Member Avatar for kayashiva

I'm having trouble opening .dmg files on my g5 version 10.2.8. When i try stuffit expander opens and nothing happens. i tried pushing file then expand and still nothing. does anyone know what i can do? newbie

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A short, practical summary for this thread: a .dmg is a macOS disk image (not a plain archive). On a working Mac it normally mounts as a virtual disk when opened so the contained files appear in Finder; Disk Utility can verify or repair an image that won’t mount. (support.apple.com)

Context for older machines (like ’s G5 on 10.2.8): modern disk images and volume formats changed over time. Images created on newer macOS releases (or using APFS/encryption/compression) may be unreadable on much older OS X builds. ’s tip about updating/removing third‑party utilities (StuffIt) is relevant because a wrong file‑association can interfere; ’s pointer to resetting the handler is useful background if the Finder keeps handing .dmg files to another app. For direct mounting from Terminal the DiskImages tool can be used, for example: 

hdiutil attach /path/to/image.dmg
hdiutil convert image.dmg -format UDTO -o image.cdr

Those commands are part of the built‑in hdiutil tool and are a reliable fallback when the Finder fails. (leopard-adc.pepas.com)

If the goal is to open a .dmg on Windows XP: Windows does not mount .dmg natively. Free tools such as 7‑Zip can often extract many DMG types, and free utilities like dmg2img can convert a DMG into an ISO/CUE/IMG that Windows tools can handle. Encrypted or newer DMG types may still fail to extract without the original password or a modern macOS to convert them first. (7-zip.org)

Quick checklist for troubleshooting: confirm the download isn’t corrupt (re‑download if unsure), try mounting on a newer Mac or run Disk Utility’s verify/repair, attempt hdiutil attach in Terminal for verbose errors, and if necessary convert the image (or use 7‑Zip/dmg2img on Windows). If association problems persist (StuffIt opening .dmg), remove or update that utility so the system disk‑image handler can take over. (support.apple.com)

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Member Avatar for yellow

Double clicking a .dmg should have it opened and mounted on your Desktop automatically. Maybe it IS working and you didn't know what to look for?

Member Avatar for scuubaman

downloading and installing the new version of stuffit expander from will sometimes fix this issue. Make sure to download the free version.

Member Avatar for Adorian0

OS X 10.4. have caused a myriad of problems for users (i.e. rendering Apps useless, Safari slow, FireWire External devices not mounting to desktops, DVD/CD burners/players not working, or DVD/CDs randomly mounting, etc.).

I had the same problem as you with StuffIt Expander. I finally did a search to remove all the files to the trash, then created a folder for them and dragged them into it. Backed them up on a little CD.

Then went online to MacUpdate/VersionTracker, etc. sites & downloaded & resinstalled another. If your Mac uses OS9, check the 'Internet Utilities' folder, and you will find an Aladdin folder with Stuffit to use temporarily.

Member Avatar for docbnj

Double clicking a .dmg should have it opened and mounted on your Desktop automatically. Maybe it IS working and you didn't know what to look for?

1. Select the dmg file and type command-I to get info.

2. In the Info window, at "Open with", drag down to Other. Scroll to System>Library>Core Services>DiskImageMounter.

3. Click "Change all" button, so that the Finder knows always to handle dmg files properly.

4. Close the Info window.

5. Double-click on your recalcitrant dmg file, and it should now open properly. (And so should all the other dmg files you encounter.)

Member Avatar for kayashiva

thanks! I'll give it a try.

Member Avatar for svvsk29

i want to dmg conveter to windows xp softwere free

Member Avatar for svvsk29

dmg to windows xp conveter softwere plese

Member Avatar for JohnKSmith

Hi All
DMG file is a (CD) disk image created for Mac OSX PC's. My guess is that you'd normally unpack it on a Mac OSX PC.
For instance, if the file is meant to create a CD of clipart then yes, you'll be able to unpack it for use on a Windows or Linux PC as well as a Mac.

Member Avatar for crunchie

Closing thread.

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