[macs_rule]

Hey you all...I am new to this site..I normally work with Macs but not to the point where I have to get into the details about OSX...I normally do stuff with video and photo and thats about....Well time has come that I need to get a bigger hard drive...I currently own a Power Mac G5 (dual 1.8Ghz)..I wish to replace the main hard drive (250Gb)..In order to do so, I would have to install Panther again on the main drive....my question is

1. Do you recommend installing Tiger on a Power Mac G5 or Stick with Panther?

2. Also, how in the world would I install a new OS on a new hard drive that I would install in a Power Mac G5? (sorry if this sounds dumb)

[slpdLoad]

1. Go to Tiger. No reason to keep Panther around.

2. Just stick in the Tiger DVD and install it to the new drive. Or, you can look into backup software taht will copy your old hard drive in its entirety to the new drive.

[Sherman Homan]

Welcome! Couple of thoughts, first of all, if there is nothing wrong with your original hard drive then you should probably keep it for additional storage or backup. Second, if you decide to use the new drive as the primary startup disk, you simply use the Disk Utility to move everything over from the old drive. No reinstall of Panther is needed. The debate about buying and upgrading Panther/Tiger/Leopard is raging. It is personal preference. good luck!

[JonoMarshall]

You don't have to re-install OS X unless you want the new drive to be the start-up volume? You could just insert a new drive, format it using Disk Utility (Applications -> Utilities -> Disk Utility) and it will appear on your dektop ready for use?

You might want to put OS X on the new drive if the new drive would give you better performance (drive RPM, response time, etc.), otherwise you don't really need to?

If you decide to move the OS to the new hard drive, you could either duplicate it to the new drive using an application like Super Duper:

http://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDup...scription.html

Or you could do a fresh install of OS X and then migrate your user data across using Migration Assistant (Applications -> Utilities -> Migration Assistant)

Or you could just do a fresh install by installing the drive, then turn the mac on, insert your OS X disk, then click Install OS X and wait for the Mac to reboot and bring up the Installer. (Or you could just insert the disk and hold the C key after you hear the Mac chime to bring up the same installer.)

Do some google searches and you'll find loads of step-by-step guides for all of these processes and more!

[macs_rule]

thanks for all your responses...this is definitely very informational..will give this a try...