buying panther second-hand

alexandr

alexandr

kosmonaut
is it true that panther will only work with the modell of mac it comes with? meaning, if i could get panther of ebay to save a few bucks, it is not sure to work on my iBook?

'cus this is legal, right? as long as the os is deleted of its native machine, i may still buy it and use it as my own??

alex.
 
There is no 'license code' to type in when installing any Mac OS (so far), so a set of Panther CDs can be used on all Macs that support it.. The panther install that is included on a Mac software restore CD set or DVD that shipped with a Mac probably won't work except on the exact model that it shipped with. Some people may purchase Panther with a new system without realizing that Panther is already included and installed, and now selling the extra software.
Realistically, your use of OS X is limited only by your own conscience, but the user license supports installation and use on only one Mac at a time, unless you purchase a 'family' pack, which will provide installation on up to 5 Macs.
 
alexandr said:
'cus this is legal, right? as long as the os is deleted of its native machine, i may still buy it and use it as my own??
Click to expand...
The key is "as long as the os is deleted of its native machine". That makes it legal under Apple's End User License Agreement. Whatever you do, avoid the Update CDs. First they will require you to already have OS X installed in order to upgrade and second if you ever have to reinstall you have to go back to the original version and then run up update CDs again. If you get a commercial install set you should be able to install without difficulty, but if you get a set that shipped with a new computer you may or may not be able to install, the reports on this have been mixed.
 
Some people report that second-hand machine-specific CDs work on any machine that supports Panther, while others report that they only work on the machine they shipped with. Common sense states that if you wish to purchase Panther for your machine, you'd be best off getting a set of RETAIL Panther CDs, either brand-new or second-hand.

Avoid second-hand Panther CDs that are machine-specific (i.e., any Panther CDs that actually shipped with a system). They are usually a gray color and have a model (i.e., iBook G4, PowerMac G4, etc.) printed on them. There is no guarantee that these will boot your system, much less install Panther on it.

FYI, the retail Panther CDs are black.
 
I have a retail version of OS X 10.3 that I bought off of Ebay. Works great. It's the full instal and not the upgrade.

I have the original G4 instalation CD's for my G4 Dual 500Mhz that install 9.1 flawlessly!

I also have a version of OS 9.2 that works on G4's. It is a restore disk but not a retail version with the big orange 9 on it. Works great with my stuff.

Just personal experience. The nice thing about Ebay is you're buying a legal copy! Works great!
 
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