# How to upgrade imac 1.8GHz PowerPC G5 from 10.3.9



## Lou99 (Jan 22, 2010)

Hi

I've got an old iMac 1.8GHz PowerPC G5 that I love to use for surfing the web etc. 

I'm finding that I can't view anything that requires Flash as my system (10.3.9) won't allow me to download the latest Flash or Firefox.

I tried asking in the local Apple store how I could upgrade my OS but the guy said they don't sell the OS upgrade anymore. 

Is there anything I can do to upgrade my OS so that I can download newer versions of software like Flash or Firefox? 

I have another computer (imac intel) but I really don't want to have to get rid of this one as I like it and apart from the OS issue, it still works fine.

Thanks
Lou

Ps. As you can likely tell, I am not very technical, so I'd really appreciate any advice.


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## MisterMe (Jan 22, 2010)

There are two ways to legally upgrade your OS. They are as technical as locating a retail copy of MacOS X 10.4 or MacOS X 10.5. Insert the DVD and upgrade.

Well, actually there are three ways to upgrade to either OS--simple upgrade, Archive and Install, or Clean Install. So there are really six ways to upgrade your OS.

After you install your new OS from the DVD, run *Software Update* to bring your new OS to the latest version.


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## djackmac (Jan 22, 2010)

Make sure you have at the very least 512MB of RAM and at least 13GB of free HD space and try to find a retail version of Leopeard OS10.5. You are going to have to go through 3rd party channels (Amazon, ebay) to find a copy so buyer beware. But there isn't an Apple reseller or servicer around that is going to be able to find you a copy. Some places before 10.6 came out loaded up on as many copies of 10.5 that they could get because it is well known that whenever Apple introduces a new OS they discontinue selling the former one. But most of those places have probably already sold all of their reserves.

EDIT: Not trying to overstate MisterMe. He just posted before I finished my post.


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## dkamath (Feb 5, 2011)

I have the same issue as the previous post. What is the difference between 10.5 and 10.5.6. Can I upgrade from 10.3.9 to either versions? Processor is same 1.8 GHZ. 
Thanks


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## jbarley (Feb 6, 2011)

10.5 (Leopard)
If you meant 10.6 and not 10.5.6, that would be Snow Leopard and it will not work on your system.


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## nixgeek (Feb 6, 2011)

With Mac OS X, this is how it works with the version numbers.

10.5.6 is the 5th major release of Mac OS X (roman numeral 10) and there have been 6 minor revisions to this in order to fix bugs and patch security problems.  Hence it being called 10.5.6.

Major releases are purchased upgrades, so to go from 10.3.x to 10.4.x or greater would require purchasing the major release of whatever you're upgrading to.  The minor revisions are free for those major releases.

So if you want to go from 10.3.9 to 10.4 or 10.5, you would have to purchase the retail copy of either 10.4 or 10.5, respectively.  Once your chosen version has been installed, you can use Software Update to bring it to the most updated minor revision for that major release.  For 10.4, that would be 10.4.11.  For 10.5, that would be 10.5.8.

As mentioned, the highest Mac OS X version you can run on your iMac G5 is 10.5.x since that was the last version that supported the PowerPC processor.  Mac OS X 10.6.x and future versions only run on Intel-based Macs.


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## magicic (Mar 22, 2011)

I am upgrading from 10.3.9 and I found a few cheap full versions of 10.4 and 10.5 on ebay. My question is: do I need to upgrade to 10.4 so that I can upgrade to 10.5? Do I need to buy both upgrades 10.4 & 10.5 or can I go strait from 10.3 to 10.5 right away? Thanks...


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## ElDiabloConCaca (Mar 22, 2011)

You can go straight from 10.3 to 10.5 if you like, but I would recommend a clean, fresh install of Mac OS X if you choose that route.  That means backing up all your valuable data, erasing your hard drive, installing a fresh copy of 10.5, then selectively restoring your data and reinstalling your applications from their original CDs/DVDs and/or disk images.

It ain't the easiest route, but it certainly is the "cleanest" and provides a fresh, spic-and-span computer that may actually or perceptibly run "faster" and/or "smoother."


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