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TICKET ARCHIVE -> iMac

Ferdinand - May 30, 2006 - 9:52 am

I have an iMac from 1999. Right now it has Mac OS 8.6.
Is it possible to put Mac OS X on it???
Thanks,

Ferdinand

PS: It has 97 MB memory and and less than 10 GB HD.
I would need to put more memory in it, or?

grggary - May 30, 2006 - 10:37 am

Hi. This is directly from Apple:

Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger system requirements
To use Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger, your Macintosh needs:

A PowerPC G3, G4, or G5 processor
Built-in FireWire
At least 256 MB of RAM
DVD drive (DVD-ROM), Combo (CD-RW/DVD-ROM) or SuperDrive (DVD-R) for installation

grggary - May 30, 2006 - 10:48 am

Looks like you'll need more RAM. You also need a minimum of 3 gigs of space on your hard drive. Actually, RAM strips are relatively affordable and you'll note a marked improvement in your machine's performance. For today's apps, I'd recommend 512mb to get by without any major issues. Be sure to shop around because there is significant differences in prices and quality. Tend to gravitate toward reputable sellers, especially those with Mac knowledge.
Mac OS ROM Update 1.0 should be installed. You must have 8.6 installed before running this update.
This URL will give you plenty of information: http://www.lowendmac.com/imacs/imac-d.shtml
LOTS of great info on older iMacs there. Check it out and if you have more questions, feel free to ask!
Gary

Ferdinand - Jun 1, 2006 - 1:02 pm

One problem: The iMac doesnt have FireWire. It has:
2 USB 1.1
1 Ethernet Port
1 Telephone Port
1 Place for Earphones

Will Jauguar or Panther work with it?
Ferdinand

Ferdinand - Jun 1, 2006 - 1:05 pm

Gary,

I read on lowendmac.com that 10.3.x is "officially supported", but does it really work, because I have the 1st edition without FireWire, not the 2nd edition iMac G3/333.

Ferdinand

grggary - Jun 1, 2006 - 11:42 pm

I have some information and links for you, but can you first tell me which iMac we're talking about? You mentioned it was from 1999. Is it a slot loading version (CDs slide in) or the tray loading version (tray opens, you put CD in tray, then close tray). The slot loading version appeared in October of 1999. Prior to that there were four versions. The original Bondi Blue 233 MHz Power PC 750 (1988), followed by version B in Oct. '88. Then there was the 266 MHz model that came in different colors in 1999 which is the one I am assuming you have since you said it was not the 333 which appeared 3 months after the 266.
Here's what Low End Mac.com said about OSX on that machine:

Most importantly:

10.3.x officially supported


10.4.x can generally be installed using XpostFacto 4
http://eshop.macsales.com/OSXCenter/XPostFacto/

If you have a hard drive over 8 GB in size, you must partition it, and the partition containing OS X must be completely within the first 8 GB of space or you will not be able to run OS X. (If you are creating the partition within OS X, it must be 7.45 GB or smaller as reported by Disk Utility, because sometimes a GB is billion bytes and sometimes it's 1,073,741,824 bytes.)

Non-Apple upgrades and peripherals (such as unsupported USB devices, replacement drives, and third-party memory) may cause problems when installing or booting into Mac OS X.

Be sure to read and follow Apple's "Read Before You Install" install instructions to increase the likelihood of getting OS X installed and running on the first try.
http://www.lowendmac.com/imacs/imac-c.shtml

My mom is running a 333 with Jaguar and 128 mb and we did no partitioning or anything of that nature.Maybe it wasn't necessary on the 333. We just ran the installer and it worked. She primarily surfs the web and that OS is sufficient for her needs.

But if 10.3x is supported I see no roadblocks to your installation other than partitioning and adding RAM.

http://www.welovemacs.com/apsyso.html
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Apple/6914337A/
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Apple/6914909A/

Other links you may be interested in:

http://sillydog.org/forum/sdt_3834.php
http://eshop.macsales.com/osxcenter/
http://eshop.macsales.com/OSXCenter/XPostFacto/
http://arstechnica.com/reviews/os/macosx-10.2.ars/3
http://www.welovemacs.com/jagoem.html
http://www.macworld.com/news/2002/08/16/jaguar/

Anyway, 10.3 IS supported, so we know that much for sure. Keep me up to date on your progress and I'll try to answer any specific questions for you. I'll keep this ticket open 'till we're sure you have everything you need.
Gary

Ferdinand - Jun 2, 2006 - 10:44 am

Wow. Thanks for the links!!!!! I am just trying them out.

You have to open the tray, and put the CD in and close it. So I guess I have "trayloading".
I have the model that came in different colors with 266 MHz.

One more question:
What does this mean:

If you have a hard drive over 8 GB in size, you must partition it, and the partition containing OS X must be completely within the first 8 GB of space or you will not be able to run OS X. (If you are creating the partition within OS X, it must be 7.45 GB or smaller as reported by Disk Utility, because sometimes a GB is billion bytes and sometimes it's 1,073,741,824 bytes.)

What does "partitioning the harddrive" mean?????

But you know what, Jaguar is enough for me, since all I want to do with the old iMac is surf in the web and check e-mails. Do you think it is necessary to partition the HD with the 266 MHz model?

Ferdinand

Ferdinand - Jun 2, 2006 - 10:58 am

I just saw that macsales.com is LOADS cheaper than welovemacs.com.
So I saw that Jaguar costs $17 at macsales and &55 at welovemacs.
But it says that Jaguar needs a DVD-ROM drive to install. Does the iMac I have, have this? If it doesnt, then theres no point in buying it!
Ferdinand

Ferdinand - Jun 2, 2006 - 11:01 am

Sry- made a mistake. At macsales its $47 not $17. Missread it.

grggary - Jun 3, 2006 - 1:06 am

Partitioning a hard drive is essentially just that. By formatting the drive you create a partition or a divider on your hard drive that treats each partitioned section as its own separate entity. With a partitioned drive you still have one physical drive, but as far as your computer is concerned there are two separate drives (assuming you create one partition). You don't lose any of your available space, but your hard drive will act as if it were two drives. Rather than going into the gory details, I'm going to give you some links to look at that will save me a bunch of typing. Check these out and then make note of any unanswered questions and get back to me with the specifics and I can help you out with those. Check out these links and I think they'll answer most of your basic questions. This first link gives very clear and simple directions complete with pictures:

http://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage...oning_osx.html

Also see:
http://www.applelinks.com/articles/2...06125932.shtml
http://www.macworld.com/2005/03/secr...ctor/index.php
http://www.sciencequest.org/support/...titioning.html

This should give you enough information on which to base a judgment. Let me know what you decide and get back with me and I'll see if I can't help clarify things a bit more for you. Good luck!
Gary

grggary - Jun 3, 2006 - 1:17 am

Oh, yes. This link http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...lance&n=229534 says that the Panther media is a CD, not a DVD. You should be cool.

grggary - Jun 3, 2006 - 1:27 am

And this link http://www.coolmacintosh.com/jaguarreview100602.html mentions that Jaguar is on CD as well. Either Jag or Panther should work without a DVD ROM

Ferdinand - Jun 3, 2006 - 2:26 am

Thanks.