Power Mac G4 Cube Manual
Powermac_g4.pdf
Power Mac G4 User Manual
Power Mac G4 Manual

Power Mac G4 Mdd Service Manual Pdf The Power Mac G4 MDD (Mirrored Drive Doors) was the 3rd Major Revision of the Power Mac G4. It Included an 867MHz, 1GHz, or 1.25GHz PowerPC G4 CPU in single or dual configurations, and a Dual 1.42GHz PowerPC G4 CPU. Congratulations on purchasing your new Power Mac G4 computer. This chapter contains instructions for setting up your computer and display. Positioning the Computer and Display You can pick up the computer by any of its handles. If your monitor is heavy, be sure to use correct lifting techniques when positioning it.

Eric Buczynski June 25, 2007 TutorialsMacHardware

Adding more memory, or RAM, is the least expensive and easiest way to upgrade your Mac. It lets you run more applications and keep more files open simultaneously. Most Macs have more than one slot to install RAM into, but certain laptops and early iMacs have limited slots, so in those cases it helps to purchase the largest memory sticks you can.

How do you know which memory is right for your machine? The simplest way is to check the specifications for your Mac and get all of the gory details. One site that we highly recommend highly is http://www.lowendmac.com/profiles.htm, where you can select your Mac’s make and model. From there, you can search for the best price. Here are some of the tricks we’ve learned over the years:

You may end up paying a higher price at a local store, but you’ll have the RAM faster by not having to wait for it to arrive in the mail. Plus, you’ll have a physical store to return it to if your RAM doesn’t work.
You can replace the original RAM with a higher capacity RAM and fill the rest of the open slots with more memory, but you can also keep the original RAM module and add any extra, even if they’re different sizes. Some earlier models had to have RAM in matching pairs, so check the specifications for your model.
Some companies are more reputable then others when it comes to quality. Crucial, Kingston, and PNY are brands to keep an eye on.

This tutorial will focus on upgrading the RAM in the Powermac G4 series computer. Some G4s have a similar RAM slot location on the motherboard, but please check your owner’s manual for the exact location on your desktop model.

How to Install RAM in Your Power Mac G4

You should probably get a little $5 device called the wrist wrap, also called a grounding strap (picture below). We haven’t had anything short out on us when we’ve been working on our Macs, but these little devices help ground static electricity as a precaution. Simply attach the velcro end to your wrist and the alligator clip to a metal part in the computer (just not the power supply).

When we open our G4, we can see three RAM slots on the logic board. You may notice the small tabs on either end of the RAM slot. These retract into an upright position when a RAM module is firmly seated in one of the slots. This not only lets you know that a RAM stick is seated properly, it also helps pop out one end of the module out when the tab is pressed back down. Here are our RAM sticks:

You can also see the notches on the bottom part of each stick, which indicate that they only fit in the slot one way. Looking down at the slots can help you see which way they go. We have the notches circled in red for you:

Adding the RAM is pretty simple. The only roadblocks you may come across are visual guidance and physical force. It’s fairly easy to put the RAM in the slot itself, but you may need to guide it softly until you can feel and see that it’s not hanging over an edge. From there, you just have to press down on it with a bit of force. In this next diagram, you’ll see that one edge fits securely and that we’re pressing down on the module with our thumb and index finger. You’ll also see that those tabs are now in an upright position.

If you look closely, by the tabs you will also see that two of the slots are labeled. This makes it easier to identify the memory in each slot.

Now that you’ve inserted the RAM, the next step is to reset the Parameter RAM or PRAM. That’s done by pressing the PRAM button on the logic board. It’s a small button, so look closely. Many Macs do not have this type of button, so no PRAM reset is necessary in those cases.

Now it’s showtime. Boot up the Mac and let it go through the startup process. You may notice that it takes a tad longer to start up, but it’s only going through quick RAM tests. If you’d like to double check the RAM yourself, go to the Apple menu and select “About This Mac.” If everything is running properly, it will show your processor type and speed along with the amount of RAM installed. If you’d like even more details, click on “More info…” to see the System Profiler. Now click on “Memory” in the sidebar and you’ll see the RAM sizes and which slot they’re located in.

Now that you’ve got more memory to work with, you can use your Mac to its maximum memory potential!

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Reinstalling Mac OS 9 on a PowerMac G4 MDD

The PowerMac G4 MDD was Apple’s last Mac capable of dual-booting into both Mac OS 9 and OS X. The last of the G4 towers, this model was originally introduced in 2002, briefly evolved into an OS X-only configuration with FireWire 800 in 2003, then returned to the original design for another year.

Due to the need for some customers to run Mac OS 9 for several years after the introduction of OS X, Apple continued to sell this configuration online in parallel with the PowerMac G5 for over a year. They never pushed this option on the Apple Store but it was a consistently strong seller.

These machines came set from the factory to boot into Mac OS X, with OS 9 also loaded on the hard drive. No OS 9 installer was provided, rather that was available as part of the Software Restore CDs bundled with the Mac. The MDD uses a model-specific version of Mac OS 9.2.2, newer than what was included on the last retail OS 9 installer. You need the bundled discs if you want to reinstall a bootable OS 9 on this machine. (Note: only MDDs without FireWire 800 ports can boot into OS 9, models with FireWire 800 ports require OS X. The install CD I used is Apple part number 691-4078-A.)

Recently I was contacted by a client who was looking for just this. He had a dual 1.25GHz MDD with some older ProTools hardware, and preferred to run the software in OS 9 rather than OS X. The problem was his installation of OS 9 was unstable so he was looking for the original installer. Did I have a copy of this rare item?

Power Mac G4 Cube Manual

Off-the-shelf I did not, but fortunately I knew what he meant and where to get one. My last job before running Oakbog full time was as IT Manager for a recording studio, and we ran ProTools hardware and software on these very Mac models! We had about 5 of those systems at one point, so I suspected there were plenty of CDs still buried deep in drawers. Fortunately there were, I contacted my colleagues at the studio and arranged to get a set of the install discs.

My client didn’t need Mac OS X, nor was he interested in first installing OS X 10.2.1 on his tower before restoring the OS 9 image. He just needed a bootable OS 9 System Folder. I suspected this was included on the set of four CDs somewhere, but it isn’t a Finder-visible file.

A bit of sleuthing in Terminal helped find the mystery location. The OS 9 software is in a hidden directory called .images on the first disc. Inside there are several files including OS9General.dmg. I was able to mount (open) this disk image to the desktop via the following Terminal comma

Power Mac G4 Manual