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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Mac Desktops > Need DVD capability on 733 PowerMac G4

Need DVD capability on 733 PowerMac G4
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fesdds
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Mar 16, 2006, 03:04 PM
 
Can anyone help direct me in the right direction. I just inherited a 733MHz PowerMac G4 and need to install Tiger 10.4, but i only have a CD drive, and apparently tiger only comes on DVD. What are my options? and what would be the least expensive because I only use this computer as a workstation in my office and the sole need for the DVD is to install tiger. My G5 PowerMac can do everything else I need.
Thanks.
     
angelmb
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Mar 16, 2006, 03:19 PM
 
Well, you can buy a compatible DVD drive, they are inexpensive and once you install Tiger it'll install also the DVD Player. Apple had a choice to get Tiger as CDs but I am not sure if it is longer available, nevertheless that was for those who bought Tiger as retail, so if you got Tiger with a Mac (like that G5 Power Mac) that is not an option to consider.

So being honest, I would place a DVD drive there, a G4 733 is still a good machine.

As example, a SuperDrive (DVD burner like the one inside your G5) is under $60 at OWC macsales:

http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/optic...ives/powermac/

If you find that expensive for the purpose the G4 is aimed to… there are for sure plenty of them on sites like eBay, you have one as $10 'buy it now' here:

http://tinyurl.com/hkuj2
     
angelmb
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Mar 16, 2006, 03:33 PM
 
Please note than the model linked to eBay is just able to read DVDs, enough to install Tiger. It is not a DVD burner nor CD burner… there are 'combo' models, able to read DVDs and burn CDs.

Whatever you think is OK for the G4 make sure it come from a PowerMac, hence is 100% compatible and bootable, being bootable is important, that lets you to install Mac OS X Tiger from the Tiger DVD discs.

If you want to do a in deep search, xlr8yourmac is a nice site, just make a search in the Drive Compatibility Database:

http://forums.xlr8yourmac.com/drived....drivedb.lasso

Being your options:

Select Drive Type: what you want, from a 'barebones' DVD to a DVD burner capable drive.

Select an Interface type: IDE

Select a Mac Model: AGP G4 Slot is yours, but you can choose other G4 models (EXCLUDING the Cube that features a slot-loading drive), all use the IDE interface and that is what you really need to know.

Select your Mac OS Version: 10.4

clic 'Search' and you are done.
     
fesdds  (op)
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Mar 16, 2006, 04:00 PM
 
Thanks, alot. I currently own 7 macs, but have not done anything more advanced than installing RAM, so that definitely helps and gets me rolling with those options. I have liked dealing with OWC in the past so I will look at them first.
     
spork
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Mar 16, 2006, 04:55 PM
 
Your lowbuck option is borrow a DVD burner or drive with firewire, boot from it using an installer DVD and install Tiger.

Besides that, i second everything angelmb said. xlr8yourmac rocks. they have a whole boatload of info about upgrades and i used their site to figure out how to install a LG DVD Burner in my tower. Quite easy in the end. go with patchburn to make it all recognizeable.
Good luck
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BigBadBiologist
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Mar 16, 2006, 05:04 PM
 
I've installed NEC3550A DVD burners in a couple of G4 systems and they seem to work great. They seem to boot from the drive fine and once you use Patchburn, they have decent compatibility with iTunes (I haven't tried iMovie).

/edit: oh, and you can find them for $35.
     
reader50
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Mar 16, 2006, 06:48 PM
 
Your cheapest option is a FireWire cable. Approx $10 if you don't have one already. Run one between your G5 and the new G4 733. Boot the 733 in FW mode. Boot up the G5, it will mount the 733's internal HD.

Insert the Tiger install DVD into your G5. Open the DVD on your G5 and navigate to:

/System/Installation/Packages/OSInstall.mpkg

Double-click this file. The Tiger installer will open up, and you should be able to select to install to the 'external FW hard drive' - ie, the G4 733's internal drive. Since you're installing from a machine that has a DVD drive, the DVD Player should be installed by default.
     
