Hello Everyone,
I'm new to the forum and am not terribly knowledgeable about how computers work. Please bear with me if I get the terminology wrong, and let me know if this should be posted in a different area of the forum. I have a five- or six-year old PowerBook G4 12-inch that runs OS X version 10.3.9. When I click on About This Computer it tells me the following:
Machine Model: PowerBook G4 12"
CPU Type: PowerPC G4 (1.1)
Number Of CPUs: 1
CPU Speed: 1 GHz
L2 Cache (per CPU): 512 KB
Memory: 512 MB
Bus Speed: 133 MHz
Boot ROM Version: 4.7.5f1
The laptop worked fine except that a few years ago the software update feature quit working -- I assumed it was because the operating system was too old to keep up. Then the hard drive went bad a few months ago and I elected to install a new hard drive rather than buying a new laptop (gotta love this economy). Other than Safari and Firefox crashing a few times per week, the laptop is again working fine.
The problem is that my old hard drive had MS Office for Mac Home Edition on it and my new one doesn't, of course. I need to at least have Word (resumes, etc.) and can't find a version that will work with an operating system as old as mine.
So my questions are:
1. Is there an old version of Word or Office that I can buy that will work with 10.3.9? If not...
2. Can I do anything to my laptop (install more memory, etc.) to somehow bring the OS up to at least 10.4.9 which is the minimum for installing Office 2008? If not...
3. Someone advised me to forget MS Word and use Open Office instead. How cumbersome is this process?
I'm sorry this is long. I'm hoping someone can help me before I have to go out and buy a new laptop (again with the economy). I really only need Word and internet so I hate to invest in a new computer if I don't have to. Thanks in advance for any assistance you can provide.
Kim
I'm new to the forum and am not terribly knowledgeable about how computers work. Please bear with me if I get the terminology wrong, and let me know if this should be posted in a different area of the forum. I have a five- or six-year old PowerBook G4 12-inch that runs OS X version 10.3.9. When I click on About This Computer it tells me the following:
Machine Model: PowerBook G4 12"
CPU Type: PowerPC G4 (1.1)
Number Of CPUs: 1
CPU Speed: 1 GHz
L2 Cache (per CPU): 512 KB
Memory: 512 MB
Bus Speed: 133 MHz
Boot ROM Version: 4.7.5f1
The laptop worked fine except that a few years ago the software update feature quit working -- I assumed it was because the operating system was too old to keep up. Then the hard drive went bad a few months ago and I elected to install a new hard drive rather than buying a new laptop (gotta love this economy). Other than Safari and Firefox crashing a few times per week, the laptop is again working fine.
The problem is that my old hard drive had MS Office for Mac Home Edition on it and my new one doesn't, of course. I need to at least have Word (resumes, etc.) and can't find a version that will work with an operating system as old as mine.
So my questions are:
1. Is there an old version of Word or Office that I can buy that will work with 10.3.9? If not...
2. Can I do anything to my laptop (install more memory, etc.) to somehow bring the OS up to at least 10.4.9 which is the minimum for installing Office 2008? If not...
3. Someone advised me to forget MS Word and use Open Office instead. How cumbersome is this process?
I'm sorry this is long. I'm hoping someone can help me before I have to go out and buy a new laptop (again with the economy). I really only need Word and internet so I hate to invest in a new computer if I don't have to. Thanks in advance for any assistance you can provide.
Kim