Create a Bootable Disk Image with Apple Disk Utility (use Disc Utlity for all Apple Boot or Softwar Installation Discs), Toast .
How to Install OS X from a Partition, External Firewire Drive, Second Computer in FireWire Target Disk Mode, or iPod .
These instructions are tried and true and provided specifically for those who prefer the least number of problems in the long run, those who prefer a step by step guide, and those are new Mac owners.
As always, a Clean Install/Erase & Install is the *best choice* to avoid potential problems
The other choices are "Archive and Install" or "Update Mac OS X"
This way, you can start fresh and - if you want to - use Disk Utility to create partitions before you install. Partitions can come in handy especially when needing to troubleshoot your Startup Volume. If you have at total of at least three partitions, you can have two sized specifically for OS X installs. This way, when a new one comes out, you can perform a clean install on the one that is not your startup volume. You can familiarize yourself with the new OS and make sure your regular applications are stable before erasing your existing system. Other partitions are for media and applications which do not require being installed on the startup volume.
Do I need to back up my drive before installing or upgrading?
The choice is yours (it is highly recommended). It only takes once to lose valuable data and wish you had performed a backup. The most recommended software for this is Carbon Copy Cloner http://www.bombich.com/software/ccc.html or Super Duper http://www.shirt-pocket.com
There are plenty of threads on this so do a search for more info.
How to BURN bootable disk image using Disk Utility
Easier, less steps than using Toast
1) Launch Disk Utility (Panther & Tiger, Leopard & Snow Leopard Operating Systems)
2) Click Burn (upper left)
3) Navigate to and select the DMG file (do not drag and drop).
4) Click CHOOSE or BURN
5) Insert disk when prompted and BURN.
How to BURN bootable disk image using Toast
Yes, it really is possible.
1) Get Info on the .dmg and "lock" it, double click on the .dmg to mount it
2) Launch Toast
3) Select "Data"
4) Show "Disc Options" window (upper left corner) and click "Advanced" tab and select "Mac Volume" button
5) In main window area click "Select", then highlight the mounted volume to be burned (do not drag and drop)
6) Uncheck "Optimize on-the-fly"
7) Click "OK" and Burn.
What do I do with an ISO (disk image) that contains RAR files?
Mount the ISO image on your desktop. Use UnRarX (http://homepage.mac.com/pnoriega/unrar.html) to join the segmented RAR files into one complete DMG (disk image) file. (Avoid Stuffit to join .rar files.)
DO NOT MOUNT or open the DMG file before installing.
How to install OS X from a Partition, External Firewire Drive, Second Computer in FireWire Target Disk Mode, or iPod
Note: USB will not work
1. Mount your partition, external firewire drive, second computer in FireWire Target Disk Mode or iPod as a volume on your desktop and make sure you have at least three gigs of free space available.
2. Launch /Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility
3. In the left window of Disk Utility, select the volume mounted on your desktop that you want to install from.
4. Click Restore tab (upper right of window).
5. Drag the icon (left window) of the volume you want to restore from [Example: Tiger.iso or Tiger.dmg] to the Source field. (.iso & .dmg are both disk image files)
6. Drag the icon (left window) of your partition, external firewire drive, second computer in FireWire Target Disk Mode or iPod to the Destination field. You have a choice to checkmark "Erase Destination" so that it will erase the volume first, before restoring the installer onto that volume. If you do not wish to erase the volume and you want to keep your existing files on that volume, do not checkmark the "Erase Destination" option. Erasing a volume results in a clean volume. Erase Destination is NOT necessary, just be sure you have at least three gigs of free space available on that volume first or errors will result.
7. Click the Restore button (bottom right).
8. Go to Finder and rename your "Destination Volume" to: Mac OS X Install DVD
9. Go to the Apple in the upper left corner of the menu bar at the top. Scroll down to System Preferences. In the fourth row down select Startup Disk. Select the Mac OS X Install DVD.
10. Reboot.
[Thanks to Robster]
This method runs the installer as if you were booting directly from the Mac OS X Install DVD (acts as a virtual DVD installer). If you do not need more than your language, don't install extra languages or printer drivers, etc you can save well over a gig of space on your startup volume. You'll also save yourself installation time. For more on this, do a google search, go to http://macosxhints.com, http://macfixit.com, http://macintouch.com, or see the Take Control Series eBooks on Panther or Tiger: http://www.takecontrolbooks.com (Link to Tiger excerpt below.)
My "Burn" Button is Greyed Out , What Now?
For Disk Utility to burn to an external dvd burner you need to add your particular dvd burner to your Mac OS X profile. Do this with PatchBurn http://www.patchburn.de/.
