Mac OS Install: New iBook User

Hi, my oldest brother gave me his old iBook. It is a G3 iBook 500Mhz with 256RAM and a 10Gig HD. He lost his installation cd's and I want to format the iBook in order to have a clean and new start on my iBook. I have never used a Mac before. He suggested that I should go to ebay and look for a lower end Mac OS because the newest verison might make the iBook go uber slow. So far I bought 2 install cd's for mac OS 9 for 4 bucks and currently bidding on PANTHER Mac OS X Version 10.3.5. I should get them in the mail in a few days. Any other suggestions? Also any advice on how to process with reformating my iBook with a fresh install. I would rather get info for the Panther install first and the the older OS 9. Thank you.

The iBook should run 10.3.x ok, although i would highly recommend a RAM upgrade...Also 10.3.x will take up a good chuck of that 10Gb HDD, so an external HDD may be a good idea as well.

Once you have your CDs/DVDs (make sure you are getting the correct media for the drive installed in the iBook...you'd hate to get DVDs in the mail, and realise your iBook is lacking a DVD-ROM minimum...insert the disc and boot the iBook holding down the 'C' on the keyboard. Then follow the prompts, and on the screen where you select the HDD to install to, click 'options' and choose 'Erase and Install'. This will wipe the drive clean, and you will lose all of your data, so make sure you have backed up everything you need.

From there, follow the prompts and you will be running smooth and new!

If you get stuck or are unsure about any step, stop and post a question before going ahead.