SirCastor
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Mar 16, 2006, 09:48 PM
 
DVD drives aren't expensive. I bought my Dual Layer for less than $50 off of NewEgg. I'd say swing by there and pick one up.
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spork
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Mar 17, 2006, 08:31 AM
 
We need to all bow down to wise master Reader50.

"Run one between your G5 and the new G4 733. Boot the 733 in FW mode. Boot up the G5, it will mount the 733's internal HD"

this is Target mode or holding down the T key on startup, correct?
Mini Intel Core Duo 1.66, 1.5ram, super, 17" CRT Cinema Display, Intuos 3 tablet
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fesdds  (op)
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Mar 19, 2006, 09:03 PM
 
Thanks reader50. I did the firewire target disk mode. It wouldn't install properly when I open the file you mentioned, but when I just double-clicked the Install OSX button I was able to do an upgrade to 10.4 on the target disk of the 733 powermac. All is good now.
     
tooki
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Mar 19, 2006, 09:39 PM
 
The best method would have been to put the G5 into Target Disk Mode and then boot the G4 off of the Tiger DVD inserted into the G5's drive. (On G5s, Target Disk Mode also mounts the inserted optical disc.)

That would have worked the same as using an internal DVD drive, ensuring the correct install set for the machine. The method you used potentially installed a suboptimal install set. (The installer chooses based on the CPU that is booted into OS X, not the disk you are installing to!!)

tooki
     
spork
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Mar 20, 2006, 07:50 AM
 
Tooki,
would that mean that G4 PM's don't mount inserted optical disk in Target mode and only internal hard drives? this is inferred, but I wanted to be sure.
thanks
Mini Intel Core Duo 1.66, 1.5ram, super, 17" CRT Cinema Display, Intuos 3 tablet
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fesdds  (op)
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Mar 20, 2006, 09:48 AM
 
Tooki,

Just in case I need to reload, can you give me just a little more info. I assume I have the disk already in the G5, Boot the G5 with the "T" key depressed. Then you say boot the G4 from the G5 target disk. Do I need to hold any certain key or will it just automatically boot from the targt disk.
thanks
     
andgarden
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Mar 20, 2006, 04:51 PM
 
Originally Posted by fesdds
Tooki,

Just in case I need to reload, can you give me just a little more info. I assume I have the disk already in the G5, Boot the G5 with the "T" key depressed. Then you say boot the G4 from the G5 target disk. Do I need to hold any certain key or will it just automatically boot from the targt disk.
thanks
No.

Do this:

1. Connect the two machines with a firewire cable.

2. Boot the G4 into Target Disk Mode by holding down the T key on that machine.

3. Put the Tiger disc in the G5 and boot the G5 from that disk by holding down the c key.

4. Go through with the Tiger install, making sure to select the internal Hard Disk on the G4. (It will appear in the disk selection section as an orange firewire drive.

5. Once the install completes, you can reboot both machines. You'll have done nothing to the G5, and the G4 will have Tiger installed.

Cheers,
     
mountainash
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Mar 24, 2006, 11:00 AM
 
You might have issues with trying to install over target disk mode. I know I did when I tried this. You can take the DVD drive out of the g5 and put it in the g4 for the time it takes to install (you don't even need to install the DVD drive properly, as long as it has power and the IDE cable is connected). Or you can get a supported DVD drive used from eBay or similar. But most DVD drives will work if you have one lying around. Brands likely to work: Matshita/Matsushita/Hitachi, Pioneer, Sony, LG

Good luck!
Power Mac G4 Digital Audio 533MHz 1.5GiB RAM, 2x 80Gb ATA HDDs, 320Gb SATA HDD, Radeon 9650 256MiB, Airport Extreme compatible PCI card, Zip 250, Pioneer 110, Firewire DVD burner, 21" CRT, Harmon Kardon Apple Pro Speakers, OS X 10.4.6
Powerbook Pismo G3 400MHz, 768MiB RAM, 80Gb HDD, AirPort Extreme PC Card, Bluetooth 1.1, DVD-ROM, OS X 10.4.6, Ubuntu 5.10, MacOS 9.2.2
To buy: RAM for Pismo, CPU upgrades
     
   
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