support Some PowerPC Macs?, Simon Royal, Tech Spectrum, 2008.11.26. It just doesn’t make sense that Apple would ship a new OS that won’t support Macs sold less than three years ago.
- The Long Term Value of a High End Mac, Andrew J Fishkin, Best Tools for the Job, 2008.11.21. Low-end Macs are more affordable up front, but the flexibility and upgrade options of a top-end Mac can make it the better value in the long run.
- Leopard runs very nicely on PowerPC Macs, Simon Royal, Tech Spectrum, 2008.11.19. Some claim that Mac OS X 10.5 is so optimized for Intel Macs that it runs poorly on PowerPC hardware. That’s simply not the case.
- The future of PowerPC Macs and software as ‘Snow Leopard’ approaches, Simon Royal, Tech Spectrum, 2008.11.13. Apple phased out Classic Mode and G3 support with ‘Leopard’ last year, and next year’s OS X 10.6 won’t support any PowerPC Macs. Will other developers abandon PowerPC as well?
- How to clone Mac OS X to a new hard drive, Simon Royal, Tech Spectrum, 2008.10.07. Whether you want to put a bigger, faster drive in your Mac or clone OS X for use in another Mac, here’s the simple process.
- Tiger vs. Leopard: Which is best for you?, Simon Royal, Tech Spectrum, 2008.09.22. Two great versions of Mac OS X, but unless your Mac is well above the minimum spec for Leopard and has lots of RAM, stick with Tiger.
- Apple Trumps Microsoft in Making the 64-bit Transition Transparent to Users, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 2008.09.18. To use more than 4 GB of RAM under Windows, you need a 64-bit PC and the 64-bit version of Windows. On the Mac, OS X 10.4 and later already support it.
- SATA, SATA II, SATA 600, and Product Confusion Fatigue, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 2008.09.08. In addition to the original SATA specification and the current 3 Gb/s specification, SATA revision 3.0 is just around the corner.
- Does running OS X system maintenance routines really do any good?, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2008.08.26. Mac OS X is designed to run certain maintenance routines daily, weekly, and monthly – but can’t if your Mac is off or asleep.
- The Compressed Air Keyboard Repair, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2008.07.24. If your keyboard isn’t working as well as it once did, blasting under the keys with compressed air may be the cure.
- Mac Pro overclocking, Windependence with Darwine, Blu-ray for Macs, and more, Mac News Review, 2008.07.04. Also more on running Leopard on non-Apple hardware, Ubuntu on a Mac mini, the first autofocus webcam with Zeiss optics for Macs, and more.
- PowerPC’s last chance: The Mac’s history with the G5 CPU, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2008.06.24. The introduction of the G5 Power Mac in June 2003 promised a bright 3 GHz future, and failure to achieve that paved the way to today’s Intel Macs.
- Snow Leopard and the Death of PowerPC Support, Carl Nygren, Classic Macs in the Intel Age, 2008.06.23. It looks like Mac OS X 10.6 will only support Intel Macs – and possibly only 64-bit ones at that. Should G4 and G5 owners start looking at Linux?
- Virtual PC works with Leopard, Intel vs. PowerPC performance, beyond the Mac mini, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 2008.05.20. Also upgrading Intel iMacs, Compact Flash in a PowerBook 2400, and thoughts on low-end Macs.
- Power Mac G5 vs. Intel Mac mini, video thumbnails lost in migration, OCR software, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 2008.03.17. Also HARMONi compatibility with Mac OS X 10.4, a dual processor G4 auction, Internet access by digital phone, and more.
- 2.6 GHz MacBook Pro worth it?, iBook video fixed, Compact Flash vs. SSD, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 2008.03.13. Also buying a used Power Mac G4, a Power Mac 7600 still in daily use, OCR software for modern Macs, and Leopard on a Blue and White G3.
