How to Meet the System Requirements for Mac OS Tiger

Upgrading your computer's operating system might be a little expensive, but the benefits are usually well worth it. Among other things, the newest operating systems usually have been security protection and a better user interface. Before you upgrade your Mac, you'll need to meet the system requirements for Mac OS Tiger.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Click on the apple icon in the upper left hand corner of your computer screen. Choose the first option "About this Mac".

2. Look at the info in the open window. You'll see which version of OS X you're running as well as info about your processor and memory. If you are running system version 10.4.x then there is no need to upgrade to Mac OS Tiger because you're already running it.

3. Write down the processor specs for your computer. You can also copy and paste them to a word processing document for easy reference.

4. Click on your hard disk and choose "Get info" from the pull down file menu. At the bottom of this window you'll see information about the available disk space on your computer. You'll need to have at least 3 gigabytes available to install Mac OS Tiger.

5. Compare your computer specs to the system requirements for Tiger. You'll need to have at least a G3 processor, 3 gigabytes of free space, 256 megabytes of RAM, a monitor, a DVD drive and a FireWire port.

6. Go back to the "About this Mac" menu and click the "More info" button. In the hardware menu you'll see the ports you have on your computer. If you see FireWire listed, then you have the port needed for Tiger.

7. Buy more RAM for your computer if you have less than 256 megabytes installed. You'll probably only have to buy more RAM if you have a very old laptop because 256 megabytes of RAM is standard on most Macs.

8. Purchase the CD version of OS Tiger if you don't meet the DVD drive requirement.

9. Delete some files or back them up on an external hard drive or DVD if you have under 3 gigabytes available. Even though OS Tiger might not use all this space for its installation, it does require that this amount is available before starting installation.

Tips & Warnings

• You can use a third party patch on the Tiger installation disc to bypass some of the system requirements. This bypass is not supported by Apple, though, and may cause problems with your OS.
• If you have a new processor in your computer, it is not guaranteed to work with OS Tiger. Only the factory installed processors are accepted by Tiger, although some third party processors may work.