Apple powerbook g4 15inch and 17inch software install. How to install linux on a powerbook g4 jeremy morgan. Which linux version works perfectly with my powerbook g4 15. As another option, im considering buying an external firewire dvddrive to boot and install linux on the powerbook. It supports 10 and 100 mbps ethernet, but not gigabit ethernet. The powerpc version of mint hasnt been updated in years, but heres a link to the communitymaintained ubuntu powerpc port. I managed to snag an old powerbook g4 from the scrap heap. Is there a peice of software you want to run on you powerpc mac but its only for windows. Burn a debian ppc bootdisk and boot from cd holding c during boot. Apple powerbook g4 15inch and 17inch software install and restore disc mac os x version 10. Its also the only current model without dvi support and an official memory ceiling of 640 mb. The only powerpc macs that can use a 64bit operating system are g5 imacs and power macs. The powerbook g4 is a series of notebook computers manufactured, marketed, and sold by apple computer, inc.
The first generation titanium powerbook g4 tibook was the first powerbook that could use a standard notebook optical drive. This is also the case with the second generation aluminum powerbook g4 albook and probably the case with the macbook too. What is the best operating system for a powerbook g4 and. A powerbook g4 titanium model can connect to a wpa network, provided it has mac os x 10. Aug 17, 2005 powerbook g4 internet problems by netsten aug 17, 2005 12. Unfortunately, it only has 512 mb of ram because i blew out one of the ram slots with diet coke a few years back. Update 31 12 12 ive found an alternative twitter client, turpial, and though not as nice as hotot its still a reasonable client. Restore stability to a troubled mac with a clean system install. Unable to boot to live dvd on mac powerbook g4 ask ubuntu. There is software that can trick the os into installing onto a computer that does not meet the processor speed requirement, but believe me, with a 400 or 500mhz g4, leopard would be painfully slow. Used to run powerpc linux on old g4 powermacs and powerbooks 56 years ago. In this tutorial ill show how you can put ubuntu linux on a powerbook g4 and resurrect one of these durable old laptops from the dead. The problem seems to mostly affect only kernel version 2.
Ill be happy to show off my frankensteins monster of technology. Os x booting from cd on powerbook g4 anyone know how to boot from the cd. How to install linux mint on a powerpc mac youtube. Sep 21, 2016 for example, as of lubuntu and ubuntu mate 16. Running an old version of osx leopard in 20 just doesnt make sense.
The powerbook line includes the powerbook 100, duo, 500, and 5300 series. I have an old powerbook g4 12 with 1,25 ghz and 786 mb ram, actually macos x 10. To check if a framebuffer is built in look at the config files in the boot directory. Also of course, in osx the apple key is used instead of control for copy and paste etc. Ubuntu on powerbook g4 afterdawn discussion forums. The process is also well documented on their website.
This macintosh ibook g4 came out in 2005 and has a single core. State of linux support on apple powerbook g4 laptops. If you have questions or additional hints, feel free to contact me the page was originally written in. Getting started with your powerbook g4 includes setup, expansion, and troubleshooting. Powerpc challenge early 2019 edition macrumors forums. Debian 10 would be like running mojave on a g4, only debian would be much faster than mojave if mojave could run on a g4. Apple powerbook g4 dvdrom free software downloads and. Powerbook g4 internet problems august 2005 forums cnet. Having used iperf on a mac powerbook g4 800mhz, 1gig ram running os 10. Dec 18, 2015 ever considered linux as an alternative to your aging os x version. Moving items on the screen 12 adjusting the internal display.
Dec 20, 2014 the powerbook g4 uses a powerpc chip, which limits your choices a lot in addition to the limited system memory. Os x booting from cd on powerbook g4 apple dslreports. Anyway, this laptop is begrudgingly slow in os x 10. In this video, we will take a look at installing linux mint on a powerbook g4. I also hated the way my touchpad worked on linux with my powerbook.
Most powerbook g4s will run leopard, but its not ideal with less then 2gb of ram as its prone to ram related performance issues. For example, to check the status of the radeon framebuffer use the command. This text describes the adventures i encountered while installing linux on an apple powerbook g4 15. Firmwaredriver for broadcom wifi card, powerbook g4. Not too slow to use, but definitely slow enough to be pretty irritating. I finally hooked up a firewire external cd player and got it to boot from it. The dvdrom update places new firmware on the apple dvdrom drive installed in powerbook. I encountered while installing linux on an apple powerbook g4 15. Powerbook g4 ubuntu installation from start to finish youtube. I am running into problems using iperf to generate udp.
Today well take a look at how to run windows on a powerpc based mac. Debian in powerbook g4 ppc by stevepusser 20160305 20. In some respects, its more like an aluminumclad 12. For reasons not worth explaining, i cannot physically plug the computer into the network. Apr 01, 2018 is there a peice of software you want to run on you powerpc mac but its only for windows.
