imac g4 need to free up hard drive space

hoss581 said:

No that's not an option Nick. I don't have the original start up disc. It works good enough now for a novice like me . I have no funding for buying anything, I got this computer for free so I have to just make due !!

Click to expand...

It actually is an option…you're choosing not to pursue it due to cost. Which is understandable with an older commuter that you got for free.

If the computer seems to be working fine for your needs…then "drive on" and enjoy it!

- Nick

I just figured with a phone line acsess that I was limited in my scope . This machine is the year before intell proccesser so you can only expect so much , right? If "I" try to wipe the computer clean something else will happen and I will be without [grin]. Such is my luck. So I will stumble along with it as is but thanks for your help Nick!!

pigoo3 said:

Or some nice, intelligent, helpful, good-looking, studly, "modest" person does that for you!

Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure this is my first post in this thread.

If you find yourself running out of disk space, an external hard drive might be something to think about purchasing when the funds are available. You can get some fairly cheap ones if you take your time to look around.

hoss581 said:

This machine is the year before in tell processor...

Click to expand...

Just so you know…the last iMac G4 was about 2 years before the iMac's with Intel cpu's. After the last iMac G4…there were THREE generations of iMac G5's…then the Intel iMac's began.

The last iMac G4 was introduced November, 2003. The first Intel iMac was introduced January, 2006.

- Nick

I bow to your expertice Nick [grin]!! I was assuming that I knew what year it was . Here are the specs:
800MHz power PC G4 256M SDRAM some the oldest folders I found were from 2003 so you are correct of course .

hoss581 said:

Here are the specs:
800MHz power PC G4 256M SDRAM some the oldest folders I found were from 2003 so you are correct of course .

Click to expand...

Your 800mhz iMac G4 is one of the earlier/older ones. It's either an early 2002, mid-2002, or early 2003 model…which would make it 3.0-4.0 years before the Intel Mac's.

By the way…with only 256meg of ram…that's pretty low. I believe it can take up to 1gig of ram. More ram would definitely speed things up.

- Nick

How would I get more ram ? an external drive?

RAM is different than hard drive space. RAM is short term memory where computer resources and applications reside while running. Think of it this way - RAM is short term memory, hard drive space is long term memory.

Adding RAM is an easy process as long as you have the right chips. Getting the right chips can be a tad tricky since there are so many varieties. And, the older the chips are, the harder they get to find.

To find out what you need, go to  > About This Mac. It should tell you not only how much memory you have but what type it is.

vansmith said:

RAM is different than hard drive space. RAM is short term memory where computer resources and applications reside while running. Think of it this way - RAM is short term memory, hard drive space is long term memory.

Adding RAM is an easy process as long as you have the right chips. Getting the right chips can be a tad tricky since there are so many varieties. And, the older the chips are, the harder they get to find.

To find out what you need, go to  > About This Mac. It should tell you not only how much memory you have but what type it is.

Click to expand...

If you mean on my computer it is 256 MB SDRAM. Where would the chip go? in one of the
ports in the back?

RAM chips go inside your computer. You'd have to open your machine up and add them yourself. If you don't feel comfortable doing that, you may want to find someone who's comfortable doing it to do it for you.

vansmith said:

RAM chips go inside your computer. You'd have to open your machine up and add them yourself. If you don't feel comfortable doing that, you may want to find someone who's comfortable doing it to do it for you.

Click to expand...

No...... I do know someone who could do it but he told me not screw around anymore with it 'cause I made it crash once already;D He is the IT guy at the university I got it from, so .. I know now (thanks to you guys ) that it is time to upgrade

hoss581 said:

No...... I do know someone who could do it but he told me not screw around anymore with it 'cause I made it crash once already;D He is the IT guy at the university I got it from, so .. I know now (thanks to you guys ) that it is time to upgrade

Click to expand...

This "IT guy" could be correct…but really…replacing the ram in a computer is not "brain surgery".

And…unless this "IT Guy" has offered to replace your ram for free…he does have some motivation to tell you this. Since if he gets you to believe that you are not capable of replacing your own ram…he stands to profit from it ($$$).

This computer is worth about $75 bucks. A ram upgrade will cost you $20-$40 bucks (depending how much ram you install)…then add what this IT Guy is going to charge you to install the ram.

When it comes to computers this old…generally speaking it's not worth upgrading them…since the cost to upgrade many times exceeds the value of the computer. Sometimes "free" is really not FREE!

- Nick

pigoo3 said:

This "IT guy" could be correct…but really…replacing the ram in a computer is not "brain surgery".

And…unless this "IT Guy" has offered to replace your ram for free…he does have some motivation to tell you this. Since if he gets you to believe that you are not capable of replacing your own ram…he stands to profit from it ($$$).

This computer is worth about $75 bucks. A ram upgrade will cost you $20-$40 bucks (depending how much ram you install)…then add what this IT Guy is going to charge you to install the ram.

