iMac G3 Troubles...

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Hello! Last year I got an iMac g3 233mhz tray loading, os 9.2 from a yard sale thing. It came with computer and power cord for only 5$! so I took I home, ordered a keyboard from eBay, and then of course the iMac had a password lock. I spent money to buy 2 discs, os 8.1 disc and os 8.5.1. Neither worked. Then decided to switch hd with seagate 20gb hd for more storage. Tried open firmware, holding c, everything! Nothing wwwooorrrkkkeeedddd! I think the cd rom drive is broken. What do you guys think I should do?

Ps I am ordering another iMac g3 for parts as we speak.
 
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If it isn't working, I would be happy to take it from you for free? If you live in the Uk can you arrange to post it to me?

Good Luck, Jack.
 
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Wish I could but I don't live in the uk, I live on an intirely different continent
 

pigoo3

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If it isn't working, I would be happy to take it from you for free? If you live in the Uk can you arrange to post it to me?

Good Luck, Jack.

If you don't buy an eMac...Jack...that username isn't going to make a whole lot of sense!;)

- Nick
 
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Black MacBook 2.2GHz C2D, 4GB Ram - iMac G4 700MHz, 512MB Ram
Have you tried any different disks? Does the drive spin up at all or is it just dead? I think you may have bought Machine specific OS 8.2 system disks, that will not work with your iMac.

Hopefully your firmware is up to date, you can check this by restarting and holding the Apple+Option+O+F keys while booting. This will bring you into open firmware, if it says 4.1.9 your firmware is up to date.

If your firmware is updated, I'd recommend picking up some OS X disks, either 10.1, 10.2, or 10.3 are all FAR more capable than OS 8.1 or OS 9.2.
 
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Mkay..

Yes I have tried different disks. I have tried os 8.1,8.5.1, an 9. And no the open firmware is 3.0f2 so I have to upgrade is. The drive lights up yellow and I can hear is spin and such but it doesn't read :(. When "boot cd" is typed in open firmware this comes up

"DISK-LABEL:read of block0 failed
Can't open: cd
Ok"

Aaalllssooooo, the Mac I got for parts also does the same thing. It's a slot loading iMac 400mhz I think and open firmware is 4.1.9f1 and it boots to startup thing! (holding shift) but no hd is found. There's no os on it, and if there is it not found. When open cd is typed in on 400mhz this comes up:

"Method <load> not found; ihandle=0 phandle=0 load-size=0 alder32=1

Load size is too small
Ok"

Help please! ( I wouldn't mind fixing both of the iMacs btw"
 
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The slot load Imac is a different machine from the tray load. The OS disc must be orange for DV models. Os 9.2.1 disc are white with and orange 9 on them. You boot by holding down the C key. The machine will run off the OS CD. If you change the HD you can lose the firmware. The slot load has to be 4.1.9 to run OS X. Theres a little servo button in the corner of the slot "behind the fuzzy stuff" to eject a CD.
 
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Yes i know they are different machines. Holding c does not work. And the slot load is 4.1.9 as i said. Anyway i put the old 4gb from the 233hz that had os but with a password lock and it booted into os x 10.1.5! I tried to install os x 10.4 but the hd is partitioned with osx and os9. How do i unpartition? Also can i get a usb to ide and plug in other drives and install os onto those?
 
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2xiMac24 w Parallels 6 (1x White, 1x Aluminum), iPhone 3GS with iOS5
The G3 needs both OS9 and OSX on the drive to function I believe. You can add an external and it MUST be a Firewire drive. Those G3 can start off an external Firewire drive but you really should settle down the software / HD issue. I have kept my OS 9 Retail disk and all my OS X Retail disks because i have a G4 and DREAD having to reload the early software because of the nuances you are bumping into for the early PPC machines.

If you are committed to getting these early machines running I would suggest getting RETAIL OS install disks then install a new 120 GB IDE drive (or smaller - they are hard to find as they are discontinued), install OS 9, then install up to 9.2.2 THEN install the Firmware for the leap to OSX, then install OS X.

Or concede that it is not worth it and move on by selling the machines or make them into aquariums. I had a Grape G3 DV and gave it up after multiple surgeries where I extended it's life to 8 years. I am typing on the successor - 24inch white iMac. The frustration factor is something to really think out.
 
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Ok. Well now how can I install os 9 onto an external hd? When I load the install os 9 on the cd it says I need classic or something. I can't boot off the cd it just boots up normally. Could I like get an os 9 img and restore that to the hd or something?
 
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You should not installed OS9 on an external -- it must be loaded onto the internal HD. I am assuming you have installed the larger hard drive (you can put up to a 120 gb drive into the older iMacs). It also sounds like the CD is working and now the next issue would be to start from the Retail version of OS9 which is white with the orange 9 on it. Hold down the C button and it should start with the white disk. Then format the HD and continue installing the OS.

We can help but feed back to us where you get tripped up. Loading OS9 and making the jump installing OS X is tricky and has a few tricks.
 

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