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TICKET ARCHIVE -> Upgrading from 10.2.8

czukidog - Feb 14, 2008 - 9:10 am

Yes, I'm a bit of a dinosaur. I have stayed in 10.2.8 because I was afraid that upgrading would mean I couldn't continue to use my older versions of Quicken, Word, etc., and that I would be caught in a spiral of buying new software. I now need a new printer and nearly all require 10.3, so I figured I had better look into upgrading. I have a very early imac G4. It says Version 2.1 in the Apple System Profiler. (I cannot find a Machine ID in the Profiler, as suggested by an earlier thread that I read on upgrading.)

So, I have 3 basic questions. 2 relate to the upgrade, a 3rd to a general problem I have.

1. If I upgrade to 10.3 or 10.4, will it affect the operability of any of my exisiting old application?

2. Can I upgrade directly to 10.4, or must I buy/install 10.3 first?

3. I may have another problem that might require a different chat. When I run Norton Utilities from the hard drive, I get an error message saying I have a problem that requires that I run from the CD. When I run from the CD, Norton says I have no major problems. I tried a fix I read about--booting up in single user mode and typing fsck-fy to emulate disk utility, but it came up clean.

So, ANY HELP you can provide can only improve my current situation! THANKS

Natobasso - Feb 14, 2008 - 10:46 am

Hi! First, ditch Norton. You don't need it and it actually does your system more harm than good. Just use 'repair permissions' accessible here:

Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility/Repair Permissions

About your comp, upgrading can break the functionality of certain apps, but I think only if you moved to an Intel chipped mac with 10.5; your older apps would run in Rosetta emulation (Intels use what's called Universal; it's different than previous OS's) and they may not be properly programmed to do so.

I've had great success going from 10.2.8 to Tiger (10.3) but you'll have to find those system discs on eBay, but they are there.

As for your apps, check with each manufacturer if you're worried about compatibility. And with printers, go to their sites for the printers you like and see if they have OS X drivers for the system you want to move up to.

And above all, back up all your personal data and user accounts before you upgrade. Just in case.

czukidog - Feb 14, 2008 - 12:14 pm

THANKS. I actually had been using "Repair Permissions" also.
Quick clarification. You said Tiger (10.3), do you mean Tiger 10.4 or Panther 10.3? Can I go directly from 10.2.8 to 10.4?
What's the best way to back up? I have a clunky old Zip, but am sure there's better technology.
THANK YOU!!

Natobasso - Feb 15, 2008 - 12:29 pm

I'm sorry, I meant Panther 10.3. You should be able to go from 10.2 to 10.4 as long as you have the full installation disc.

You'll load 10.4 on your machine and then install any software updates (through the System Preference of the same name) until you are up to date with 10.4.

There are many ways to back up, and lots of online options. I'd recommend a mixture of firewire hard drive (for accessible storage), DVD discs for less accessible but more stable storage, and online backups for your offsite option.

Here's some links to online storage services:
http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/01/31...-storage-gang/

I've heard good things about MediaMax, but that's not to say the others aren't good.