When it comes to computers this old…generally speaking it's not worth upgrading them…since the cost to upgrade many times exceeds the value of the computer. Sometimes "free" is really not FREE!

- Nick

Click to expand...

The IT guy is a friend of relative who did the repair after I crashed it . He did it at work on his lunch hour but I think it took him the better part of an afternoon to get it going again hence his warning not to fiddle around with it any more

I came to the same conclusion that you did , not worth the time to upgrade it . There is a chance to get another free one from the library if I just bide my time 'till they upgrade again.

hoss581 said:

I came to the same conclusion that you did , not worth the time to upgrade it .

Click to expand...

I don't mind spending lots of time working on an old computer…it's the $$$ dollars that's the problem.

When you deal with old computers…generally speaking if it's operational…all you can upgrade is the ram and the hard drive. For older computers…the cost of ram and hard drives is more expensive than ram and hard drives for newer computers. Add to this the fact that older computers (in some/many cases) are worth next to nothing…and you can see how from a financial standpoint it's really not worth it. Especially when you also consider that even after the computer is upgraded…it's still going to be very very slow by todays standards.

The "trick" with old computers is (whether you get them for free or purchase them) the cost of the upgrades that are needed need to be factored into the price…since you don't want the cost of the computer + upgrades to drastically exceed the computers current market value.

The best scenario is to only buy them if they are upgraded already (in other words…at least the ram is maxed out or close to maxed out). If you get the computer for free…then you have more upgrade cost flexibility…since the computer cost nothing. But if the cost of the upgrades gets to be too much…the same $$$ could buy a better/faster computer.

An iMac G4 800mhz may be ok…but (for example) something like a 1.5ghz G4 Mac-mini (that I personally paid $50 bucks for) is much better. Or 1.8ghz dual-cpu Powermac G5 (which currently sells for around $125 on e-Bay)...is a MUCH MUCH better computer.

A person dealing with old used computers needs to have a good idea of what other (newer…2004-2005...used computers are worth)…before spending money on upgrades for other older computers (2003).

- Nick

Hey!!...... I forgot to mention the " IT" guy that I know,... his name is Nick also[grin] I think there is a G5 at the library now! maybe soon......? For what I do with a computer it is adequate, I am just impatient , hey wadda ya want for free right ?

hoss581 said:

Hey!!...... I forgot to mention the " IT" guy that I know,... his name is Nick also[grin]

Click to expand...

Well if his name is Nick…he can't be all that bad! But personally…I don't trust any "Nick's" other than myself! Ha ha!

hoss581 said:

hey wadda ya want for free right ?

Click to expand...

This is true…but then I also wouldn't want to be trying to make an 9 year-old computer (2003) my main computer in 2012! At this point…that measly 256meg of ram is your biggest performance issue.

- Nick

pigoo3 said:

Well if his name is Nick…he can't be all that bad! But personally…I don't trust any "Nick's" other than myself! Ha ha!



This is true…but then I also wouldn't want to be trying to make an 9 year-old computer (2003) my main computer in 2012! At this point…that measly 256meg of ram is your biggest performance issue.

- Nick

Click to expand...

I agree....now that I have gone thru and see what effects the things I have got rid of "are"!! ,...The ram is obviously the major issue .

Hey what does the acronym SDRAM mean ? also what is the progression of bytes ?

MB>KB>GB?

Now you can see what a novice I really am .

hoss581 said:

Hey what does the acronym SDRAM mean ?

Click to expand...

Have you tried "Googling" that term? That's the FIRST thing I do when I don't know something!

hoss581 said:

also what is the progression of bytes ?

MB>KB>GB?

Click to expand...

Again…another great opportunity to use Google…but I'll answer this one.

Kilo = 1,000
Mega = 1,000,000
Giga = 1,000,000,000

Thus: kB>MB>GB

These terms also apply to many other areas than just computing.

hoss581 said:

Now you can see what a novice I really am .

Click to expand...

You would be surprised how helpful internet searches can be…and MUCH faster than other information gathering techniques!

- Nick

pigoo3 said:

Have you tried "Googling" that term? That's the FIRST thing I do when I don't know something!



Again…another great opportunity to use Google…but I'll answer this one.

Kilo = 1,000
Mega = 1,000,000
Giga = 1,000,000,000

Thus: kB>MB>GB

These terms also apply to many other areas than just computing.



You would be surprised how helpful internet searches can be…and MUCH faster than other information gathering techniques!

- Nick

Click to expand...

Sorry Nick , yes I could have googled it , in fact it has taken me 2 days of trying and at least 10 password changes to get logged in to reply to your post . I have never had so much trouble in my life !! So yeah I will use google search if it is going to be that hard to log in . Either I can't type at all or there is a glitch somewhere , I gave up yesterday after 2 time outs from the log in . Thank you for your help . I think I have gone as far as I can with my computer , the disc inventory X is really cool .