What if I get an error while restoring?
If you don't have a root account set up, here's what you do:
1) Restart your computer.
2) Open NetInfo Manager, it should be located in Utilities in your Applications folder
3) Open the Security menu and select Authenticate
4) Enter an Administrator's username/password
5) Open the Security menu again and select Enable Root User
6) Create a secure password for 'root'
7) Login as root using the password you just created
[Thanks to macaddct1984]
Take Control of Upgrading to Tiger: Choosing an upgrade method for OS X 10.4
http://www.macworld.com/2005/04/features/takecontroltigerupgrade/index.php
Highly recommend for novice and advanced users.
Detailed Description:
http://www.macserialjunkie.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=544508#544508
Being shared here:
http://www.macserialjunkie.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=544549#544549
http://www.macserialjunkie.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=814887#814887
Everything You Need to Know to Install Tiger
http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2005/04/29/tiger.html
"Update" or "Archive and Install"? Tips
Be sure to use Disk Utility to Repair Disk and Repair Permissions. If you have used these methods in the past and had problems with applications that should work, there is a good chance it is because permissions were not repaired immediately before and after updating. If you choose Archive and Install, make sure you have enough hard drive space. Less than 3GB free is not enough. If you'd like detailed explanations of these methods before deciding, see the Take Control of Upgrading to Tiger link above.
Troubleshooting Mac OS X installation from CD or DVD
Straight from Apple.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106693
Housecleaning Tips for Tiger
http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2005/04/26/tiger.html
Help! What do these error codes mean?
Mac OS System Error Codes: 1 to 32767
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=9806
Mac OSX System Update Procedure should always be as follows:
1) Make sure your hard drive is in good shape: Boot from the OS X Install CD and run Disk Utility's Repair Disk function (or use a third-party drive utility such as DiskWarrior or TechTool Pro).
2) When booted from the volume containing Mac OS X, run Disk Utility's Repair Disk Permissions function.
3) Install the update.
4) After rebooting, again run Repair Disk Permissions.
"We've found that using this update procedure avoids many of the common problems reported by readers after each update to OS X," MacFixIt reports. Not skipping any steps in this update procedure creates less headaches in the long run.
What if the disk I just burned is giving me an error?
Hint: Burn at 1X, 2X or 4X. The slower the burn, the less room for errors, it takes time to do things right.
Hint: Use DVD-R media, not DVD+R media. For many years by default, Apple's DVD drives were DVD-R only. Apple's default drive hardware has only moved to DVD+R within the past year or so. If you have an older Mac, you need to swap out your internal drive or get an external DVD+/-R(W) drive to view or record DVD+R.
Hint: Use quality DC/DVD media. There are many variations in media and it really can make a difference. "...media brands means nothing. Apple is a great brand, but they do not make their own discs, instead outsourcing to MXL (Hitachi/Maxell), MCC (Mitsubishi Chemicals), and PVC (Pioneer). Verbatim became infamous by switching from high-quality MCC to ultra-cheap CMC (CMC Magnetics) media, although they have since returned to using MCC. Companies like Memorex, Fuji and Imation all outsource to media vendors. When buying media online always be aware of fake media too (see the fakes guide). It is the Media ID that is important, as it reveals the disc maker."
http://www.digitalfaq.com/media/dvdmedia.htm
For a detailed explanation of more than you ever thought you could know about how to not burn coasters, look here: http://www.nomorecoasters.com
To find out what media works best for your specific brand and model of burner, go here: http://www.videohelp.com/dvdmedia?&all=1 Under the "Burnt with this DVD Writer" pull down menu, click on the pull down once to open it and then use your keyboard to type in the brand you have and then use your up/down arrow keys to scroll to the specific model number. Hit return on your keyboard once you've specified the burner you are working with. Click the "Search List or Media" button.
You now have a list of media that consumers have commented on when used with your burner. And you can sort the view the results by selecting any of the following for example:
View all ordered by Comment
View all ordered by Compatibility
View all ordered by Popularity
This way you can find what media works best with your burner. If you have your own experiences with different brands, please contribute your own comments to their database to help others in the future.
Hint: If you're considering a new optical drive, NEC and Pioneer are highly recommended brands by many Mac users. At the time of this writing:
Rated NEC writers are receiving an 8.1 - 9.4 out of 10
Rated Pioneer writers are receiving an 7.4 - 9.0 out of 10
http://www.videohelp.com/dvdwriters.php
The difference is that Pioneer optical drives are natively supported with OS X and NEC is not (unless this has changed with any new drives or updates within the last few months) but this is easily solved with PatchBurn http://www.patchburn.de
Price differences are going to be in speed and capability. Dual layer and DVD+R capability will increase your price. Internal will be less expensive than external.
Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger
Excellent In-Depth Review of Tiger - Highly Recommend.
http://arstechnica.com/reviews/os/macosx-10.4.ars
What is Firewire Target Disk Mode?
You can use FireWire to connect your computer to another Mac and have one of the computers appear as an external hard disk on the other computer. This is sometimes called Target Disk Mode.
To transfer files using FireWire Target Disk Mode:
1) Shut down the first computer and leave the second computer on.
2) Connect the two computers using a 6-pin to 6-pin FireWire cable. (If both computers have higher-speed FireWire 800 ports in addition to the standard FireWire 400 ports, you can use a 9-pin to 9-pin cable with the FireWire 800 ports to transfer data at higher speeds.)
3) Start up the first computer while holding down the T key. A disk icon for the first computer appears on the desktop on the second computer. Drag files to and from the disk to transfer them.
4) When you finish, eject the first computer's disk by dragging its icon to the Trash.
5) Push the power button on the first computer to shut it down an disconnect the FireWire cable.
(The first PowerMac 400 G4 will NOT support Target Disk Mode as the target. Only G4s with PCI graphics lack support. Make sure firmware is updated on all other Macs.)
What if I have a third party internal dvd burner or external burner?
Both Toast and Dragon Burn http://www.ntius.com/default.asp?p=dragonburn/dburn4_main support external dvd burners natively.
However, for Disk Utility to burn to an external dvd burner you need to add your particular dvd burner to your Mac OS X profile. Do this with PatchBurn http://www.patchburn.de/.
How to burn a bootable Mac disk image on a PC
Yes, this one really is possible too!
Prepare the disk image on your Mac first:
1. MOUNT on your desktop the disk image you want to burn with your PC
If you get info on the mounted image and it says [HFS in input/output] go straight to step 7.
2. Launch Disk Utility and highlight the icon of the disk image you just mounted that you want to burn in the lower left area of the Disk Utility window.
3. In the Disk Utility menu bar under Images Scroll down to New> Image from (mounted disk image name here).
4. In the "Save As" field, type: Mac OS X Install DVD and change the "Format" drop down menu to "read/write disk image".
Click the "Create" button.
5. Launch Toast. Under "Utilities" in the menu bar, scroll down to "Compare".
Drag and drop the original mounted disk image to to the "Original" field.
Drag and drop the new mounted disk image to to the "Copy" field and click the "Start" button.
If any files are missing, drag and drop them from the mounted original onto your new mounted disk image.
6. Unmount both the original and new disk images by selecting them on your desktop and hitting [apple] + [E] on your keyboard.
7. In Disk Utility, select the "Convert" icon. Navigate to and select the new DMG file.
In the "Save As" field input: Mac OS X Install DVD and change the "Image Format" drop down menu to "DVD/CD master".
Click the "Save" button.
8. In Finder, go to the file you just created.
In this case is should be named as follows: Mac OS X Install DVD.cdr.
Change the name to: Mac OS X Install DVD.iso
9. Transfer the "Mac OS X Install DVD.iso" to the PC you are using to burn to disk.
10. Burn as raw ISO image using any application of your choice (Nero for example).
[Thanks to dmucie & Xcalm]
What is the difference between DVD-R and DVD+R?
http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html
http://www.americal.com/pg/dvd-r-faq.html
http://macforum.torrentskickass.com/viewtopic.php?p=54626
http://www.americal.com/pg/dvd-r-faq.html
http://forums.xlr8yourmac.com/drivedb/search.drivedb.lasso
Considering a New Drive?
If your budget has room, I recommend NEC even more than Pioneer (which is excellent) in this case. It's an investment in quality. I am very satisfied with it. The difference is that Pioneer optical drives are natively supported with OS X and NEC is becoming native. PatchBurn http://www.patchburn.de/ easily solves any issues with non-native drives. I have also been hearing excellent feedback on LG.
NEC Optical Disk Drives are definitely a well made.
http://www.nec.com/cgi-bin/products/products.cgi?cat_id=PC0011
The rated NEC writers are receiving an 8.1 thru 9.4 out of 10 here:
The rated Pioneer writers are receiving an 7.4 thru 9.0 out of 10 here:
NEC Burner firmware and info:
http://www.herrie.org/
LG Burner Info:
I've been hearing more and more reports of satisfied LG owners. Super Multi, LGE's key optical storage product is widely known for its proven quality-compatibility with all DVD formats. In the future, this site will also upload information on Blu-Ray products.
