...is it possible? I have an eMac that seems to fall between the two published model specifications (April '02 & May '03). Is it possible to identify the model exactly from the serial number?

I have a mismatch of CPU speed and video adapter suppliers: an 800MHz G4 mated to a GeForce2 chipset. Apple maintains that the 700MHz systems had NVidea video adapters and the 800MHz systems, ATI.....

 

Ive now found this, by using a slightly different search.

Is it possible to spoof the CPU speed/specification reading in OS-X?

 

Are you trying to spoof it to install Leopard (or Tiger)?

Marcus posted something recently about this but not sure what it was....

 

I believe it is possible to spoof things at the Open Firmware level, have a read of this which details how to do this to get Leopard to install. My guess is the same spoofing would also work for any other application that is asking the OS for the information. Obviously this will only work until you reboot, you'd then have to put the info in again.

What exactly is it that you are trying to do that requires the spoof? If it's an OS install then, as mentioned above, the OF spoof will work, but only until a reboot, a more permanent solution might be to edit the installer's "Distribution" file, which is typically where the system requirements for the install are kept. Obviously this isn't something you can do if you only have read-only media.

There is also the possibility you might need to mod the app once it is installed, as some will also check when they launch, but similar methods will probably work.

One major thing to think about is that there may well be very good reasons why you are being disallowed from installing the item, for example, some things may require Altivec, which may not be present in your machines chipset, and as such, without it, the app might not function correctly. If we're talking about the OS then you may find the OS doesn't work correctly, and that is a slightly bigger headache than an app not working.

 

No, I was trying to establish which model of eMac I have. The serial suffix is NCR, which Apple dont list (NCP is an '02 100MHz machine) but it states that it has an 800MHz CPU (which should only appear in an '03 machine running a 133MHz bus), whilst the rest of the spec is similar to that of a 100MHz machine...

With regards to OS-X.5: Markus, have you made any headway with that modified installer to allow an 800MHz machine to run it?

Simon

 

I'm using the MacTracker app, and I'm looking at two eMac entries, one for 2002, another for 2003.

Here's some screenshots for you. The "P69" being the 2002 model, and the "Northern Lights" being the 2003 model.













Looking at the specs on the P69, it seems it was possible to get an 800MHz eMac with the GeForce 2 chipset in it, so, your eMac is probably a P69 model.

To actually answer your question about the Serial Number, It might well be possible. I found this site which seems to work on my iMac, so it'd be worth trying for your eMac.

 

Appreciated. Apples own reference doesnt make any mention of the later 8000MHz 'P69' models, only the release 700MHzs...