I'm new here, I think this is the right place to post this, please correct me if I'm wrong.
My Dad has had one of the blue/white iMac G3's for a while, I just got my MacBook a few years ago, but I've become somewhat of an expert now, at least in OS X.
Anyways, my Dad and I love Mac's, and he want to use this iMac for simple web browsing and maybe the occasional CD burning in my family's "downstairs living room" (my Mom prefers Windows, which we have upstairs).
The computer obviously belonged to an elementary school at some point (Millie's Math House, Reader Rabbit... we had all those on the iMac's in my senior kindergarden class) and there are locks on almost all of the system programs. A lot of space is taken up by these preschool programs and I can't delete them.
I want to just download a disk image of Mac OS 9 or 10.1 (not 10.0, no DVD support) and install that, but I cant find any and cant find out how to erase the HDD on the iMac even if i do find one.
My Dad got the computer off of a friend at work who gave us an install CD for Mac OS 9 (9.2.2 is the version on the computer right now) AND an install CD for 10.0 and the free upgrade to 10.1. But those have been lost ever since we moved last summer (not actually lost, but in one of the 50 boxes in our basement).
Does anyone have any suggestions at all about what to do?
Mac Specs: Dual Core 2.3GHz G5 OS X.5.8 8GB DDR2 RAM
If the machine has firmware password protection, as many used at schools were to discourage theft, you will not be able to boot from any install disc and the best thing to do may be well to forget about the machine.
If it will boot from OS 9.2.2 disc, upgrade the firmware from the Apple web site, install and restart using the programmers switch, and proceed with OS X install. You will have to purchase the operating system discs as they are not available for download. Apple does have upgrades available. Also boot that memory up to 500MB, 2x256 PC 100 modules of Mac compatible low density modules, and look for Panther/Tiger to install.
If you nuke the hard drive you will lose the firmware. That has to be boot rom 4.1.9 in order to install OS X. If you click on the program icon 'not the alias icon' once and look in the file menu under general information uncheck the lock box. I would go look in the boxes
right now as youll need the 9.2 disc. 9.2 is still pricey even today.
Mac Specs: Dual Core 2.3GHz G5 OS X.5.8 8GB DDR2 RAM
And how would you format the drive if it is Firmware Password Protected? You need the password in order to boot, and install disks are not bootable either to access Disk Utility?
