total noob to mac...please help

sorry just got a strawberry imac dv
was told its been formated
i have 2 orange disks...software install and software restore for dv models
it says press c to boot from disk on start up....
i have done this on both cd....
i get a chime..or start up sound..then a grey screen
what am i doing wrong...please help..
im a virgin to mac......bored of bill gates....please help
don't shout...we all started off virgins once
Liam

Do a normal start up... Wait til' you get a flashing Mac OS Logo, then insert the discs... If it doesn't work, it maybe that the system doesn't have a OS and needs discs for a full program not an upgrade...

Hope this helps, if not I'm here to help...

BTW, Welcome to the Forums!

iMacKid500 ;D

what flashing Mac OS Logo ????
when i turn on the sounds comes on...screen goes grey...and thats it
thank for getting back me,
just spoke to the person who sold it me....
then said it was ok when he put it in the cupboard...6 months ago
don't sound good to me
Liam

Are you keeping the C key down for a bit? Don't let up till it starts to boot. Try both CD's. If that does not work let us know. Be patient at that Gray screen. So older iMacs take a bit to get past it.

If all else fails, do try this. Hit the Power Button and REAL FAST hold down the following keys. APPLE-OPTION-P-R. Hold them all at the same time and keep them down till the start up chime you heard sounds 2 times. It will reboot between chimes so be patient. Then let the keys go, and reboot holding down C with the Install CD and see if it then boots.

trying all the things you say....no joy
have grey screen....holding down button for 5 mins but still no good
anything else...or is it DOA ?

THANK YOU FOR THE HELP SO FAR

liamhere said:

trying all the things you say....no joy
have grey screen....holding down button for 5 mins but still no good
anything else...or is it DOA ?

THANK YOU FOR THE HELP SO FAR

Click to expand...

One thing I did not mention is maybe the CD Drive has issues and that is why it's not booting from the CD's. Do the CD's look like they are in good shape? Not all scratched or fingerprinted? Had that happen a few times with older iMacs and cleaning the CD got it to boot.

im downloading Ubuntu
will burn to cd...and see if that will boot
so to boot from cd is just hold c down....yes?
if still not working...maybe the drive is buggered

liamhere said:

im downloading Ubuntu
will burn to cd...and see if that will boot
so to boot from cd is just hold c down....yes?
if still not working...maybe the drive is buggered

Click to expand...

Yes, hold down C as soon as you hit the power button. Let us know what happens. That is what I did here and the Ubuntu CD booted. The CD drive in my old 233 iMac is a bit tender. Does not like some media. It's old!

yes....its the media...my mac don't like it
was told it likes cd-rw...so will get a couple today
i only want to use the mac as a jukebox
don't care what OS is on it as long as it works and looks nice
many thanks once again for the info and help

ok i have my cd-rw's...will burn at a very slow speed when i get home from work.....can you burn too slow...sorry if that sounds a stupid question
also as the mac has been sitting unused for 6 months..
could the clock battery be no good now...will this stop it booting up?
Liam

Have you tried just letting the machine start without doing anything? What happens? It may be formatted and will actually run. Tell us what happens without the C being held down.

The battery may be an issue as I had a DV and changed the battery once in 8 years. Maybe it might be wise to get a set of current OS X Disks (Tiger) and start over rather than fight with history you don't know.

so i need to get install disks for tiger
looks like a trip to ebay for me
what version is tiger?..8...9...10??????
will the firmware on this mac be ok to run.....
sorry....so may questions
Liam

ok here we go......
left it on...10 min later there is a file in the middle of the screen
with a mac face on it.
but i have no mouse icon to click on it
any ideas
Liam

Is the Mac icon smiling or not? If it's smiling, woo! If not, whuh oh!

Tiger is version 10.4

Downloadable firmware updates can be found here. Your iMac model should be listed there.

As for the icon you see at the startup... If it has a flashing question mark, it's because it can't find a valid system to boot from.

To force it to look everywhere for the system's OS, restart holding down the Option key. If the OS install is really messed up, it won't be able to boot anyway.

Hope this helps.

Just a beware note for the noob...

You have an older machine that requires OS 9 installed before installing OS X (Tiger). You have to flash the firmware posted above from OS 9 BEFORE installing OS X. So if you are buying get OS 9 and you are good to go. OS 9 goes to 9.2.2 then install Tiger. How much RAM does it have? Open the door on the bottom and pull it out. You are into some money getting it up to speed. Spend wisely as all you are spending is for nought when you try and sell it. It may be wise to move way closer to the edge and buy an iMac 20 current version or 1 version old. Swap ebay money you will spend for the newer hardware. I would and just did about 4 months ago.

smurfy said:

Is the Mac icon smiling or not? If it's smiling, woo! If not, whuh oh!

Tiger is version 10.4

Click to expand...

its flashes ? in file...then a smile face at me....but i have no mouse icon to click on anything...or is it all done by keyboard

found this...is this any good?

"Apple original 9.2.2 CD for the coloured G3 imac series that will accept and run OS 9.2.2. Apple part no. Z691-3314-A

Thats the one.

thank god for ebay