Installing Mac OS X 10.4.x Tiger on a Mac without a DVD player

Mac OS X 10.4.x (Tiger) ships, by default, on a DVD. This poses a problem for Macs shipped without a DVD drive, those with non-functional DVD drives, or those which have had their drives manually removed.

Fortunately, there are a number of methods for installing Mac OS X 10.4.x (Tiger) on such systems.

Target disk mode The easiest method, if you have access to another Mac with a DVD player, is to use FireWire target disk mode to install Mac OS X 10.4. Use the following process.

Shut down the target Mac (the one on which you would like to install Mac OS X 10.4)

Connect the target Mac to another system with a DVD drive running Mac OS X, using a standard FireWire cable.

Startup the target Mac while holding the "T" key. You should see a FireWire logo appear on the screen once the system is turned on.

Insert the Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) DVD into the Mac with a DVD drive.

On the mounted DVD, navigate to System/Installation/Packages/. Launch the file named "OSInstall.mpkg" and follow the install steps, selecting the target Mac's hard drive for the destination.

Get Tiger on CDs Another option is obtain Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) on a set of CDs rather than a single DVD.

Apple offers this as an option for purchasers of the Tiger DVD for an extra US$9.95.

The order form is available here, and the offer is available through December 20th, 2006.

Use an external DVD drive External USB or FireWire DVD-ROM drives are available inexpensively from a number of retailers, and will allow you to use a Mac OS X 10.4 disc on older systems.

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