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DESCRIPTION
LeopardAssist is a simple tool to install Leopard on older, unsupported Power Macs.
It bypasses the 867 MHz processor check in Leopard install to allow systems that don't meet the requirements to complete installation. It achieves this by temporarily faking the clock speed in the device tree, changing it to 933MHz, and then launching the Leopard Installer. No modified Leopard DVD's, no hardware hacks or tweaks, just a one-time run application. (Much like XPostFacto)
WHAT'S NEW
Version 2.3.3: is a service release. This build corrects minor bugs in the application itself, while adding a few handy new features and improvements.
- Fake CPU Speed lifted to 933MHz, giving the system room to "give or take" from the modified CPU speed.
- Disables "Restore System Defaults" if G5 or Intel detected.
- Changes to behaviour on Multi-Processor Systems
- Added "Demonstration Mode" for unsupported systems to demo the software.
- Code Cleanup.
- Changes to Final Restart step, now shows steps to recover from problems.
REQUIREMENTS
Mac OS X 10.2 or later (10.3 recommended)
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| LeopardAssist User Reviews (17 posts) | Write A Review |
 | Sep 28 2008 |
BONBONS Used the previous version to install 10.5 on a Powerbook G4 800/1GB RAM, installation went fine, 10.5 was usable but compared to 10.4 very slow, I think that's a main problem with Leopard. And the 10.5.4 update made it slower once again. To my surprise new software from Apple needs new hardware from Apple... ;-) I saw tests were Leopard was called "much faster" than Tiger, well maybe, maybe on Intels, but on my G5 the Tiger runs faster, not to speak from the many G4s around. If youl think you can't survive without 10.5, this is the way to install it on older Macs, but if you see your Computer as a tool to get your work done or to have some fun, I think Tiger is just fine.
(Version 2.2) | |
| [ 1 Reply - Reply ] | |
Replies:
 | Sep 29 2008 |
HORATIO I agree, Tiger seems to be better for older macs, so I wouldn't install it on my quicksilver 800. Even on a supported powerbook 1,25, 1,5 GB RAM, leopard is slow. It could be an illusion, but even slower from update to update. Actually under 10.5.5 I'm considering downgrade. It's a pain every time when I'm changing from last generation iMac to my powerbook.
(Version 2.2c) | |
 | Aug 18 2008 |
MBRICE I picked up an eMac G4 and decided to do a bit of extra work on LeopardAssist. Did away with boot.txt as requested by beta testers, now writing the 867mhz script directly into the Parameter RAM. This should correct problems on many systems which previously had issues finding boot.txt on restart (a majority of cases).
(Version 2.0) | |
| [ Reply ] | |
| Dec 21 2007 |
Congratulations for this. This would work only from G4 with 500 mhz, not G3, right? I believe also it could work on any G4 below 500 but running 10.5 would be considerably slow.
(Version 0.9) | |
| [ 3 Replies - Reply ] | |
Replies:
| Dec 21 2007 |
MBRICE I think Leopard is fairly dependent on AltiVec, so this won't help get it running on G3's. The machine we tested it on was a 400mhz Sawtooth G4 which seemed to work fine (although in comparison it wasn't as fast as newer models).
(Version 0.9) | |
| Dec 27 2007 |
ANDRES SKL Please, did anyone test it on a TiBook G4/400MHz? I'd like to know if it's ok to install it there. Thank you VERY much. | |
| Dec 28 2007 |
MBRICE So far the TiBook is on the supported list for benefit of the doubt, we have had positive reports from the original 400/500mhz models. Best way to try it is to test it out if possible.
(Version 1.1) | |
| Jun 21 2009 |
MACFENTON Will LeopartAssist work for an older Mac using a processor upgrade card, such as a Sonnet Crescendo PCI 1GHz? I seem to recall that it might, but am not 100% on this. I'd gladly buy a new Mac with Leopard on it IF I had the extra cash laying around, but it seems the wife AND I want to continue to eat and live indoors, for some strange inexplicable reason. Hopefully LA will fill the void. | |
| [ 1 Reply - Reply ] | |
Replies:
| Jul 9 2009 |
ANONYMOUS LeopardAssist probably won't be able to correct limitations on this system due to the lack of support for the hardware in Leopard itself. As far as I know, Leopard can be forced onto machines as early as the Beige Power Macintosh G3 (using kernel extensions from the Leopard Developer Preview) but considering it's using a Crescendo PCI, the highest this Mac would be is a 9600 series.
(Version 2.3.3) | |
| Mar 30 2009 |
BOB_VICKTOR Obviously OSX supports multiple processors, and obviously have more processors helps things run faster, but I was wondering if anybody had any first hand experiences they could share? I have a Dual 533 Mhz G4 (digital audio) and was planning on installing 10.5 and was wondering if it would be worth it.
(Version 2.3.2) | |
| [ 1 Reply - Reply ] | |
Replies:
| May 17 2009 |
MBRICE Leopard seems to respond well to multi-processor systems. The key to remember is that Leopard benefits from decent amounts of RAM (768mb-1GB) and will also run quite a bit faster with a 32mb graphics card that supports Quartz Extreme at the very least. Turning off the 3D dock also helps performance. It should run quite well on your Digital Audio 533, but it's not about to set the world of fire with its performance. If you need it to work at peak performance then Tiger 10.4 is still the champion, but if your main concern is running the very latest browsers or other software, then 10.5 should work well enough to handle thst.
(Version 2.3.2) | |
| Jul 24 2008 |
JUSTINGRAZIANO A great app. Works excellent, it would be nice if there was an option to mod the OS X install DVD so that it doesn't have to be installed everytime you reinstall OS X but it's still nice.
(Version 1.2) | |
| [ Reply ] | |
| Jul 7 2008 |
MBRICE Leopard sure won't speed on these older machines, although some of them have been upgraded, particularly those with aftermarket graphics cards which will allow Leopard's video acceleration. Cheers to everyone who showed support, I really do wish I could have continued working on this but unfortunately my G4, my only testing machine had a logic board failure which severely damaged the progress of the project.
(Version 1.2) | |
| [ Reply ] | |
| Apr 3 2008 |
BRIAN KENDIG Running Leopard on an unsupported machine still means it'll be a lot slower than Tiger because Leopard dropped support for the video acceleration in unsupported Macs, right? For example, if you put Leopard on a Sawtooth G4, the graphics will be painfully slow?
(Version 1.2) | |
| [ Reply ] | |
| Mar 26 2008 |
HURZ Nonetheless you ceased you business I feel its time to say a BIG THANKYOU for your effort and generosity (to share the code). | |
| [ Reply ] | |
| Mar 11 2008 |
MBRICE LeopardAssist's parent development group has ceased development of its entire product line, but LeopardAssist in its entirety has been open sourced and relocated to SourceForge. Full details at the former website. http://mac.profusehost.net
(Version 1.2 DR3) | |
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