seeking some advice on best way to upgrade

i have a macbook pro running OSX 10.5.3 leopard and my wife has a pre-intel G5 imac running 10.3.9

could i upgrade my machine to snow leopard (£25 cost) and use my original leopard discs to upgrade her machine to leopard.

I can't find leopard to buy to upgrade hers and her machine is incompatible with snow leopard

both machines used on wireless network so would there be any user license issues in the above scenario??

thanks

Are your Leopard discs the OEM ones that came with your MacBook? If so, they will be specific to that machine, and won't work on the G5.

HOWEVER

It may be possible to install Leopard onto your Wife's G5, by linking the two machines together with a Firewire cable. You restart the G5 in 'Firewire Target Disc Mode', then select the HD on it from the menu that the Leopard Installer programme gives you. Alternatively, using the Firewire TDM, you could use Carbon Copy Cloner to create an exact copy of your MB HD, including the OS. Another way would be to use an external HD caddy, install the OS on that, then put it into the G5.

Buy a second HD for the G5. Install Tiger on that. Link together using FTDM. Install Leopard on it from MacBook.

Maybe. Good luck! 😀

The G5 can take 2 HDs. I strongly recommend using CCC to produce a back-up copy of the G5's HD, in case it all goes wrong. Burn all pics and music etc to DVDs/CDs anyway.

Alternatively just have a root around for a Leopard retail DVD on Ebay extc. I might even have one
somewhere.

Bear in mind there could be all sorts of reasons why this might not work. You may need to get a copy of Leopard that works with PowerPC, as the G5 uses that type of processor, not the newer Intel ones.

I do know that a Mac Mini will run off an external HD, so it's possible the G5 will allow the same.

hi yes they are the original OEM discs. I'd heard that you could still buy leopard from apple but i can't find it for love nor money? will have a look on ebay

otherwise i'll try the firewire TDM method

thanks

Actually, give Apple UK a ring, tell them you're having trouble finding the Leopard discs. They might be able to help you.

I understand there are certain facilities for downloading software, but I wouldn't know anything about that, being a fine upstanding law abiding citizen…. 😉

These people can sell you what you need.

As I understand it, Apple don't copy protect their OS in any way, shape or form.

Try backing hers up (so if it all goes pear-shaped she's not lost any data) & see how you get on using your Leopard discs?

Andy

some good options there thanks for the info

Just tried to do this very thing today on my macbook pro using my mates imac install discs. I wouldn't let me do it 🙁

Did you put the iMac discs in the MacBook?

I'm pretty sure I installed OSX from some machine-specific install discs onto an external HD, then transferred it. Was a couple of years ago though, so can't be sure. Might have been retail install discs.

AFAIK, as mentioned, Apple don't copy-protect the OS. I know that you can install the OS onto several machines, even if it's a 'single licence' disc. I've done it.