- Leopard on a Cube, G4 CPU swap limitations, Power Mac G5 a good choice?, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 2008.03.06. Also looking for a scanner that works with Panther and the hsitory of expansion slots in low-cost Macs.
- Safari 3.1 will be ‘crazy fast’, OS X 10.5.2 update, 20x SuperDrive from $35, and more, Mac News Review, 2008.02.15. Also Security Update for Tiger, Graphics Update for Leopard, Mac mini “as powerful as a larger desktop”, TechTool Deluxe update, and more.
- Restore stability to a troubled Mac with a clean system install, Keith Winston, Linux to Mac, 2008.01.15. If your Mac is misbehaving, the best fix just might be a fresh reinstallation of Mac OS X – don’t forget to backup first.
- Leopard pales before Mac OS 8.5 for Macs left behind, dual processor benefits, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 2007.10.23. Mac users may not remember that Mac OS 8.5 left behind some Macs just over two years old. Compared to that, Leopard users have it made.
- How to Upgrade a G5’s Optical Drive, Rob Griffiths, Macworld, 2007.10.17. How to replace the older, slower optical drive in a Power Mac G5 with a newer, faster, dual-layer mechanism.
- Leopard on G4 Power Macs, Quicksilver and big drives, and pros and cons of schools leasing computers, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 2007.10.10. Thoughts on the Mac OS X 10.5 installer, big drive support in the 2001 Quicksilver, differences between 2 GHz G5 Power Macs, and whether schools should lease computers or not.
- External $100 Sony DVD burner likes Macs, Brian Gray, Fruitful Editing, 2007.10.10. The box and manual say nothing about Mac compatibility, but this 18x USB 2.0 DVD burner is plug-and-play (at least with Tiger).
- APG Card Compatibility, The Mac Elite, 2007.08.09. Guide to which ATI and Nvidia AGP video cards are compatible with which AGP Power Macs.
- Allegro USB 2.0 a great way to add several USB 2.0 ports to your Power Mac, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Reviews, 2007.03.28. You can never have too many USB ports. Whether your Power Mac has no USB 2.0 ports or too few, this $30 card is a great way to add the ports you need.
- 11 No Cost Tips for Optimizing Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger Performance, Ed Eubanks Jr, The Efficient Mac User, 2007.03.12. If your Mac is getting sluggish, here are 11 tips that can help restore its original performance.
- Region Free DVD Viewing Options for Intel and PowerPC Macs, Andrew J Fishkin, The Mobile Mac, 2006.09.12. Several hardware and software options that will let your view ‘wrong region’ DVDs on your PowerPC or Intel Mac.
- Power Mac G5 Reliability, Robert Mohns, Macintouch, 2006.07.06. On average, 17% of Power Mac G5 units require repair within their first year of use. That drops to 9% for the second year.
- Macs take away Microsoft pain, Macs revive James Bond, iMac king of all media, iWoofer, and more, Mac News Review, 2006.06.16. Also Windows users guide to switching to the Mac, Bluetooth firmware update for PPC Macs, universal USB 2.0 drive adapter, waterproof case for video iPod, and more.
- Drive matters, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2006.06.14. There’s more to picking the right hard drive than size, spindle speed, buffer size, and price. But how can a 5400 rpm drive ever outperform a 7200 rpm drive?
- Power Mac G5 Uniprocessor Firmware Update, Apple, 2004.09.13. “The Power Mac G5 Uniprocessor Firmware Update improves general system reliability and restores sleep functionality.”
- The June 2004 Power Mac G5 value equation, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2004.06.09. The newest G5s offer better values than the old ones, but which one comes in as the best value just might surprise you.
- Sonata SD, Sonnet Tech, 2004.06.01. First new PCI video card for the Mac in ages sells for just US$99, supports OS 7.5.3 and later plus OS X 10.1.5 and later, works with VGA or old Mac monitors, 16 MB VRAM. Also compatible with PCI-X slots in G5.
Power Mac G5 Os X Compatibility
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