g3 problem(not clamshell)

i have just brought a ibook g3 of ebay(seller said it worked perfectly) it came with all the installation cds it was working fine until i tried to connect to my internet connection then it said access denied. I found out i was on a guest profile and did not have the privileges to change internet connection. I contacted the seller to find out the password to the main user i typed in the password correctly several times and it kept on saying "The login failed because of the Macintosh HD may be unusable." i thought that running the software restore disk would help. i used disk 1 worked perfectly.i inserted disk 2 and worked up to a point then said i was not authorized to delete a certain file i forgot which but it continued it nearly finished with less than a minute remaining. Then this message appeared again "The Re-Start failed because of The Macintosh HD may be unusable. i installed mac OS 9 because i had to install the earliest version first. I installed that the got up to the Mac OS X v10.2 then it gets stuck on a beginning screen that has the finder icon and the multi coloured circle
i dont know what to do next

i have tried to explain what happened as accurately as possible

hi,
just a question: can you boot from the OS X disk? to do that hold down the C key as soon as you press the power button. from there you can go into utilities at the top of the screen and go to disk utility. see what the SMART status of your hard drive is. there is one discrepancy: usually when a hard drive goes, a folder flashes on the screen. anyhow, see what the smart status is. If you cant even see your hard drive that is a bad sign. if not, then send your computer back to the seller. post again with any developments. thanks. Justin.

no i cant boot anything
i have found a place that fixes macs i brought it there to see what is wrong with it and how much it costs

seller

CONTACT THE SELLER!!!!! that is all i have to say.... dont buy stuff like that on ebay also.

i did contact the seller but he says it was working fine when he sold it and he is refusing to give my money back
anyway i got this fixed
but i cant get my wireless network working on it

Unless listed, most iBook G3s do not have a wireless card installed. Usually it was installed later if so chosen by the owner.

OK, lets make certain you have a wireless card installed - with the iBook turned off, lift the keyboard carefully (2 tabs`each side at the top, maybe one in the middle as well but they don't always catch), and underneath on the left you should see either a card or an empty slot.
If you have no card there's your answer, and you will need an Apple Airport Card (not 'Extreme').

Either way, if you have the disks I would re-install completely ('erase and install' it's called) as you don't know what the previous person has left on the iBook.

Hope this helps

Cheers

Hugh

i did that "erase and install" and i am in the progress of re installing it
also i looked to see if it has a airport card but i dont know what it looks like so i have taken a picture of what i can see and put it as my profile picture
thanks for the help if it does not have one i will buy one.
where should i buy one from?

ok my pic did not show up

http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/members/jonathanb234567.html
i will see if this works

OK no problem about the pic, towards the end of the installation you should have been asked to set up networking. If you have an Airport card it should be detected at this point and you would be given the opportunity to join your wireless network.
Also, I would have thought the eBay advert would have mentioned if an Airport card was installed.
They look like this - Original Apple Airport Card for iBook iMac Powerbook - eBay (item 250313584246 end time Nov-02-08 09:25:34 PST) , although you can probably get for less $.

Hope this helps,

Cheers

Hugh

yeah it does have one installed and it detects my network i type in my correct password and it asks for my POP account and i do not know what this is
i enter my email address am i doing it right?

Hi again, I have found OS X installation instructions from Apple - http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/Tiger_Install_Setup_Guide.pdf - if you go to page 11 there is a section on setting up the network.
From this and what you have said I reckon the Airport has been set up, and you have moved onto modem / email account setup. Skip this bit if you don't need to use a modem for dialup (you appear to have wireless) and you can always set up email later. Likewise skip if you don't have a .Mac account.

Good luck, I think with the help of the guide you're almost there.

Cheers

Hugh