Installing Mac OS X

Documents in this series:

In this document:

0. Important reference documents
1. Read important documents
2. Preparing for installation
3. Choosing an installation method
4. Installing Mac OS X
5. Upgrade to the latest version of Mac OS X
6. Questions or problems?

0. Important reference documents
Denotes an Apple resource

Mac OS X 10.3 Read Before You Install (91K PDF)

  

Mac OS X 10.3 Install Guide (179K PDF)

Welcome to Mac OS X 10.3 (12.4M PDF)

1. Read important documents

Before you begin installing Mac OS X, be sure to read over the documents listed above, especially Read Before You Install (also included on the Mac OS X CD).

2. Preparing for installation

Ensure that your computer is ready for Mac OS X. Mac OS X requires any of the following Macintosh computers:

You'll need a minimum of 128MB RAM, though DoIT strongly recommends 256MB RAM or more; Apple-supplied video card(s) or most any ATI or nVidia video card(s); and 2GB of free hard disk space. If you do not currently have at least Mac OS 9.1, you will also need to upgrade to Mac OS 9.2.2 before you install Mac OS X in order to use the Classic environment to run older Macintosh software.

3. Choosing an installation method

Mac OS X can be installed on the same disk as your current software and operating system. If you have partitioned your drive, or you are reformatting the partition Mac OS X will be installed on, format the volume or partition as Mac OS Extended (HFS+). Do not choose Unix File System (UFS) unless you have a specific reason for doing so.

4. Installing Mac OS X

Follow the instructions in Read Before You Install (also included on the Mac OS X CD). Boot your computer from the Mac OS X CD by insterting the CD into the drive, restarting, and holding down the 'c' key. The Mac OS X installation process is automatic. Once installed, your computer will automatically restart and the Mac OS X Setup Assistant will finish helping you set up Mac OS X.

5. Upgrade to the latest version of Mac OS X

After Mac OS X is installed, make sure you upgrade to the latest version of Mac OS X using Software Update (available under the Apple menu or in System Preferences) to ensure you have the latest features, performance improvements, security enhancements, and bug fixes. Information about the latest version of Mac OS X can always be found on the Mac OS X Support Information page. Additionally, if you plan to make use of the Classic environment for running legacy Mac applications, consider upgrading to the latest release of Mac OS 9 (a free update).

6. Questions or problems?

If you have any questions or problems, please contact the DoIT Help Desk by calling (608) 264-HELP (4357), emailing help@doit.wisc.edu, or in person at 1150 Computer Science, 1210 West Dayton Street.

Document created by Dave Schroeder of DoIT (das@doit.wisc.edu) 11/05/2003.
Copyright 2001 Regents of the University of Wisconsin. All rights reserved.
http://apple.doit.wisc.edu/macosx/support/install.html