10.1/ 10.2 / 10.3 on an iMac G3??

hi

which system is the best for an iMac G3?

actually i dont know the system spec like Mhz/ram, but i'm going to look.


which one does need the less spec to work??

Every iMac, from the original to the latest G5, can run Mac OS X 10.3 Panther.

So far, every version of OS X has been faster than the previous (10.3 is faster than 10.2 which was faster than 10.1...) so I would recommend Panther for best performance.

Note that any version of OS X requires at least 128MB of memory just to boot. In reality, 256MB is a more realistic minimum.

I just did a service call on a Rev A (233mhz) model that was running 10.2.6 without problems. It had 160mg of RAM and the full 6 mg of VRAM. It did seem slow in some areas but not substantially slower than OS 9 on my 333mhz Rev D. The drawbacks were that it had the original 4gb hard disk and had only about 750 mg available after the two systems were installed and with only 6 mg of VRAM it doesn't like high video loads. I think it would benefit from more RAM (it maxes out at 256 mgs on this model) and a bigger HD but it's hard to justify the costs involved.
Badger

technologist said:

So far, every version of OS X has been faster than the previous (10.3 is faster than 10.2 which was faster than 10.1...) so I would recommend Panther for best performance.

Click to expand...

I had always believed that Panther (10.3) was faster than Jaguar (10.2), but it was never so obvious as when I just upgraded my Beige G3 AIO from Jaguar to Panther. The specs on my AIO are very similar to that of an older iMac, and I noticed an immediate improvement in overall "speediness" after the upgrade. I would definitely suggest 10.3 if that is an option for you.

I run 10.3 on a 500mhz iMac, with 196 of ram, once loaded its fine - but Im going to up the ram anyways

Ofcourse its always vital to upgrade firmware otherwise you could end up with a dead iMac.
I think it usually prompts about this when installing Os x but people have managed to not do it and "kill their machine" . Although it is fixable ofcourse, though better not to have to.

As you can see from my specs , I run an iMac Bondi Blue (G3) 233 Mhz -256MB RAM -80GB HD with Panther (OS X 10.3.5).

I would advise everybody with a G3 to go to Panther it's absolutely fantastic to work on ! and runs with no problem.

I could use more RAM for Adobe CS . But it's still very usable even at 256 MB .

Hope this helps
Paul.
:mac:

pphking said:

As you can see from my specs , I run an iMac Bondi Blue (G3) 233 Mhz -256MB RAM -80GB HD with Panther (OS X 10.3.5).

I would advise everybody with a G3 to go to Panther it's absolutely fantastic to work on ! and runs with no problem.

I could use more RAM for Adobe CS . But it's still very usable even at 256 MB .

Hope this helps
Paul.
:mac:

Click to expand...

Hi,
I'm trying to install OS 10.3.5 on my iMac G3, however, it never sees the disc and refuses to boot from it. Could it be because it is an install that came with my iMac G5?
Does someone know how to bypass this?
Thanks

SuperNova said:

Hi,
I'm trying to install OS 10.3.5 on my iMac G3, however, it never sees the disc and refuses to boot from it. Could it be because it is an install that came with my iMac G5?
Does someone know how to bypass this?
Thanks

Click to expand...

You would be better off, in getting a full install disk of panther.

I agree that a full version of Panther would probably be better. That is what i used.
I would also make sure that your firmware is up to date.

Hope this helps
Paul

pphking said:

I agree that a full version of Panther would probably be better. That is what i used.
I would also make sure that your firmware is up to date.

Hope this helps
Paul

Click to expand...

I also agree that a full version would be better, but I'm broke *laughs*.
I updated the firmware to version 4.1.9, which is, as I understand, needed to install 10.2, but it still doesn't read my Panther install discs.
Thanks again.

-- I've tried zapping the PRAM and quickly tried to insert the CD and boot from it, but nada. Even if it IS because it is a Panther CD from a G5, shouldn't the G3 be able to see it at all? Unless it's because Panther comes on DVD and the iMac doesn't have a DVD drive?? *sighs*

SuperNova said:

Hi,
I'm trying to install OS 10.3.5 on my iMac G3, however, it never sees the disc and refuses to boot from it. Could it be because it is an install that came with my iMac G5?
Does someone know how to bypass this?
Thanks

Click to expand...

Does your iMac have a DVD-ROM, or just a CD-ROM drive? Also, a person in another thread attempted to install Panther from iMac G5 disks on an otherwise supported machine, but was unsuccessful. It's possible that Apple has somehow made the iMac G5 disks incompatible with other machines in an attempt to prevent just what you're trying to do.

Padawan said:

Does your iMac have a DVD-ROM, or just a CD-ROM drive? Also, a person in another thread attempted to install Panther from iMac G5 disks on an otherwise supported machine, but was unsuccessful. It's possible that Apple has somehow made the iMac G5 disks incompatible with other machines in an attempt to prevent just what you're trying to do.

Click to expand...

I guess I took for granted that my G5 has a DVD burner and that not all Macs can read DVDs, but Panther does in fact come on DVD and I didn't even check. The iMac doesn't come equipped with a DVD drive and, obviously, can't read the discs :closed:

As this is the case, I’m assuming the other people who have managed to install Panther on their G3 iMacs have the special edition ones or have upgraded to DVD drives.

Also, I agree that using installation discs from another computer aren't putting the odds in my favor.

Sorry I forgot to mention that I used a CD version of Panther to install on My G3 iMac.

Supernova if you contact me offlist I maybe able to help you out.
Hope this helps
Paul

Hi Paul,

Now I have a new problem. I brought in a copy of Panther on CD this time, not the originals but a copy. When I click on 'Install OS X', the computer reboots like normal, except that I get a white Open Firmware screen with the options to boot and shut down that I have to type in. This has got to be because it's a copy, right? I've updated my firmware to version 4.1.9 so I doubt that's the problem.

Sorry to keep pestering you .
Nova

I am not sure, but yes it does sound like the problem is the copies.
If possible get the originals and try those.

When you were on OS 9 did you upgrade to 9.2.2 first before trying to install Panther ? You have to do that step first (9.1, 9.2.1, 9.2.2 then Panther) if not that can cause problems when trying to install Panther.

If it's none of the above maybe someone like Badger may have some ideas.


Hope this helps
Paul