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So its time to upgrade or install Apple's latest operating system Mac OS 10.3, also known as Panther. Panther is a wonderful operating system but has had its fair share of bugs. These bugs can be seen in the support pages on the Apple web site. The main issues tend to be with Firewire drives and the possibility of erasing the entire contents of the drives! So with anything, beware. Disclaimer: This instructions give an idea how to install Mac OS 10.3. I do not under any circumstances take responsibility for lost or corrupt data nor any incompatible issues with existing hardware or software.

If there issues, please look on the support pages for the manufacturersof the hardware or software causing problems.

These instructions are only here to help guide through the options of Panther for install. So with that out of the way, lets begin.

The first important step is backup you data! BACK UP BACKUP BACK UP!

I don't know how many ways I can say this but this is the crucial step. So many people say, "Do I need to? Nothing is going to happen!" How do you know? The point of backing up your data is that if there is a problem you can restore it. It is an extra big step but if something goes wrong and your data disappears, then what are you going to do? Most people cry. So let me say again. "Back up your data!" I find the best way to do this is to backup your entire home directory. Thehome directory is in the "Users/" folder. So for example my homefolder would be "Users/davinder/". This is the folder that contains the following folders: Desktop, Documents, Library, Movies, Music, Pictures,Public, and Sites. Back this entire folder up. You can back up hopefullyonto anything, a CD, DVD, external hard drive, another computer (Mac or PC),or iPod. Anything you can store data onto. (I know that sounds like statingthe obvious but Iíve been asked before. So backup onto anything youcan write data onto and later read from.) Oh yeah, make sure ALL home directories have been backed up (if your not theonly user of the computer.)

NOTE:You WILL have to log-in to each user in order to do this. Otherwise you will copy empty folders of all non-logged in users. If you have other hard drives or partitions, you should probably back those up too.

Let's Install Panther

1. Insert CD 1 and double click the Install OS X.

a. You will be asked for a password; type it in. b. The mac will restart and start the installation.

NOTE:If you do not know the password, restart the computer with the CD in. Hold down the "c" key to tell the computer to boot from the CD drive, and then follow as below. 2. A bunch of windows will appear, keep clicking continue until you reach the "Select Drive" window.

a. Select the drive you wish to install on. b. Click on "Options" in the lower left corner of the window.

i. Ideally you should select Erase & Install. ii. Make sure Mac OS Journaled is selected. c. Click "Okay".

3. Go to the next window and click on "Customize". Here comes the fun stuff. This is the part where you get to chose what youwant installed on your Mac. If you click on the arrow next to the checkbox a more comprehensive listappears which you can select and deselect.

X11: The X11 windows server for Linux apps. If you don't have a clue what Iím talking about do not install it. If you do then you should decide if youíre going to use it or not. Additional fonts: Most of us read and write English so we don't need the additional Asian fonts. There is an option for the Punjabi fonts so you can chose them if you would like. Speech voices: Depends if you use voice recognition or not, but itís a cool thing to have so I'd go ahead and install them. Printers: You can either install all the printer drivers or you can be selective. If you are selective, chose the company of the printer manufacture. In the description make sure that your printer is listed. BSD: Keep it! Don't mess with that one.

4. Now all your options are set. Keep Clicking continue until it starts to install and then follow the onscreen directions. 5. Once its completely installed you will have to set up your accounts. Fill the fields and answer the questions. You've installed Panther 10.3!

Now as long as your internet preferences were set correctly panther should automatically launch software update. It'll ask you to download a series of updates. Do them. Once this has been done, you'll be asked to restart. After restart do the Software update again. This can be activated from selecting Software update from the Apple menu in the top left corner. Do this several times to make sure you have all the updates installed on your Macintosh. Once this has been completed now its time to restore your Mac to how it was.