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Leopard on an Upgraded 1999 Power Mac G4: Most of
It Works
Engadget's Thomas
Ricker says:
"It's no surprise to hear that Leopard smokes on the latest Intel
box, right? That's all fine and dandy for new Mac owners but what about
the rest of us (the majority) who are still pumping that legacy PowerPC
architecture beneath Cupertino's OS? How does Apple's OS of tomorrow
run on, say, an 8 year old Power Mac G4 (AGP
Graphics)? We decided to find out. Our test machine sports a paltry
512 MB and 1 GHz clock courtesy of an after-market CPU upgrade
(was 400 MHz) - just a tad better than the 867 MHz / 512 MB minimum
requirement. While the box held up surprisingly well, there's one major
problem which you old-timers should be aware of.
"Let's get to it."
Problem areas include Time Machine, DVD Player, and Front Row.
Link:
Leopard on an 8 Year Old G4 Power Mac - Can It Be Done?
Some Leopard Upgraders See 'Blue Screen of
Death'
Computerworld's Gregg Keizer says:
"A significant number of Mac owners upgrading to Leopard on Friday
reported that after installing the new operating system, their machines
locked up, showing only an interminable - and very Windows-like - 'blue
screen of death.'
"Easily the heaviest-trafficked thread on the Leopard support forums
as of late Friday, 'Installation appears stuck on a plain blue screen'
told how after a successful Leopard install using the default 'Upgrade'
option and the required restart, some users' Macs refused to budge from
the blue screen. Although many gave up after 30-60 minutes and
rebooted, others were more patient and let their Macs be as long as six
hours.
"'Hmmmm. I feel like a windoze user now,' said Doug Mcilvain. I have
re-installed and it has been sitting there with a blue screen for 4 1/2
hours.'"
Link:
Some Leopard Upgraders See 'Blue Screen of Death'
Information to Collect Before an Erase and
Install
A new Apple Knowledge Base
article says:
"If you are going to install Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard by means of an
Erase and Install installation (which is not the default type, and
often not needed), you'll want to make note of some important
information before you erase, as well as backing up your important
files. This will save you time later.
"Note: Before installing Mac OS X 10.5 (no matter how you will
install it), check the Mac OS X 10.5 system requirements.
"Note: If you already have Leopard installed and have created a Time
Machine backup on a different disk, you can simply restore that backup
after erasing your disk and installing Leopard. You will not need the
rest of this article in this case.
"You should make sure you know the following before performing an
Erase and Install installation of Mac OS X 10.5:
- Your Internet service provider (ISP) information, such as their
name, phone numbers for dialup access, and support website
- Your Internet connection type (for example, if you use dialup or
DSL/cable/broadband, if you use PPPoE, and so forth)
- Any router, wireless router, or AirPort base station access
passwords
- Your email service provider (if different from your ISP)
- Your email address and password
- Your type of email account (for example, .mac, POP, or IMAP)
"Tip: Passwords and other personal information should be kept in a
safe and secure place.
"Check out the Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard Before You Install guide for
more information."
Link: Mac OS X 10.5
Leopard: Information to Collect Before an Erase and Install
Apple Login & Keychain Update 1.0 Updates
Leopard Login and Keychain
This update is recommended
for all users running Mac OS X Leopard.
The Login & Keychain Update 1.0 for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard is
recommended for all Leopard installations. It addresses issues you may
encounter when:
- Logging in with an account originally created in Mac OS X 10.1 or
earlier that has a password of 8 or more characters.
- Connecting to some 802.11b/g wireless networks.
- Changing the password of a FileVault-protected account.
System requirements: Mac OS X 10.5
File Size: 10MB
System Support: PPC/Intel
Free
Link: About the Login
& Keychain Update 1.0
Mac OS X 10.5: Unable to Log In to Account After an
Upgrade Install
A new Apple Knowledge Base
article says:
You may not be able to log in with a user account that has a
password of 8 or more characters and was originally created in Mac
OS X 10.2.8 or earlier, after performing an upgrade installation
of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard (the default installation type).
Products affected
- Mac OS X 10.5
- Mac OS X 10.5 Server
Solution
If you are unable to log in, you can use these steps instead:
- Restart in Single User mode (hold Command-S during startup)
- At the prompt, type: mount -uw /
- Press Return
- Type: launchctl load
/System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.DirectoryServices.plist
- Press Return
- Type: dscl . -delete /Users/[username]
AuthenticationAuthority
Note: Replace "[username]" with the
affected user account's short name
- Press Return
- Type: passwd [username]
Note: Replace "[username]" with the affected user account's short
name
- Press Return
- At the "New password:" prompt, type the user's password
Note: It is recommended that the original user's password be used to
match the keychain password
- Press Return
- At the "Retype new password" prompt, type the same password
- Press Return
- Type: reboot
- Press Return
Link: Mac OS X 10.5:
Unable to Log In to Account After an Upgrade Install
iMac MXM Update 1.0
A new Apple Knowledge Base
article says:
"The iMac MXM Update improves video compatibility with Boot Camp on
certain 24" iMac models.
"This installer places the iMac MXM Update firmware updater in the
/Applications/Utilities folder on your computer. Run the updater in the
Utilities folder to install the update. Updating takes only a few
seconds.
