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The PowerMac G5 is a desktop computer first produced in 2003 by the Apple Corporation. This guide will review the repair process of an Apple PowerMac G5 model number A1047 EMC 2061 from 2004. It was discontinued in 2006 as part of the Intel switch first to developers then consumers.

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Can I install / boot multiple OS-X versions? [Solved]

Power Mac G5 Quad

I'm currently running OS X 10.4.11 (8S165) on my Power Mac G5 Quad, and I'd like to upgrade it to OS-X 10.5, but I see that 10.5 does not support OS9 applications. I'm wondering if there is a way to have both versions installed, with capability to select one or the other at bootup? If not, is there a way to run 10.5 in a virtual machine under 10.4? (I do not have install disks for 10.4, so could not run it virtually in 10.5.)

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This machine will hold two hard drives. If you upgrade to 10.5.8 on one, yes you lose the ability to use classic mode, But install a second drive and put system the 10.5.8 on it and leave the original drive alone. Then you can boot from either drive.

I'd go with a SSHD 500GB or 1 TB. The Seagate models are backward compatible and you'll get a perceived doubling of speed. Later this drive can be put in an external enclosure for use on a newer machine.

Power Mac G5 Hard Drive Replacement

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This is the answer I was hoping for. :-D Thanks.

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@cyllarus - Dan is better with the new machines but I've owned several of these and had to work through the issues. I still have my last one set up in case i feel like playing system 9 games and still have customers who won't make the transition to OS X . I have one that's still in a couple of MDD G4s and does full page newspaper ads every week on it.

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Yes, you can run multiple OS's but you'll likely need an external FireWire drive to do it. Basically using the boot manager to select which drive to boot up under. If you could re-configure your HD you could create two partitions and achieve the same thing. But you may encounter space issues if your drive is on the small side (you may want to upgrade it).

The other issue here is how much longer are you hoping to use your system? It's getting long in the tooth as they say... Most of the current Apps and none of the newer OS's will run on your system. Maybe its time to think about getting a newer system (new or used).

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Thanks. Yes, the system is old, but I need it to run an application that is written for Mac PPC, so it's a keeper. :-)

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Do I understand correctly that when the bootloader detects multiple bootable partitions it will offer the choice?

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Yes, Review this on the Startup Manager: How to choose a startup disk on your Mac

Here's a bit more on your startup options: Startup key combinations for Mac

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Cyllarus Centaur will be eternally grateful.
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