The powerbook g4 titanium dvdrom update improves support for the insertion and mounting of optical media. Id like to give it to my son, but he likes among others to use learning gamessoftware, which. Software i decided to try a lighter desktop than gnome since the powerbook is only 1ghz with 1gb of. I held down the option button but all that shows up is the main drive but when i get into os x the contents of the cd shows. I dont know why but initially thought that i should install unix on the powerbook however the tech guy told me that ubuntu would be the best os for me. Installing lubuntu linux on an ibook g4 in 2018 youtube. The latest version of os x that any powerbook g4 can run is mac os x leopard, released in 2007. I have a powerbook g4 12 on which i want to install linux.
I finally got my wireless card working in powerbook g4 aluminum 1. So i have been searching craigslist and ebay for any good deals on ibooks. I dont have the hardware to test this, but the files seem to be intact. I would love to change it to ubuntu but the last time i tried it. Jan 28, 2012 overall ubuntuxubuntu works fairly well on the powerbook and i shall keep it on there for general use, though i might see if i can coax some better graphical performance, hopefully. Powerbook g4 is the first powerbook in years without a pc card slot. The powerbook g4 is the last generation of the powerbook series, and was succeeded by the intelpowered macbook pro line in the first half of 2006. I think the problem is something to do with display. Leopard can be installed on g4 titaniums, but only ones that have at least 512mb of ram, and a minimum processor speed of 867mhz. Restore stability to a troubled mac with a clean system install, keith winston, linux to mac, 2008. It seems that with apples numbering scheme the machine is a powerbook5,6. Its an oddly specific post that will probably help around two people a year, but since i had to do it recently i figured i would share. As the g4 powerbooks are no longer supported by apple i would agree with quora user and try a powerpc linux distribution although it looks like mintppc has been abandoned.
Booting using a usb drive, using an openfirmware command. All your hardware will work out of the box and you will probably have more choice of software. Has anyone had success with running linux on g4 powerbook. This is my first time working with ubuntu or linux, so please be patient. Id like to give it to my son, but he likes among others to use learning gamessoftware, which are made for windows. Getting started with your powerbook g4 apple support. Thank you for helping us maintain cnet s great community. Revive a powerpc mac running linux the mac observer. Well, i dont know anything about unix, linux, ubuntu, etc. Improves classic application compatibility in mac os x and delivers updated support for macintosh systems that are based on the powerpc g3 or g4 processor. Mar 29, 2006 powerbooks have used standard sodimm ram and standard 2. Apple powerbook g4 dvdrom for mac free software downloads. All apple power macintosh systems up to and including the g4 use processors supported by this kernel. In this tutorial ill show how you can put ubuntu linux on a powerbook g4 and resurrect one of these durable.
But the builtin cdrom drive is no longer functioning. I was able to revive that powerpc mac running linux. So i have been wanting another powerpc machine to some more testing of different linux distros on. Ever considered linux as an alternative to your aging os x version. It doesnt matter if its an ancient powerbook g4 or a slightly more recent model of macbook. Which linux version works perfectly with my powerbook g4. I reinitialed the powerbook drive, mac extended journaled and verified the disc and tried to install the software. My current powerbook g4 has been my main laptop for a few months and i am pretty happy with debian on it right now. I have spent about two weeks researching which has been very educational and have tried many things non of which have worked. Dec 05, 2018 have a powerbook g4 that came with ubuntu 12.
Going through setup, should i check the install 3rd party software for graphics box. Apples line of powerbook laptops was intended for the professional and power users. Powerbook g4 internet problems by netsten aug 17, 2005 12. Powerpc linux debian ports bustersid on ibook g4 1. I recently installed ubuntu on my old powerbook, i was surprised with performance specs. If you want to see firsthand the powerbook g4 running linux and youre attending macstock july 15 and 16, find me.
Ive had it running quite well on a 12 powerbook g4 1. Debian user forums view topic debian in powerbook g4 ppc. Today im going to explain how to set up wireless networking on g4 powerbook running ubuntu. Powerbook g4 beats it hands down in terms of practicality. But what i wanted to do was install the most difficult os on my powerbook and learn it all from scratch. If you have questions or additional hints, feel free to contact me. Although you havent mentioned how much ram the powerbook has or your skill levelexperience with linux, gnome and kde are two of the heaviest desktop environments in the linux world. If you install the old yellowdog linux on a g4 itll be as fast or faster than tiger because its time period correct, has a slimmer kernel and lacks the bloat we call systemd these days. Powerbooks have used standard sodimm ram and standard 2. How to set up wireless networking with ubuntu on a g4. Firmwaredriver for broadcom wifi card, powerbook g4 running. Cant boot my powerbook g4 from a dvd apple community. The powerbook g4 uses a powerpc chip, which limits your choices a lot in addition to the limited system memory. My powerbook g4 12 journal full tear down, ssd upgrade.