MikkiM

On my PowerPC G5, I am unable to update any software. When I do the Software Update,, I get the message :Make sure you have permission to write to /private/tmp/501/TemporaryItems/com.apple.SoftwareUpdate, then try again:

How do I make sure I have permissionç

sinclair_tm

Open Disk Utility in the Utilities folder in the Applications folder on your Mac. Select your hard drive in the left pane, then the first aid tab. Towards the bottom left of the main window there will be a Repair Permissions button. Click that and let it run. Once it's done, run it again, and keep running it until it no longer fixes any permissions, then try updating again.

MikkiM

Thanks for your help. I tried to Repair Permissions in the Disk Utility and it ran for a minute, then gave me the message, :DISK UTILITY INTERNAL ERROR, Disk Utility has lost its connection with the Disk Management Tool and cannot continue. Please quit and relaunch Disk Utility.:

I rebooted and tried it again with the same result.

sinclair_tm

Sounds like you need to boot from the OS X install DVD and then run the Disk Utility from the Utility menu at the top of the screen.

MikkiM

I bought my computer used and did not get the original OS X install disk. Can I purchase just that somewhere?

sinclair_tm

Yes, you can buy the disks. If it's OS X 10.5, you can buy it from Apple. If it's an older version, you can find the disks on ebay. Because it is a G5 you will need to make sure that the OS X disks you buy will work with it.