upgrade help please!

Greetings!
I'm new to this forum stuff...

I have a Power Mac G4 - about 4 years old. Single processor, 800mghz, 1.25gigs ram, running OS9.1.2.

I use my mac for music production. I have been using Pro Tools 5.1. I have never upgraded anything. Out of the box, my system has worked perfectly for years - never crashes, and is all I have ever needed - until now.

Recently, I have taken on some new clients who have hired me to produce audio to sync to their video productions. They send me video files, I import these into Pro Tools, and then score to them.

The problem is, their systems are so much newer, the files they send me often don't open on my mac. It's a big drag! Not to mention a little embarrassing! I assumed that if I upgraded to OS X, I could then upgrade to the newest versions of ProTools, Quicktime, etc..., and life would be grand once more.

My computer came with an OSX upgrade disc, which installed perfectly. However, to upgrade any of my programs, I must first upgrade to OS10.2. I go to the Apple site, click downloads, and the little wheel spins and spins, and spins, and spins, but the download page never opens.

I'm trying to avoid the expense of buying a new system so - is there a way to make my old machine run with the young dogs, or am I barking up the wrong tree?

And what the heck are Panther, Leopard, and Tiger? Which came first? What are their corresponding version numbers? And what's up with the animal names? Does anyone else find that peculiar?

I would apreciate any advice... thank you

 

what format extension are the new files you are trying to use or incorporate? You can tell by the 3 letter extensions on the file. May a file type incompatibilty with your mac or maybe need some type or driver or plugin so the mac will read the new files. Not sure, just a suggestion

 

Thank you!!!

 

Thank you for your response! I will check the extensions. Whatever the necessary drivers or plugins are, it's been my experience that my system is still too old to even recognize them. No matter what, it appears I still have to upgrade the operating system, and therefore everything else. Not sure my machine will work with the latest version of mac os.