LeopardAssist for Mac
Install OS X 10.5 Leopard on some unsupported Macs.
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LeopardAssist overview
LeopardAssist can help in the process of installing OS X 10.5 Leopard on machines that did not meet the minimum system requirement of an 867MHz or faster processor. It achieves this by temporarily writing a script into the NVRAM of your G4-based Mac. Executed at startup, this script will temporarily force the system to report that a faster processor is installed, allowing the Leopard installer to successfully complete its minimum system requirements check.
This allows Leopard to be installed from unmodified installation media or another bootable device. LeopardAssist handles the interaction with Open Firmware, specifying the target processor speed, the number of physical processors in the system, the desired boot device and any additional startup flags to simplify the installation and configuration process.
What’s new in version 3.0
Version 3.0:
- Complete rewrite with numerous under-the-hood improvements and optimisations.
- Redesigned interface and icon.
- Limited customisation of startup options now available on G5 systems.
- Users can now choose to start in Single User Mode and Safe Boot after restart.
- Added automatic detection of single- and dual-processor systems.
- Added the ability for users to specify a custom processor clock frequency.
- Added detection for unsupported architectures and insufficient memory.
- Added option to boot from USB where supported.
- Reset Firmware Defaults now performs a complete Open Firmware reset on restart.
- Improved security when handling passwords at authentication stage.
LeopardAssist for Mac
Free
In English
Version 3.0
What users say about LeopardAssist
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(21 Reviews of LeopardAssist)
Comments
User Ratings
Jun 1 2013
Version: 2.3.3
Please Help!
After executing leopardassist witch checked "Verbose" the OS 10.4 on my HD don't starts anymore! On Boot there is the Apple Icon and i can hear the HD loading, but after 1 Minute the Powermac shuts down. What can i do? please help!
Jan 1 2012
Version: 2.3.3
Obrigada! Funcionou. Consegui instalar o Leopard no meu iBook G4 800. Thanks!
Dec 8 2009
Version: 2.3.3
The server was revoked some time ago, after I decided to back down from maintaining the project. I'm surprised this listing is even still here, but because it's lasted for so long i'll turn a copy of 2.3.3 over to MacUpdate for hosting.
LeopardAssist doesn't normally have a problem with CPU upgrades, but since most of the CPU upgrades available on the market push the system past the required 867MHz barrier anyway, there's simply no need for this tool on those systems.
The software was and still is only a frontend to compile and execute a shell script to be deployed into the system NVRAM at boot time, and considering just how little there is to work with in the way of faking a CPU clock speed, it's been developed to the best of my abilities. Now with the release of Snow Leopard, there's not much more that can be done to push LeopardAssist into the future.
Dec 2 2009
Version: 2.3.3
Poor documentation, the Server's been down for an age.
No support for CPU upgrades that is cleared out in any documentation and it did not work after many attempts.
Luckily I had a Leopard compatible eMac and installed it on a FW 400 PATA drive and booted up on my G4 DA 800MHz and it runs super fast too even on the FW 400 Drive that I still use.
I'm disappointed that Mac utilities for Mac OS X like LeopardAssist can be so cheesy. o_O
Jun 21 2009
Version: 2.3.3
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.
Thanks.