"To learn more about this iMac MXM Update, visit: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=306790
"System Requirements
- Mac OS X 10.4.10
- iMac (Late 2006 24-inch)
"403KB"
Link: iMac MXM Update
1.0
Using Time Machine
A new Apple Knowledge Base
article says:
"Did you ever wish there was a really easy and safe way to let your
Mac perform backups for you? Time Machine, included with Mac OS X 10.5
Leopard, is the answer. More than just a backup utility, Time Machine
makes an up-to-date copy of everything on your Mac - digital photos,
music, movies, downloaded TV shows, and documents - and lets you easily
go 'back in time' to recover files.
"The first time you attach an external drive to your Mac OS X
Leopard-based Mac, Time Machine asks if you'd like to use that drive as
your backup location (you may need to erase the drive first). Choose
yes and Time Machine takes care of everything else, automatically, in
the background. You won't have to worry about backing up again."
Link: Mac 101: Using
Time Machine in Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard
Time Machine Doesn't Back Up to AirPort Disks
A new Apple Knowledge Base
article says:
"Time Machine in Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard can be used to back up to
many kinds of Mac OS Extended-formatted drives, but it does not support
AirPort Extreme's AirPort Disk feature.
"Time Machine can back up to another Mac running Leopard with
Personal File Sharing, or to a Leopard Server volume, or an Xsan
storage device."
Link: Mac OS X 10.5:
Time Machine Doesn't Back Up to AirPort Disks
Using Spaces to Organize Your Windows and
Applications
A new Apple Knowledge Base
article says:
"Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard introduces Spaces, which you can use group
your windows and reduce clutter by quickly switching between different
views of your open windows and applications. You can even tell certain
apps to open in certain Spaces!"
Link: Mac 101: Using
Spaces to Organize Your Windows and Applications in Leopard
Using Back to My Mac
A new Apple Knowledge Base
article says:
"Requirements to use Back to My Mac
- A .Mac membership.
- Two or more Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard-based Macs that are configured
for use with the same .Mac account.
- Screen sharing requires a 128-Kbps Internet connection (300-Kbps
recommended) (up/down) between the computers.
- An AirPort base station, or third-party Internet router which
supports UPnP or NAT-PMP (described below).
"Note: If you are not using an AirPort base station to access the
Internet from home, you might need to manually configure your
third-party Internet router device to allow UPnP or NAT-PMP. Check the
device's documentation, support website, or contact the manufacturer to
learn if it supports UPnP or NAT-PMP.
"Note: Some firewalls, such as at a large institution or company,
may not allow some Back to My Mac connections. You might not be able to
contact your Mac at work from home, but you probably will be able to
contact your Mac at home from work."
Link: Using Back to
My Mac in Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard
OpaqueMenuBar Make Menu Bar Opaque
PR: OpaqueMenuBar is a tool for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard to
make the menu bar non-transparent, so you cannot see through it any
more.
Since the last developer seed of Leopard, 9a559, OpaqueMenuBar
wasn't able to actually make the menu bar non-translucent due to
changes Apple made. With this new release, the application is working
again - the first one in this field, as we believe. Just add it to your
login items and you're set.
OpaqueMenuBar requires Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard and is available for
free.
Another Leopard tool released by Eternal Storms Software is 2DOrNot2D,
an application to quickly change the Dock's appearance in Leopard. The
author greatly appreciates donations.
New in version 1.0: Now works with the retail version of Mac OS X
10.5 "Leopard".
System requirements: Mac OS X 10.5
System Support: PPC/Intel
Free
Link: OpaqueMenuBar
DockSwitcher Switches between Dock Settings
in Leopard
PR: This is a simple little app to enable users of Mac OS X
10.5 (Leopard) to switch their Dock between the default glass style and
a more 2D like one that Apple included but did not enable by
default.
System requirements: Mac OS X 10.5.
System Support: PPC/Intel
Free
Link: DockSwitcher
Dockscrew Gives Leopard Dock to a Darker
Flat Look
PR: Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard introduced a new 3D look of the
Dock, when it's on the bottom of the screen and a darker flat look when
it's on the left or right side.
With Dockscrew you can change the look of the Dock to the darker
flat look, even when the Dock is on the bottom.
System requirements: Mac OS X 10.5
System Support: PPC/Intel
Free
Link: Dockscrew
TigerDock Gives Your Dock the Old Tiger
Look
PR: Is the new dock in Leopard annoying?
Change your dock from the new 3D-look to the old (more like Tiger)
2D-look or reverse.
And as a bonus you can make the items in your dock slightly
transparent when they are hidden, so you have a visual cue that they
aren't active.
System requirements: Mac OS X 10.5
System Support: PPC/Intel
Free
Link: TigerDock
PTHVolume 2, a Better Volume Control for
Leopard
PR: PTHVolume 2 for Mac OS X Leopard is a replacement for the
Mac OS X Volume Control. It allows users to control the volume on
multiple audio devices as well as allowing Hot Key based volume changes
with non Apple based keyboards.
Link: PTHVolume
2
iDVD and GarageBand Updated for Leopard
Improve overall stability
and supports compatibility with Mac OS X 10.5.
Apple Releases iDVD 6.0.4
This update improves overall stability and supports compatibility
with Mac OS X 10.5.
System Requirements: Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later
6.5MB
Link: iDVD
6.0.4
Apple Releases GarageBand 3.0.5
This update supports compatibility with Mac OS X 10.5.
14.4MB
System Requirements
Link: GarageBand
3.0.5
