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In need of UPGRADE Advice
Hello
I am planning to upgrade my Mac G4 and I am in need of advice for the best way to do so. I would like to upgrade to OS X Tiger and FCP 4 or 5 but have some concerns before doing so. I am currently working on a large DVD project created in FCP version 2, which I will then burn in iDVD. I have been using iDVD version 1, however, I would like to upgrade to iDVD version 5 for its increased features. I am sort of in the middle of a Catch 22 situation. I’m reluctant to do an FCP upgrade while working on this large project, but I need to upgrade in order to use iDVD 5.
When I first set-up my computer a few years ago 2-pop advised to create 3 partitions and keep my project files on my system drive separate from my video files and render files which should be on another independent media drive. I followed this advice. When OS X first came out I recall reading posts that conflict with the multi-partition school of thought. Some say yes it is best to have 3 partitions while others think 1 partition is better. At this point I would like to receive some definitive advice.
First, my current configuration is as follows:
Mac G4 733 with the DVD SuperDrive, 1-60 gig system drive, and 4-internal media drives.
I am currently running OS 9.2.2, FCP version 2.0.2 and iDVD version 1.1.
The system drive is set-up with 3 partitions: 1-OS 9 15 gigs, 2- OS x 30 gigs and 3-storage with the remainder.
My questions are:
1. Can I maintain my current 3 partition configuration when upgrading to OS X, or, is it best to create one partition? What are the advantages, disadvantages?
2. Can I do a temporary upgrade of just my current OS X partition to Tiger so I can author in iDVD 5 while leaving my current OS 9 partition as is? What does this entail? Will I need to download a new version of QuickTime (6.5.2 or 7.0) to the OS X partition?
3. Can I upgrade FCP version 2 to FCP version 4 or 5 without any problem, or do I need version 3 to do an inbetween upgrade?
I appreciate any advice.
Thanks
Howie
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4 Replies
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You’re not going to like this:
My advice is to not bother upgrading the G4. Buy a G5. Or wait till the Intel units start showing up and THEN buy a used G5. Or buy a second used G4 with more spunk than the one you’ve got now.
Your OS9 days should have been over years ago. Figure out the best way to protect that stuff during your upgrade to Tiger so you can throw it all away at your leisure but get it off your machines. Unless you NEED those legacy apps for a rational business purpose, forget them. Go buy a used G4 iMac, load OS9 onto it and offload your legacy stuff to it. Put it in a closet.Your planned upgrade path for your existing machine is kinda silly and it is fraught with endless possibilities to lose everything. But if you insist, buy or borrow an external FW drive, back everything up to it using a cloner application not a backup app, reformat your machine for Tiger, and bring everything back from the FW drive.
bogiesan
This is my standard sigfile so do not take it personally: “For crying out loud, read the freakin’ manual.”
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Bogiesan
Buying a new machine is not an option right now, however, the FireWire drive might be.
What is a good brand FireWire Drive?
What is a cloner application and can you recommend a good program?
Thanks
Howie
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[Howie] “My questions are:
1. Can I maintain my current 3 partition configuration when upgrading to OS X, or, is it best to create one partition? What are the advantages, disadvantages?
I am not sure of the wisdom for multiple partitions other than a personal organizational method. I would make it one partition and do all of your media management in FCP itself
[Howie] 2. Can I do a temporary upgrade of just my current OS X partition to Tiger so I can author in iDVD 5 while leaving my current OS 9 partition as is? What does this entail? Will I need to download a new version of QuickTime (6.5.2 or 7.0) to the OS X partition?
I would install 10.4 on a seperate HD. I belive you *can* dual boot the computer. That way if it is not running acceptably or you have some kind of incompatibility you have your old config to fall back on.
[Howie] 3. Can I upgrade FCP version 2 to FCP version 4 or 5 without any problem, or do I need version 3 to do an inbetween upgrade?”
Legally yes, not a problem. However, how much ram do you have? You will wan a minimum of 1 gig with FCP 4.x->. Also note that your G4 is near the minimum spec for FCP 5 and below the minimum for HD so, it will be somewhat sluggish.
-gl
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Howie,
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tloomis@silverado.cc
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