Mac OS X: So I just scored an old iMac G3.....
So I just scored an old iMac G3.....
by Magishine - 7/9/08 4:39 PMAnd let me say, it's very hard to find good software for a dead OS. Chief among my concerns is finding a good browser for OS9.
Anyone know of any sites where I can get some good freeware?
You may want to define "Old iMac"
by mrmacfixit
- 7/9/08 5:00 PM
In reply to: So I just scored an old iMac G3..... by Magishine
I am currently installing, for someone else who scored an old iMac, OS 10.3.9 which includes Safari and the iLife suite.
Granted Safari is not the latest edition, but it runs. You'll find that Firefox 2.x will also run very well.
So, what are the specs on this bad boy?
P
OLD
by Magishine - 7/9/08 5:26 PM In reply to: You may want to define "Old iMac" by mrmacfixit
350mhz with 64MB of RAM and 8MB of video memory on about 5gb of space free. To my knowledge, those specs are too low for OSX
One of the originals
by BeatleMegaFan - 7/9/08 9:30 PM In reply to: OLD by MagishineThose details look fairly similar to one of the earlier iMac G3's specifications. See here. According to the link, you will find that it can run up to the latest version of Mac OS X Tiger, or 10.4. And with Tiger, you should have no trouble installing a decent web browser. There is Safari of course, Firefox, Opera, Camino, and many more. For OS 9, you'd want to look for an old copy of IE, but that would require a lot of searching, or so I've heard.
I now direct you to this Apple Support page, specifically listing all of Tiger's requirements. Every iMac G3 should have a FireWire port and a G3 processor (big surprise 
), so no worries there. If this iMac his as old as you have suggested, then you will find that you have a standard CD drive inside. You need a DVD drive to install Tiger. You can go about that by doing a remote install of sorts. Here is another link to support that, although it seems to address the original iMac, and not this particular model. Same idea. You may also want to add in more memory so that you can run a later system. According to that Low End Mac link, I think you can throw in a whopping 1GB in it. Maybe, maybe not.
However, I've heard that Panther, OS 10.3, runs well on these G3s, so you may want to try that instead of Tiger. You'll probably find a copy of that on eBay or so. Of course, I'm assuming that you would want to run a more current system, and not OS 9. You will always have Classic support should you upgrade to OS X. Leopard will not run on this Mac, mind you, so you're set. Good luck.
-BMF
Correction
by BeatleMegaFan - 7/9/08 10:26 PM In reply to: One of the originals by BeatleMegaFanI said that all the iMacs should have FireWire ports, but I made a mistake. I was thinking of how all other Macs since the iMac G3 have incorporated FireWire to this day, excluding the MacBook Air. Hmm... The profile page on the Blueberry iMac, the iMac in question I believe, says that it does not have a FireWire port. My mistake. But theoretically, you could run Tiger on this piece of hardware in some form. But to make it easier, I would recommend OS X Panther (or even Jaguar if you feel like it) as an alternative to OS 9. You could also choose from the other supported versions of the Mac OS that should run on this machine. Sorry for the confusion there.
... I am awaiting the outcome of the MobileMe rollout. When the clock struck 6 P.M. Pacific Time and .Mac was still up, I was stumped until I noticed that the maintenance times were pushed back another two hours. Now, .Mac is down and gone forever. It had a good run I suppose, but it needed some changes.
Anyway, good luck with the iMac (again).
-BMF
That iMac.
by mrmacfixit - 7/10/08 4:55 AM
In reply to: OLD by Magishine
If you take the memory up to the max, 1GB, (around $100 or less) you can comfortably run OS 10.3.9
I think 10.4 would be a little too much for that processor.
That will give you the opportunity to run all of the iLife suite, except iDVD, and have the ability to run a reasonably up to date browser.
Unfortunately the latest versions of Safari and Firefox require 10.4 and above but the included version of Safari is not bad.
As mentioned, no Firewire, so you are limited in the way of external devices, and the USB is only 1.0 which is ok for keyboards but really no good for externals.
The hard drive can be easily replaced, it's a standard 3.5" drive, and will support at least 128GB.
Anyway, good luck.
Let us know how you get on
P
since youre talking older G3's
by artydiana - 7/19/08 1:05 PM In reply to: That iMac. by mrmacfixit
MR fixit, i recently added 512mb (PC 100 8NS 168 pin 32x8 sdram)to my imac---thought I seated it properly, but it doesn't show up in system profiler, nor does my system seem to be running faster. can you suggest anything to see if it is actually working? thanks
First,
by mrmacfixit - 7/19/08 3:15 PM
In reply to: since youre talking older G3's by artydiana
I would need more information as to what "older G3" you were talking about.
If it does not show up in System Profiler, then it is either;
a. not seated correct and therefore not seen by the system
b. not the correct RAM for that particular system.
P
Cheat.
by R. Proffitt - 7/19/08 3:17 PM
In reply to: since youre talking older G3's by artydiana
Head to crucial.com and share what you find. Example? http://www.crucial.com/store/listparts.aspx?model=iMac+(G3-400)
easy RAM upgrade
by HowEver--2008 - 8/3/08 9:35 AM In reply to: since youre talking older G3's by artydianaRAM is an easy install on these computers!
Freeware for your iMac G3
by shahn723 - 7/26/08 5:42 AM In reply to: So I just scored an old iMac G3..... by MagishineGo to: VersionTracker.com TONS of Freeware
A Browser
by Expandedcalvary - 7/26/08 10:45 AM In reply to: So I just scored an old iMac G3..... by MagishineBack when I had to use OS9 for some design, I used a browser called iCab for web browsing. Now, it's been a few years since I've had to use OS9 and iCab, so I don't know if it's supported on OS9 anymore. On top of that, I didn't get much of a chance to test it for casual web use, so I don't know how well it holds up. All I know is that it's out there.
Also, the iMac may not have a firewire port. I've used G3 iMacs for the past couple of years, simply because of insufficient funds for us to upgrade, and some of the oldest ones don't have a firewire port, only USB. From a glance, I'd say yours probably has a firewire port, though, if you wanted to go the Tiger route. Our iMacs only have up to Jaguar and Panther on them, and they're pretty slow. I'd recommend keeping to OS9 on it, unless you really wanted to push the envelope.
Netscape 7
by Apta Good - 7/29/08 12:20 AM In reply to: So I just scored an old iMac G3..... by MagishineTry the old Netscape version 7.2 browser for OS 9. You'll have to hunt for it in their archives. Also iCab.
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